the pup diary

Michael Keaton from Batman to Birdman | thepupdiary.com

Michael Keaton, the quirky and handsome actor who played Batman, was hanging around our apartment building while filming a new movie, Birdman. Keaton, now in his 60s, still looks great according to our mom! Although we don’t usually like to have film sets on our street, it was fun watching the action scenes being filmed. The costumed “Birdman” fit right in with the other colorful neighborhood characters we see every day! Mom will definitely have to rent this movie for us to watch. They even used a doggy extra in one of the scenes! The movie opens in 2014 and also stars Edward Norton, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts.

Michael Keaton on set

Filming Birdman

Tags: Birdman, film shoot, filming in NYC, Michael Keaton

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Categories Books Television Movies Media

Dog-friendly ferry ride on New York’s East River | thepupdiary.com

24 Jun

We don’t have to go far for a dog-friendly cruise around Manhattan. Departing from east 34th Street, the East River Ferry allows dogs in bags, and at $4 per ride or $12 for a day pass, the ferry is a fun way to travel the city. (We use the stroller since it gives us more room and extra storage space.) Bring your camera for great views including the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and more!

On the East River Ferry

We left 34th Street and headed to Brooklyn Bridge Park/DUMBO for brunch at the dog-friendly Sunday Smorgasburg in the Tobacco Warehouse. (NOTE: The Saturday Smorgasburg in the East River State Park is not dog friendly.) The park offers beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline, plenty of paths to explore, and 2 dog runs. Unfortunately, dogs are not welcome on the lawns. Luke’s Lobster and No. 7 Sub have a cute walk-up cafe under the Brooklyn Bridge – a pawfect place to stop for a drink! It’s also fun to sit near the water and Jane’s Carousel.

Smorgasburg at the Tobacco Warehouse welcomes pups

From Brooklyn Bridge Park we took the ferry back to Manhattan and Wall Street/The South Street Seaport. We headed to our favorite doggy boutique with the best doggy snack bar, The Salty Paw, at the end of Pier 17. From there we checked out the new SmorgasBar, part of the Seaport’s SEE/CHANGE lineup for this summer. SmorgasBar is open daily through October. The Seaport will show outdoor movies every week during the summer and also has new retail container pop-up shops. We headed a few blocks north to check out the New Amsterdam Market and then back to the ferry for our trip to 34th Street. A fun day on the water!

The East River Ferry

Tags: dog friendly travel, East River Ferry, New York dog, NY Dogs, NYC dog, SmogasBar, Smorgasburg, South Street Seaport, The Salty Paw

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Categories Dog-friendly New York, Pet-friendly Travel

8 summer activities for New York dogs | thepupdiary.com

21 Jun

There was a lot of tail wagging in our house this morning! Not only is it national “Take Your Dog to Work Day” it is also the first day of summer! Check out some summer activity and event ideas for New York dogs and the people who love them!

Camp Time
We head to Glen Highland Farm in upstate New York every summer for outdoor fun and relaxation. The farm, home to a Border Collie rescue group, features 175 acres of beaches, trails, woods, and pastures. Best of all, the entire farm is dog friendly. Also check out Camp Unleashed and Camp Gone to the Dogs.

Ginger explores at Glen Highland Farm

Polo
Doggies are welcome at many polo matches in the area. The Greenwich Polo Club season began earlier in June. Gates open at 1 pm and games begin at 3 pm. There is a $40 fee per car. Bring a picnic and enjoy the beautiful scenery!

Get some History
We love visiting the Hyde Park, NY area for beautiful scenery and historic sites. The home of Franklin D Roosevelt allows leashed dogs on the outside grounds. It is about a 2-hour drive from NYC. While there we also toured the grounds of the Vanderbilt Mansion and Val-Kill.

Kayak and Hound
Discover Outdoors is offering some cool Kayak trips this summer that are dog friendly! The day trips feature kayaking on a beautiful section of the Hudson River in Upstate New York. Speaking of Discover Outdoors . . . They also offer fun day-long hiking trips with your dog or an adoptable pup! The trip with the adoptable pup also includes a volunteer orientation at Animal Haven Shelter.

Brooklyn waterfront

Wine Time
We love the wineries in Riverhead on Long Island. Many are dog friendly and offer a relaxing setting for a lazy afternoon. We head to Martha Clara Vineyards at least once every summer. They feature vines and canines vineyard walks several times a year where you can take an educational walk through the grounds. Another great dog-friendly winery is Robibero Vineyards in New Paltz.

Take a Walk
Last summer we checked out Bideawee’s Love on a Leash walk in Westhampton Beach. This year the walk will be held on August 17 and we hope to attend again! We did the walk, checked out a great farmer’s market nearby, hit the shopping district, went to the beach after hours, and then toured a winery the next day. Or check out the Walkway over the Hudson River – an old railroad bridge turned into a 1.28 mile walkway over the river. It is the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world.

Doggy vacation out west

Pawty Time
There are many local doggy events during the summer. We like the annual L’Oreal Your Dog is Worth it Too event held on August 17 this year. Check the calendar for many other summer events! The annual Broadway Barks is another big celebration!

Staycation
August weekends in New York City are great because everyone else is out of town! Many of the activities we listed in 10 Memorial Day Weekend Activities are still relevant this summer. We know we will head to the Hester Street Fair, Smorgasburg, and South Street Seaport!

Have a happy and safe summer!

Tags: Discover Outdoors, dog friendly travel, dog walk, Glen Highland Farm, NY dog events, NY Dogs

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Categories Dog Events, Dog-friendly New York, Pet-friendly Travel

Play date with Val Chmerkovskiy’s pup, Sir Sleep | thepupdiary.com

20 Jun

It’s not every day we get to romp with Dancing with the Stars Val Chmerkovskiy’s English Bulldog pup, Sir Sleep! Sir Sleep, wearing a custom-made tuxedo, is a real cutie pie. (And Val is pretty adorable, too! BOL!!) Truth be told, Cubby loves to watch Dancing with the Stars. Not sure if it is the shimmering costumes or the shakes, rattles, and rolls, but she is hooked!

Sir Sleep helps promote P&G IAMS Dog Food

Val and Sir Sleep were in New York City yesterday to help promote Procter & Gamble’s Everyday Effect program, P&G’s largest consumer event ever. Sir Sleep held court near the 72nd Street Dog Run in Riverside Park and of course his featured brand was IAMS dog food. Mom doesn’t feed us IAMS, but we do use many other P&G products like Swiffer, Charmin, and Puffs. We got a cool goody box with many of the P&G products in sample sizes. This will be pawfect for our upcoming camping trip at Glen Highland Farm! Sir Sleep gave us some IAMS So Good doggy treats to try!

Sir Sleep wasn’t really into romping. We guess that is why he is called Sir Sleep! But he and Val were both very nice. Throughout the day, P&G gave out over 40,000 free products around the city. We hope Sir Sleep got lots of IAMS treats!!