I know that there hasn't been any new content on the blog for some time, but I have an excellent reason! You see, I've been in pre-production on my first documentary feature, New York After Dark, and it has completely taken over my life in every wonderful and stressful way you might imagine.
For more information on the film, which is about how blind New Yorkers navigate their city, please check out this link to our Kickstarter campaign, as well as the video plea and link below.
We should have a website for the film up-and-running soon and I will let you know as soon as it's ready. You can also touch-base via my website any time, if you interested in any film updates or just want to say hi!
I'm so excited and, even though I miss blogging regularly, I'm really glad to share some film art with all of you soon!
And, never you worry, there will be more travel and food hilarity in our future together!
Until then,
Ilana
Showing posts with label New York City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York City. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
It's SUPER Setsubun!
Well, one year ago ... this week ... we began the best darn travel blog EVER! And, our inaugural blog post was a little tome titled "Soybeans, demons, and a giant tube of sushi." We used the Japanese festival that marks the beginning of spring to catapult ourselves into world holiday relevance and we haven't looked back since -- not even when someone was pelting us with colored dye during Holi or promising us the world's best gelato in Rome.
This week, in honor of our year of holidays & holiDAYtrips and the upcoming Setsubun festivities planned for this [Superbowl] Sunday, we are re-visiting our first blog post. So, read on, my friends. We've even changed a few bits here and there to keep things interesting!
Hi World! Welcome to the holiDAYtrips video blog!
(It’s lovely to make your acquaintance.)
Nowadays, the most popular custom associated with Setsubun is mamemaki, or bean throwing. Of course, there are many variations on mamemaki throughout Japan; but, in a nutshell, families throw roasted soybeans out of their house via the front door (or at a willing volunteer in a devil mask) and shout:
"Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (Demons out, happiness in!)
Afterward, everyone picks up and eats the number of beans, which corresponds to their age; and, usually one more for luck.
Once inside, while on the hunt for beans, we were promptly asked to stop filming.
(Aww, fuku mame!)
We eventually found the small Setsubun section – where all the packets of soybeans had a little devil head on the outside. Now that I think twice about it, we may have also found the entrance to Yomi-no-kuni, the Japanese realm of the dead! Good thing we promptly made our purchases and got on our way...
If you don't like to watch people chew giant mouthfuls of food, you should probably turn back now! Also don't be thrown when I mention (in the video below) that the lucky direction is NNW ... that was the case when we first filmed, in 2012. Again, if you're celebrating Setsubun this year (and I hope you are), the lucky direction for 2013 is South-South-East.
This week, in honor of our year of holidays & holiDAYtrips and the upcoming Setsubun festivities planned for this [Superbowl] Sunday, we are re-visiting our first blog post. So, read on, my friends. We've even changed a few bits here and there to keep things interesting!
Hi World! Welcome to the holiDAYtrips video blog!
(It’s lovely to make your acquaintance.)
Most days, on Twitter, we post a new world holiday; but, we also wanted to create a forum for posting the video evidence of our global [mis]adventures!
("We," by the way, is me and my husband, Ed!)
("We," by the way, is me and my husband, Ed!)
Today’s video holiDAYtrip is Setsubun, the Japanese festival that marks the beginning of spring. For centuries, on the day before spring, the Japanese have performed rituals in order to chase away evil spirits and prepare for the new year. One of my favorite Japanese customs, from the 1200s, involved burning dried sardine heads and using the smell to keep bad energy at bay. Now THAT'S a party!
Nowadays, the most popular custom associated with Setsubun is mamemaki, or bean throwing. Of course, there are many variations on mamemaki throughout Japan; but, in a nutshell, families throw roasted soybeans out of their house via the front door (or at a willing volunteer in a devil mask) and shout:
"Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (Demons out, happiness in!)
Afterward, everyone picks up and eats the number of beans, which corresponds to their age; and, usually one more for luck.
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| Roasted soybeans...reminded me of Corn Nuts |
So, for our first order of Setsubun business, Ed and I headed to the one place we knew wouldn’t disappoint -- Mitsuwa Marketplace. For those of you who aren’t crazy foodies (like us), Mitsuwa is the largest Japanese supermarket in the United States and has most Japanese specialty items a person could want.
For those of you that are foodies, it turns out that the best time to go to Mitsuwa is at 1:40pm on a Monday.
Once inside, while on the hunt for beans, we were promptly asked to stop filming.
(Aww, fuku mame!)
We eventually found the small Setsubun section – where all the packets of soybeans had a little devil head on the outside. Now that I think twice about it, we may have also found the entrance to Yomi-no-kuni, the Japanese realm of the dead! Good thing we promptly made our purchases and got on our way...
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| Ed, with Sapporo and Demon Mask (Our usual date tools)
Now, gaining popularity in some parts of Japan is another Setsubun tradition that we were most excited to try – eating a “Lucky Direction” roll, or Eho-Maki. It’s customary to eat this sushi in a very specific way.
First of all, the roll must stay uncut (mmm…sushi tube!); it must contain 7 ingredients (mmm…fat sushi tube!); you must eat it in silence while facing the yearly lucky compass direction, determined by the zodiac symbol of that year.
As 2013 is the Year of the Snake, the lucky direction is South-South-East.
(Don't be thrown by our video, below, saying it's the Year of the Dragon ... that was correct when we first filmed, in 2012.) |
Now, all of this would have been fine; however, Ed and I unknowingly stumbled into a sushi restaurant near us that didn’t have a single Japanese person working there!
(Aww, makizushi!)
So, we ended up schooling the sushi chefs on how to perfectly craft our Lucky Direction rolls.
(Aww, makizushi!)
So, we ended up schooling the sushi chefs on how to perfectly craft our Lucky Direction rolls.
 |
| We decided on yellowtail, mango (yellow is a lucky color), avocado, cucumber, spicy red remoulade, tempura flake, and brown rice. |
If you don't like to watch people chew giant mouthfuls of food, you should probably turn back now! Also don't be thrown when I mention (in the video below) that the lucky direction is NNW ... that was the case when we first filmed, in 2012. Again, if you're celebrating Setsubun this year (and I hope you are), the lucky direction for 2013 is South-South-East.
Setsubun was a truly great time. We laughed A LOT and were really excited that this was the first holiDAYtrip that we committed to video! Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!
And, it seems only fitting to leave you with the following…
It's been a particularly great year and I'm guessing that we did Setsubun up right in 2012 and we owe of a debt of gratitude to that old lucky direction and to that big-ass tube of sushi! We made a blog; we changed the name of the blog (did anyone catch that in the credits at the end of the last video?); we celebrated holidays from Japan, Greece, South Korea, India, the United States, and Indonesia; we monetized; we made $3.41; we realized that we love doing this so much that it doesn't matter if we never make more than $3.41.
So, to all of our loyal followers and those of you just joining us for the first time, a hearty THANK YOU! If you can't wait to find out what's next for us ... neither can we!
Get ready for the new year and all that comes with it,
So, to all of our loyal followers and those of you just joining us for the first time, a hearty THANK YOU! If you can't wait to find out what's next for us ... neither can we!
Get ready for the new year and all that comes with it,
Ilana
The “Packing List”
This week, we were rocking the following...or close to it:
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Have Passport -- Will Travel
On Saturday, March 10, the U.S. Department of State celebrated its 4th annual Passport Day in the USA and the holiDAYtrips blog was invited to attend a behind-the-scenes tour of New York’s main passport agency, located at 376 Hudson Street. How in the world could we pass that up! Well, luckily, we didn’t; and, here is the account of our day and the answers to some questions that we were excited to get to ask the folks in know!
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| The Passport Agency is located in the Greater NY Federal Building. |
We were hyperaware all day that we were fortunate to be on the premises and to have this special access. And, there is nothing more exciting than walking into a government agency with a camcorder and a still camera (and permission to use them) and having the sign above be one of the first things you encounter!
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| Groovy Passport Day logo! |
Our tour was conducted by Customer Service Manager, Kathryn Foss, and we were joined later by Regional Director, Michael Hoffman. Once the tour began, we headed first to where the passports are crafted. I was particularly excited to check out the inserts that we savvy travelers tend to send a away for, when our standard size passports start to get too full to accommodate our stamps. And, that’s when I got my first nugget of great news...
Listen up, this one’s good! When you fill out an application for a new passport, you can select the option to get the larger, 52-page book (with the insert pages already included) for NO ADDITIONAL COST!! There’s an additional box (to the right of the option for the standard size, 28-page book) and if you didn’t know to check it, you’d never know that you could save yourself a massive headache and some bucks down the road!
(I’m slapping you a virtual high five from here over this one!)
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| Sam Eagle is totally giving you the stink eye. |
Ms. Foss even noted that the Department of State was surprised by how few of the larger books get ordered, being that they’re offered at no additional price.
Want a visual? Let me break it down for you here:
And, I will freely admit, I was angling hard for them to give me a free insert of pages -- to strictly make the video segment more informative, of course! (No dice! They were professional and probably extra hip to my game. Sneaky world travelers!)
Next we had a really satisfying Q & A. Here are a couple of particularly great gems that we sniffed out for you guys, mingled in with some of my personal tips for passport etiquette:
- The U.S. Department of State has a really handy app, called Smart Traveler, that iPhone and iPad users can utilize prior to and during their travels. Two of my favorite features are the “know before you go” section which includes country specific entry/exit requirements, up-to-date travel alerts, maps, and embassy locations; and, the “smart traveler enrollment” feature, which allows you to upload your itinerary directly to the state department. That way, they can better assist you in case of an emergency. (And, guys, whether you use an app or not, this should be a drill you are already implementing. Registering your travel with the Department of State is the smart thing to do – it’s safer for your government to know where you are.) And, if you don’t have an iPhone, the Department of State's mobile site is “compatible with virtually all mobile devices” – according to their official website. The only thing I wish the app included is CDC recommendations for any vaccinations and meds you might need when abroad. They do link to the CDC website, but it would be great to have all the info in one place.
- You’ve heard this tale of warning many times, but I got firm confirmation that some countries WILL DENY YOU ENTRY if you don’t have a full 6 months before your passport expires. Could you imagine getting off a 16+ hour flight in coach, only to be turned around and sent back?! So, be keenly aware of when your passport expires. Better yet, subtract 6 months from that date and consider that to be your new expiration date.
- Similar to the last one, make sure you check out how many pages the country you are visiting requires you to have unstamped. Some countries REQUIRE SEVERAL FULL PAGES for their visa, and will not permit you to enter if you only have one page left unstamped.
- This one is for the families who received passports at the same time. Typically, children’s passports expire before adult passports. So, if you got a passport to go on a family holiday when you were a teenager, don’t assume that you’re okay to book a new family vacation based on mom and dad’s passports having plenty of time on them. Check everyone’s passports separately.
- Keep your immunization records with your passport. I have a special spot in my passport holder just for this. There are some countries that REQUIRE PROOF OF IMMUNIZATIONS before they will allow you entry. Once you’ve gone through the trouble to get your shots, make sure that you have visual evidence of the pain!
- Steer clear of holidays! When you know you are going to need a new or renewal passport, avoid submitting your application right before seasons that many others will be doing the same. The best times to apply, should you want to get your docs back quickly, would be well before the spring, summer, and winter break seasons.
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| The US Passport Card...Good for Land or Sea |
- The US passport book vs. the US passport card. I’ll admit, I needed the skinny on this one. Basically, the book is used everywhere, at all points of exit and entry; and, if that is your only passport type, you’re covered. The card only works in places to which you are traveling by land or sea. Again, if you are flying, you cannot use the US passport card. However, the card is an especially good idea if you live in a city (like NYC) where you don’t drive. The card may then be utilized as your standard government ID, in lieu of your lack of a driver’s license.
- Make a copy…or several. Whenever I travel, I make a photocopy of my passport and keep the copy on me whilst leaving my actual passport in the hotel safe. This way, I don’t risk getting it lifted and still feel secure in having my identification on me. Additionally, I have entrusted pdf versions of my passport to close family members; and, they can always forward that copy to whomever might need it, should I get into an unforeseen scrape!
Honestly, our tour of the NYC passport office was pretty thrilling. Everyone was exceptionally welcoming and willing to answer all of our questions – even when they were along the lines of “Why does it take so damn long to get my passport renewed?” And they were especially accommodating when we asked to see the “archive” of old passports, or “past”ports, if you will…
Overall, I was really impressed with our tour and the promotion of the event, as a whole. Reaching out to travel bloggers in order to let the public in on the behind-the-scenes activities of a government agency was a refreshingly modern concept for Passport Day! Kudos, Department of State! (If I was allowed to wear a hat in my passport photo, I would tip it to you!)
Happy Travels,
Ilana
The “Packing List”
This week, we were rocking the following:
Monday, March 19, 2012
Fancy Colours, Pt. II
Last Sunday, while walking down a street in Queens, a women who I didn’t know at all grabbed both sides of my face, smeared me with paint, kissed both cheeks, and hugged me. On any other day, this would have been -- at the least – alarming; at the most – assault!
In truth, hundreds of strangers rubbed me with paint and warmly welcomed me into their neighrhood, tradition, and extended family.
I think most travelers (and anthropologists, for that matter) would agree that getting out of your familiar space and immersing yourself in an area where you are clearly not a local is not only thrilling; but, it’s also an essential element in being fully captivated by another culture. Though, when are you fortunate enough to have such an full submersion experience in your own city?
The fact that the Phagwah Parade, in Queens, is so close to New York City makes Holi (in my humble opinion) one of the not-to-miss cultural events of the year! And, as you’ll see from our photos and footage, it’s a really great time. Like, my-cheeks-actually-hurt-from-
So, please enjoy the journey in pictures and video, below. And, the new lovely face popping up this week is our friend Chasi Annexy. She’s a fantastic photographer and some of our favorite photos this week are courtesy of her, including the two colorful shots up above.
This first video, below, showcases our awesome pictures from the day. We had hundreds; and, we figured it was best to let them do the telling. The second video is more of a guided tour of the celebration, from start to finish.
This first video, below, showcases our awesome pictures from the day. We had hundreds; and, we figured it was best to let them do the telling. The second video is more of a guided tour of the celebration, from start to finish.
A couple of last items to think about, should you already be planning next year's pilgrimage to Smokey Oval Park:
1. Bring/Drink A LOT of Water. The air is so dry with all of the powder flying around that you will get zapped of moisture fast. We were really dehydrated by the end of the day.
2. Bring Eye Drops. Since, there's tons of powder in the air, your eyes really start to feel it after the first hour. And, if you wear contact lenses, I can't stress this enough!
3. Bring Chapstick. Same as the last two...your lips will be really dry otherwise.
4. Drive. If this is at all possible, I would highly recommend it. There is nothing I would have liked less at the end of a great day than getting on the subway looking like a dusty Easter egg! This may take a little extra time management, since finding a parking spot can be challenging; but, I totally think it's worth it.
I always enjoy our holiDAYtrips, but this one was truly in a class by itself.
1. Bring/Drink A LOT of Water. The air is so dry with all of the powder flying around that you will get zapped of moisture fast. We were really dehydrated by the end of the day.
2. Bring Eye Drops. Since, there's tons of powder in the air, your eyes really start to feel it after the first hour. And, if you wear contact lenses, I can't stress this enough!
3. Bring Chapstick. Same as the last two...your lips will be really dry otherwise.
4. Drive. If this is at all possible, I would highly recommend it. There is nothing I would have liked less at the end of a great day than getting on the subway looking like a dusty Easter egg! This may take a little extra time management, since finding a parking spot can be challenging; but, I totally think it's worth it.
I always enjoy our holiDAYtrips, but this one was truly in a class by itself.
May you all have a bit more color in your day,
Ilana
The “Packing List”
This week, we were rocking the following:
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Fancy Colours
Of all God's gifts to the sighted man, color is holiest, the most divine, the most solemn.
- John Ruskin
Also known as the Festival of Colors, one of Holi’s most notable traditions involves participants throwing colored powders (abrac) at each other in literal celebration of spring’s abundant and awe-inspiring hues.
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| Colored powders (abrac) for the Holi festival in a Mysore marketplace (Photo: Nikolas Becker) |
Holi falls on the day following the full moon (in the month of Phalguna, the 12th month of the Hindu lunar calendar), so the exact date of the holiday changes from year to year. This year, it falls on Thursday, the 8th of March.
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| Holi celebration at an engineering college in Adoor (Photo: Sandeep Pranavam) |
Well, a public celebration where I can throw colored powder on strangers all in the name of bidding farewell to the crummy winter weather? Where can I find such a wondrous event? It turns out we don’t have to go too far!
In Richmond Hill, Queens, every year they hold the Phagwah Parade, the Indo-Caribbean celebration honoring this most excellent of days! The parade is actually held the Sunday after the full moon, so this weekend – March 11 -- we are packing our pigments up and heading to what is supposedly one of the biggest Holi celebrations in North America. (I’m told up to 25,000 might attend, if the weather complies.)
And, if you don't quite understand what we're in for or why we might want to venture out for the occasion -- I submit to you one of the coolest videos that I've had the pleasure of stumbling upon whilst doing my research. This is from the 2010 Holi celebration in Spanish Fork, Utah, and comes to us courtesy of Evan Meets World:
So, stay tuned for what is sure to be some AMAZING footage and photos…coming in several days. And, if you’re local and looking for a Sunday activity unlike any other, I suggest you head to Smoky Oval Park, in Queens! Just make sure to wear something you don’t mind giving up to the cause!
Until Then, Happy Holi Everyone!
Ilana
The “Packing List”
This week, we were rocking the following:
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