NYC Summer Kick off

For the first time this year, it really felt like summer in NYC this Saturday.

We parked in Union Square and started our evening by heading towards the west side.

On our way we stopped at Eataly for dessert.


Nelson was craving street food, so we made another stop at a street fair mid town for a yummy chicken gyro.


We were here to see the "Rainbow City", a beautiful art installation inspired by the Hindu festival of color. It was lovely seeing how kids and adults alike became fascinated by these giant, colorful, geometric shapes.


We were right at the end of High Line Park, an old rail way track that was converted to a park in the past few years. Phase two was completed this year and it was very New York chic. The landscaping was done to preserve the aura of the overgrown rail way sight. It was a nice walk despite the crowd.


We stopped by the pop up piano decorated by Isaac Mizrahi in Herald's Square


We celebrated one of my best friend's birthday with Korean BBQ at Don's Bogam.


Then drinks at Blue Owl in East Village.


Dessert on the way back at Spot, where I had my 29th birthday cake. I love the green tea cupcake!


Loved seeing the Empire State lit up in rainbow colors! New York legalized gay marriage yesterday. NY state rocks!


On Sunday we had a laid back day strolling about Tarrytown. The view from the marina was beautiful. We visited Silver Tips Tea room gain to redeem my groupon for some yummy tea sandwiches. Browsing around galleries and walking by the river is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Memphis on Broadway

Last Friday my love for musicals was revived after watching Memphis. My last musical outing to see American Idiot was disappointing as I didn't enjoy the music. Memphis had great original music and the leads were amazing singers. The story about the racially divided South captured the essence of the 1950s very well. It definitely deserved the Tonys it won! Before the show we had a delicious and affordable prixe fixe menu at Yum Yum Bangkok. We were lucky to share this night with wonderful friends who were celebrating five years of wedded bliss.

Wedding Weekend!

One of the most eagerly awaited weekends was finally here. My sister-in-law was getting married!

This a family photo after the rehearsal dinner


The beautiful bride on morning before, just after hair and make up


Jenn and Jay had a fairy tale wedding on June 18th, 2011


We had a blast at the wedding, dancing till 1am


But on the morning after we were up early enough to head to Beechwood Hotel in Worcester for brunch with another beautiful bride Sophia and see my amazing Mount Holyoke women. Congrats Sophia & Kingsley!

No plan in NYC!

On Sunday we went to the city with Nelson's cousins. We were a group of nine adults who arrived in the city with no lunch reservations. The parents were getting quite hungry and were in no mood to walk or wait. We parked in midtown walked through through a summer BBQ block party in Madison Park to Eataly, a group Italian restaurants and and market under one roof. But the wait was too long and we relied on Google maps for alternate options. One of the near by restaurants near by called Almond caught my eye and I ran over to see if they could accomodate our party. This was a fantatstic place, with high celings it had a very airy feeling quite contraty to the close packed nature of many NYC restaurants. The hostess was very gracious and accomodated our party at one table in about 20mins. The menu wasn't long but had enough brunch and lunch options. I really enjoyed by smoked blue fish tuna. The meal togther was definitely the highlight of our trip.

Afterwards our attempt to go to Central Park was thwarted by the NYC Puerto Rican parade that blocked us from crossing the road. We resorted to driving through downtown in the car as we headed home. This was a reminder that in future, we need to carefully plan any NYC trips with large groups.

Blue Note

On Saturday we saw Harami Uehara perform at Blue Note Jazz Club in Village. It was my first time at live musical performance and we were seated so close to the stage. The performance was energetic and emotionally charged. It was a wonderful experience thanks to our musically inclined friends. The food at the club was pretty good though expectedly over priced.


On our way to the club we saw the end to an Indian festival at Washington Square Park. Love the diversity of this city!

Meetup in Curry Hill

On Sunday I met up with a dear friend at Chinese Mirch in Curry Hill. We wanted to have Indian Chinese and staying within the city limits of Manhattan this was really the only option. The food was decent and I really enjoyed the chili paneer, the dish I've ordered on my previous two visits here as well. Afterwards we walked a few blocks through the NYC Filipino parade to a really nice free trade coffee shop located in the Gershwin Hotel building. The Birch was a cozy spot with many different tea offerings as well. On our way back we were tempted to get take out from Curry-in-a Hurry one of the many Indian joints in Curry Hill. The food was cheap, tasty but very greasy. Now that I have tried it I don't plan on going back. But I also made notes of other restaurants in the area I want to try out this summer.


Images courtsey of http://www.searchindia.net/images/ny/chinese-mirch.jpg
www.home-barista.com/knockbox/visit-to-ground...

First Hike of the Summer

Our first hike in a long time was at the Rockefeller State Park last Saturday. We did a few different trails around the lake and through the woods. One trail up a hill offered views of the Tappan Zee bridge.



After the hike we stopped at Silver Tips Tea Room in Tarrytown for afternoon tea. With our groupon deal the whole meal cost us only $15. The tea sandwiches were my favorite.

Harbor Lights Cruise

Last Tuesday we headed to the city after work for a 2hr Circle Line Habor Lights Cruise with friends who were touring NYC. Though a little too hot it was a glorious day and despite having been to the city so many times, we really enjoyed the sights. The cruise did a conprehensive loop and went through all the major bridges. The sun set through the buildings was spectacular. We got to stand on the deck, enjoy the sights, catch up in the refreshing breeze.

Afterwards we had dinner at Chelsea Grill in the Hells Kitchen area. We had been there a couple years ago and enjoyed the food. The chicken corn soup was as great as we remebered. The burghers we ordered (meat for Nelson & vege for me) were too large for us. But our friends enjoyed the food and it was the type of typically American meal they were looking for.

Where are the falls?

On our way back we were hoping to stop by the falls. The mist still seemed to persist as we arrived around 9am. Since this was our only chance we decided to take the Maid of the Mist hoping that we could get a better view if got close enough. But we could see only the edge of the American and Horse show falls through the thick fog.


The area around the falls seemed very touristy, a cheaper version of Vegas! But definitely offers entertainment to people driving all the way to see the falls.