Ferragosto is one of the most celebrated holidays in Italy. It goes back to the Roman Empire in 18…read moreBC when Emperor Augustus declared the whole month of August, named after himself, would be a month long food & wine festival Our favorite NYC festival. The streets are closed, there are many performers & restaurants are preparing specialties outdoors. Music is wonderful, food, desserts & drinks. An afternoon of fun! In previous years, they were more street performers, politicians and vendors. This year there wasn't wine tasting, pigs on spits, lottery, politicians...

It may have crowds, but Ferragosto is THE NYC Italian festival to go to. Why? It's simply that this…read morefestival, unlike San Gennaro, still has heart. You feel like family there. There's no Times Square characters busking for money, instead, the streets are lined with restaurant extensions, roasting pigs, wine samples, and the crooning sounds of wonderful opera and folk Italian singers. It feels like how I grew up. Loud, but not obnoxious, crowded but not suffocating, and most importantly, authentic. The food is to die for and many of the local business do samples. You'll drool over Teitel's prosciutto, what La Cantina has to offer in their wine selection,and gelato will also be passed around the street. It may be tough to find parking, but just go!

Wow! DJ, Pizza from New York, Italy, Texas, and more. We had 15 slices total and a couple bowls of…read morepasta. We found the event and got tickets same day. Every single slice of pizza is delicious!! Of course I have some favorites but it's all about the exploration. All the Pizza's were made fresh then and there in Brick Ovens. I was wondering how this was going to work out and it was just a massive production with all these Brick Ovens. So great! Can't wait to come back next year.

Just concluded a personal injury case with Mr. Genis as the attorney for my family. After years of…read moreopposition from the defense insurance company, Mr. Genis won the case. His preparation for the case was intense. He went over every aspect of the case with my family. His staff at Sonin & Genis are very professional in every way. They made up visual posters, books with all the documentation of the case for the jury. Mr. Genis can be very intense and exacting in preparing you for trial. He leaves no stone unturned, and prepares you for the other attorney's cross examination. He makes sure you are not surprised by questions meant to trick you into giving a wrong answer. Mr. Genis knowledge of personal injury, and medical injuries is without a doubt unmatched by most attorneys. He picks the jury based on years of experience. He wants to connect with the jury not only on facts but also with empathy for his clients. Mr Genis delivers a skillful and passionate presentation to the jury. In my family's case the jury returned a verdict of 6 -0 on all counts. I would never hesitate to use this law firm again if the need should arise. And I would recommend Sonin & Genis to any of my friends without the slightest reservation.

From the owner: Our longstanding record of bringing wrongdoers to justice and ensuring that our clients receive…read morejust compensation is well established: our verdicts have been listed by the National Law Journal, the New York Law Journal, New York Magazine and ALM Verdictsearch as being some of the highest verdicts and settlements in the USA and New York State. As leaders and members of various National, Statewide and local lawyer Bar Associations and Trial Lawyer groups, as noted speakers that teach Continuing Legal Education to Lawyers and Judges on a National, State and local level, as acknowledged “Super Lawyers”, “Million Dollar Advocates”, and "National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers", by our peers, and as frequently published authors with recognized scholarship in law, our commitment to righting wrongs and fighting for our clients is well known: one of our lawyers received the only “Lawyer’s Lawyer Award” ever awarded by the Bronx County Bar Association, and our lawyers have been Honored by other Bar Associations.

Last weekend, I came here to the New York Botanical Holiday Train show for the first time in my…read morelife with my daughter and her school. There were so many people but luckily there was enough space to walk all around the tracks and set ups. We first walked a trail to the conservatory building where the main train show was held. There was a pre train show on the trail that was very nicely set up. There were large big boulders to represent mountains with green moss on top of it. My daughter kept staring in awe of the bumblebee train that kept going back and forth on the track. Once we were inside, we were amazed at how many Christmas trees there were against the walls. These Christmas trees are all covered in snow and large ornaments in snow. There were also baby and mother deer next to the trees that my daughter was in love with. After my daughter was playing with the deer, we started to take pictures and enjoy the train show. There were multiple rooms of trains and buildings. The first room had Grand Central Station and Penn Station buildings with trains going back and forth. They were so nicely created with lots of grass. Too bad there were no people and platforms. It was just tracks, trains, buildings, and bridges. I thought the train show was tiny until I landed into the next room. We were deep in the conservatory with all the palm trees like we were literally in a forest. It was humid too. In the palm tree conservatory room, there were little ponds of water and trains with the NYBG logo! There were different colored NYBG trains rolling around everywhere. It was hard to capture pictures of the whole train clearly because they kept going really fast! What amazed me was the bridges. It was so cool how they were towering over the people. I love the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg bridges a lot! They looked like the real bridges! All in all, the train show was really cool with all the miniature set ups of New York City. Everything almost looked like the real thing in the city. This was my first time here and I will be sure to go next year to check out the train show again if there is anything new compared to this year's train show.

As a slightly needy engineer who loves trains, the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical…read moreGarden makes my brain very happy. But for me it's also personal. My mom discovered this event years ago and turned it into a yearly tradition for us. She passed away a few years ago, but every time I visit it still feels like a small way of keeping that tradition alive. If you've never been, the craftsmanship here is honestly incredible. The miniature NYC landmarks aren't just tiny models -- they're built entirely from natural materials like bark, twigs, leaves, and pinecones. As someone with an engineering brain, I find myself staring at these things way longer than I probably should, trying to figure out how they engineered some of these structures. My favorite pieces are always the bridge replicas, especially the George Washington Bridge towering above the trains as they roll across it. Toward the end there's also a miniature NYC skyline with iconic buildings like the Empire State Building that makes for a pretty great finale. This year I went on Black Friday since my sister and 10-year-old nephew were visiting for Thanksgiving. It was his third time seeing the show and he still loved it. He kept spotting things I missed -- a Thomas the Tank Engine train, a ladybug-themed train, and buildings like St. Patrick's Cathedral. He was especially fascinated by the massive bridges towering over the trains. A few honest notes if you're planning a visit: * It's pricey. Tickets have peak and off-peak pricing, and you can pay about $10 extra for a flex ticket. Going on a holiday definitely pushes the price up. I'd love to make this an every-year tradition again, but the cost makes that a little tough. * Timed entry is strict. Double check your date and time. I've seen people show up at the wrong slot and get turned away. * Even with timed entry it can get very crowded. This year honestly felt a bit like a cattle call. At certain points staff were telling people to keep moving, which made it hard to stop, take photos, and really appreciate the details. For the price you're paying, that part felt a little rushed. * The exhibit itself is smaller than you might expect. The train show is contained within one dedicated section of the conservatory. You can explore other areas of the gardens inside and outside, but since this runs in winter those outdoor walks can be pretty cold. One thing I always wish for: more trains. For a train show, the focus definitely leans more toward the architectural replicas than the trains themselves. The structures are beautiful, but the train nerd in me wouldn't complain about a few more locomotives running. They did expand things slightly this year with a few trains running outside, which was a nice addition and something I hope they continue. A few practical tips: * Parking can be a pain. It's crowded and usually runs around $22-$30. This year they allowed overflow parking across the street at Fordham University, which helped -- though you still have to pay. * Strollers aren't allowed inside the train exhibit, but there is a designated stroller parking area if you're walking around the gardens. * Parents: please keep an eye on your kids. I've unfortunately seen children grab at or damage some of the trains or displays. * Bathrooms and a cafeteria are available onsite. Prices are typical NYC levels, but it came in clutch when my nephew needed a snack and a surprisingly good personal pizza saved the day. Despite the crowds and the price tag, I still find myself smiling every time I visit. Between the incredible craftsmanship, the nostalgia, and watching my nephew get excited pointing out trains and tiny NYC landmarks, it's still a really special experience. If you go in with the right expectations -- and maybe pick a less crowded time slot -- it's definitely worth seeing at least once, especially if you're even a little bit of a train nerd like me.