Mexico!

In February my brother and his girlfriend made a trip through Mexico. Being so close, how could I resist the chance to join them for a long weekend?

I flew over on a Thursday morning to meet K and J in Cancun. On arrival I started to get an idea of the Americanized feel of my destination when a loud American announced to the immigration officer "I'm drunk already!"

Oh boy.

My brother later told me that within five minutes of arriving at his last Mexican Island there were American's off the boat and onto jet skis running laps around the island - hey, I guess if you only have a weekend abroad you might as well make the most of it!

Once I cleared customs I extracted some pesos... I thought I was rich, but was later informed I only had the equivalent of $20 US. I then started the search for my brother. His phone was not working, and while I had told him my flight time, we hadn't made sold plans to meet. I wandered around the arrival area, lost, when I heard a Mexican man shout out to me "Hey! Hey!" I must have heard wrong. How could this guy know my name?

A little concerned and frazzled, I quickly headed in the other direction where I found my brother. "Oh don't worry about that guy, we've been chatting. He is my new friend Old Mate. I told him to call for you." I know my brother is the friendliest guy, but I was still impressed that he made best of friends with the airport porter in under fifteen minutes. Bravo!

I joined him and J at a table where they were eating their first meal in a week. Apparently Mexico had not agreed with their stomachs up to that point. My brother was drinking a Mexican beer which was highly recommended by the locals - "Old Mate told me I had to try it - he was raised on it... literally - he drunk it instead of breast milk."

Our waitress was a middle aged, thick wasted woman with high arched eyebrows tattooed on and sky high wedged heels. When my brother questioned how much to tip J urged him to be generous "You have to tip well - she really made and effort, and look how short her skirt is!"

So, after tipping heavily, we headed to the hotel. Old Mate organized our cab (so perhaps their was a ulterior motive to his friendship) and we were on our way. On check in and were informed of the rate  and it was higher than I remembered, but J confessed - "When we booked there was an option to upgrade for only $20 per night... so we took it. Then there was an option to upgrade again for only $20 per night... so we took it... and then there was an option to upgrade again for only $20 per night... so we took it... Good value, no?"

When we got to the room we immediately saw what our upgrades got us - a spectacular view. It was hard to believe that this place was real, and yet there it was in front of us. 

And of course in the distance an advertisement for Coco Bongo - a touristy and trashy night club that (unfortunately) we never made it to. Shameful of us really... 

We went down to the beach to explore and were impressed. It was absolutely beautiful. Of course, the magic of the place was somewhat spoiled for a moment when I slipped and fell. My brother and J were laughing hysterically - "Only you could manage to fall over the caution slippery when wet sign!"

The pool area was amazing. It was fun too - they played very loud music all day. We spent our first day enjoying the sun and watching the other tourists make the most of the all inclusive drinks. One shy, red headed guy became more and more confident as he downed his bottle of Moet. After we returned to the room we looked out of the window and saw him on the beach dancing up a storm - "Oh wow! I think he just did the splits!"

Of course, the three of us were more subdued... I think it was the floating band aids and hairballs in the pool that calmed us down. It was fun lying by the pool watching people trying to avoid them.

Actually we were a bit of an odd trio and attracted some peculiar looks from the other guests at the hotel. People would literally turn their heads to watch us pass. My brother suspected it was because people were confused trying to figure out our back story - why was there a young man here with two girls? J and I were convinced this was not the reason - rather people were purely perplexed by our coolness.

Of course our "coolness" was brought into question by our odd sleeping pattern. By odd I mean to say we were in bed by midnight every night. One night on our way back to the room we saw an elderly couple heading out for the evening... how very lame of us.

Blame our sleepiness on the jet lag... or the fact that I refused to set my watch to Cancun time. This wasn't received so well by my travel buddies - "If you tell me the time in New York once more I will slap you!"

In an effort to stay up later we attempted a coffee from the hotel's Nespresso bar. J and I were excited when we ordered our macchiatos... but were disappointed when we were given two tall cups of foamy milk - shame on you George Clooney. A couple nearby ordered cappuccinos and were similarly delivered tall cups of milk foaming to the brim. We were shocked when the lady asked, "Can I have a shot of baileys in this?" There was no way a shot was going to fit into that cup. Nevertheless the barista poured it in... and up, up, up went the foam. The coffee drinker was delighted. Only in Cancun....

On our second day it was time to leave the resort. We headed by ferry to Isla Mujeres, a nearby Island which is just as touristy as the mainland but with way more culture and color.

When we arrived on the Island, as we walked down the dock we were accosted by a short plump man - "Snorkeling? See the Island underwater! Under water museum.. Swim with Dolphins.. come, come! Only $50 per person! Tour leaves now."

We wanted to snorkel, but no way we were stopping with the first person to approach us. We turned him down and headed on our way, congratulating each other on our business savvy. As we headed off we heard the guy running up behind us "Ok, ok, what if I take you on a private boat." Hmm a chance to go on a snorkeling trip without having to associate with other people? We had to take it.

So perhaps we weren't as good at bartering as we thought...

Our tour guide warned us: "Before you embark you should buy something to drink from my friend over there." Seemed like a con, but he was right. We would needed water for the trip. Perhaps, we should not have been surprised when two bottles of water and two bottles of coke gave us hardly any change from $20.

Never mind! We were about to go snorkeling - we'd been promised the best snorkeling on the Island, to swim with Dolphins, to pet a shark and to visit the under water museum.

As we boarded the boat we were introduced to the driver - an elderly, non English speaking Mexican man with a few missing teeth. My brother was suddenly started. He turned to our tour guide - "You're coming to right?"

Guide Yes, of course
Brother: Ok, so you get on the boat first
Guide: No, no, you first. The driver is very good, he will look after you
Brother: This is a tour and he doesn't speak English!
Guide: No he does, he speaks good English
Brother: Do you?
Driver: Si

Concerned that we had truly been fooled we got on the  boat without our guide. Just as we started to pull away he jumped onboard laughing. "Got you!"

This was going to be an interesting tour. Stop one was snorkeling. It was amazing. I love to snorkel and there were many different fish and corals to enjoy.

Next was swimming with the Dolphins.. as our boat drove past the Dolphin park our tour guide asked us "Want to stop, only $100 more?" Huh? Wasn't that included in our original price?

So, we made it to stop three quickly... petting the shark. We stopped at a guy's house on the side of the water. He had captured and enclosed a large shark in the shallow area by his restaurant. The idea was tourists came for the shark and stayed for the food. J and I enjoyed the sun while my brother ventured into the shark enclosure. Afterwards he announced "Did you see me pet the shark?" Whoops.. we had been too busy gossiping to catch it... Girls!

The under water museum was equally disappointing - simply  few statues under water. "Can we go back to the Island now?" We could only laugh.

We disembarked and as we headed back to the Island along the beach we realized we had left the water and coke on the boat. I wonder if they re sold it...

 Isla Mujeres itself is gorgeous and we spent the afternoon wandering the small streets, exploring the interesting shops and listening to the music blasting out from the many cafes.

J and I couldn't help but air pump to Enrique Iglesias as we walked past one shop... sometimes it's impossible to not get wrapped up in the atmosphere! We stopped for lunch around 3pm at an Argentinian themed cafe where they were playing pop music. There was no one else at the restaurant at that time, so my brother asked the waiter "Can we have some local music please?" The man was very obliging and hurried off to change the track... Ok, so a bad Spanish cover of Adele's Rolling in the Deep wasn't quite what we were after... but we made it work.

After lunch we headed to the beach for a long walk before taking the last ferry back to the mainland. It was beautiful.

That night we forced ourselves to stay up and enjoy the festivities. It was certainly worth it - we saw a sixty year old woman dancing on a table. How can you beat that? We struggled to stay out to twelve and then headed up to bed... where the room clock read 11pm... huh? "Oh no! We were using Zubi's clock - New York time!"

Whoops.. my fault. At least we can laugh about it... right guys??

All in all it was a wonderful trip - made special because I was spending time with K and J, who I love dearly. We laughed a lot and bonded over our shared distaste for Coco Bongo. I wish we could do it monthly. 

Superbowl fever

Last year I came to New York just after the Superbowl was over and many people in Australia and the US commented on this - "Oh man, you missed the Superbowl!

Frankly speaking, I was not too bothered. I just never understood this American football nonsense. But this year New York was playing, so even I had to admit it was a big deal - the New York Giants took on Boston's Patriots. There was a lot of rivalry in the office and on the streets. One group of men marched up Wall Street singing "Patriots! Stop corporate greed! Go Patriots!"

Lizard and I stopped to watch them in disbelief and we both exploded with laughter when a Police Officer looked at the men then turned to us and said "Those morons!"

The ads are a pretty big deal and leading up to the game people are talking about how much they cost (millions per minute) and what they will be about... in fact, for many people, it seems the advertisements are a bigger deal than the actual game.

When the Giants won the city went crazy... I enjoyed it as at work there was some friendly (but merciless) teasing of our colleagues who studied in Boston.

On Tuesday there was a Parade down Broadway to celebrate. When I was walking to work the fans had already began to crowd around. They were cheering and euphoric. Some subway stations and roads were closed in the downtown areas, causing a hassle for commuters. I was lucky in that the Police were allowing commuters to travel west across Broadway at Wall Street - those of us crossing the road stood out as we were not decked out in the Giants blue. Some the fans pointed at us and shouted "Look! Patriots fans!"

I loved it! No... Not a Patriot fan - just a person with a job. Hilarious. This sure is a crazy city!

Miss, you love your shoes don't you?

Yes I do! I love my boots - so when my exasperated shoe repair man rang me up on Tuesday and said it was time to give up on them I was devastated. "There has to be a way to fix them?" The man scolded me over the phone,

"Miss you cannot treat your shoes like this! The stitching is all undone! The soles are completely worn... It would be better to buy new boots!" He sighed, "You love these shoes?"

"Yes, they are my favorite!"

"Ok, I will do my best. It seems Miss, that sometimes we abused the things we love the most."



Wow... Deep... He came through too. In less than twenty four hours I picked up the boots and they were better than new. I think even the support was better. I slipped them on and practically danced to work where I spent the morning showing them off. That afternoon it was snowing, it was late and there was a long line of cabs outside the office trying to tempt me - but they had nothing on my boots... I happily walked home!

My boots originally belonged to my Mummy. So the story goes, when she was pregnant with me she traveled from Malaysia to London and was struck by the change in weather. Her feet were so cold, so my father's Aunty helped her to buy a pair of boots. She loved them as shoes should be loved and eventually handed them down to me. Quite frankly, at sixteen, I was not impressed and back they went into the cupboard. Four years ago I stumbled upon them and was delighted by my find. I tried them on... perfect. They looked funky and they were super comfortable.

They are on the warm side for an Australian winter but that didn't stop me from wearing them - when I came to New York last year they were wonderful! I have explored the city in them and they hold the memories of all of the adventures I have had. At the same time they comfort me as something from home. How could new shoes compete with that!

I guess I am just enthusiastic about my boots... Or as my colleague would say "more like delusional!" Looking forward to taking the rest of Mum's shoes collection to Minas Shoe Repairs!*



*Mummy - this is a hint that you should bring me more of your shoes!

Undercover at a traditional gentlemen's club

Perhaps the most sophisticated place I have been in New York, or rather, my life is the University Club on 54th Street and 5th Avenue.

The University Club is an exclusive social club dating back to 1861 and was found by a group of college friends. The club was traditionally gentlemen only and was one of the last of the clubs in Manhattan to let women in. It is hard to become a member. Firstly you need to fit a list of requirements (for example be educated and blah blah blah). Secondly, you need a letter of recommendation from six people in the club. I have heard that this is kind of hard because the people in the club don't tend to socialize with people outside of the club! I have done some research to try to find out the dues, but they are undisclosed. From the grandeur inside it is quite obvious it is not cheap.

My boss is a member and I have been lucky enough to have been to the club on two occasions for team events. Both times we have gone on Wednesday night for the seafood buffet. Both times my boss has been a little anxious, giving the speech to the team: "Please dress appropriately... don't wear... ummm, just dress nicely. Just because it's a buffet you don't have to go crazy - this is not the last time you will see food. You can always make two trips..." The Australian translation of this speech is simply: "This is not Sizzler guys!"

The entrance hall to the club is amazing. It is a huge space with exceptionally tall ceilings, kind of different to my Nanna's bowling club! The people are similarly glamorous - it is quite an intimidating crowd. Older men looking sharp in their suits, wives in arm in designer clothes with fancy hair and jewelry. Noodles commented to our boss "I don't think I will be like this when I am older." When he questioned why she simply replied: "More cats."

On our most recent trip to the we started with a lecture from Gretchen Morgenson from the New York Times. She spoke about her book Reckless Endangerment which is about the recent crash of the U.S. economy. Very relevant and and extraordinary opportunity to hear her speak in person. She had some very interesting and controversial points which certainly made for interesting dinner conversation.

Despite eager to debrief the lecture none of us could wait to eat. As soon as it was over we headed up to the dining room. It was quite a funny moment when it came to wine selection:

Waiter: How many people will be drinking?
Boss: Well Zubi will be - who else?
Me: Wait! What! Why assume me? 
Boss: You're Australian aren't you?
Me: Ahh


The food at the club is incredible! Everything tastes amazing and fresh. The dessert section is to die for - limitless quantities of every fancy treat you could dream of. Cheesecake, chocolate mousse, strawberries, tiramisu...

Going to the club is like going to a whole other world, and I am sure, like me, my colleagues will continue to work hard in the hopes of being invited back.... I really just want another piece of the cake.

Las Vegas

What better way to start the new year than a trip to Las Vegas? Everyone knows that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but it's such a fun place that I have to dish.

Last year Noodles, Lizard and I planned to spend our first long weekend of the year in Vegas. We would leave on Friday evening and return home Monday - when Friday came around we were super excited to be leaving New York. It was so cold - we could barely even handle walking from the office to the taxi rank.

The flight to Vegas was long and we arrived late at night. The city was impressive - especially the skyline at night. As we waited for a cab we we could see the Eiffel tour and the Empire state building in the distance - it was exciting and it was fun!

Vegas!

Hyped up, the three of us squished into the back of the cab and our driver, a sixty plus woman with giant hair and matching earrings seemed a little concerned. "Doesn't one of you ladies want to sit up front?" Lizard was quick to answer - "No, we're a tight knit group!"

We made it to our hotel, The Cosmopolitan, and I loved it. It was very suave - Shinny, hip and just plain trendy. There were girls in half dresses littering in and out and there was a bar in the lobby which was over flowing with people.

The design of the reception was very interesting - there were giant monitors with changing screens - it started with a fall theme, then bookshelves, then flowers. My favorite was the image of people trapped inside the pillars. This one was a little saucy and only came on after hours.

We did not have to wait long to check in, which was a welcomed relief after stories of crowded Vegas receptions.

We were so lucky as our room was upgraded to an impressive suite. There were two bathrooms, two televisions, a balcony and a giant bath! I took the roll away bed and Noodles and Lizard shared the gigantic king sized one. It would easily have been big enough for the three of us, but Lizard insisted on making a barrier in the middle of the bed. Quite funny after her declaration of love in the taxi!

There was a master remote for all of the lights and televisions (yes, plural) on Noodle's night stand. She tricked Lizard into thinking that the lights in the bathroom were controlled by clapping. Every time Lizard clapped Noodles would turn on the lights. I was in hysterics - but the best part was that for the rest of the weekend Noodles would turn the lights on for us whenever we clapped. Great!

The view was beyond anything I imagined. We could see right down the Las Vegas strip - the lights, the hotels and the Belagio fountains made for a stunning skyline.

By the time we settled into the room it was very late in New York time.... and even later in Sydney. I had only been back in the States for five days and I was beginning to feel time zone challenged.

It is a family tradition of mine to wake up early when on vacation. My father wakes so early that on some family vacations he has ended up reading in the bathroom for hours in the morning. I did wake up early in Vegas, but Noodles and Lizard were only minutes behind. I was super pumped and ready to get going. The view from our balcony was even more stunning during the day. The sky was so blue and the strip looked beautiful with the backdrop of the dessert.

Me: "Lizard, Lizard! We really are in the dessert!"

Lizard (out loud): "Yes.."
Lizard (in her head): It is going to be a long weekend...

We headed out for breakfast, then off to explore the hotels. Paris, Caesar's Palace, The Belagio and New York, New York. They were all amazing. I took lots of pictures of us with different novelty attractions. There was lots of laughter. The entire place is like a theme park for grown ups.

I loved the gondolas at the Venetian... ridiculous, but so much fun to see.

Perhaps the most concerning part about the whole place were the people walking around the street drinking beer and giant frozen cocktails at all times of the day. Bizarre!

I found it to be a very surreal place. Not only are there drinkers wandering around at all hours, the street is lined with poker machines and there are men and women who hand out cards for call girls - "Have a girl in your hotel room in under 20 minutes."

The Hard Rock Hotel (incidentally not the location of the Vegas Hard Rock Cafe) had women in bikinis dancing on top of some of the poker tables. Our own hotel, the Cosmopolitan, had dancers in tiny outfits suspended in boxes on the wall of the bar. They climbed down from their perches at the end of the night on ropes. It was random but cool - we knew we were in Vegas!

Noodles was very much taken by the video poker - she won a bit of money too. My only concern was that she freaked out when Lizard and I watched her play - "you'll ruin my winning streak!"... Am I really that unlucky?

I only lost $2 gambling. I learnt to play craps at the Flamingo hotel. The game made me feel very American. It seemed so simple in theory, but every time I tried to follow the rules I got lost. I had a chance to throw the dice... but the others on the table were not impressed by my abilities. I did not know you could be a bad dice thrower. Perhaps Noodles is right - I am just very unlucky.

Fortunately (or unfortunately?) none of us tied the knot in a Vegas. We did check a few out of the chapels though - Lizard and Noodles stood at the alter to get a feel for it. They very much looked the part... 

We stopped at a cheap ticket counter and bought tickets to Cirque Du Soleil - Love - this is the Beatles tribute version of Cirque Dy Soleil. It was incredible. Our tickets were very cheap and in the second row. It was amazing being up close and personal with the performance. The show was very engaging and the skill and quality was like nothing I have ever seen. I loved the costumes and the characters, the colour and the joy of the performance. It really made me happy and excited. Just thinking about it makes me sad that I am not watching it right now. It was the best thing ever. 

I loved it so much that the next day I brought a ticket to see Cirque Du Soleil - O. This show is performed over water and the show's reputation precedes it. It really was incredible. The stage is like nothing I have ever seen. The tricks the artists performed should not have been possible. My favourite part was the diving. The artists dove from heights and across the stage. They performed incredible movements in the air. It was amazing.

After the show, we were stopped by a promotional girl. "Girl's you must go to the nightclub in the Bank. Don't worry about the queue, just push to the front and ask for Brent. He will look after you."

We did pass by the nightclub... and the twenty five thousand people trying to get in outside. This led us to ask the question - "Which line is the regular line, and which is the one for people who know Brent?"

After a incredible weekend it was time to go home. The flight home was long. We had not had much sleep and we had a lay over in LA. However, the flight path was not the worst part of our flight. Neither were our non reclining seats. Neither was the smell coming from the bathroom. The worst part of the flight was the baby in front of us... the kid was so small and made so much noise. If he wasn't crying, his older brother was squealing... and if the two kids were quiet for even a moment, the parents would be bickering. It was not pleasant. I was tired enough to sleep through most of it - but poor Noodles and Lizard had to suffer for five hours.

It felt so good to get back to miserable, wet... Jersey. Oh man... this is when I miss JFK. It was another hour before we were back in New York City. Not that it makes much of a difference in the cab.... still, Jersey?

It was an amazing trip. I had such a wonderful time and can't wait to go back - in fact I have already booked tickets in March. A wonderful trip that I will remember for a long time!

Confessions of a secret fat kid

In New York City there is no lunch line as long as outside any salad bar. The salad options here are amazing and during the working week I am a frequent patron of Devon and Blakely. The create your own salads there are my favorite.... I always have the same combination of ingredients and Noodles and I compete to get the most veges our bowl.

Being half Malaysian, it is in my blood to be obsessed with food. I am always eating or thinking about my next meal.... worst case I am begrudgingly dieting after eating too much. I have recently found a new hobby trawling Open Table for new restaurants to try. On Thursday evening I had ate at Basta Pasta and one of the ladies I dined with mused that most of her vacations are spent either eating or killing time between meals. That is how to live!

I made reservation for five on Friday at a Paella bar hoping I could find five friends to join me. I did, and we had the time of our lives. It was wonderful and the food was great too.

Of course most nights don't involve eating out. On Tuesday at work my colleague ordered two pita bread sandwiches to the office for dinner and I was so jealous. I began to drool and we started talking about food. He (finally) exclaimed:

"You're always eating salads for lunch, but it's a facade, isn't it? You are a secret fat kid."

Wow! So true. Since then "secret fat kid" has become somewhat of a nickname. Now that the secret was out I considering joining him for few sandwiches... but I had to run... my mum's friend and my long term Facebook friend J was visiting New York and we had plans for dinner. Exciting!

I met J at her hotel for the first time in real life. She was gorgeous and glowed from the inside. I instantly warmed to her. We enjoyed a walk through Chinatown and Nolita to the restaurant, Barmarche, on Elizabeth and Spring Street.

It is such a funky space - unique and warm. An eclectic mix of ornaments hang on the walls. The cocktails are to die for and the food is even better. I had a reservation, but aside from the crowd of people at the bar, it was quite empty. J's company was fabulous, it was a pleasure to get to know her. She is an interesting and warm women. We had a lot of fun and laughed about travel, New York, coffee, shopping, cameras and food.

It was too dark for photos, however, J passed by the restaurant the next day and took a snapshot. Quite a contrast from how it looks at night.

J knows her food! My Mum has told me she is a remarkable cook and she was far more aware of the New York restaurant scene than myself. We both ordered risotto and it was delectable. J too one mouthful an had to stop the conversation, "sorry, I have to have a moment of silence for this." Fair call.

After such a great meal, neither of us could say no to dessert. The chocolate cake looked the best by far (I told you I was a fat kid) however they were out.... out of cake! We both settled for the Churros. The waiter was somewhat concerned when we both ordered a serving and he suggested we just get one plate to share.

It came and he was right, it was huge! They were scrumptious. Crisp on the outside and unbelievable soft in the middle. A dream to eat. J declared that they were the best Churros ever - even better then in Spain. As we gorged ourselves our waiter came over:

Waiter: "Aren't you glad you just got one serving?"
J and I: <Looking at our huge plate> "Yes!"

We spoke afterwards and agreed that despite the size of the order we were not glad we had only ordered one. We could easily have eaten a serving each. They were just so delicious! We both decided we just couldn't help it. J has a passion for good food - that is my kind of girl. I guess we can both be secret fat kids... in fact, I think it would be a popular club! Now, I guess I better hit the treadmill...


(Thanks J for the pictures!!)

Further complaints about the weather (Saturday night in the snow)

On Saturday it snowed! It looked magical through the window... and it was wonderful drudging down Stone Street in rain boots on my way to brunch. It was the most snow I have ever seen and it was wonderful... That is until I tried to go out on Saturday night.

I can confirm that rain boots are not acceptable evening wear in Manhattan. Regular boots are an OK alternative... but they don't provide the necessary grip. I was slipping and sliding all over the place. It's borderline terrifying!

Our group of girls met outside the restaurant I had chosen. It was a very unique, funky place in SoHo - Barmarche. We went inside and asked if we could put down our names... they looked at as us if we were crazy. "Come back after ten and then we can talk..." A little concerning, but that was OK - L rationalized it with a sense of humor - "Dinner before 10pm? That's so middle America."

We headed off to the closest bar - it was too cold to stay outside for long, and biding our time bonding over wine and cocktails. We wondered back to the restaurant later in the evening and were seated quickly. In fact the place was quite empty by this point. We ate and drank and gossiped for a really long time. At mid night we reached a point - did we stay at our table or go somewhere else? Go somewhere else.

Big mistake.

The bar we had chosen - which incidentally I have never seen too busy - has a line reaching a block down the street. We joined it, but were disheartened. It was so cold! My feet were freezing. I've been to Sweet and Vicious before - it's nice, but not worth hypothermia.

So off we trudged through the snow down Spring Street. We finally found a dive bar that looked OK. People were crammed inside worse than sardines. We squished in, happy to be out of the cold. It was miserable! It was not long before we quit and headed home. Guess the snow isn't quite as fun when you face it outdoors. I'm going to have to get thicker socks.

City by the bay

I've been high

I've been low

I've been yes and I've been oh hell no

I've been rock 'n roll and disco

Won't you save me San Fransisco

I love New York - so it's no surprise that in September when I reached the end of my first stint in the city I realized that I hadn't seen much else of the country. Before I went back to Sydney I had to break out of my New York bubble. But where would I go? Easy. San Fransisco! 

To my delight Noodles decided to join me on my San Fran adventure and with that we were off!

We left early on a Friday morning. The flight over was fine, but by the time we arrived we were exhausted. Adrenaline kicked in and we were ready to roll. We dropped our bags off at the hotel and hit the streets. That when we saw it. Our first San Fran hill. It was hardly a hill and more of a 90 degree angle. We were going to need a rope and picks to tackle this. We did manage and were reward at the top by... another hill. Luckily the second had stairs cut into it. Phew! 

When we reach the local high (because in San Fransisco you can always see a higher peak in the distance) we discovered a magnificent view.

It is such a beautiful city. The streets are winding and house are so cute. They look like something out of a fairy tale. Bright colors, arches and hidden entries. Windows and walls covered in flowers and climbing plants.  I took so many photos because none of them could do the magnificent details of the city justice.

The father of all San Fran hills is Lombard Street. The famous stretch of the street has eight sharp turns to compensate for the steepness. The sharp turns in the street create an impressive and gorgeous site. At the bottom the the hill tourists crowd to take pictures. Cars line up for miles to make the drive down. As a result the traffic moves very slowly. One girl in a car descending the hill was hanging out of the sun roof screaming "Woooohooo" as the car crawled down... 

Having heard the view from the top of Lombard is amazing, Noodles and I were not satisfied with taking pictures from the bottom. We made the short, albeit steep, trek up. As we climbed two men walking back down warned us "It's not worth it! Go back now!"


They were wrong. It was worth it. Amazing. We had a view of the entire bay area. I took another million pictures.


The sun was out and the city was stunning. To bad it was freezing cold. We had been expecting something out Katy Perry's California Girls. Sunshine, warmth, seaside. What we got was an Aussie winter. "California lied to us." Clearly, we weren't the only people taken aback by the weather. Tourists flocked into souvenir stores coming out adorned in San Francisco branded jerseys, gloves, scarves and hats... and still looking cold. 

When cruising around on top a tour bus Noodles and I were forced to rug up with three blankets and scarves wrapped around our heads. I was surprised when the guide started his spiel with "It's such a nice day. This is about as warm as it gets!" We were going to need to stock up on scarves.

We learned later that San Francisco doesn't really have seasons. Because of the location of the bay in relation to the mountain range they experience micro climates. This means it might be sunny and warm in one place, but five blocks over there is a thunderstorm. 

Next stop was the Painted ladies at Alamo Square Park. 

A number of movies, television shows and commercials have been filmed in or around Alamo Square. The opening sequence of the American sitcom Full House (1987-1995) features a romp in Alamo Square Park with the famous row of Victorians in the background.[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamo_Square

The park is lovely - something of a suburban dream. People walking their dogs and playing tennis. Birds singing... children laughing. The whole bit!

The "painted ladies" are a row of Victorian houses which can be seen from the park. They attract many tourists and are beautifully perfect. We learnt in our guide book that a lot of the Victorian houses in the area were destroyed in the 1906 Earthquake making these remaining houses all the more special. 

We spent a long time in the park discussing the houses and watching the people who live there come and go. The sun was wonderfully warm which felt amazing given how cold the day had been. We laid down on the grass for just a moment.... and fell asleep! A little crazy of us?

I took this as a cultural experience as San Fransisco has her fair share of interesting people. There is a huge population of homeless people and I found it very confronting. To a greater extent than in New York, in San Fran, homeless people approach people. They heckle and try to get attention. It's quite scary and on more than one occasion I found myself turning around or avoiding even busy streets because I felt uncomfortable. 

Of course, part of the appeal of the city is the crazy people... that is, pretty much everyone there. There is a quirky style to San Francisco folk and they have a loud, fun sense of humor.

One morning we saw this fat pigeon having a feast on the side of the road. He was eating about five broken up bagels. We watched and laughed for a while. The best bit was when a hippy looking guy stopped in his tracks and shouted very loudly - "Oh my god that fat pigeon is pigging out!"

I was very eager was to walk across the Golden Gate bridge. I'm not really sure why I had this dream. Probably too many sitcoms. Nevertheless, it's always been something I have wanted to experience. It's a beautiful bridge and just as stunning in real life. It's quite mysterious and often cannot be seen from a distance (or even up close) because of the intensity of the San Francisco fog. 


The bridge is actually quite far from the city center. We were staying at Union Square, and despite the long distance to Golden Gate park, we decided that walking was the way to go. The plan was to walk to and over the bridge, then across to Sausalito. Turns out it was a long walk. Over ten miles. Perhaps we were a little over ambitious. It was worth it though. Whilst the walk was long and cold, it was nice. It was a really interesting experience to walk the along the Golden Gate bridge suspended in the fog.

The most concerning part of the walk was the section between the bridge and Sausalito. It was along the highway and in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps not such a great idea...

Of course, no trip to San Fransisco Alcatraz would be complete without a visit to Alcatraz. Tickets must be purchased in advanced, so I had snagged us a couple a few weeks before. 

Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) offshore from San Francisco, California, United States.[1] Often referred to as "The Rock" or simply "Traz", the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal Bureau of Prisons federal prison until 1963. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Island

I was really excited about this. Alcatraz was one of the reasons I wanted to go to San Fran. The boat ride over was freezing cold, but really nice. We had a view of Alcatraz as well as of the San Fransisco skyline. I spent the trip ducking between the inside and outside parts of the boat. I would try and stay outside taking pictures until it was too cold to stand it anymore.

On arriving they give an introductory speech. There were free tours focused on different aspects of life in the prison. In addition there is an audio tour which was great. It was enjoyable and gave me a good understanding of the history and life of Alcatraz. It was not as eerie as I expected, but hearing the stories about the events that occurred in the prison certainly gave me shivers.

The food in San Fransisco is amazing! I did not have one bad meal. Everything was fantastic. The city has a reputation for great Asian food. There is a very impressive Chinatown and equally impressive Chinese restaurants. The queues for brunch more than rivaled those in New York and the options were cheap and delicious. As one would expect from the city by the bay the seafood was also really good - in fact it was the best ever and we found a really great range. The miserable weather made the clam chowder a perfect choice.

We made sure we saw everything the city has to offer... the seals that live at Pier 39...

Fisherman's Wharf...

...and a tram ride through the city.

The line for the tram was incredibly long. We waited for over an hour learning later that there are a number of tram stops, most of which do not have hour long queues.... Damn. At least it was a sunny!

On our last day in the city we walked through the financial district. We passed the San Fran office of our company and admired the parks and artworks creatively placed between the buildings. Given it was the long weekend it was very quiet and we had the area to ourselves. .

Noodles left the city the day before me and I spent some time exploring Union Square area, shopping and eating some more. I was more than ready to leave by the end and felt I had done a good job exploring and seeing the city.

At the airport I was pulled up at customs. The agent shouted out: "Stop that water smuggler!" Whoops... I guess I left that bottle of water in my suitcase - glad they recognized I was not a threat to national security. So, I made it back to New York after a great trip with no arrests. The city was completely different to what I expected, but all in all, I had a great time!

Christmas at Rockefella

One of the reasons New York City does Christmas so well is because it is unoriginal. That sounds like an attack, or something unpleasant, but what I mean to say is - New York takes all the best traditions of Christmas from all around the world - then does them as only New York can do. Bigger, grander and with a wonderful intensity.

I was very eager to see the Rockefeller Christmas tree. There is a Christmas movie, "The Christmas Tree" in which a nun learns how much the Rockefeller tree brings to people, and the joy it imparts on the city. I was actually disappointed the first time I saw the tree.

Sure, it's big. It's really big. But Manhattan is kind of a large city. The tree seemed swallowed by the grandness of her surroundings. It wasn't a complete let down. The tree was nice enough and Rockefella was a great place to be. There were loads of decorations, silver bells ringing and long lines of people waiting to ice skate.

Of course, the obvious problem was that I was visiting the tree during the day. It should have been clear to me that the tree was in her full glory after dark. I went back the weekend before Christmas at around 8pm. I have never been anywhere that crowded! It was insane.

The tree looked magnificent. The most beautiful Christmas tree I have ever seen. She was so bright and beautiful. Breathtaking.

It was amusing to watch the crowd take pictures. Because it was so busy, the people were kept moving by crowd control. The effect was a huge moving crowd, taking pictures as the slowly past the tree.

There were cartoon characters out taking pictures with kids. Sponge Bob, Mickey, Minnie and the rest. Stalls were set up in the less crowded corners selling people pictures of themselves with the tree.

It was great! But far too crowded to stay long. I did have to venture back to Rockefella one more time before Christmas was over. I could not spend a Christmas in New York City and not see the famously fabulous Rockefella Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall.

The Rockettes are a precision dance company performing out of the Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York City. During the Christmas season, the Rockettes have performed five shows a day, seven days a week, for 77 years. Perhaps their best-known routine is an eye-high leg kick in perfect unison in a chorus line, which they include at the end of every performance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rockettes

The show was great! Extremley tacky and very much aimed at children under the age of twelve. But nevertheless a lot of fun and very amusing. I thought it was strange, but fantastic, that the let us take pictures inside during the show.

It is a short show with no intermission. However the tickets are reasonably priced. We had particularly good seats in the second row, however the angle we were at made it a bit hard to fully enjoy the 3D segments... But that was OK, I was blown away enough by the fact that they stopped the show for 3D adventures. I think they must have developed the script over the past fifty years. 

So that was the end of my Rockefella Christmas. Wonderful really! 

Ice skating in Central Park

Perhaps the most magical experience of my New York Christmas was ice skating to Christmas Carols at dusk in Central Park with leaves frozen in the ice beneath my feet.

Bolt had two wishes for her visit to NYC. She wanted to see a Broadway show and she wanted to go ice skating in Central Park. At first I was skeptical about the second wish - I mean, ice skating? Sounded like a lot of effort. But she was persistent and I am so grateful that she was. We had the time of our lives. There is something wonderful about skating in the outdoors, dreaming with your friend about what you are going to do and where you are going to go. I felt very free.

Given it was Thanksgiving weekend, the rink was not too crowded. We did learn quickly that the key to not falling (and neither of us fell) is to avoid children covered in ice. Kids covered in ice fall a lot - and that means they run into people! We were not stable enough to handle those little menaces...

Bolt and I skated for a long time until Bolt's travel buddy developed some concern that they would miss their flight back to Houston... we resisted for a while "Can we skate for just one more song?"

Eventually, we had to give up... and Bolt was off home. A wonderful way to end her trip. I wish she could be here every weekend!

Winter

It is cold.

Today I saw a bottle of soda water that had frozen solid.

No matter how many scarves and coats I pile on before leaving for work my cheeks and nose are still numb within minutes. Luckily for me I hear this is a mild winter... For now I'm more than happy to remain ignorant as to how cold the city gets at its worst.

Come back summer!