Riding a New York subway

Living in Singapore for the past 9 years, I have learnt to appreciate public transport. If you plan carefully enough, you could get to anywhere. That applies to San Francisco, Chicago and apparently Manhattan.

However, I hadn't had a right appreciation for Singapore public transportation system until I rode New York subway. And I've realized that those who are living in Singapore are really pampered (not only the locals). The system has been designed to bring the most convenience to its people which a big percentage of these people don't really understand. Try New York subway for a day and you learn how wonderful the MRT in Singapore is.

Anyway, once you learn how to navigate around Manhattan, subway is a cheap but excellent method to explore this interesting city.


7-day MetroCard


Chambers St. Station






Inside a subway train

New York eats - Kitchenette, Tribeca

After a good rest, we were ready for a full-day city exploration. However, sleep wasn't enough, I need to take in more energy, which meant a good breakfast. And I found this restaurant on the Internet when planning for the trip. About 5 minutes from our hotel, it seemed to be a good place.

It has a cozy and homey ambiance. Once you step in, you could feel the warmth which is a god-sent if you are in the middle of a winter. There is not much to choose from, just very essential American breakfast. As I didn't like bacon and sausages for morning, I had chosen blueberry pancakes and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Luckily I had finished both cos the next meal was actually lunch cum dinner in Columbus Circle.










A huge glass of OJ


A big plate of blueberry pancakes


Looking fresh after a good night of sleep

New York eats - Viet Cafe, Lower Manhattan

After our disastrous shopping trip at Century 21, which Tracy had managed to buy something (amazingly), we couldn't wait any longer to head for dinner. We got lost for a while, but somehow we regained our direction and landed to the right area. But if you ask me for one advice, dun ever plan your dinner around Financial District. The whole place looked like a ghost town to me. Quite scary for 2 girls.

Anyway, we chose a Vietnamese restaurant cos I thought after 2 weeks in North America, Tracy and I might miss our food. And yes, I was right. We were glad to have some cabbage salad and some hot noodle soups for dinner. Even though the price was steep, I dun think I could have chosen otherwise.






Cabbage salad with chicken


Pho Nam Dinh


And of course, a photo of myself on my first night in Manhattan

New York shopping - Century 21

Technically it was my second day in New York, the first day being the day I landed to JFK, aka two week before. But who cares, it was my first day in Manhattan and NYC. And managing to get here on schedule was another miracle (I hate terrorists, but that will be another story of another blog post).

After catching some much needed sleep (I think I didn't sleep a wink the night before in Canada) in the hotel room for about 2 hours and waiting for Tracy to arrive from San Francisco, we went out for some much needed retail therapy and of course, dinner. As we stayed in Tribeca which is quite near to Ground Zero, our logical shopping choice was Century 21.


(sorry, the photo was a bit blurry. I was cold and hungry.)

I'd had high hope for this department store after all the raves from other travelers, and even some New Yorkers. And yet, I was disappointed. The brands the store carried were just blah and the selection was bad. After 5 or 10 minutes in the store, I was bored even others were digging furiously. Its only saving grace was shoes, but I couldn't choose anything as there was no size for me. Really, I had had better luck at Neiman Marcus Last Call in Chicago. I'd managed to score a pair of Brian Atwood heels there.

Anyway, that might be just me. You may find the store interesting if you like those brands. But I won't recommend this for any of my friends' shopping list.

Magnificent Mile at night

If you are a shopaholic, you must visit this part of Michigan Ave. Even if you are not, you should come here as well. Especially at night. The street looks magical and beautiful. I enjoyed shopping at Saks Fifth Ave. The service was warm but not too overwhelmed.

Christkindlmarket, Chicago

Christkindlmarket is a Christmas market held annually at Daley Plaza in Chicago. It was inspired by the Christkindlesmarkt in Germany. And it has become the largest Christmas market in the United States, hosting well over 1 million visitors annually.

That is the info I have gathered from Wikipedia. Well, largest or not, I had gone there cos I love Christmas and market. The coldness didn't deter me at all. Tracy and I had a lovely time there, exploring, squeezing, eating and laughing. It's a must-go if you are in Chicago around Christmas time.






Christkindlmarket


Big Christmas tree and yes, it was a real pine tree!


In front of one of the stores








Yummy German lunch

Chicago snacks - Garrett Popcorn

In the middle of a disastrous city light tour, we decided to finish it early and spend our last night in Chicago walking along the streets, and of course, doing some shopping at the same time. We passed by Garrett Popcorn shop on the way to Macy's (State St). Even though the queue was long, we couldn't resist the temptation to go in and try some American popcorn and see if there was any difference from the ones from Vietnam and Singapore.

Well, lucky for my weight, I didn't like this so-called gourmet popcorn. It was either too cheesy or too sweet. For me, I prefer taking sourness or saltiness to the extreme. I like sweet food, but not too sweet. But I think it was an interesting experience to try this one in a lifetime.