New York Trip - Part 4

"What is the most important thing in life? Necessity. People do whatever is most necessary to them at any given moment."

Our trip was nearly ending and we still had so much grounds to cover. We wanted to wake up early but our body did not want to move out of the bed. Andrew even tried to wake us up as he was trying to get our tickets ready for the following day's trip back to L.A. As I recall, he woke us up around 10am.

Anyway, we planned on going to one of the most depressing site of NY, Ground Zero. The place where 7 world trade centers used to stand. We also planned on going to Brooklyn Bridge since it's just a few blocks away from Ground Zero.

Day 4 - February 27, 2010
- Woke up around Noon. Even though we had enough sleep, we still felt really tired.
- The snow finally stopped falling but it was still cold outside. I think it was around 30 degrees.
- And to get our day started, we had............................not coffee. Instead, we had lunch!
- We decided to go to the Grand Central Terminal dining area as one of our friends had suggested that serve some really good food.
- Edgar and I decided to have Indian food and let me tell you...... the curry was just delicious! The chicken tasted like chicken.. like how it's supposed to!
- Myson and Andrew had some Cuban sandwiches. They gave up rice for lent. Too bad guys! You had to sit next to us enjoying our curry with rice!
- After eating, on our way back to up to the substation, a man in his 50's asked us if we were tourist.. Geesh, I don't know what gave him that idea but I was thinking it was my camera. I was taking pics of every corner of the station. LOL.
- Anyway, he showed us a really cool thing right underneath the station by the dining area on Lexington and 42nd. It's called the "Whispering Wall". Basically, he asked me and Myson to stand in opposite corners of the large arched entryway. He told us to face the corner and whisper........WOW!!!! I heard his voice as if he was right next to me!
- Because we were both excited, we called Andrew and Edgar told them about the cool thing we learned! We all went to our separate corners and started whispering. LMAO. Imagine four grown men standing in 4 corners faced against the wall whispering. Hahaha.
- And off we go to ground zero!
- After a 20 minute ride, we finally arrived at the WTC location. First thing we noticed was the new building! It looks really good.
- After walking down the steps and on the street. We met a very nice gentleman holding books and a tip jar. We originally thought that he was a regular bum but later learned that he was actually one of the survivors.

"We met a gentleman in his 60s while looking at ground zero and he stood out of the crowd because he was loud and wanted to be heard. He looked at us and asked "How many buildings are there in the World Trade Center?? How many?" Myson answered: Seven! There were 7 buildings! The man approached us with a smile and said, "Correct! There were 7 buildings! 

Him: Where are you guys from?

Us: We're from L.A.

Him: My west coast people!!! I am glad that you guys know this as some people who live in NY don't even know that there were 7 buildings. They've always thought there were only 2.

After telling us a brief history of the WTC's and what had happened. He told us that on 9/11 at 8:46am, he was working in the building next to the twin towers. When the first building was hit, his gut instinct automatically told him to get out of the building and go pic up his son from school. He hurriedly left the building and ran towards the Brooklyn Bridge. By this time, I can see and feel the man's emotions and I just gave my undivided attention (For those that know me, it is really hard for me to do this. lol. I tend to go from one topic to the next and interrupt with questions. haha - but this time was different). He then continued his story when he heard the next attack and he noticed that a lot of people were going towards Manhattan and they were going underground to take the subway. During that time, all trains were halted to a complete stop and so people were trapped and had nowhere to go. When people panic, some know exactly what to do but most people freeze and breaks down. He then told us the worst part... When the building collapsed, a lot of people were underground and as we all know, these underground tunnels were not built as a bomb shelter. I think you guys know what happened there is no need for me to go into details. The man was in tears and I closed to giving in but I had to control myself.. I was in public! lol. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the man's story and he thanked us for listening to him and to keep "representin' westcoast".. lol.. His exact same words, I swear!. "

- After listening to the nice gentleman, we went to ground zero preview site where they have a nice model of what the WTC would look like in the future.
- By this time, we were tired and needed coffee. So, we headed over to Starbucks and learned about the earthquake that hit Chile and the Tsunami that is going to hit Hawaii and other countries near the Pacific.
- We then walked to Brooklyn Bridge to take some pics. We only went to the first arched foundation since they all looked the same anyway. lol
- After about an hour, we decided to head back to our hotel to get some rest since we are going to have a long night.
- After resting for a few hours.... We met up with Amy and Marc to have dinner at a nice hidden Japanese restaurant called "Saka Gura".
- After dinner, we decided to walk to a bar a few blocks away and had a few drinks. At first I thought I was at the MTV show "Jersey Shore". People were fist pumping all over the place!.. I gotta say though, the music was good that I started doing it too! I was dressed for it!... Tight shirt that I got from baby gap.. it was size 6-12 months.. lol.. I sporting a spike hair and got a nice tan.. All I needed was to find a dolled up girl to dance with me and it was Jersey Shore dance off!... here's what I noticed though.. Why is it that men that work out tend to wear the smallest shirts! I saw this guy picking his shirt at baby gap!..... okay I didn't, but it would have been funny! lol.
- After a night of drinking, we decided to have some pizza at some place a few doors down the bar.
- After dinner, we decided to call it a night and go back to the hotel.

I have one more day to blog, so keep checking back! Goodnight :)

Click the album below to view our pics: Part 1 and Part 2

New York Trip - Part 1

New York Trip - Part 2

New York Trip - Part 3

"A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others."

So I finally finished editing the pictures from the NY trip. I think I spent about 10 hours editing those pics or maybe less, lol.

Day 3:
- Woke up and it was still snowing. 
- Got ready, put plastic bags in our shoes...lol. Ghetto but it works! (We couldn't find rainboots for men! They all had pattern on them. I was going to get the Zebra patterned boots but the lady wouldn't sell it to me :(.. haha) - Went to Starbucks to get our daily caffeine fix.
- We started looking for a place to eat nearby our hotel and found a Thai restaurant.
- The food wasn't that good.. I still liked the Thai restaurants here in LA.
- After eating, we started walking towards 5th Avenue and it is freezing!
- I really got shutter happy this day and took a lot of pics! There was so much stuff to to see!
- Then we got a call from Vince and he invited us over to his place. (He lives with his gf, Cindy... Thank you guys for showing us around town.)
- His place is nice! You can see Central park, Jersey and Time Square from his rooftop.
- Went to Central Park and just walked around to see the beautiful scenery.
- I took a couple of panoramic shots of Central park (I posted them in Part 1)
- After about an hour, our hands were freezing and we needed to go somewhere to keep us warm.
- Cindy and Vince decided to take us to Angelo's Pizza. The best pizza i've ever had!
- We didn't want to eat a lot since we are also meeting my friend's cousin for Dinner at 9. We finished eating around 8. lol.
- Walked to Broadway and something.. Close to Radio City.
- After walking for 30 minutes, a plate of food doesn't sound so bad.
- We met up with Amy, Marc and their beautiful daughter Trinity.
- Went to a Brazilian restaurant and stayed there for about an hour or so, then we decided to have some dessert.
- On our way to the place to get dessert, we walked on Broadway and saw this guy with a bunch of girls taking pictures with him. I didn't know who he was but for some reason, the little girl in me started screaming and my man body didn't know how to react but to approach him a take a pic with him!. LOL. I found out later that it was Corbin Bleu, a star from High School Musical. I gave him an excuse that it was for my sister but the truth is.... it was for the little girl in me. LMAO.
- Myson and Andrew got jealous so they both decided to take a pic with him.. I guess everyman has a little girl in them screaming to get out. lol
- Back to my story.... after walking 10 blocks we finally ended up at the place. (it was on 3rd and 36th i think?)
- I got a slice of a very chocolaty chocolate cake! I couldn't finish it and I was feeling guilty eating it. lol
- By this time, I think it was already 1am so we all decided to call it a night.
- Walked back to our hotel and rested.... ahhh, what a day... ZZZzzzzz....

Check back soon, I have 2 more days to cover.


Click the pic below to go to my Album (NY Trip - Part 2)

New York Trip - Part 2

New York Trip - Part 2

View from the Brooklyn Bridge

"Never judge someone unless you've walked a mile in their shoes. That way, if you piss them off, they're a mile away and they're barefoot."

I am still in the process of editing the pictures but I just wanted to blog about our 2nd day before I forget and also share one of my favorite pictures. (see image above)

Day 2:

Woke up around 8am and it was snowing!!! It was reported that 17 inches of snow dropped before 8am! We were excited and got dressed in a hurry. We were going to see the statue of liberty.

- Went out, walked to Starbucks to get our day started.

- Went to the Grand Central Terminal and got on the train to Battery Park.

- We got off the train and it was still snowing with a little rain. Our shoes are now getting wet and my socks got wet. 

- On our way to ferry, we got approached by a man in a raincoat and this is how the conversation went: 

Him: Hey guys, are you going to see the statue of liberty?

Us: Yes!

Him: okay, that's gonna be $13 each

Us: *Thinking* Is he trying to hustle us?

Myson: How much is it inside?

Him: It's the same

Andrew: Do you accept cards?

Him: Yes I do *pulls out a credit card machine*

Me: *laughed* What else do you have there? Where's your booth? Man, they're making you work hard out here man. What else are you selling? You got coffee? 

Him: Hahahaha.. Man, you are funny.

- He seriously looked like a bum! lol.

- Security inspection was ridiculous! an inconvenience but it's for everyone's own safety.

- Roamed around the statue, played in the snow, took pics, ate and bought souvenirs.

- Our socks are wet!.. 

- We missed the last boat to Ellis Island! arggg.. 

- We were really tired so we went back to our hotel and got some rest.

- After getting some rest, we got ready and headed down to the lobby and met a friend that recently moved to NY.

- We went to Lower East Side to have some ramen.. Ippundo NY has the best ramen!

- The wait time was over an hour for the ramen so we decided to have some hot dogs from Crips (it's a hole in the wall type of place but it was good!

- Here's the crazy part! In the hot dog place, there's a phonebooth and when you pick up the phone, somebody will answer and door in the phone booth will open! Through that door is a bar! It's supposed to be a secret! Speaking of secrets, why do people with bad breath always have secrets? They always want to get close to you! lol

- We finally finished eating so we decided to hit up a few bars. 

- Walked in a snowstorm and it was fun! This was probably the reason why we didn't get drunk even though we drank a lot.

- After hitting a few bars, we decided that it's now time to end the night and get some rest for the next day.

To be continued... Day 3, 4 and 5 will soon follow!

New York Trip - Part 1

"When you were born, you were crying and everyone else around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're smiling and everyone else is crying"

New York trip was definitely a success! We covered so many places in very little time, thanks to NY's fine subway system. It was an experience for all of us since it was our first time in NY. One thing I noticed is that people don't follow street signs. Green means walk, yellow means walk faster and red means Run! lol. Oh, and New Yorkers are really friendly!

Day 1:
- Still in Burbank, we arrived at the Burbank airport at 6am. Ate a breakfast burrito and boarded the plane.
- Sat in the back of the plane but couldn't sleep. We were too excited to fall asleep so we made noises and kept ordering food and beverages. The flight attendant kept asking us if we needed anything else since every time she walks by we ask for something. haha

- Finally arrived at the airport and got a cab to our hotel (Hotel Hemsley NY on 42nd and 3rd). We each had our own bed to be comfortable and we are thankful that we did.
- It was around 30 degrees and a little windy.
- The hotel is newly renovated and the staff were really friendly.

- Walked to Time Square and ate at Brooklyn Diner. That placed sucked! It was expensive too.
- We decided to walk back to our hotel to get some rest so we can hit up a few bars.
- Woke up around 10:30 and got ready. Me and Myson tried to call Andrew but he fell asleep. So we decided to go to a bar nearby.
- Went to a bar called "Flannagans" - not sure if that's how it's spelled. We had a good time. Bar tender gave us a shot of Red Label...
- Got hungry and looked for places to eat but everything was closed.
- We ended up at Wendy's. haha..
- And we saw steam coming out of the man hole. lol.. Things we see in movies! Yey!

Here's a link to the NY pics. I haven't uploaded everything as I needed to edit every single one of them. I took about a thousand pics :( So keep checking my blog.

New York Trip - Part 1

Malibu Creek Hike

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

One of the things I look forward to on the weekend is being able to spend time outdoors (hiking, walking, running, biking, etc.).  Spend more time with mother nature and less time in bed so I can appreciate the things that surrounds us.

Before I ask you all to view the pics I took yesterday, here's a quote from Miss South Carolina: LOL

"I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in our nation don't have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and, I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, or, uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future, for our children"

Here are some of my favorites: 

 

Click the album below to view the rest of the pics:

Malibu Creek Hike

Downtown L.A. Night Shots Part Duex

"Become addicted to constant and never ending self improvement." - Anthony J. D'Angelo

A view of downtown L.A. from the Water and Power district near the Disney Concert Hall.

I seriously can't wait to go to New York and take pics! Only a few more days and my memory cards will be filled with pics from NY. I have always wanted to go to NY to see what the fuzz is about. When I think of NY, I think of "Sex in the City" and I seriously remember the time that movie came out and every woman I know talked about it! They even dressed up just to go see the movie! I didn't get it at that time but after seeing the movie... Yes, I saw the movie out of curiosity and I really think that Carrie should stop hanging around with her friends, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda! and stop asking them for advice! That's like asking a blind man to walk another blind man..

Anyway, here are the pics I took earlier:

Click the album below to view from my Picasa Album

LA Night Shots 2

Wine Tasting @ Solvang, CA

"Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it."

 

I figured I'd start with a quote since yesterday was Valentine's day. :) The last time I went to Solvang was 7 years ago, nothing really changed in that little village except for maybe the ridiculously priced cookies!!! $3 each for a cookie that is a little bit bigger than a fortune cookie!!!

I don't drink wine but I really enjoyed wine tasting on Saturday. It wasn't the wine that I really enjoyed, it was the company of friends that I really enjoyed (awwww...). It doesn't really matter where we go, as long as I am with my friends, I am happy. -- I have a toothache now... this is so sweet.. haha..

Sometimes when I'm bored, I send my friends text messages that goes like this:
Me: Knock Knock
Them: Who's there?
Me: It's me...your friend, John.. I just wanted to let you know that i'll always be here for you. LMAO.

Click the link below to view my album

Wine Tasting @ Solvang

The pictures below are the ones that I really like: