Posts Tagged ‘road trip’

Return to New York: Re-Exploring the City

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Alright, here’s the continuation of our Veteran’s Day mini vacation! To see what we did the first day, go back here.

panoramic of hilton garden inn breakfast with omelette, potatoes, pineapple, cantaloupe, grapes, grapefruit, english muffin, tea, and orange juice

Started off the second day with a lovely breakfast at HGI Danbury.

welcome to new york sign on freeway going from connecticut to new york state

After packing up and checking out, we left the Connecticut side of things where I used to go to the mall, YMCA, and Stew Leonard’s. Back to New York!

driving by lake in brewster new york area

One more drive through my town of Brewster, admiring the lakes in the area.

road going up steep hill to brewster hill area

Oh that steep hill that pictures can’t seem to do justice to. I remember many a bike ride down and walk up that thing.

large white house with long driveway in brewster new york

At the base of the hill is this giant house, which was always a great mystery to me. I think it’s two units. Looks so grand!

keep calm and cronut on and keep your eye on the cronut not on the hole signs at dominique ansel bakery in new york city

Once we arrive in the city, we swing by Dominique Ansel Bakery, which I am told is where the cronut originates.

magic souffle at dominique ansel bakery in new york city with bite taken out of side

No more cronuts, so I went for the magic souffle instead, which they cooked in something like 10 minutes.

large talking transition tent set up in new york city

As we walked towards the World Trade Center area, we saw this cool tent set up for #TalkingTransition.

rack of bikes for rent in new york city

Fancy a bike ride? No problem! I’d rather walk though.

jumping off of and next to giant yellow sculpture in small park in new york city

I saw a bright sculpture and just had to have some fun with it.

bench and bike racks on grating over subway station

Underneath that bench and bike racks you’ll find a vent for the subway station. Strange sort of place to sit.

stacked parking in new york city

Have you ever tried stacked parking? I haven’t.

giant red balloon sculpture in center of fountain area in new york city

Upon arriving in the WTC region, we were greeted by this large balloon sculpture.

canstruction rollercoaster sculpture made of cans

We were told to check out the Canstruction exhibit and this rollercoaster was my favorite.

11 tears memorial in american express tower with large crystal suspended above pool of water

A very poignant memorial for 11 American Express employees lost in 9/11.

cluster of trees with yellow leaves lined with holiday lights

We got tickets for the 9/11 memorial and came across these cute trees on our way over.

Just as we neared the 9/11 memorial, the sun came out to light up the new One World Trade Center building being built.

Just as we neared the 9/11 memorial, the sun came out to light up the new One World Trade Center building being built.

9/11 memorial entrance sign

Here we go into the memorial… first it took us through a line winding around buildings and through a security check.

9/11 memorial brochure and tickets

The brochure and tickets we got.

9/11 memorial sign explaining roses are placed on victims' names on their birthdates

Aw, that’s so sweet of them.

9/11 memorial falling water with yellow roses on names and people lined up looking out

A ton of people were there looking through names and taking in the rushing water.

9/11 memorial falling water in deep abyss

I think they did a good job designing this memorial. It’s a powerful image paired with impressive sound to give you enough of a haunting feeling.

9/11 memorial tree with yellow ribbons and wreath with yellow and white flowers

Adorned with yellow ribbons… this tree got plenty of visitors.

9/11 memorial commemorative guides with people browsing and worker replacing brochures

Memorial guides were available in many languages.

nypd police truck with viewing unit sitting atop it

When we left, I saw this police guy watching the entrance to the memorial.

nypd raised viewing cube higher than second story of building

And another funky watching station the NYPD uses.

panoramic of 9/11 memorial mural along new york city sidewalk

Check out this massive mural for those who have fallen and those who have carried on.

eye mosaic on subway station wall

Random eyes in the subway station are kind of awkward.

bowl of hot and sour soup at ollie's

For dinner, we went to Ollie’s! I gobbled down hot and sour soup meant for 4.

half-eaten bowl of wonton noodle soup with bbq pork at ollie's

Panda shared some of his wonton noodle soup.

small rack of six xiao long bao juicy pork dumplings with vinegar sauce

I also got the xiao long bao (juicy pork dumplings).

xiao long bao juicy pork dumpling in vinegar sauce with ginger slices covering it

Panda helped me eat one and loaded on the ginger. The couple next to us literally stared at him as he ate it, apparently in disbelief that he could have all that ginger.

chinese potato strips dish with peppers and thinly sliced potato

I was so excited that they have potato strips! One of my favorite dishes, but few restaurants offer it. They’re so crisp and wonderful! This one was SPICY though.

salted pork chops at ollie's

Panda gets his all-time fav dish: salted pork chops. We were very full by the end of it all.

new york city skyline at night in distance seen from new jersey

After taking the bus back to the New Jersey side, where our hotel was, I noticed the skyline visible in the distance as we walked. Nice!

I got back to the hotel to find that 1. a friend on Yelp had seen me checking in and was wondering where in New Jersey I was since she was in the area too 2. two friends/former managers from Singapore had seen me posting on Facebook and wanted to meet up since they were in NYC and 3. a friend had seen my pictures on Instagram and was wondering where I was since she was in New Jersey too! Lol, way to go social media. So I arranged to meet up with my college friend who reached out on Yelp and my Singaporean friends who reached out on Facebook. I couldn’t make plans with my college friend who commented on Instagram, but maybe next time!

metal cartoonish statue in subway station

The next morning, we had breakfast with my friend and then went to meet up with my Singaporean friends. Saw this randomness in the subway station.

magnetic calendar sold at moma shop in new york city

We found the Singaporeans at the MoMA gift shop browsing. It took me a sec to figure out these calendars!

good grips measuring beaker set with four tubes and colorful bases

I almost got these at the MoMA store, but they weren’t large enough for the measurements I wanted.

view of portion of new york city skyline from new jersey side

After a brief visit to the city once more, we were back on the New Jersey side, getting a great view.

sunset in distance with philadelphia skyline visible

The rest of the day was spent driving home. As the sun lit up the sky in pink, Philadelphia came into view and I passed out for part of the ride.

fried tilapia dinner with salad, rice, beans, and chips

For dinner, I found a Mexican place in Delaware and tried something new.

colorful yellow, green, and pink chewy lollipops

They gave us such cute little dessert lollipops!

johns hopkins hospital at night

On our way through Baltimore, we passed by Johns Hopkins as we avoided the toll roads. Soon enough we were home!

Return to New York: Walk Down Memory Lane

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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I thought I could summarize all of our long weekend activities from last weekend into one post, but as it turns out, there are 77 pictures I want to share, so I’m splitting them up into two posts. First off will be the day we spent revisiting my old stomping grounds and faded memories in the areas of Westchester and Brewster. The rest will come in another post! Now, join me as I go down memory lane…

beautiful day for a road trip with clear blue skies and little traffic on the roads

A perfect start to our trip!

large truck with bales of hay tied down

This reminds me of the time my friend yelled HEY while driving… what she meant was HAY (on a truck), lol.

dillsburg tobacco outlet convenience store with gas station

I’d like a side of gas station with my tobacco outlet please.

driving torwards george washington bridge from new jersey side

Crossing over…

free samples of sliced honey crisp apples at whole foods

A quick pit stop at a ginormous Whole Foods leads us to these yummy apple samples.

free samples of tortilla strips and guacamole dip at whole foods

We totally pigged out on the chips and guac alongside some employees. It had quite a kick!

marinated mushrooms with garlic and herbs at olive bar in whole foods

I was sooo excted when I saw marinated mushrooms, but after buying them and trying them, I found they weren’t the taste I was looking for.

venus flytraps for sale at whole foods market

I *almost* bought one of these, but I’m holding off til we move.

holding cart basket with wheels at whole foods

What a fun basket cart you can wheel around!!

colorful kayaks lined up outside ll bean store

Such pretty colors. I’d love to hop in one and explore a river.

driving along small road with trees growing close on both sides

I’d forgotten what it was like to drive on roads like these.

westchester community college parking lot by academic arts building

The first memory we revisited: Westchester Community College, where I had Chinese school on Sundays. I still remember the parking lot area!

westchester community college academic arts building

And that’s the building where I learned many years of Chinese and took a cartooning class, a paper cutting class, an oil pastel class, and more…

brand new wendy's building with very modern look

Whoa, check out that super modern Wendy’s!

freeway exit sign for brewster

IT’S MY TOWN!!!

brewster train station

Good old train station where we’d pick up my dad after work.

former house in brewster hill

Aww, my old house! We were the first tenants; I wonder how many have lived there since.

former house of pearson's in brewster

I took a quick peek at the house where I used to babysit a family of 5 kids. The only family I’ve ever babysat for!

sunset and lake in distance viewed from brewster hill with steep road going down

Our neighborhood is up on a STEEP hill. I don’t know if you can tell but take a look at the person walking up. Great views from here!

henry h wells middle school panoramic

Hello, middle school. This is where I learned how to make tweeties, played full-contact basketball with the guys, and went to some awkward dances.

brewster hill general store

Across the street from the middle school is the deli that I remember so fondly.

brewster hill general store menu of classic sandwiches

They still have my fav sandwich, the Pesature, which I liked mostly because I knew the people it was named after.

holding up menu for brewster hill general store inside store by deli

I love this place because of the deviled eggs. I’ve never been able to find ones that I like better.

pesature sandwich and deviled eggs from brewster hill general store

So of course, I had to stock up on those eggs! The nice lady threw in two for free when I got half a dozen. NOMMMMM

pretty pinkish sunset through bare tree branches

Such a pretty sunset out here.

panoramic of brewster high school

My old high school, which did not have the left half when I moved away. Too bad I couldn’t see the old part, where I knew everyone in my graduating class (and many in other grade levels too), took way too many classes at once, learned of 9/11 (and got sent home), and always had snacks to share with friends.

fidder on the roof poster and picture of cast from brewster high school 2002 performance

I watched Fiddler on the Roof when I was a sophomore and it was cool to find the poster up, albeit at the far end of the hall where it might get phased out in a few years. I still recognize many people in the pictures!

brewster high school pride of 2004 poster for graduating class

If only I’d stayed to graduate from this school, I might just have made it on this poster.

stone brewster high school sign lit up at night

It was a brief visit, but good to see my old school. Go Bears!

tuned to z100 radio station in new york region

Tuned in to my radio station from back in the day. Over a decade later and I still like what they play.

stew leonard's world's largest dairy store storefront at night

I only vaguely remembered Stew Leonard’s and I really wanted to show Panda the singing cows.

panoramic of stew leonard's interior section with fruit stands

It’s massive inside and like an IKEA, where you follow a single path winding through the store. Tons of electronic animals will sing to you as you pass by or press a button.

stew leonard's checkout aisles

It’s such a homey feel in here.

stew leonard's christmas trees all lit up and stowed away in tented area

As we were leaving, I caught a glimpse of Christmas trees that were hidden away in a tent. I just had to investigate!

There were so many memories that came back to me, like that pizza place we JROTC kids used to walk to and the trek from the middle school to the high school for track practice and the peacock farm near the high school and the hidden trail that we’d run on for gym sometimes and the few driving lessons I took (including the awful mistakes I made) and riding my bike into town and volunteering at the library that was practically smaller than my house and hanging out with the guys from the group home and all my crazy nicknames (like China White, which I’d completely forgotten) and so much more… coming back after getting a better sense of where things are on a map really helped me with my scattered memories. I was able to piece a lot back together and I had a ton of random stories to share. It was a fabulous time!

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