Nobody loves chocolate more than me. It’s been a known fact for years. I think if I was left alone on a deserted island with just chocolate, I’d be set. Thats why I’m SO PUMPED for the Chocolate Show here in the city! It’s the worlds LARGEST event dedicated to chocolate, and ONLY chocolate! This will be the 14th year for the Chocolate Show. It’s taking place from Thursday November 10th until Sunday November 13th at the Metropolitan Pavilion. There will be over 65 chocolate companies at the show to showcase their upcoming chocolates & products. But thats not all! There will also be book signings by award-winning authors, cooking demonstrations, and a special Kids Zone just for little chocolate obsessors. To GET YOUR TICKETS, CLICK HERE.

Have any of you been down to see Jane’s Carousel at Brooklyn Bridge Park?! It was built in 1922 and originally from Youngstown, Ohio. In 1984, the carousel went up for auction and Jane & David Walentas purchased it. [A little backstory on the Walentas family: Jane is an artist and David is one of the origninal developers of the DUMBO neighborhood. You go, Walentas family!] Anyway, Jane & her husband purchased the carousel in 1984 to be put on display at Empire Fulton Ferry State Park! When they bought the carousel, it wasn’t in such great shape. Jane has been restoring it here in DUMBO since ‘84! To restore the carousel back to it’s original 1922 glory, Jane had a lot of work to do. She even had to handscrape away layers of paint to get down to the original colors and designs. From there, the horses were detailed and all types of embellishments were added. The structure of the carousel was also repaired, along with the mechanical system. Today, the carousel has 1200 new lights and looks as good as new! This Fall everything was completed and on September 16th the carousel, now known as Jane’s Carousel, was installed in Brooklyn Bridge Park. I was at the South Street Seaport the other night, and we had a great view of the carousel all lit up! Right now, it’s still Summer/Early Fall hours! It’s open every day but Tuesday until 7PM, so enjoy it while it’s still semi-warm out! HOWEVER, starting November 6th, Fall/Winter hours will begin. The carousel will be open from Thursday-Sunday from 11AM till 6PM. Tickets are only $2, and children under 3 may ride free! It’s located right underneath the Brooklyn Bridge! So, hurry and go have some old-fashioned fun right by the river!

Dave Frieder, the infamous “Bridge Man” who has had the honor to climb and photograph all of NYCs bridges, shot me an e-mail the other day! He sent me a friendly reminder that the George Washington Bridge is turning 80 years old on Tuesday! How crazy is that? Dave even gave me some fun facts for you guys! The bridge was opened to the public on October 25th, 1931. Since then, it has become the world’s busiest motor vehicle bridge! It’s Cheif Engineer was Othmar Hermann Ammann, the same genius who brought us the Verrazano, the Whitestone, Throgs Neck Bridge, and the TriBorough Bridge. The bridge is a grand total of 4760 feet long. It’s giant carbon steel towers are both 604 feet, and each hold approximately two million field rivets keeping them together. It has two levels, 8 lanes on top & 6 lanes below, but the lower lane wasn’t opened until 1962. The GWB is one of the few bridges in the world in which a complete anchorage did not have to be built. On the NJ side of the bridge, the main cables were anchored to trap rock! In 1948, the largest free flying American flag was displayed beneath the arch of the tower on the NJ side. During major holidays, they still put it up. So, if you happen to cross the GW sometime before or on Tuesday, remember to wish it a Happy Birthday!