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.

Chicago eats - Volare

I am a devoted fan of Italian cuisine, especially pasta and tiramisu. Sometimes, I could eat pasta a whole week if I am in the mood. That's why it was no surprise I decided to visit Volare when I was in Chicago. The restaurant is recommended on Trip Advisor as a worthy try. And it's located around Magnificient Miles where you could find it a difficult task to choose a good place to eat.

On Google Map, you could see Volare is situated on a street crossing with Magnificient Miles. Well, if you see from above. In reality, you have to walk down 1 level to get to Grant St. The atmosphere here is a big difference from the busy and touristy street above. And if I didn't know about or tried to find the restaurant, I didn't think I would go in there at all. I was definitely glad I did though.


Here is the unassuming but great Italian restaurant






Homey but charming interior


The street as seen from our table. I wanted to take photo of falling snow, but my camera is not good enough, or was that my bad skill?

Delicious food obviously aside, what I remember about Volare is its great service. The staff who waited on our table was charming and not pushy. A fun memory was that he asked Tracy and I if we could finish what we had ordered. I mean, that was the first time some waiter asked me that question. It was always the opposite, aka "would you like anything else?". And being too hungry at the time, Tracy and I said of course. Well, we realized why the staff had asked afterward. But we were still happy to stuff ourselves as the food was super duper delicious. I really want to eat their pasta again. When will I have the chance to go back to Chicago?


Yummy bread for appetizer (one of the best bread appetizer I have ever tasted)


The plate looked ugly but it was the food that counted


Compulsory Italian dessert - Tiramisu


Of course, a must-have photo, aka me and the food

Nail polish of the week: Chanel Illusion d'or

One of my favourite past times is having manicure and pedicure. I have my nails done every two weeks. I know it sounds luxurious outside Vietnam but I think I could forgo some other indulgences for this.

Of course, together with manicure and pedicure, my love for nail polishes has heightened. People might say it is a waste of money to buy your own if you go to the shop and have your nails done there. But think about it, sometimes you really love a particular colour, but your shop does not carry it or just finishes it. What should a girl do? Stock my own nail polishes, certainly! And once you start doing that, it is easy to get out of hand. The next thing I know, I have quite a collection. Well, as long as I feel happy, I guess I could justify for anything. Hahhaha... very lame but who cares? If I can't even make myself happy, who can?

A few brands of nail polishes that I love are OPI, Orly and Essie. And thanks to online retailers, I managed to buy them at a very low price, which I buy quite a lot every time I decided to order. But Chanel is different, and unless you want to buy from eBay with a ridiculously marked-up price, I have to buy the colors I love once they are just released (which are usually from limited collections). Yes, SGD35 for a bottle of color varnish is a bit too high, but whenever I think about Chanel Jade last year, I have a motivation to take out my card.

So... for this summer, I have bought this Chanel Illusion d'or:It is a sparkling gold color and very sheer. And I love it. I can wear it alone or mix it with another color, based on my mood. And yes, this is for my hands. I have a weird obsession, darker colors for my toe nails; sheer or nude colors for my finger nails. And if you are wondering whether I am wearing it, the answer is a big YES.

Chicago eats - Soup Box

If you ask me what my favourite food in winter is, I can tell you straight away. That is soup, especially soup with tomato as 1 of its ingredients. Just imagine, you walk on the street, wearing layers of clothes but still feeling super chilled. Even if you are not hungry, I bet you would love to have something hot to warm your hands and stomach. I can't take coffee, tea is also out of question in the afternoon. Hot chocolate is too sweet in the States and come on, how many cups of hot chocolate could you take in a day? So soup is my first choice when it comes to something to warm me up.

Tracy and I stumbled into this restaurant somewhere around Magnificent Miles in Chicago. We were hungry but did not want to eat something too full as I had planned a good lunch some place else. We needed some energy to get there though. So this was our answer. Soup Box where you could choose whatever soup you like at a reasonable price, without paying tips. (well, I'm from Asia where you dun need to give tips as it's included in your bill)

Anyway, it was a good place to take a rest and warm yourself before embarking on a serious shopping endeavor in Chicago.


Outside Soup Box


Plenty of soup choices to choose from


Inside the restaurant

Chicago eats - Wishbone restaurant

After our visit to Harpo Studio (well, more likely we were walking around the area and taking photos non-stop), we decided to have lunch at the restaurant nearby, Wishbone. This is where Oprah has her lunch sometimes, at least that was what I heard. Anyway, frequented by Oraph or not, the restaurant was a good choice. Yummy food and great service are what account for a good meal.






Inside Wishbone restaurant



Soup for appetizer (yes, I love soup)


Some fried fish dish. The mashed potato was heavenly.


A compulsory picture with the restaurant