How to see Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan Skyline for Free

Visiting New York City and don't have much time to see the sites?  I tested some fantastic insider advice this week to see the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan sky line quickly and for free.  One thing I hate while visiting a new place is standing in long lines with pushy tourists waiting to pay big money for a view.  Problem solved for NYC.  Wherever you are in the city the subway is there for you.  It doesn't matter where you are staying in the city, the transit system in New York has you covered.  Next time you have a few minutes in NYC jump on the subway anywhere in town and head south.  Get off at either Battery Park or South Ferry, either stop will take you right to the Staten Island Ferry terminal.   Jump on the Staten Island Ferry for free and enjoy an amazing view of the Statue of Liberty right next to the tour boats.  You will get to Staten Island in about 20 minutes and must exit the Ferry, just get right back on and take the next one back for an amazing view of lower Manhattan.    

Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry

Lower Manhattan Skyline

Staten Island Ferry with Lower Manhattan in the background

Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges from Staten Island Ferry

Freedom Tower and 9/11 memorial just a few blocks from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal

One Of Many Simple Reasons Why I Love Italy

  Normally I am not a big city guy. Don't get me wrong, I do love the energy of big cities like New York, London and the likes.  However, the fast and furious pace is not really my style.  Italy has held a strong position in my heart for as long as I can remember.  The simple elegance of its food and the laid back method in which they celebrate the day is how I try to approach life.  With this in mind, Milan and I have never had a serious love affair.  Anytime I am in Italy I cherish it. However, there are places I would rather be than Milan.  With business and fashion being major players in the personality of Milan, the slow simple charm of the country itself takes a back seat.  My most recent trip to Milan was a game changer for me as I had the opportunity to see Milan in a different light.  As usual, it was an arrival straight from the U.S. and our itinerary included a landing at 9am and a departure the next morning.  After putting the airplane to bed and a quick breeze through customs, we arrived at the Hilton Milan at 11am.  Very ready for some food and much needed sleep we rallied in the lobby right away and began the search for lunch.  The front desk staff quickly guided us just across the street to a wonderful place as the lobby bar was not open for food yet.  A sign reading Trattoria Toscana Il Cerchio was what I was to look for.

Even though the sign above the door clearly states the name, I walked past it 3 times.  In fact, I returned to the hotel to get redirected as the graffiti and bland buildings looked the same for miles in both directions.  With the insisting of the hotel concierge I reluctantly walked in.  We were the only guests in the entire place and the wait and kitchen staff could not care less that we were standing in the doorway.  After a few minutes of feeling like a complete fool, a quick gesture came from the chef pointing to a table.  Sitting down and getting completely ignored gave me the chance to slow down and watch the real story unfold.  It wasn't quite race time and the pit crew was giving final touches to the race car.  The staff was in one constant fluid motion working in silent harmony to put the final touches on the dinning room and kitchen for the lunch rush.  Five minutes to noon all the motion stopped, a tiny wooden door to the kitchen opened and out came the chef and his sous chef.  They brought with them a bottle of unlabeled Grappa.  The rest of the staff joined them in a quick toast of espressos mixed with grappa and it was on.  A well oiled and finely tuned show ensued.  Pasta orders came fast and furiously each cooked to order and flowed quickly through the tiny pass.

        

Beautiful, thick cuts of Prosciutto were cut by hand and served in generous portions.

 Pasta Fagioli, one of my favorite Italian comfort foods was drizzled with beautiful local Olive Oil.

The chef, I never got name, invited me very briefly into his work place. It was an,, inferno of flying freshly sauced pasta and giant stockpots full of boiling pasta water.

A most amazing pizza followed my brief kitchen visit topped with house cured Salumi and a free range localy grown fresh egg, perfection!

Once again, its a reminder to slow down a minute and really take a look at the surroundings you are confronted with.  You may see something you never thought possible, a diamond in the rough perhaps.  The chef and a woman, introduced to me only as "Mi Amore", bid us farewell with a nip of that secret grappa with our afternoon espresso.  Oh, and yes, I returned for dinner and will again!

Northern California Abalone Adventure

 

Since I was a little boy I have been enthralled with all things having to do with the sea and the air.  I believe my culinary fire was sparked when I started harvesting creatures from the sea at a young age.  When I was ten years old, my cousin and I had the experience of a lifetime.  We were left alone on Catalina Island, just off the coast of Los Angeles, California, aboard a thirty-two foot sailboat for two days without any adult supervision.  I can almost hear the horrified gasps of some of you reading that last couple of sentences, but growing up in an era without today's technological advances made me more self-sufficient and really shaped my adolescent years.  We had a small dingy, a spear gun, and a fishing pole.  We ate what we caught, and I had the most fun a ten year old could have.  On that trip, a deep rooted respect for the ocean and its creatures began for me.  I have since furthered my quest to honor the ocean and its bounty by preparing it to the best of my ability.  Spearfishing and harvesting food from the ocean are still a huge part of my life, and my quest for knowledge about cooking them is insatiable.  Abalone is the topic of this article and one that is very dear to me.  For me, Abalone trips take place about once a year.  The drive alone to get to them is about twelve hours one way.  In California, Abalone are only legal to take north of San Fransisco.  You can only take them by free diving which means you are limited to breath hold only, no Scuba Tanks allowed, and the average water temp is around fifty degrees Fahrenheit.  Oh, and did I forget to mention the White Shark population is very large?!  The best part of these trips is being with like minded individuals who are serious about free diving, respect for the ocean, and the love and camaraderie that food creates.          

Tom Chung and I getting into the 50 degree Nor Cal Waters

My brother (left) and I after a dive with our daily limit of tasty Red Abalone

One Daily Limit of 3 Red Abalone

   Abalone are very good eating, and live on and around rocky reefs.  They have a protective outer shell and the underside is one very strong solid foot.  Some people say it's like eating shoe leather as the meat is very tough.  To those people I say too bad for you!  Prepared with some care and a little bit of effort it is most definitely a rare ocean delicacy.

Preparing fresh Abalone Sashimi

 

Fresh Red Abalone Sashimi and Fresh California Yellow Tail Sashimi taken free diving with a spear gun by Ken Okutake, Check out Ken's Amazing gyotaku fish prints at http://okutake.com/#home

Fresh Asian inspired Abalone Salad with Chili and Mint

Traditional preparation sliced, pounded thin, breaded and fried

This is the favored preparation by my Chinese friends.  It is stewed for 24 hours until it's fork tender

5 beautiful photos of the world from above

I define success as the intersection of preparation and opportunity.  Below are a few of my favorite examples of being prepared with a camera when a good opportunity presents itself.  I hope that you enjoy them as they transport you away, if for even just a minute. 

Innsbruck Austria

Maldives

The South of France

Zagros Mountains Iran

Puget Sound, Washington State

Space Shuttle Endeavor, Last Flight

This morning my family and I  witnessed history when the Space Shuttle Endeavor graced us, minutes before landing for the last time in Los Angeles, Ca.  It brought me back 30 years when I was small and my dad brought me along on a news assignment to Edwards Dry Lake to photograph the Space Shuttle landing.  I can still feel the shattering thunder of the sonic boom when Space Shuttle Columbia re-entered the atmosphere that morning.  Today I reminisced with my daughters about that day and felt a very familiar thunder from Endeavor's F18 escorts and the B747 she was perched atop. 

 Emotion and tears completely consumed me as the air crackled over the southern California sky.

Quick and Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu with a twist

Change up boring chicken breasts with this quick and easy weeknight twist on a classic.  

Four Chicken Breast
1/8 lb prosciutto
1/8 lb Gruyere cheese sliced thin
Salt and Pepper

Trim fat from sliced Prosciutto and reserve.  Slice into the side of the breast to form a pocket but don't cut through.   Open with your fingers slightly if needed and expand the pocket.  Fold back the top of the breast.  Lay one slice of prosciutto inside and then one slice of the cheese.  Press the top of the breast back down and poke any excess cheese back inside the breast.  Season with salt and pepper. 
 

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large non stick saute pan under high heat cook the reserved fat trimmings from the Prosciutto.  When the fat has cooked down about five min the trimmings will start to brown and the fat will render into oil.  Remove anything solid from the pan and reserve the oil in the pan.  When the oven is up to temperature reheat the skillet with the oil under high heat.  Place the four stuffed chicken breasts into the skillet and sear about 4 min per side or until you achieve a light brown color.

Place the entire pan into the oven and roast for 25 min flipping breasts after 15 min. 

Slice the chicken and arrange on a plate with the pan drippings. 

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

These fantastic Enchiladas are a comfort food staple for my family.  They are simple, delicious and very adaptable to additional add ins.  IF there are leftovers they are great the next day too.

 

6 Boneless Chicken Breast 2-3lbs

16 flour tortillas

10 tomatillos halved

3 med onions skinned and quartered

4 jalapenos halved and seeded

10 cloves garlic

1/2 bunch cilantro chopped

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 cups grated jack cheese or Mexican cheese blend

3 tbsp. cumin

1 16oz Package Sour Cream

1 28oz can black beans drained and rinsed

1-Quart Chicken Stock

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large stockpot bring chicken stock mixed with 2 tbsp cumin and 3tbsp salt to boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook chicken breasts in liquid until chicken comes apart with gentle pressure, about 45min.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange Tomatillos, Onion, Jalapenos and Garlic on a baking sheet.  Drizzle olive oil on vegetables and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast vegetables in oven until brown in some spots about 45 min.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly.  Blend roasted vegetables with the remaining 1tbs cumin in a blender till smooth, add salt to taste. (Note, add Jalapenos one at a time until you attain desired heat)  When chicken is done, remove from the cooking liquid and shred.  In a large bowl mix shredded chicken with sour cream, cilantro, black beans, 1tbs cumin and 1 1/2 cups of cheese.  In a large baking dish add one-cup tomatillo salsa to the bottom of the dish and spread evenly.  Put 1/2 cup chicken filling onto the bottom third of a tortilla.  Roll the tortilla and place into the baking dish, repeat until the dish is full and chicken filling is used up.  Pour remaining tomatillo salsa evenly over the top of the enchiladas in the baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top of the entire dish.  Bake covered with foil @350 degrees for 45 min.  Remove foil and cook another 10 min until cheese just started to brown.

Arrange vegetables on a baking sheet, toss with oil, sprinkle with salt and roast

Remove chicken breast from seasoned salted stock, let cool and shred

Mix filling and put 1/2 cup into each tortilla and roll

Arrange filled tortillas in a large baking dish and cover with Tomatillo salsa.  (make sure to spread on the bottom of pan first)

Top with cheese and bake