Highlights from the Big Apple

August 28, 2007 - So I'm back from the Big Apple!! Actually, I've been back for a few days now! The trip was very tiring but lots and lots of fun. New York City is truly amazing!! Of course, it helps when you're travelling with great people as well. =D

Here are some of my favourite memories from the trip (not in any particular order):

1) Watching Grace shop for illegal bags at the South Street Seaport

After visiting the WTC site and Battery Park, we walked north to the South Street Seaport for lunch. Along the way, we passed by all these street vendors that were selling fake purses, fake watches, fake sunglasses, etc. Because we were all pretty hungry, I suggested that we come back after lunch. By the time we returned after our meal though, the vendors had wrapped up their stuff and closed shop. We weren't quite sure why they did that, but we figured it was probably because there were cops nearby. Not wanting Grace to be disappointed, we sat on one of the benches by the vendors and waited for them to open shop again. One of them eventually did, though discreetly (literally behind the bushes), and Grace quickly picked up two nice Gucci bags for about $20 each. The whole deal was pretty shady- with the vendor kept looking up to see if the cops are coming and Grace kept bargaining with the vendor for a decent price! By the end of the trip, Grace would end up buying 5 bags, though one of them was actually free, since it was hidden inside one of the illegal bags!!!

Hours later, we watched Grace barter again with the shopkeepers in Chinatown! My favourite: "Three dollars! no? fine then! I can get it cheaper somewhere else!" (and this was for a hair clip thing that was originally listed for six bucks!).

2) Walking to the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport at 4 a.m.

Because we had a few hours to kill in Buffalo before our flight departs, we decided to go Denny's, which was right by the airport, for a quick meal. Our taxi dropped us off outside Denny's, but we had no way of getting to the airport afterwards - besides walking! So at around 4 a.m., the seven of us WALKED along this dark, deserted street to the Buffalo-Niagara airport. Though it wasn't sketchy, it was still dark and from what I've read, walking around at night in Buffalo is a big no-no! But we survived (though we got looks from people driving by), and B and Grace took some really nice pictures of the neon-blue airport sign. Our meal at Denny's was quite yummy too!

3) Buying Max with Bernard at F.A.O. Schwarz

B and I saw a lot of neat stuff inside F.A.O. Schwarz, but what really caught our eyes were the stuffed labrador retrievers! As some of you may know, B and I have always wanted a lab retriever. So instead of getting a real one (since our moms strictly forbid us from getting a dog), we decided to buy a plush one for now! We ended up buying two - a big one, which we named (Baby) Max, for B, and a small one, which we named Baby Baby Max, for my sister Flora! Max looks incredibly real and is super duper cute. He makes us want to get a real one even more. =(

4) Theresa and Kevin getting lost 5 minutes after leaving us for the UN

Theresa and Kevin decided to go see the United Nations building while we were shopping. After giving them instructions on how to get to the UN building from the corner of 5th Ave and 34th Street, we found them wandering around the intersection 5 minutes later, lost!! Apparently, even though I had told them to walk towards the Empire State Building to find the closest subway station, they mistakenly thought another building was the Empire State and walked in the wrong direction! Sorry guy, for not giving better direction! =S

5) Walking through the Black Hole Tunnel at Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum

We must have walked through the incredible Black Hole Tunnel at least 5 times. The tunnel is really just a bridge inside this tube that keeps turning. Anyway, the whole point is that even though the bridge itself isn't moving, when you walk across it, it's hard to keep your balance because the tube is moving. I know I'm not describing it properly here, but it was just a lot of fun!! Even by the 5th time we walked across it, we were still falling!

6) Funny nanny picture at Central Park

A nanny came up to us at Central Park and asked us to take a picture for her. We thought she wanted a picture with her cute 2 year old boy. Instead, she told the boy to stay still, ran up to the edge of the lake, and asked us to take a shot right there! She was really nice though, and the kid was super cute.

Right after that, we saw a cute Asian guy with his parents. After we asked him to take a picture of us, we took a picture of them. B couldn't resist and took a picture of the cute guy too! =D

7) Riding the New York subway everywhere!

It's one of the most famous transit systems in the world and I'm so glad I got to use it often! Sure, it's not as clean as the TTC - many of the stations are truly falling apart - but, you can take the subway everywhere! I also like the express/local division, though it did suck for us since our hotel was located on top of a local stop. We also got semi-lost after our E train turned into the V train on the way to the WTC. Having said that, upon returning home, I did start to appreciate the TTC subway just a tiny bit more.

8) Visiting the New York Transit Museum with Bernard

It poured on our last day in New York but B and I still made the trek to Brooklyn to check out the NYC Transit Museum. The museum itself is located inside a former subway station and holds many historical artifacts from the city's transit system. B and I had fun exploring the museum and my favourite was their collection of historical subway cars, some of which date back to the 1900s! It was also really cool to see the evolution of the subway cars - from open carriages to today's modern sleek aluminum cars. The museum is a must for all transit geeks out there! =D

9) Going up the Empire State Building

I haven't been up the Empire State Building since my second trip to New York, which was back when I was in high school! The view from the top of the tallest building in New York was amazing, especially with all the lights. Though you could say it was a touristy thing to do, I kinda want to do it again next time I'm in town!

10) Spending four days/three nights in one of the greatest cities in the world with someone special

It has been a super busy summer for both of us, and the trip was sorta the light at the end of the tunnel. Though the weather was crappy and we didn't get to do everything we planned, it was still our first trip together and I had an amazing time. What we didn't get to see will become our top priorities next time we visit the city! Being in one of the greatest cities in the world, with the most special person in my life, was probably what I loved most about the entire trip. =D

So that's my NYC wrap-up! I'm definitely going through vacation withdrawal right now! Thank you B, Grace, Calvin, Theresa and Kevin for such a great trip! And of course, a big round of applause for our fearless leader Eric for planning the whole thing!

So anyone up for Orlando in December?