Monday, November 30, 2009
julia
We arrived in Sydney yesterday morning after a full day of travel.
NY - LA (5.5 hrs)
Layover in LA (3 hrs)
LA - Sydney (14.5 hrs)
We flew on the new
A380 to Sydney. The plane was huge and very comfortable. Jackson was such a good baby throughout the flight. He smiled at everyone who passed by and slept for the first half of the trip. The built in bassinet was pretty nifty but there wasn't much wiggle room. The great thing about these bassinets is that there is a top layer that buckles across so you don't have to pick up the baby when the seatbelt sign turns on. That said, the seatbelt sign rarely came on and Jackson still spent a lot of time on us.
The only hiccup on this trip was that my suitcase didn't make it on our flight, but got on the next flight over. It was delivered to us a few hours later so all is good. We're now all settled in an apartment in Potts Point and excited to explore the city.
Labels:
NY
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
julia
Posted by JuliaGoing out to eat became a novelty ever since the birth of our baby. Luckily my parents live in New York and were able to babysit every week so we could go on date nights. We managed to cover a decent number of restaurants in the short time we were here:
- BonChon: Yummy Korean fried chicken joint that feels more like a nightclub
- Boqueria: Vibrant tapas restaurant. My fave was the Pimientos de Padrón (peppers with sea salt)
- Civetta: Tastiest gnocchi with roasted mushrooms
- DBGB: Liked the open kitchen with all the pots donated by various chefs as decoration. The food was forgettable (great selection of homemade sausages though)
- Fatty Crab: Cute Southeast Asian restaurant that made me look forward to Singapore's chili crab. The free coconut dessert was out of this world good
- Hakata Tonton: Japanese restaurant that offers a generous prix fixe focusing on pork and pig's feet
- L'Artusi: Good pastas and I loved the scallop and uni appetizer
- Lupa: Best beet salad and delicious homemade pastas
- Masa: An unforgettable dining experience. Would top my list for last meal
- Momofuku Ko: I played the internet reservations game for a few days before snagging one of the dinner spots. Wish I wasn't so "lucky" because the food disappointed (disliked the raw shavings of foie gras that everyone raves about and butternut squash should not be made into an ice cream flavor. No, no, no.)
- Sushi of Gari: Great omakase of creatively garnished sushi
In addition to these restaurants, our favorite lunch spots included bahn mis from the
Viet-Nam Banh Mi So 1 in Soho, sandwiches from
Despaña (my infamous $25 iberico ham sandwich) and burritos from the
Calexico Cart down the street.
And only in NY will you find
cupcakes this small selling for $1 each. Gotta love it.
Labels:
NY
Monday, November 16, 2009
julia
Posted by Julia
Traffic seems to have gotten worse in New York yet Times Square appears less congested than I remember. It was always the part of town that I avoided but we headed there today to take some photos for the
Roaming Jackson project.
There are lots of pedestrian only zones in the middle of Times Square allowing visitors to appreciate all the bright lights. I never understood why people would stand around on frigid New Year's Eves, but standing there today I definitely felt the appeal and energy of the city.
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Coming back to the city as a visitor is an entirely different experience than as a resident. I was surprised to see the Empire State building peaking out as we strolled down Sixth Avenue. It was a sight that I had clearly taken for granted since I worked a block away and never noticed. Looking back, living in NY was about getting from point A to B as fast as I could.
In my mind New York was never part of our "world tour" because I lived here. But it is very much a part of our journey. New York is an ever changing city that will always feel new to me each time I visit.
Labels:
NY
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
julia
We have been in New York for over a month now, splitting our time between an apartment in Soho and my parents' house in Bayside. Since New York is my hometown, this pit stop on our tour is a chance to catch up with friends and family.
The weather here has been fickle in the last month, ranging from sunny highs in the 70s to cold and rainy days. On one of the nicer days, we strolled the
High Line on the west side. We took a detour during the visit since President Obama was in the area, but eventually finished touring the mile and a half long elevated park. It's definitely nice to see more greenery in the city.
Cold day in the city
From the High Line on a sunny day
Jackson is adapting well to the city. The loft in Soho overlooks a very busy shopping area on Broadway, and he seems to like people watching (especially the girls coming in and out of H&M). But the bustling streets are not great for strollers so we've mostly carried him around town in the Ergo Carrier. It is so much more convenient than trying to lug a stroller up and down subway stairs and in and out of cabs.
Via subway and cab
Although we've stayed indoors a lot lately due to the colder weather, New York is still an exciting place to be. Today Old Navy was shooting a commercial all day outside our door and created a winter wonderland. Since we'll be spending the rest of our trip in summer weather, this was a real treat to see.
Our NY trip is now more than half way complete. Only a few more weeks to see, eat and scout a location for the
roaming gnome project :)
Labels:
NY
