PrintJanuary 29, 2010
The Baseball Center NYC
There’s a 15,000 square foot baseball center just a few blocks from the Museum on West 74th Street. It’s a Mecca for baseball fans whether they are kids training for a team or adults who just want a little recreation. Lessons even include video analysis and it’s not only learning to hit the ball. They also do strength and conditioning classes and even something they call “Mental Tools” training. They claim that students range in age from 4 to 94! They also rent batting cages. A 30 minute rental for up to 5 people is $50. One hour is $8, plus there’s also something called the Pro Batter Ultimate Pitcher’s machine which gives you 30 pitches for $20. This is a pitching simulator where there’s a life size video image of a pitcher. Of course, they also do birthday parties and private events. It’s open Monday through Friday from 10-8pm weekends from 9-7pm.
The Baseball Center NYC
212-362-0344
202 West 74th street
http://www.thebaseballcenter.com/
Greenmarket Flea
Did you know that there’s a flea market and farmer’s market every Sunday right behind the museum? The Greenmarket is now located on Columbus Ave. between 77th & 79th Sts. (in front of the Museum of Natural History. It’s open all year round and has only been closed 3 times in 25 years due to a blizzard! But, there’s an indoor and outdoor section. It’s located in the playground and street level space of MS 44 Junior High School on the Upper West Side. The market entrances are on Columbus Avenue between 76th and 77th Sts. There’s everything from handmade clothing, furniture, old photos of NY, vintage linens to fruits and veggies. The greenmarket section is run by the people who run Union Square Farmers market.
What’s nice is that it is a partnership with the local parents associations and school. So, money generated by the operation of the flea market is used by the parents to provide enrichment opportunities for the children of the two schools. Since 1985, GreenFlea has provided the schools with more than $4,000,000 in additional funds
http://www.greenfleamarkets.com/
PINCH
One of my favorite pizza places is just a few blocks from the museum. It’s called Pizza by the Inch, otherwise known as PINCH. They’ve partnered with another restaurant that came from the Lower East side called S’MAC which specializes in macaroni and cheese. At PINCH, you order your pizza by the inch—they are long oblong shaped pizzas—the delivery boxes are tough to carry! 6, 18, 24 or 36 inches. Then you order your toppings—everything from smoked mozzarella, goat cheese, ricotta cheese to different sausages, then veggies and finally toppings like pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, basil etc. The menu is simple. There are side salads, burgers, wings and then the Mac and Cheese. It’s unbelievable! You can get the classic or the 4 cheese plus some unique ones like mac and cheese with goat cheese and spinach. They are trying to go healthy—you can get your mac and cheese with whole wheat pasta! All the mac and cheeses are served in mini-cast iron skillets so they come out sizzling hot and bubbling on top. And the latest controversial news is that they have combined the pizza with the mac and cheese. Supposedly, it’s getting rave reviews, but it looks a little disgusting. They have also introduced a chopped salad pizza.
PINCH and S’MAC
474 Columbus Avenue (82nd and 83rd street)
646-438-9494
