Family time in Toronto

We were visiting our youngest cousin for his 9th b'day. Though we spent most of our time with family in the suburbs, we spent a few hours in downtown Toronto.

The most notable attraction in Toronto: The CN tower
We decided not to go up due to the large crowds and not expecting a spectacular view on a rather gloomy day.



The harbor front was great for a nice stroll.



Though the tours were sold out at the Steam Whistle Brewery, we got to have sample and walk around the building.

There was a festive atmosphere at the Round House park (opposite the CN tower), where a railway turntable was located and several old trains were also on display.

The loyal fans leaving a game after seeing the Blue Jays win!

Niagra-On-The-Lake

After spending the night in Buffalo, we were on our way to Toronto for the Memorial day weekend. We were hoping to stop by Niagara falls on the way, bu the severe mist and rain thwarted our plans.
So we headed directly to the charming town of Niagara-on-the-lake. It was a picturesque colonial town by the lake. The downtown caters to tourists with eateries and shops and well worth exploring if you visit this area.

Then we headed to Inniskillin, the winery that pioneered the art of ice wine making in this region. For $12 per person we got a tour that ended with wine tastings. The ice wine was so good and tasted even better from the ice wine glass specially designed to heighten the taste. The cold weather was a damper to continue visiting more wineries and we decided to continue on to Toronto.

More Italian

Saturday dinner casual Italian at Catalano's Pasta Garden. It seemed like a place geared towards an older family crowd. The opportunity to play NY lottery games was featured prominently thoughout the restaurant. But the meals were accompanied by a salad and we had leftovers.

Sunday brunch was at Uva a wine bar on the UES with great brunch options. The ambience was warm and comfy. The french toast absolutely yummy!

Image courtsey of http://eats.com/images/restaurants/listings/16348_image_3160_uva.jpg

Girls' Weekend

On Friday night I stayed over in Fishkill at my friend's place while Nelson drove to Ludlow for his future brother-in-law's stag party. Taking this opportunity of a rare girls only time, we had a plans to see the biggest girly movie this summer. Bridesmaids was a blast and completely worth going to the theaters for. Kristen Wiigs is amazingly talented.
Before the movie we had a nice dinner at Il Barilotto. Though the place was pretty bare when we came in, it was bustling as left. The marscapone cheesecake was one of the best desserts I've had in a while.

Next day we spent a relaxing afternoon in the artsy downtown of New Paltz. There was a variety of restaurants, crafts stores and book shops along the Main Street. The Water Street Market was an eclectic collection of stores located at the end of the strip. We shared drinks and platter of cheese at the Harvest Cafe which offered outdoor seating. This is a town that it was worth crossing the river for.

Good Eats

This was a weekend of too much eating.

On Friday evening we had dinner at Temptation Tea House in Mount Kisco.

When we had been there probably in 2008 and the menu seemed to be just an extension of a Chinese take out. But now they had expanded to more Pan Asian options. I really enjoyed my Sam Bal delight along with bubble tea.

On Saturday we had a home made pasta and meat balls at my sister's house in Queens.

On Sunday we drove to NJ to visit friends. Lunch was at Maru Korean Restauarnt in East Brunswick. I'm diversifying my Korean meal options instead of sticking to jap chae each time.

Dinner was a buffet at Hoysala, an Indian restaurant specializing in South Indian cuisine. There were three different types of chicken and a fish curry. Dosas and utthapams were served fresh off the stove.

Mother's Day in CT

We met Nelson's parents by the waterfront in Clinton CT. We had a great seafood lunch at Rocky's Aqua On The Water. It looked like a popular family restaurant with nearly all the tables were reserved. My lobster roll was the best I've had so far!

Then we had a lovely time shopping at the Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets. The Outlets had a great variety of designer stores but weren't too big to be exhausting. I ended up with a beautiful hand bag and some summer necessities at a fantastic price.

Image courtsey of the growingvine.com

Kalbi House in White Plains

Kalbi House was recommended to us by a Korean friend who found the food authentic enough. After a great dinner last Saturday here are my reasons to recommend Kalbi House:
Great menu selection
Flavorful and spicy dishes-my squid curry was AMAZING!
Good service Free appetizers (more than the usual served at Korean restaurants)
Free parking at the back

Bloomington Indiana

On Saturday night we headed to my friend's place in Bloomington. She has spent nearly 7 years here first as a student and now as faculty at the University of Indiana. The weather wasn't as nice as expected with sporadic rains throughout the next two days. But the campus was beautiful and everything was in full bloom. The green surroundings as we walked through the Dunn woods was a clear indication of the lush spring.

Bloomington was a very diverse campus with a large downtown. We really enjoyed the very ethnic meal options:

Anyetsan's Little Tibet Restaurant

Mandalay Burmese Restaurant


Sobon Korean Restaurant

It was hard deciding on these places choosing among the other Indian, Turkish, Greek etc. options. But the food was really good.

We spent a couple of hours at WonderLab , an interactive science museum that was entertaining to kids and adults alike.

In honor of the royal wedding we stopped by to try on some hats a thrift store.
It was wonderful being away for a few days and relaxing in the company of my dear friend. We will always remember staying up on Sunday night watching Obama's speech about Bin Laden's death.

Visit to the "The Middle": First stop-Indianapolis

Last Friday we flew to Indianapolis to one of my oldest friends from college. It was our first trip to the Midwest after almost three years when we had visited Chicago/Urbana Champaign. We checked into La Qunita downtown and headed for a quick dinner. The area was bustling with street music, very dressed up couples and college kids. We had a really good dinner at a very affordable price at Noodle & Company.

This was our Saturday in Indianapolis:

Monument Circle, a memorial to veterans of the civil war. It was under construction so we could not visit the museum underneath.

White State River Park; Beautiful water front with the backdrop of the Colts stadium with lots of things to do along the way;The Zoo, Museums, NCAA hall of fame



The Museum we chose was the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indian and Western Art. It was a very unique experience to learn a lot about Native American history and enjoy some great art.

Lunch at Weber Grill.

A Bollywood Movie (Dum Maro Dum) at Georgetown 14 theater. We didn't expect to see the latest Bollywood release in Indy so we were thrilled!


Shopping at Circle Center Mall. The place was full of high schools kids on prom night!


Dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory