Our Getaways: Part 1

As we’re trying to figure out where to go for Memorial Day weekend, I was thinking of all the fun vacations we’ve had in the past few years. Here are some of the cool weekend getaways I have really enjoyed. We visited these places while we were grad students or amidst planning a wedding, so we always found a good balance between cheap accommodations, good restaurants and lots of things to see and do that were within our modest budget:

Cooperstown, NY (June 2005)

If Nelson hadn’t taken me there for our very first getaway, I would never have heard of this town famous for being the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. With charming B&Bs and great views of the Lake Otsego we had unforgettable experience.



Boston (September 2006)

We have been to Boston more than a few occasions to visit friends. But a few ago, we actually did tourist activities such as Walking to through the Boston Commons, Prudential Center, Chinatown, Harvard Square, Freedom Trail & Little Italy. It was also our first visit to Fenway park for a RedSox game.


Chicago (June 2008)


This really is "the city" to visit in the summer. We stayed downtown and did a lot of walking from the Millennium Park, through the Magnificent Mile to the Navy Pier. We really enjoyed the architecture boat tour. The Chicago Art Museum was also a good way to spend a few hours, even for people like us who are not avid art lovers. The Sears Tower or the John Hancock Towers undoubtedly offered wonderful views of the great city.


Newport, RI (Fourth of July wknd, 2008)

The Newport Mansions Expereince tour, which allows you to visit any five houses, was a facinating expereince. Newport also has a vibrant downtown and scenic beach area. We also had dinner in Providence and drove by Brown University.


Washington D.C. (Easter weekend, April 2009)

We stayed in the suburbs and took the metro into the city. Saw the noted national monuments as the Lincoln Memorial, The White House, The World War 2 Memorial, The Washington Monument & Iwo Jima Memorial. We also decided to visit the Holocaust Museum which didn’t offer much in terms of exhibits. But the Air & Space Museum and the National Zoo are definitely recommended.




Cape Cod & Martha’s Vineyard (Memorial Day Wknd, 2009)

We stayed in Hyannis which had an lively downtown. The next morning we took the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard for the day. On our way back, we stopped by Falmouth, another beach town with a great choice of restaurants. We spent another day in Provincetown, the colorful tip of the Cape known for being a gay village. Due to the rain we couldn't spend any time at the beach but we did drive along the National Sea Shore.



Jersey Shore (Fourth of July wknd, 2009)

We stayed in Atlantic City, which didn’t hold a candle to Vegas. But it was a fun place to be nonetheless; with outlet shopping, lots of restaurants, the boardwalk and the beach. We visited Cape May a historic beach town, walked the endless boardwalk in Wildwood and stopped by Belmar, a family beach area for lunch. By driving down the shore you can sample different types of ambience and activities at each town depending on your personal preference.

In Recovery

I was really craving sushi for dinner on Friday night. After completing a few errands in the Mohegan Lake area, we drove to Hanko Sushi at Yorktown Heights, the closest sushi restaurant according to Google maps. Though located in a strip mall, this restaurant was trying to be upscale with its service and presentation. The menu offered a variety of rolls at about $10/roll. The sushi was good and certainly satisfied my craving.

Throughout the weekend I was in somber mood after my trip to the dentist. I was getting used to the new cavity fillings and not feeling quite like myself. We had previously scheduled dinner plans at a friend's house on the upper west side on Saturday night. On Sunday, we spent most of the day indoors except for running some necessary errands. It was drizzling through out the day, so it was a good chance to cozy up on the couch and catch up on my tivo recordings.

More sightseeing in LA

On Sunday we headed to brunch with a college friend of mine who had moved to LA last year. We met at a restaurant in Los Feliz, a neighborhood relatively close our hotel. With lots of outdoor seating, the Alcove Cafe seemed an ideal brunch spot with a long menu and lots of baked goods. Though it took a while for our food to arrive, it was definitely worth the wait. On our way out, we had our only celebrity sighting in LA when Kenneth from 30 Rock walked past us and headed to the same restaurant. Unfortunately we didn't realize in time to get a good look.

Still full from brunch we decided to walk down Rodeo Drive before we headed to the famed cupcake bakery Sprinkles. Though pricey at $3.50 for one (or $2.50 for a mini doggy cupcake!), they were simply delicious. There was s stark difference between these cupcakes and the one I had from Yummy Cupcakes in Santa Monica. Sprinkles cupcakes were very fresh and moist and had the perfect amount of frosting.

Our next stop was The Grove, a large outdoor shopping mall. Then we headed to the adjoining Farmer's Market, a large area of food stalls, meat and produce vendors, which I later learned is a historic landmark in LA. Despite the abundance of shops and eateries, we were neither hungry to eat nor tempted to shop. Hence, we decided to cruise around LA and drove to see the Queen Mary ship in Long Beach. Larger than its predecessor the Titanic, The RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that is now converted to the Queen Mary Long Beach hotel. Though we have loved to tour inside, the $50/person was too pricey for a couple of hours of exploring. We headed to the Burbank Center for a quick dinner and headed to the airport for our red eye flight.

Wedding in Pasadena

After a good brunch at IHOP we headed to spend the morning at Huntington Gardens on Saturday morning. We were lucky to get in at half price ($10/person) with our student IDs. Sunny with a light breeze, the weather was perfect for being outside and we enjoyed spending a few hours walking through the garden. The Chinese, Japanese, Rose and dessert gardens were the only themed gardens we had time for. We could have easily been here for half the day. Despite the large number of guests it didn't feel crowded and we got to walk around enjoying the scenery as well as our company. I really enjoyed the Oriental gardnes and felt even more resolved to visit East Asia in the near future.

I was glad to be dressed on time for the wedding and we walked to the Methodist Church a couple of blocks away. The wedding reception was at the Sheraton, where we were staying at. I was so happy to see this couple, who were clearly made for each other, start their new life together. We all had a fantastic time catching up and dancing the night away.

SoCal At Last

We have been planning with trip for a few of years; ever since our friend got engaged in 2007 and announced that his wedding was scheduled for 2010! This was my first visit to LA and we had a carefully planned itinerary that included most of the must see tourist sights. We flew in to Burbank late on Thursday afternoon and checked into the Sheraton Hotel in Pasadena.

After a much awaited reunion with one of our very close friends we headed to explore Pasadena. Our hotel was very centrally located near Paseo Colorado and Old Pasadena, areas of outdoor shopping and dining. Being in the mood for some Asian food, we headed to P.F. Chang's at Paseo Colorado. Being relatively early for dinner enabled us to take advantage of the Happy Hour half off of drinks and appetizer specials. This genre American Chinese cuisine even got the stamp of approval from our native Chinese friend. Being scientists we had to visit the Caltech campus which was very close by. The science labs, which had full length windows offering passersby a complete view of the inside, was a novel concept for us.

On Friday, we got an early start and headed to Hollywood Boulevard. We walked along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, past Grauman's Egyptian and Chinese theaters, Kodak Theater, Roosevelt Hotel being complete tourists. Despite having seen the Hollywood sign countless times on tv, seeing in reality thrilled us so! Then we continued our drive on Sunset Boulevard passing through Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and headed to Santa Monica.

It was a perfect day to be outside strolling through shops and restaurants as we headed to the pier. On the way we had great tacos for lunch at La Salsa. The view of the Pacific ocean was absolutely beautiful and I was convinced by Nelson to try cycling with him on a tandem bike. We rented bikes (at only $6-10 for an hour and only a few dollars more for the whole day) and headed along the path towards Venice Beach passing through the original Muscle Beach. The boardwalks were very festive and vibrant, exactly the kind of atmosphere that I expected from Southern California.

In the late afternoon, we headed towards Malibu and the scenic route through Mulholland Drive. The water was cold so we didn't spend much time on the beach. The lookout points on Mulholland Drive offered us spectacular views of the San Fernando Valley. But I couldn't help noticing the severe fog that was present through the cities at all hours exacerbated by every new vehicle that was on the road. After driving past the LA Chinatown, which was mostly just stores and restaurants with some traditional decor we headed back for a late dinner in Old Pasadena. We met up with another couple and five of us had a good Italian meal along with a bottle of wine for less than $100 at Lousie's Trattoria.

A Laidback Weekend

After a busy week, I was so looking forward to having some down time. The weekend started late Friday night after a rushed visit to Bloomingdales in Whiteplains to buy a dress for an upcoming wedding. After hours of much needed R&R on Saturday, we headed to Brass Mill Center, a mall in Waterbury to meet Nelson's parents. This has been a good half way meeting point for us when we don't have the time to drive all the way to MA. This is a decent enough mall esp when shopping is a only side activity. I managed to get a few things on my list with quick visits to H&M & Victoria's Secret. Besides the food court, only a couple of restaurant choices were available. We had dinner at Bertucci's, an italian restaurant chain that we hadn't been to in ages.

After our usual morning routine on Sunday, we headed to downtown Ossining. We had lunch at Cidade Cafe, a Portuguese bakery that is new in town. A variety of sandwiches and other traditional lunch options were available. I had some chicken empanadas and cod cakes that were freshly fried. Several delicious pastries and cookies were also available at reasonable prices.

To celebrate spring and enjoy the refreshingly cool weather, Nelson took me for a walk on part of the Ossining Aqueduct trail. Now we are determined to find more of the trail near the Hudson on a future date. Our day ended with a drive thorough several neighboring towns before I fell asleep in the car, comepletely relaxed!

Sunday on the West

After a busy week I was really looking forward to a relaxing Sunday with Nelson. It was also Easter Sunday and the blooming trees were a definite indication of Spring. We headed to brunch at West Bank Cafe after Nelson was able to make a quick reservation on Sunday morning. The restaurant was busy enough but very crowded despite the Easter brunch rush. We had a table by the window and were treated to a complimentary delicious bread basket. We ordered typical brunch fare; Scottish eggs (poached eggs with lox) for me and a Croque Madame for Nelson. The plate was very filling with a great salad and roasted potatoes as sides. We were also served another great complimentary item; a fresh fruit smoothie in a shot glass.

We strolled around the West side enjoying the blossoms at the Hell's Kitchen play ground and the Clinton Community Garden. We were headed to the Cort theater to catch the last show of "A View from the Bridge" starring Scarlett Johansson, in her Broadway debut, with Liev Schreiber.
This was the first theater play I've watched on Broadway and I really enjoyed the experience. The city was more crowded than usual due to the holiday weekend. But we couldn't resist walking plaza Rockefeller Plaza and taking a picture of the Easter bunny.

Fun & Flirty Bachelorette Night

I planned one of my best friend's bachelorette party in NYC this past Saturday. The group girls included some from NYC and others coming in for the weekend from Boston. Hence the dinner and pre-party was held at her fiancé’s apartment on the East side. To celebrate the nationalities of the bride and groom we had Indian appetizers followed by a Swedish dinner. I ordered the appetizers from Patang, an Indian restaurant in Yonkers. Despite calling ahead my order was not ready when I arrived at the restaurant. But the prices were reasonable and the restaurant was easily accessible from the highway. The weekend buffet seemed to boast of more dishes than similar restaurants of this type. However, I was not very happy with the quality of the samosas and chaat I ordered. But the other guests seemed to enjoy them. For the Swedish dinner, I ordered sandwiches from Smorgas Chef at the Scandinavia House in midtown. The service was great and the open sandwiches came in individual boxes with green leaf and potato salad. The portions were large and all meals were under $15. Ordering in from the diverse and high quality options available in a city like NYC is a great way to have a dinner on a budget.

After dinner and games, we headed downtown for the obligatory male strip show in light of the night's celebration. After researching a few available options, we made VIP reservations at Hunk-o-mania at Club Element downtown. The VIP reservation, almost $25 extra per person, enables you to walk in without waiting in line. Most of the tables were reserved by other b'day or bachelorette parties. So the early reservation is a good idea to guarantee a table for your group esp. if you have a party of 10 or more. In addition to the entrance fee, everyone is required to pay a $20 two drink minimum. Upon arrival, we were constantly visited by "hunk" waiters who were extremely attentive and eager for tips. The performance was as expected with the hunk engaged in some type of role play (dressed as sailors, bankers etc) before they stripped down to their briefs. For an additional fee ($45-50), the bachelorettes could be put on the hot seat where the hunks performed acts with (or some cases on top of) her. These acts varied in their level of intensity and discomfort to the girl. Some were way too wild and saucy to my taste. To her delight, my friend had a pretty mild run on the hot seat. The music was good and after the two hour show, the placed transformed in to a club with full dance floor. The view of several girls getting lap dances in the open left some scarred memories in my mind!

For the last part of the night we headed to Pink Elephant in Chelsea. But despite having our names of a promoter's list we were asked to pay a $30 entrance fee or get a table for $600. So we moved on to M2 a few blocks away. Luckily, the promoter we were in contact with was present and we were granted free entrance. I really liked this club/lounge. The music was good and we all enjoyed dancing in our corner. The night ended with us hailing cabs around 1.30pm after an eventful night.