Wednesday, May 5, 2010

My NY Weekend

New Yaaaaaaawk always conjures up images of the concrete jungle; a city filled with steely high-rises...

cramped apartment spaces...

lotsa people milling about...

and a city filled with cold and shadiness...

You know when you watch movies and TV shows and the character, just getting into the city, spins round and round Time Square, dazed and confused at their surroundings? Kinda like this?
So silly, close-minded me was not really expecting...

The sun! And green stuff! (I think they call them trees and grass?)

But then of course with sunshine and greenery, there are also... allergies.

I don't think Victor was too happy about that.

Nonetheless, we ventured forth the city, enjoying the beautiful weather, attempting to ignore our raw, red, itchy noses and dry eyes.

This here is the high line. It's this really awesome overpass bridge that "enables visitors to learn about horticulture, urban design and New York history," but I think it's mostly for people to eat their lunch while staring at traffic. As you can see, this is a pretty popular past-time.

When we got tired of watching cars zoom by, there were other things to turn our attention to, such as a fashion photoshoot.
Once the gawking got old, we headed on over to the Chelsea Piers.

Though there were quite a few boats docked there, they are famous for their driving range. Apparently, Justin Timberlake is a fan of this golf spot here. Though these two could give Timberlake a run for his money with their golf skills.

Plenty of other activities occupied our time. Like Foosball and Jenga at 675 Bar.


Tallest Jenga game EVERRRRRR. I would tell you that I was the one who ended up losing the game but if you know me, then you know about my clumsiness/bad luck with all games not Cranium, then you would have already deduced my loss.
The Broadway spectacle, "In the Heights" with my favorite Johns. It was really fun trying to get rush tickets. You have to go there two hours before showtime, and place your name on a paper. Then you come back an hour beforehand and they read off people who got drawn to purchase front row theatre tickets for like, $20! As we waited for them to draw out all the names, the suspense would build up so tight that you'd think we were trying to win the million $ lottery or something.
It was also really funny analyzing all the hecklers who were perched right across the street from the Church of Scientology building. It's like, does attracting more attention to something you don't like actually help your cause?
Catching up with old friends also required much of our time.

Besties. So cute together!
Me and my long-lost cousin, Johnny. The man is the epitome of a New Yorker. Hard to believe he's only been there a couple of months!
Me and my other Johnny.

Me and my Annie. (I'm possessive, okay?)

Dude, totally felt a lot of love that weekend. New Yorkers are actually a lot nicer than you think! When I got lost on the Subway (and that was...a lot), people were so willing to help me out. One of my favorite moments was when I was in the middle of this getting-to-know-you with this girl on the train and my stop suddenly popped up and I had to jump off right in the middle of my story. Oh well, it was nice meeting you, Adena!
Oh yea....FOOD.
I actually didn't eat as much as I intended to this trip. And I had a lot more sit-down meals than I intended to. The restaurants were nice but nothing to write home about...
...EXCEPT for these 5 for $1 potstickers!
Maybe it was because it was my first meal at 1:30 in the afternoon. Maybe it was because we rode this train and that train, walked this way and that way to get to the shop. Maybe it was because it was a full meal for only a George Washington. Maybe it was because we enjoyed them sitting at a comfy Chinatown park bench underneath a beautiful blue sky. But these were THE. BEST. POTSTICKERS. I. HAD. EVER. HAD. The crisp green onion pieces, the piping hot sauce dribbling over your mouth as you sink your teeth into them, the crispy sides, hao hao che ah!
Guacamole always conjures up excellent memories. This one was no exception.
I really wanted to try a ton of street food this trip but my stomach failed me. I'm sorry to report that I do not know how a New York street dog tastes. I do not know how Chicken & Rice tastes. I do not know how Momofuku tastes.
But I do know how the Artichoke Pizza tastes!
This is some hefty stuff. It's like artichoke dip on a pizza crust. I did not finish this.
This was not even my breakfast but I wanted to post it because it was so pretty.
I also did not buy any souvenirs this time. I did take these home. If you see something you like, leave me a comment and I will mail a copy to you. (And by copy, I mean a photocopy.)
My trip to New York felt incomplete (of course, what do you expect going there for only 3 days?). I fully intend to tackle it full-on in the near future. Somehow, I think living there for a couple of years could get me well-acquainted with the city. Who knows!

Until next time...