Empire State of Mine

The Empire State Building... and Friend...

Ok, so I have tons of backlog, but I have got to start somewhere right?

My most favorite city is the city of New York. I just fell in love with her the minute our shuttle crossed the boundaries of Manhattan. It was like being in the movies, only this time, I was on set and it felt like real life.

Straight out of Uni and into the workforce, I have always been in fields that exposed me to international markets and international colleagues and one of the assumptions they usually made about me was that I was educated overseas, most possibly in the US. I've always surprised them by saying I've never been to the States even if I used American slang and had a bit of their accent... that was my claim to fame back then. 

My first American Adventure

I lost that ticket end of Summer 2009 about the last few weeks of September when we went to NY for 5 days. At that point, I couldn't care less about losing my claim to fame, it was NEW YORK BABY!!!

So. We arrived on a bright sunny afternoon and JFK was a bit of a disappointment. It was so blah for an airport with its renown and the volume of traffic that goes through it. All I could think of was how small it seemed vs what I had originally expected. We got our bags, left the gates and there we were, in this blank open space with a 2-3 minute walk across nothing to get to the doors for a taxi or a shuttle. 

For all the folk out there who pay attention to every little detail, no... we did not have to go through immigration as US immigration/passport control happened at the Dublin airport. Possibly because of the thousands of Irish people that flock to NY every year to do their shopping and visit family, this process seemed more convenient and efficient for all concerned. It did make me wonder if because we were Irish traffic if that made the gates/routes we went through one of the more speedier no-fuss passages within JFK -- similar to what they do for the UK and Ireland in both LHR and DUB. I will have to make a note if we go through it the same way for our next trip because this city definitely deserves a 2nd, 3rd, and many, many more visits.

Le Bull

As you are just getting to know me, you aren't likely to have a clue at how anal O.C. I can be... On trips that I plan and every year when I fly home to Manila, I always try and have an itinerary prepared in an excel worksheet for all the days I'll be wherever I am and while I don't force myself or my travel companions to religiously stick to it -- its a security blanket of sorts to have it around so I'll always have a plan so to speak. Now, because I have this streak in me, I usually research all potential foodie places, points of interests, etc etc, including of course, the best airport transfer options for my IT. On this trip, my research told me a cab to Manhattan would be the best option, but this very convincing (and if I am honest -- intimidating) shuttle driver most eloquently expressed that we'd be a bunch of idiots if we took a cab instead of his shuttle service -- so we did. Less than 15 minutes later we end up in a little fender bender with a pastor heading to a religious event in Times Square. Neither driver wanted to give in so we were held up for about 25 minutes before we were on our way again. Like I said, it was minor, just two parties trying to get the best of each other that led to the hold up.

Not much later, there we were on W57th between 6 and 7 in Manhattan -- settled in our hotel and gasping over how big, bright and fabulous everything is. We had central park just behind us, 5th avenue a few corners away and everything else within reach. It was amazing. And I was sick to my gut before the sun set on our first day.

Woodbury Commons!

Between Shops

Maybe it was from working non stop till the wee hours of the morning the day of our flight to the Big Apple or the weeks of high stress from work, but yea, I was sick as a dog two and half out of my five days in Giuliani-now-Bloomberg-ville. I skipped dinner out that night and was probably delirious from all the meds I took to get well as instantly as possible. The next day, still sick as a psychopath, I was not about to pass a day out to Woodbury Commons in Jersey. OMG fellow shopaholics I love this place! All the brands you love made even more attractive by their ridiculously low sale prices. I was walking around with glazed eyes (half from frenzy and half from my raging fever), threw up over lunch, and was pausing between stores to catch my breath while the troop forged on. At Banana Republic I couldn't even bear to walk in, all I could do was shout out what I wanted to get, hand over the cash and sit and recuperate as my little elves came back with pretty sparkly bags with goodies inside. Aahh bliss.

Needless to say, I was pretty useless that night and had to cancel on dinner again. I couldn't even muster the strength to walk from the bus station to the hotel. Cab please!

30 Rock

Lady Liberty

Day 3 saw us go to Ellis Island and have a little visit with lady liberty. It was awesome. She was awesome. This was also the first day I got to try out my brand spanking new SLR. I didn't have a clue how to use it, but I felt mean and professional wielding it. If there is anything I know how to do, it is to pretend like I actually know what I'm doing. I should have been a thespian to be honest, but alas, I do not have the patience for Boy Abunda, his mirror, and his ilk (I leave that kind of showbiz mumbo jumbo to PIC). Day 3 was also the day we went to the top of the Rock for a view of Manhattan, the park, and the NBC store! I couldn't resist getting myself a top chef apron which to this day still remains untouched and serves purely aesthetic purposes in my kitchen. Oooo and a Princeton Plainsboro shirt too which still serves as the best night shirt ever. Didn't get to see Alec Baldwin though, which was a bit of a let down (not really, was too intoxicated with the whole experience to truly care who or what I saw).

The rest of the trip was a blur of sight seeing, arguing over which particular landmark we were ogling and stuffing our faces with food from places we've seen on TV.  I still have a LONG list of must do's for my next visit -- Serendipity, Magnolia Cafe, Grey's Papaya, revisit Prune, the Met, and the long list of restaurants in NYC featured in Top Chef. Arrrggghhh that show has set me on the expensive goal of sampling all their celebrity chefs' restaurants -- well at least the chefs that I like.

Times Square - Next goal is to see that ball fall on New Years

New York was probably the first place outside my home country that I've been to where people did not immediately assume I was foreign. Where everyone was equally gruff and expected you to instantly know what everyone was about. I was over the moon with the simplest luxury of being able to watch my favorite TV shows at their real times, at how their commercials, ads and marketing puns all made sense to me. How the brands were familiar and everything I could ever want was close at hand. Strangely enough, I felt at home in a city that's at least 8,500 miles from where I was born and raised.

I Y New York. I promise to be back.

My Man Bourdain - went to 2 (Katz & Russ)
out of 13 on this trip

The Friends Fountain...
or so I thought!

Katz Deli Wall of Fame

My Katz Brisket was bigger than my face



Imagine Memorial

Our Central Park Tour Guide from Tajikistan aka Tajiki -
Whose death defying driving left this adrenaline junkie clinging to her seat,
but was probably the best way to see all of the park in a rush

Central Park - Puuurrrrtttyyy