Biking at Riverside

I had hoped to reserve a tandem bike through Bike And Roll for Saturday morning. But they only do reservations for half day or full day rentals. So we headed to the city early hoping to get the only tandem available at the Riverside Park location. As luck would have it, the bike was waiting for us. First we rode North till the George Washington bridge was on sight, then headed back through the park and went down to around 40th street. The weather was perfect with a nice breeze on a bright sunny day. Though the paperwork indicated that there was a 2hr minimum, we were only charged for 1hr despite having used the bike for more than an hour. The customer service of Bike And Roll is exemplary. They have been so prompt and helpful with their email correspondence and I'm already looking forward to our next ride.

It was an ideal day to walk in the city. We headed uptown to a great brunch spot that I've been meaning to try for a long time. Cafe Lalo is a favorite among many and their all day brunch from around the world is delicious.I had the "French Kiss", a perfectly made quiche with mushrooms while Nelson had the savory "Moroccan Delight". His iced cappuccino was really good too. The cafe was a typical New York experience. We had no room for their great desserts but certainly plan to come back Cafe Lalo again.

After brunch we walked through the Park and met up with my mum and sis who were shopping in the 59th & Lex area. Then headed back west through Columbus Circle where an Indian wedding procession was taking place in grand scale. With blasting Bollywood songs and the groom arriving on horse back surrounded by people dressed in colorful traditional attire it was a scene from a Bollywood movie. On September 11th 2011, this was a great scene to celebrate the diversity of this great city.

The weather was gloomy on Sunday. Besides some shopping in White Plains it was a laid back day.

Bermuda: More Sight Seeing

On Sunday, we had three things on our sight seeing itinerary. Our first stop was at the Crystal and Fantasy caves ($27pp). These were caves of spectacular stalactites and stalagmites formations. Both caves were about 90 steps underground and had well lit path ways. At a growth rate of is around 0.13 mm a year, these structures give a subtle indication of the world. We had good tour guides for both caves. Though there are similarities between the two, it was worth seeing both caves. As our guide said the crystal caves was a very romantic place that transports to you a magical world.

The caves were located just off the road from Swizzler Inn, where we stopped for lunch. We shared a delicious pizza and a rum swizzler and it was a great dining spot. We enjoyed out door dining with a refreshing light breeze. It was also very conveniently located opposite the bus stop on the main road. So after lunch we took the bus to St. George, the oldest city in Bermuda.

We walked around the downtown area but most of the stores were closed. We saw the St. Peter's Church, which is oldest surviving Anglican church in continuous use outside Great Britain. We walked by the City Hall and took in the beautiful sights by the ocean before heading to the Aquarium. It was a nice way to spend an hour as we walked around the Aquarium and Zoo. The entrance was very reasonable at $10pp. Though the grounds were small, there were a few interesting animals such as the kangaroo, monkeys, that we enjoyed seeing.

Our last dinner on the terrace at the hotel.The food was pricey but very good. Next morning, we had a quick dip in the pool and relaxed poolside before heading out for brunch at the near by Bouchee cafe. I really enjoyed my fluffy pancakes. Soon after it was time to say good by to Bermuda and to the omnipresent Bermuda shorts!!!

Bermuda: Day of Exploring

We headed out of Hamilton on the ferry to Dockyard, the principal base of the Royal Navy in the American independence war. After its closure as a naval base it has been restored as a tourist site with the arrival of cruise ships. Several of the buildings in the area, which have served as warehouses have been converted to promoting craft works. Our first stop was at a former food storage, which now housed a crafts market where I purchased a cute necklace and a few souvenirs.

We decided to visit the Bermuda Maritime Museum which is largest museum in Bermuda. It's entrance fee was very reasonable at $10pp. Located in the old fortress, the museum stretched over a large area with several buildings. We were greeted by a flock of sheep as we entered the complex. We spent a few hours learning about Bermuda's colonial history and immigration. We were also treated to spectacular view of the city and the ocean. The museum was also home to a dolphin interactive facility. We had lunch a light sushi lunch at Freeport Seafood Restaurant, and walked around the clock tower mall and a few other artistic shops catered towards tourist. Then we took the bus back to Hamilton taking in the different sites Bermuda.

Early evening we headed to tea at the hotel's restaurant, Heritage Court. Despite the steep price (~$40pp), we decided to indulge in what is marketed one of the ten best afternoon tea experiences in the world. We each picked one of the two types of tea menus available. Each was slightly different in terms of the savory and sweet snacks offered. The food was really good, and we enjoyed the tea. As there were too many desserts in the assortment, we had some leftovers for later.


After tea we took the hotel ferry to the sister hotel at Hamilton Southampton. From the ferry we transfered to a shuttle bus which took us upto the hotel and then we walked down to the beach. First we visited the public Horseshoe beach. The landscape was beautiful, though the sand wasn't really pink. But the hues of pink due to the coral was clear. The creations of the annual sand castle building competition were entertaining and showcased some good talent. Then we headed next door to the private beach owned by the hotel. I was surprised by the size and discontinuity of beach area due to the large rocks and reef. I'm used to expansive beaches that stretch for miles at end in Sri Lanka. After walking around the beach for a while we headed back to Fairmont Southampton and explored the hotel. It was much bigger than Hamilton Princess and had a separate entertainment area/arcade for kids. The golf course was picturesque just as I seen in photos. We had dinner at Bacci, an Italian themed restaurant at the hotel. The pasta dishes were great and we headed back feeling satisfied. Though the ferry service between the hotels had stopped were able to make use of our two day transportation pass and take the bus back. In the distance we saw the famed Gibb's light house shining in the distance.

Bermuda: First Evening in Hamilton

We made it to Bermuda on Friday afternoon without any travel hassles. Our hotel The Fairmont Hamilton Princess was about a 20min ride from the airport. The hotel was a large complex of pink buildings located on the main road. The hotel borders the water and offers a beautiful view of the harbor from the terrace.

The hotel was about a 10min walk from the downtown Hamilton area. We walked there in time for lunch with a list of restaurants in mind. Most of downtown is along the main street which borders the bay. The British influence was very prominent with a number of English pubs around. We had lunch at The Pickled Onion, partly because we loved the name. The wraps and burgher combos we had turned out to be really great too. The Bermudian fish chowder was a specialty we really enjoyed.

After relaxing in the room, we stepped out to town again. For dinner, we went to Hog Penny, a well known pub that Cheers in Boston was modeled after. They also served a few Indian curries with rice. I had fish and chips and Nelson ordered a beef strudel, though I tried in vain to convince him to try steak and kidney pie! Nelson also tried his first rum sizzler. After dinner, we explored the by lanes of Hamilton which was mostly shopping and a beautiful public library grounds. Our evening was topped off with great dessert at the hotel restaurant.

Caribbean Adventures

Puerto Rico (March 2007):

We had a weekend getaway to San Juan courtesy of one of my best friends who flew us over for the weekend. We stayed at her upscale apartment that had sea and river views on either side. On Friday night we explored Old San Juan, the oldest settlement in PR which still had the colonial aura. It is an island which is connected to the mainland through three bridges. We indulged in some local fare for dinner and had tamarind and coconut ice cream, typical island flavors, from a street vendor. Next morning we were up early to catch the boat shuttle to the beautiful island of Vieques for the day. Though Culebra would have been our first choice of island to visit, it was so popular that all the tickets were sold out early enough. These islands are part of a group of islands known as the Spanish Virgin Islands. Upon arrival we took a mini-van taxi to a well known beach area. The golden sandy beaches were pictureque and the ocean looked inviting. We spent the day hanging out at the beach, having pinacoladas at a beach side bar and then headed back to the mainland after sunset. Next day we headed for a different kind of activity by visiting a Rio Camuy, one of the most beautiful cave systems amidst a rain forest. It was a spectacular site as we had a guided tour through the maze of caves that also housed families of bats. Unfortunately the waiting time was nearly 3hrs and we had to miss driving up to the Observatory in Aricebo, something Nelson really wanted to do. I remember having a nice dinner at a restaurant downtown in the business district before heading out on an early morning flight.



Belize (September 2008):

We spent our 5-day honeymoon in the island of Ambergris Caye in Belize. We took a small plane from the Belize City and Nelson was treated to a spectacular view from the cockpit. We stayed at Victoria House Resort. We had a room in a private a unit of about 3-4 rooms that included its own pool. The hotel had a great bar and restaurant, but we also ventured in to town in a golf cart and explored other dining options.The service staff was competent and friendly. Each day was defined by the various activities we took part in. The sunset cruise, snorkeling (where I almost drowned as the water was much deeper and the waves much stronger than I expected) and a boat trip to the Mayan ruins were some the activities we enjoyed through the hotel services. In addition, Nelson has also booked a day trip to the mainland where we did tubing and ziplining with a personal tour guide. As it was our honeymoon, I made sure to indulge in a few spa treatments as well. It was a wonderful adventure and Belize offered a lot to fill our five days with unforgettable memories.



Bahamas (September 2009):
Ever since we heard about the Atlantis resort on the local radio show, we had to see what the hype was about. That's how Bahamas the first destination for our anniversary. We were thrilled to be upgraded to the Royal Towers from our original booking in the Beach Tower. The no expense spared, artistic decor and architecture of the resort was amazing. The high end restaurants and buffets offered great but expensive food. We had fancy dinners at Mesa Grill and Nobu. The highlight of the tip was my anniversary gift from Nelson, which was an interactive adventure with the Dolphins. I kissed a Dolphin and liked it! The beach accessible from the resort was beautiful but we spent more time in the numerous pools and the water park area. The lazy river was the longest I've ever been on. The marine habitat which we kept discovering until right before our departure was aesthetically pleasing. The vast complex also included entertainment of all types such as, shopping, a casino, comedy club and a night club. Luxury would be the one word to describe our experience at Atlantis. Three days was enough time to enjoy all this resort had to offer as well as take a short boat ride to Nassau and explore the mainland that included some government buildings and a large flea market.

Kykuit Tour

Every time we pass by the Philipsburg Manor visitor center on route 9, we are reminded to take a tour of the mansions. So this sunny Sunday afternoon, we took a tour of the Rockefeller Mansion at Kykuit. It was a 2 hr long tour that included the mansions and the surrounding gardens. The guide made it very interesting with a very detailed historic account of the lives of the Rockefeller family, who can be considered as American royalty. At $23 per person, the tour was an interesting experience that complimented what we had seen on the Newport Mansions tour.

The entire mansion was a museum that exhibited various pieces from around the world especially ceramic pieces from Chinese dynasties. The art gallery in the basement included an eclectic collection by Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. The tour ended at the coach barn which included a collection of carriages and antique cars of the family. The highlight of the tour for me were the splendid views of the Hudson Valley from the Pocantico Hills, the highest point of the surrounding area, where the mansion is situated.

In Line In Brooklyn

On Saturday, I met up with a friend from MHC after 7 years. We had brunch at Banc in Murray Hill. It was a nice brunch spot with a great brunch/lunch menu and outside seating. Afterwards, Nelson picked me up and we headed to Brooklyn Heights for evening. Luckily, we found street parking and walked along the Promenade to Brooklyn Bridge Park. The weather was wonderful and the skyline was spectacular. As we waited in line at Brooklyn Ice cream Factory at its Dumbo location, we saw six couples posing for their wedding pictures in the river front. Since I'm not a fan of ice cream, I didn't really appreciate the fresh, home made flavors. But Nelson found the 20min wait completely worth it for his cone of choclate choclate chunk.

Soon after we joined another line at Grimaldi's Pizza. Arguably known as best pizza in New York, Grimaldi's seem to attract tourists and locals alike. We waited for about 45mins before we were called ahead of a few people in line as we were a party of three. The seating in the restaurant was crammed and fully maximized. We ordered a two small pizzas, one with extra cheese for me, the other with sweet pepper and onion toppings. The pizza was completely worth it. The crust was so fresh and we even had leftovers to bring back.

Though we had earlier planned to go to Coney Island as well, we decided against it. We had been there with a couple of friends last summer and weren't too impressed by the surroundings. The beach was nice and the boardwalk was pretty typical. There were lots of carnival games and rides that attracted families with kids. The sit down eating options were limited and we ended up having some mediocre Mediterranean food. It would be a nice enough place for a more planned visit next time.