Late Fall Day in NYC

My sisters and I love to spend the day in NYC.

Since we live in the Jersey suburbia, the bus takes us about 1-2 hours commute depending on traffic. And when we are in the city, we usually go to our favorite places which makes it difficult to try something new. This time we tried to venture out beyond the confines of Chinatown and started our day walking aimlessly and enjoy the nice fall weather.



We finally found our way up the High Line Bridge.



A hotel that is standing through stilts, the Standard Hotel.



Madison goofing off on one of the benches.



Momofuku was closed so we went next door at the Milk Bar.



And had a snack of yummy Pork Belly buns. 



I assume that art work gets ruined at the end of the day or if it rains.



Found some glove molds. Not sure what is the purpose of these but it costs about $40 each.


Till the next NYC trip. For now, I am bound to be in hibernation till the snow and cold weather wears off.

Is it Spring yet? Sigh.

Enjoying Beantown

It has been a while since I wandered off by myself. I usually travel with hubby and baby and it felt a little different packing my backpack and catch the train to Boston.

It has been a year since I saw 2 of my closest friends. Sometimes I wish they only live close by but we try see each other as much as we can. Last year, we all met at Minneapolis but this time we chose a place that we won't need to drive to get around and somewhere that has a lot of food options. Boston seem to fit the profile we were looking for.

Below sums up how we spent our time at Beantown:

Brunch


Boston has a sizable Chinatown. There were a lot of dimsum options.


Sightseeing


We had a nice walk through Harvard, till it started to rain.


Coffee Break


Mandatory coffee break.


Sightseeing

There was a game Red Sox vs. the Blue Jays. I tried to get tickets online but it was sold out.

Lunch


Got to have Ramen on a rainy day.



Afternoon Snack


I still stand on having the best clam chowder at Faneuil Hall.




Dinner


Lobster meal with clam chowder on the side.


After hours munch

CPK pizza for a midnight snack.

It is my second time in Boston. The last time we visited was a day trip driving from the Berkshires. It is a very big (no, HUGE) city. I like the way how the town has an eclectic mix of historic and new buildings. It also has a lot of open areas that on a nice day, it is great to spend time people watching. The tree lined streets didn't hurt either. I would love to go back and maybe visit the Boston Library or check out its neighboring towns. It would be great too if I can snag some Boston Red Sox tickets, it will definitely make my day.

Punched Up

I actually like the sleek cut and colors on this collection but the open round holes doesn't sit well on me. It look like it was puncher happy.

And definitely it is not an office outfit.

source: Cynthia Rowley Spring 2011

photocredit: nymag.com

Fromageries of Roquefort

Right now, I am itching to be out there exploring. When I thought I am content to be homebound, a photo like this unearths the travel bug in me. It is taken from one the large fromageries cellar at Roquefort, France where you can visit and watch the processing of mold into the milk's curd.

Et voila, a Roquefort cheese.

After a short but sweet backpacking trip, hubby and I have always talked about doing a cross country driving in France. The original plan was to start in Toulouse, then Bordeaux, then maybe stop at Cognac. After seeing the this photo, we now have to include Roquefort for some degustation.


photo credit: francetoday.com

Race Cars

From my last Beantown trip, I happened to notice some sort of an event going on in front of Faneuil Hall. There were a couple of colorful racing cars parked along some huge lighting fixtures on the side. I thought there were some movie shoot going on but it was a marketing campaign for Roush Fenway Racing.

I am not a fan of NASCAR and wasn't into cars but the curiousity in me kicked in when I was able to get a closer look into these real racing cars. I don't know anything technical about cars but one of the ushers that distribute those flyers told me that each one of those cars are able to pump up 750+ of horsepower. I asked if that is very good, he nodded and said it was very good. When I got home I checked the specs of my 10 year old Toyota Camry to find out that it only has 179 horsepower. You learn something new everyday.

I am really drawn to these colorful fancy looking race cars. You should have seen my excitement when I got this close and ran my hand on those shiny hood.

Upon closer inspection, the fancy exterior is somewhat different inside. I expect a little more flair like carpet and leather seats. To my dismay, I only saw a very deep bucket seat and tons of gauge instruments looking like a multiple speedometer. The exhaust pipes are located on the side area instead in the back. And no doors either.

Have you noticed the white metal pipes that enclosed the driver? I assume that is another safety feature just in case the car went into an accident. It would protect the driver if the car happens to turn over.



Before I left, the representative gave me a flyer and pointed out that one of the professional race car drivers were in site. I somehow expect him to wear his jumper full-of-logos uniform but he was wearing a sports jacket and talking to a bunch of people with microphones.

I should check out at least one of the car races. Who knows I might like it.

Quiet time

I thought it is a simple concept when one travels on a train and takes a seat on the quiet car. I do not expect complete silence but I am hoping to have a pleasant train ride while reading my book. Apparently, not a lot of people get the concept of a quiet car. And yet, they continue to chatter away loud enough to the point of annoying.

When I took the train to Boston on an early morning schedule, the conductor asked me how I like the quiet car. I said it is great. After I gave him my ticket, I slept about 2 hours and sat to read my book for the rest of the trip. By noon time, I finally got off to Boston. It felt like a quick trip that I didn't mind the 4 hour train ride.

Going back is a different story. Granted that all seats were all filled, some people do answer their cell phones but move over to the front/end of the car. If you happened to be sitting near it, you might be able to hear the whole conversation. The conductor usually try to give a warning to the loud mouths but once he leaves the car, the yapping starts again.

I wish people to be more considerate but some folks just don't get it.

“Don’t leave before you leave.”

Sometimes, I try to read self help books looking for some needed enlightenment. While I read it with an open mind, I try to be skeptical and chose the one that is relevant to my situation. A similar approach would be reading todays horoscope, something that you relegate it as future reference.

An article in the wsj.com on Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook on how she had seen a pattern of women scaling back on their careers while in the process of having the idea of starting a family and have kids. Her advice is keep on pursuing the career track until the last minute even before you go on maternity leave.

She says and I agree that it is hard to go back to work unless it is challenging and rewarding. At least if you are in the middle or top of your career aspirations, you had an option to either scale back or continue and pursue that corner office or stay home and when you are ready to go back and join the workforce, you would be able to continue where you left off.

My 2011 resolutions

It has been more than a week and I still hadn't decided on any benchmarks for the new year. I could make a new list that won't be able to achieve half the time. So, I decided to make it easy for me. This year should be a more new and improved habits from the previous year:

1. It was noted that I read about 25 books from last year. I don't even remember having a moment of reading frenzy but the average of 2 books a month sounds reasonable. I will try to top that with 3 books a month this year.
2. Last year, I made a resolution to take on more exercising particularly outdoors. I did some hiking, swimming and running but most of them depending on weather. I cancelled my gym membership last year since I didn't really had time to go in between work and mommy duties. This year, the little one had a bike for Christmas maybe I can use that as our bonding time.
3. And about eating...This is a tricky one but I made a resolution to include more fish, fruits and veggies in my diet. Anything else should take in moderation. Easier said than done but I am making an effort.
4. Lately, I haven't been travelling as much as I wanted to. We hadn't been away for long except for the long drive to Myrtle Beach and the Boston rendezvous with my friends. I have plans to further explore the tri-state area and if time permits, another week or so in Florida and Las Vegas.

It is a short list but it is more realistic. Soon the little one will start pre-school so priorities do again change.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Happy Weaving

I had passed a booth that is promoting classes for those who are interested on learning how to weave. For years, I have expressed an interest to learn how to crochet and probably add weaving on that list.   




I like that they are introducing this activity to kids.

 



Very cute.



Look like the set up is fussy but the rest looks easy.

For more info, click here for the website.