My Mom's friend picked us up from Manhasset in Long Island, NY. The agenda of the day was for us to try our luck at the slot machines of Atlantic City. It is common knowledge among locals that it takes atleast 3 hours to get to Atlantic City from Manhasset. But, apparently, My Mom's friend's son made it with only 2 hours. Gasp! Going Underwater (Manhattan to Jersey City) From midtown Manhattan, we took the Lincoln Tunnel which is a 1.5 mile long underwater tunnel -- it goes under the Hudson River. A few more minutes on New Jersey land, I [View Full Entry]

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Like I said before, I would love to see New York City again and get to know it more at a personal level. On this second trip to New York, My Sis and I opted to go around Manhattan on foot and via subway. We did a lot of walking, no regrets! I think it's the best way to enjoy NYC. In fact, by keeping on walking, we have 'discovered' an underground pathway on our way to Radio City. Food Tripping -- Japanese Taisho-Style in Manhattan The other night, my cousins and I drove to East Village in Manhattan for Joy's [View Full Entry]

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After lunch, my aunt tagged us along to a trip to the mall called Fortunoff. She wanted us to see the beautiful Christmas decors on display even after Christmas Day. She says she has the habit of buying Christmas decors for the next year because they are slashed more than half the price! Unfortunately, there were not much decors to see anymore... they were all sold! Sounds ironic, huh, despite the current economic crisis. I am sure everyone's buying only items that are on big discounts. Manhattan Skyline From Manhasset, my uncle and aunt drove us to Manhattan. It took [View Full Entry]

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I have been working straight for twenty months and I never had a vacation break as long as two weeks. My Mom and My Sis arrived from Manila a few weeks ago. I guess things have fallen into place because this was the best time to take a long break in New York with our relatives! From Bitter-Cold to Cold It was -20F when we left Chicago two days ago. We took the CTA from Evanston all the way to the Midway Airport, 2 luggage in tow. We checked in and boarded the plane that would take us to Baltimore. I [View Full Entry]

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I have never gone apple-picking before. So when my friend, Sarah, invited us to go with her family to a pick-your-own-apple farm, I instantly agreed. Perfect timing! My sister is in town! Destination: Jonamac Orchard in a little village called Malta Taking off from around Rosemont, it took just 30 minutes when we started to feel distant from civilization. We passed by Roselle, then started seeing nothing but vast, dry corn fields -- dry because it's almost the end of summer, just a heartbeat away from fall. [View Full Entry]

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Seeing Brooklyn I have seen very little of Brooklyn but it was enough to convince me of its rich diversity of people and culture. I visited Aileen who happens to live and work in Brooklyn. We exchanged a hefty amount of stories to catch up with each other -- 10 years is a long time! As we walk along Nostrand Ave, I notice convenience stores and ethnic restaurants constantly next to each other -- Jamaican, African, Chinese, etc. Although the streets did not currently look crowded, I think it is safe to assume that Brooklyn is quite densely populated. Spaghetti [View Full Entry]

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First Time Riding the NY Subway! As early as 6:30am, my cousin, Sheila and I headed out of Midtown Manhattan for a day at Liberty Island and Ellis Island. We took the subway and ofcourse, I was excited to finally see for myself what people say is a confusing labyrinth of tunnels under Manhattan. We took the MTA New York City Subway, which Sheila looked up online last night. (She has moved to San Francisco that's why she needs a little refresher.) Trains were co [View Full Entry]

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This is the longest post I have ever written simply because I have seen so much of New York on my first day here! My uncle and cousins enthusiastically showed me around although I know they have been to and they have seen these places many, many times before. Thank you so, so much! Despite its length, I hope you enjoy reading this because I wish to share with you my wonderful visit to the Big Apple! Landing in a NY Suburb Two hours in a public train from my apartment to the airport; one hour's flight from Chicago to [View Full Entry]

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Thanks to Ayeen and her best buddy, super Jimmy; we traveled safe and sound all the way from Washington DC to Philadelphia to Atlantic City and back. Whew! Aside from being a smooth driver, super Jimmy sure has a knack of finding the best food in town! When we first met him, he took us to Philadelphia's Chinatown for dinner. We haven't had a decent meal that whole day but he made us feel better with his sel [View Full Entry]

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This trip to Atlantic City would not have been possible if not for Ayeen's friend Jimmy who has been behind the wheel from Philadelphia to Atlantic City. He's been driving us around, showing us new places to see. We crossed the Benjamin Franklin Bridge from Philadelphia to Camden, New Jersey. Just a few minutes after crossing the bridge, we read a sign that says, "Welcome to New Jersey". Truly, living in the east coast makes "state-hopping" a walk in the park. Bigger, Badder An hour later, w [View Full Entry]

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