My cousin Reenie and I will be flying to China on October 9th. We're both pretty excited, as this trip has been in the works for over a year.
This is our itinerary:
Beijing - 10 - 15 October
Shanghai - 15 - 19 October
Hangzhou - 19-21 October
Xian - 21-23 October
Chengdu - 23-26 October
Yangshuo - 26 - 30 October
Hong Kong - 30 October - 3 November
I have our hotels booked, got my visa, and the only thing I have left to do is buy one inter-China flight ticket and the flight to Hong Kong. I'll do this when I get to Beijing.
I have a few guides that I have hired along the way but overall, we'll be on our own!
I hope to be blogging during our trip, so stay tuned!
I have lots of memory cards for my Nikon D80, so I'm sure I'll come home with tons of photos to share! You'll be able to see them on my photography page.
Monica
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Fall Grapes
Today Tony and I took a drive near Leesburg, VA. Near the Tarara vineyards were these rows of full-grown grapes. You can see the rest on my photo site.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Old Town Alexandria VA Arts Festival
Louisa, Beth and I met up in Old Town Alexandria, VA, for the annual Arts Festival. Here are a few photos of the festival and area around the town. There were many artists from around the USA, including TN, FL, and AL. Lots of interesting photos, pottery, jewelery, and other types of crafts. The festival is free and there was lots to to see.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Deerfield, MA (June 2008)
Tony and I spent a few nights in Deerfield, MA, where my 99-year-old grandmother still lives alone. She's quite amazing! Mom was there too visiting from Florida and other MA relatives joined in for a small family reunion.These are a few photos from the trip. You can see the rest on my photography web site (click on "Family" gallery). http://www.pileggiphotography.com/.
Monica
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Escape to New York City: A 3-Night Trip.
A short trip to New York City was quickly planned when I found out that Tony got four days off in a row that included weekend days. We haven’t been to NYC since January 2003 and we both felt we were overdue a trip to the Big Apple. Friends Kim and Steve, who moved to Vermont over a year ago from Maryland, would join Tony and me on Sunday morning for two nights, so I knew this would be a fun long weekend.
I quickly researched hotels and restaurants and bought the AAA Spiral guide to NYC. I checked on the various Marriott hotels, as I have a few friends that could provide their “friends and family” discount. I settled on the Courtyard Marriott on East 53rd and 3rd Avenue based on the price and recommendations by fellow Fodorites. Rooms started around $380 plus taxes and with the discount, we paid $239 plus taxes. This was still over my normal budget for hotels, but knowing New York, this was a good price for this hotel category.
I also checked for theatre tickets. I registered with http://www.broadwaybox.com/ and bought tickets for Spamalot!
Saturday, 10 May 2008: Our drive took about five hours from Maryland, which wasn’t too bad despite the 30-minute delay at one point on the highway. I was hoping to get to NYC by about 12:30pm, but we arrived around 2:45pm. Starving for lunch, we quickly checked in, unpacked our clothing, and headed out to Stage Deli for a good meal (Stage Deli, 834 7th Ave, New York 10019 between 53rd & 54th St Phone: 212-245-7850, http://www.stagedeli.com/).
We shared one of their huge triple-decker sandwiches, the “Cindy Adams” - Corned beef, pastrami and swiss cheese. OMG, it was so delicious and quite filling! But we both wish we had ordered just a pastrami sandwich, like we did at Katz’ back in 2003. Tony saw a sign with a photo of a sandwich, which stated, “Be sure to lift with your knees.”
Once stuffed, we headed out to wander around Broadway and
Times Square. We stopped along the way so I could take some photos and stepped inside the M&M store. It’s unbelievable this store (and Hershey’s) does so well with the mass crowds of people buying souvenirs and chocolate. Almost every color imaginable of M&M’s were on display. We walked along 44th street to see where the Shubert theatre was located. Next door two actors from Mama Mia were signing autographs. The area was crowded with tourists holding their pocket cameras up to the flashing neon signs. What a sight even in broad daylight.
We continued on towards Macy’s on 34th street, got a peek of the Empire State building and took a break at Herald Square for half an hour. Tony’s knees are shot and he’ll be having knee replacement (both knees!) this fall, so the break was timely for him. We stopped at a Pax wholesome foods store for a drink and then headed north. We enjoyed watching a group of men playing bocce ball while sitting at Bryant Park before heading back to the hotel, stopping along the way to pick up a bottle of wine for the room.
Speaking of the room: We were given a corner room, #2201, which had a wonderful view of the top portion of the Chrysler building. Our room consisted of two queen beds, a sitting area with a pull-out sofa and table, a dresser and desk with a large t.v. Lots of floor space. The bathroom was quite nice too with ample counter top space. As usual for most hotels, the lighting in the bathroom could have been brighter.
Since we had a huge lunch, we went to a pub for snacks: Pig N’ Whistle, 922 Third Avenue NY, NY 10022, Phone: 212-688-4646, http://www.pignwhistlets.com/. I had an order of buffalo wings, but they were drenched in so much BBQ sauce that I had to scrape off. I liked them but they were not authentic buffalo wings. Tony on the other hand had to turn his soup away, as he almost swallowed a long stringy piece of brillo. His appetite died right that second. With apologies from the manager, we paid for just our drinks.
Sunday 11 May 2008: The phone rang at 7:45am. We were expecting Kim and Steve to arrive around 8:30am, but being a Sunday and carrying only carry-on luggage, they were able to grab a taxi and get to the hotel within ½ hour of arrival.
We were all hungry for breakfast, so we walked on over to Carnegi Deli (http://www.carnegiedeli.com/) 854 7th Ave, 212-757-9889. It was about a 15 minute walk to 7th Avenue. Kim and I both ordered the nova lox and bagels, while the guys ordered eggs for breakfast. The portions are huge and I would have been fine with half of my breakfast. It was to see what the other diners ordered, as most waiters came out with huge sandwiches. Looking at the pastrami sandwiches, Tony and I knew we would be returning for another lunch!
I had a coupon to use at the Adorama (photography) store, so we took the subway to 18th street. I purchased a spare battery for my Nikon D80, a camera bag, and a camera strap that has a nice padding for the shoulder. Next time I plan to visit B&H Photo. We continued on to Washington Square and sat for about 20 minutes or so. Many people with out with their children. Most of the park has been torn up and is being refurbished.
The rest of the day was spent visiting the various galleries and shops in and around SoHo. There were lots of people with their art work out on the sidewalks. After a walk along canal street (what a zoo) and up Mulberry street to Spring Street, we had pizza for lunch at Lombardi’s (http://www.firstpizza.com/, 32 Spring St, New York - (212) 941-7994) – a large thin crust
pizza with sausage, pancetta and olives. It was very good! Oh, when we walked the restaurant and I gave my name to the host, he stated it would be a 10-minute wait. Fine, so we walked to the bar to get a drink and not even a minute passed by that we were told our table was ready. The host could see the surprise on our faces, to which he stated, “It’s a New York 10-minutes.”
Eight tired feet, so we took the Spring station subway the back to our hotel to rest before the theatre.
At the corner from out hotel is a subway stop, so we met at 6pm in the lobby and caught the E train to 42nd Street and within a couple of blocks we were at the Shubert theatre. The temperature had dropped, so I was glad I brought a second, heavier jacket for the evenings. After a round of expensive drinks at the bar, the show started promptly at 7pm. Our seats were just fine: orchestra, left side, row N, seats 11-17. Any further to the left and we would have missed part of the scenes. Spamalot was a hoot! We laughed our heads off. Now I need to go out and buy the movie, as it’s been many years since I’ve seen it.
The show ended about 9:10pm, so we headed west on 44th to our restaurant, Etcetera, Etcetera (http://www.etcrestaurant.com/, 352 W 44th St, 212-399-4141). The restaurant is decorated in a contemporary design in blues, greys, and orange colors, with recessed lights, which, surprisingly I liked. As you enter the restaurant, the bar catches your eye, as all of the liquor bottles are backlit along one wall on several shelves. Along that same wall are tables, which are set close together…a little too close in my opinion. In fact, when I returned from the restroom and squeezed by to get to my chair, I actually pulled the tablecloth from the next table and a couple of the dishes and utensils crashed to the floor. The tables along the wall seats about 30 people, while the other tables in the middle of the room seats about 20. When we arrived, we were immediately seated. The restaurant was only 1/3rd full. In reading reviews of this restaurant, several others stated the place could be very noisy. Being only 1/3rd full, it wasn’t noisy at all. The waiters were attentive and kept our wine glasses filled. We ended up ordering 3 bottles of wine. After taking our order, we were given fresh-baked foccacia and semolina bread, along with a delicious olive tapenade. We even asked for a second serving of the tapenade. I started with the grilled baby octopus (5) served with fennel, bell peppers, green asparagus and citrus. The flavors of the citrus dressing went well with the octopus and vegetables. For my entrée, I had the pappardelle w/rabbit ragout. The dish was not overly rich, but I couldn’t finish it. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the rabbit quite tender. Tony had the selection of sliced
Italian cured meats (almost a meal in itself) followed by the excellent grilled skirt steak with sautéed spinach in garlic and olive oil. He also ordered a side dish of eggplant parmesan, which he said was the best he had in a restaurant. Other dishes that were served: Parma prosciutto over melon w/grilled dates wrapped in pancetta; a puff pastry purse with vegetables; Veal, raisin and amaretto filled ravioli; a roasted chicken with a combination of broccoli-rabe and spinach sautéed in garlic and olive oil. Three of us ordered desserts and we were served a small plate of various cookies. The desserts were small but the right size after an excellent meal. Our total bill came to about $325; however, $120 was spent on three bottles of wine. At first I thought the wine was very expensive; however, a glass of wine (and house wine for that matter) in NYC can range from $9 to $15, so dividing the $120, we averaged $8 per glass (five 5-ounce glasses to a bottle); and about $50 per person for the food. All in all, it was a wonderful evening in a great restaurant. I would recommend this place to those that want to dine post-theatre (only a 5 minute walk from the Shubert theatre) or anytime – just be sure to make reservations. I used this http://opentable.com/ web site for my reservations.
I quickly researched hotels and restaurants and bought the AAA Spiral guide to NYC. I checked on the various Marriott hotels, as I have a few friends that could provide their “friends and family” discount. I settled on the Courtyard Marriott on East 53rd and 3rd Avenue based on the price and recommendations by fellow Fodorites. Rooms started around $380 plus taxes and with the discount, we paid $239 plus taxes. This was still over my normal budget for hotels, but knowing New York, this was a good price for this hotel category.
I also checked for theatre tickets. I registered with http://www.broadwaybox.com/ and bought tickets for Spamalot!
Saturday, 10 May 2008: Our drive took about five hours from Maryland, which wasn’t too bad despite the 30-minute delay at one point on the highway. I was hoping to get to NYC by about 12:30pm, but we arrived around 2:45pm. Starving for lunch, we quickly checked in, unpacked our clothing, and headed out to Stage Deli for a good meal (Stage Deli, 834 7th Ave, New York 10019 between 53rd & 54th St Phone: 212-245-7850, http://www.stagedeli.com/).
We shared one of their huge triple-decker sandwiches, the “Cindy Adams” - Corned beef, pastrami and swiss cheese. OMG, it was so delicious and quite filling! But we both wish we had ordered just a pastrami sandwich, like we did at Katz’ back in 2003. Tony saw a sign with a photo of a sandwich, which stated, “Be sure to lift with your knees.”Once stuffed, we headed out to wander around Broadway and
Times Square. We stopped along the way so I could take some photos and stepped inside the M&M store. It’s unbelievable this store (and Hershey’s) does so well with the mass crowds of people buying souvenirs and chocolate. Almost every color imaginable of M&M’s were on display. We walked along 44th street to see where the Shubert theatre was located. Next door two actors from Mama Mia were signing autographs. The area was crowded with tourists holding their pocket cameras up to the flashing neon signs. What a sight even in broad daylight.We continued on towards Macy’s on 34th street, got a peek of the Empire State building and took a break at Herald Square for half an hour. Tony’s knees are shot and he’ll be having knee replacement (both knees!) this fall, so the break was timely for him. We stopped at a Pax wholesome foods store for a drink and then headed north. We enjoyed watching a group of men playing bocce ball while sitting at Bryant Park before heading back to the hotel, stopping along the way to pick up a bottle of wine for the room.
Speaking of the room: We were given a corner room, #2201, which had a wonderful view of the top portion of the Chrysler building. Our room consisted of two queen beds, a sitting area with a pull-out sofa and table, a dresser and desk with a large t.v. Lots of floor space. The bathroom was quite nice too with ample counter top space. As usual for most hotels, the lighting in the bathroom could have been brighter.Since we had a huge lunch, we went to a pub for snacks: Pig N’ Whistle, 922 Third Avenue NY, NY 10022, Phone: 212-688-4646, http://www.pignwhistlets.com/. I had an order of buffalo wings, but they were drenched in so much BBQ sauce that I had to scrape off. I liked them but they were not authentic buffalo wings. Tony on the other hand had to turn his soup away, as he almost swallowed a long stringy piece of brillo. His appetite died right that second. With apologies from the manager, we paid for just our drinks.
Sunday 11 May 2008: The phone rang at 7:45am. We were expecting Kim and Steve to arrive around 8:30am, but being a Sunday and carrying only carry-on luggage, they were able to grab a taxi and get to the hotel within ½ hour of arrival.
We were all hungry for breakfast, so we walked on over to Carnegi Deli (http://www.carnegiedeli.com/) 854 7th Ave, 212-757-9889. It was about a 15 minute walk to 7th Avenue. Kim and I both ordered the nova lox and bagels, while the guys ordered eggs for breakfast. The portions are huge and I would have been fine with half of my breakfast. It was to see what the other diners ordered, as most waiters came out with huge sandwiches. Looking at the pastrami sandwiches, Tony and I knew we would be returning for another lunch!
I had a coupon to use at the Adorama (photography) store, so we took the subway to 18th street. I purchased a spare battery for my Nikon D80, a camera bag, and a camera strap that has a nice padding for the shoulder. Next time I plan to visit B&H Photo. We continued on to Washington Square and sat for about 20 minutes or so. Many people with out with their children. Most of the park has been torn up and is being refurbished.
The rest of the day was spent visiting the various galleries and shops in and around SoHo. There were lots of people with their art work out on the sidewalks. After a walk along canal street (what a zoo) and up Mulberry street to Spring Street, we had pizza for lunch at Lombardi’s (http://www.firstpizza.com/, 32 Spring St, New York - (212) 941-7994) – a large thin crust
pizza with sausage, pancetta and olives. It was very good! Oh, when we walked the restaurant and I gave my name to the host, he stated it would be a 10-minute wait. Fine, so we walked to the bar to get a drink and not even a minute passed by that we were told our table was ready. The host could see the surprise on our faces, to which he stated, “It’s a New York 10-minutes.”Eight tired feet, so we took the Spring station subway the back to our hotel to rest before the theatre.
At the corner from out hotel is a subway stop, so we met at 6pm in the lobby and caught the E train to 42nd Street and within a couple of blocks we were at the Shubert theatre. The temperature had dropped, so I was glad I brought a second, heavier jacket for the evenings. After a round of expensive drinks at the bar, the show started promptly at 7pm. Our seats were just fine: orchestra, left side, row N, seats 11-17. Any further to the left and we would have missed part of the scenes. Spamalot was a hoot! We laughed our heads off. Now I need to go out and buy the movie, as it’s been many years since I’ve seen it.
The show ended about 9:10pm, so we headed west on 44th to our restaurant, Etcetera, Etcetera (http://www.etcrestaurant.com/, 352 W 44th St, 212-399-4141). The restaurant is decorated in a contemporary design in blues, greys, and orange colors, with recessed lights, which, surprisingly I liked. As you enter the restaurant, the bar catches your eye, as all of the liquor bottles are backlit along one wall on several shelves. Along that same wall are tables, which are set close together…a little too close in my opinion. In fact, when I returned from the restroom and squeezed by to get to my chair, I actually pulled the tablecloth from the next table and a couple of the dishes and utensils crashed to the floor. The tables along the wall seats about 30 people, while the other tables in the middle of the room seats about 20. When we arrived, we were immediately seated. The restaurant was only 1/3rd full. In reading reviews of this restaurant, several others stated the place could be very noisy. Being only 1/3rd full, it wasn’t noisy at all. The waiters were attentive and kept our wine glasses filled. We ended up ordering 3 bottles of wine. After taking our order, we were given fresh-baked foccacia and semolina bread, along with a delicious olive tapenade. We even asked for a second serving of the tapenade. I started with the grilled baby octopus (5) served with fennel, bell peppers, green asparagus and citrus. The flavors of the citrus dressing went well with the octopus and vegetables. For my entrée, I had the pappardelle w/rabbit ragout. The dish was not overly rich, but I couldn’t finish it. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the rabbit quite tender. Tony had the selection of sliced
Italian cured meats (almost a meal in itself) followed by the excellent grilled skirt steak with sautéed spinach in garlic and olive oil. He also ordered a side dish of eggplant parmesan, which he said was the best he had in a restaurant. Other dishes that were served: Parma prosciutto over melon w/grilled dates wrapped in pancetta; a puff pastry purse with vegetables; Veal, raisin and amaretto filled ravioli; a roasted chicken with a combination of broccoli-rabe and spinach sautéed in garlic and olive oil. Three of us ordered desserts and we were served a small plate of various cookies. The desserts were small but the right size after an excellent meal. Our total bill came to about $325; however, $120 was spent on three bottles of wine. At first I thought the wine was very expensive; however, a glass of wine (and house wine for that matter) in NYC can range from $9 to $15, so dividing the $120, we averaged $8 per glass (five 5-ounce glasses to a bottle); and about $50 per person for the food. All in all, it was a wonderful evening in a great restaurant. I would recommend this place to those that want to dine post-theatre (only a 5 minute walk from the Shubert theatre) or anytime – just be sure to make reservations. I used this http://opentable.com/ web site for my reservations. 
After dinner and some night photography on Broadway, we grabbed a cab back to our hotel for the night. The taxi ride was slightly less expensive than our tickets on the subway (you can buy four for $7, rather than the $2 single tickets).
Monday, 12 May 2008: Rainy, cold, windy. What a miserable morning! We knew we would encounter not-so-perfect weather, so we decided to hit a couple of museums. After breakfast at Madison Restaurant (965 1st Ave, corner of E. 53rd, 212-421-0948, http://madison1.com/), which was recommended by the concierge at our hotel (good choice!), we took the subway up to 77th street and walked over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Monday, 12 May 2008: Rainy, cold, windy. What a miserable morning! We knew we would encounter not-so-perfect weather, so we decided to hit a couple of museums. After breakfast at Madison Restaurant (965 1st Ave, corner of E. 53rd, 212-421-0948, http://madison1.com/), which was recommended by the concierge at our hotel (good choice!), we took the subway up to 77th street and walked over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Upon arrival, we saw at least two dozen people standing outside the doorway. The museum was closed! None of us thought that any of the museums would be closed. It never crossed our minds to check the guidebook. The museums in D.C. are open every day. So, I pulled out my guidebook to see what was open. We selected the natural history museum, across central park. It was a 10-minute walk across the park. Kids were in their rain gear enjoying their day. Not us. It was cold! I also had one soaking wet sock. I found a small crack at the bottom of my shoe that allowed water to get in. I bought these shoes just a few months ago!
I think we all agreed we chose the wrong museum. There were screaming kids everywhere! And the layout of the museum just didn’t flow smoothly. I think we were getting tired of being cold and wet and disappointed in not getting into the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which we would have preferred. We did enjoy the planetarium – Tony said he fell asleep for a few minutes and Steve was ready for another go-around in the theatre so he could take a nap.
Deciding we had enough, we grabbed a cab back to the hotel. Kim was having foot problems and wanted to take a break. She did want to go to the Museum of Modern Art and Steve wanted to see the Dakota building, but we all agreed it was time for a break.
I had called fodorite friend ekscrunchy to join us for drinks and dinner, so Tony and I headed out to get another bottle of wine. It had stopped raining, so we took a long walk up 3rd avenue, over to 5th avenue, and down again, circling around the area back to the wine store on 54th. I loved seeing the window displays, including the Louis Vuitton store, and of course Tiffany’s. We noticed that the Trump name was removed above the door of the trump tower (not the bigger name above it) – has it been sold? We stopped by a fast-food soup place, which I enjoyed a small bowl of split pea soup and Tony had a vegetable/pasta soup. It was quite appropriate for this cold day.
Ekscrunchy arrived at our hotel at 5:30pm, as she lives near the hotel. Kim and Steve arrived shortly thereafter. We enjoyed the wine and conversation. Ekscrunchy didn’t want to join us for dinner, but we promised each other we would keep in touch via phone or email. She knows I’m going to China in October and has given good trip advice.
The four of us took a taxi down to 32nd street and walked over to Korea town for dinner. The taxi driver was driving as if he were in a Steve McQueen movie! What a ride! I had called Kum Gang San restaurant, which is a 24-hour establishment (49 West 32nd Street, 212-967-0909, http://www.kumgangsan.net/) while at breakfast to make reservations. We were seated upstairs. It was on the warm side due to the table grills and being on the upper level of the restaurant. There’s a large grotto along one wall with a white grand piano sitting on top. Strange.
The food was excellent. We started with a couple of appetizers, sushi and dumplings, along with the customary plates of Korean picked and marinated vegetables: mild and hot kimchee (the hot was tasted mild to Tony and me), bean sprouts, spinach, tofu, etc. The waitress grilled our bulgogi and kal bi beef, which we really enjoyed wrapping in lettuce leaves and sauce. For dessert, we were given a plate of watermelon and slices of oranges, which was quite refreshing.
Outside, it felt warmer than our wet and cold morning. We walked all the way up Broadway for dessert at Stage Deli – cheesecake!!! The four of us split one strawberry cheesecake. The menu states each slice serves 2-3 people but it was the right size for the four of us.
A short and fast! taxi ride, probably the brother of the previous driver, and we were back at the hotel in minutes. Tony and Steve had been taking turns paying so Steve took care of this one. Well, apparently he got ripped off and argued with the driver but the driver didn’t budget and Steve just decided the hell with it. Too bad, as I hate to see people get ripped off. (In Naples Italy last year, my friend Mike got ripped off but I dragged him back and demanded his money back, which I got).
One last drink in our room and it was time to say our goodbyes. Kim and Steve had a 9am flight to Vermont, so they were ready for bed.
Tuesday, 13 May 2008: I actually slept in a little this morning. I think I needed it after all of our walking. I opened the curtains to see a perfect blue-sky day! Too bad! I wish we had such a day on Monday. After getting ready and packing our bags, we headed to the lobby to check out and get our car. Valet parking was $45/day. I did find a garage a couple of blocks away but when we arrived on Saturday Tony decided to just have the hotel take care of the car.
Tony and I were hungry for a pastrami sandwich, so we drove over to 7th avenue after a few turns with the one-way streets. Right in front of the restaurant was an empty parking space, so I jumped out and did a take-out order. Back in the car in less than 5 minutes, we were on our way home. Once on the NJ turnpike, we stopped at a service/rest center and had our fabulous pastrami sandwich. The cooks certainly know how to pile on the meat. And they should for $13.95! We were also given two types of pickles. Yum! Great lunch and great ending to our trip to NYC.
Back at home (4pm), we got our dog Lucy from our neighbors. She was happy to see us, but we knew our neighbors took good care of her.
I’m looking forward to returning to NYC soon! I enjoyed the vibrancy of the city and even the honking noise of the drivers. With the exception of the surly waiters at Carnige Deli, I felt the people of NYC were quite welcoming. All of us enjoyed our meals, sightseeing and the theater. It was great spending time with Kim and Steve and I think they enjoyed our company too.
Well, that’s it! I’ll be getting my photos online tonight or tomorrow, so stay tuned!
Monica
PS: Photos are now online. Click Here.
I think we all agreed we chose the wrong museum. There were screaming kids everywhere! And the layout of the museum just didn’t flow smoothly. I think we were getting tired of being cold and wet and disappointed in not getting into the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which we would have preferred. We did enjoy the planetarium – Tony said he fell asleep for a few minutes and Steve was ready for another go-around in the theatre so he could take a nap.
Deciding we had enough, we grabbed a cab back to the hotel. Kim was having foot problems and wanted to take a break. She did want to go to the Museum of Modern Art and Steve wanted to see the Dakota building, but we all agreed it was time for a break.
I had called fodorite friend ekscrunchy to join us for drinks and dinner, so Tony and I headed out to get another bottle of wine. It had stopped raining, so we took a long walk up 3rd avenue, over to 5th avenue, and down again, circling around the area back to the wine store on 54th. I loved seeing the window displays, including the Louis Vuitton store, and of course Tiffany’s. We noticed that the Trump name was removed above the door of the trump tower (not the bigger name above it) – has it been sold? We stopped by a fast-food soup place, which I enjoyed a small bowl of split pea soup and Tony had a vegetable/pasta soup. It was quite appropriate for this cold day.
Ekscrunchy arrived at our hotel at 5:30pm, as she lives near the hotel. Kim and Steve arrived shortly thereafter. We enjoyed the wine and conversation. Ekscrunchy didn’t want to join us for dinner, but we promised each other we would keep in touch via phone or email. She knows I’m going to China in October and has given good trip advice.
The four of us took a taxi down to 32nd street and walked over to Korea town for dinner. The taxi driver was driving as if he were in a Steve McQueen movie! What a ride! I had called Kum Gang San restaurant, which is a 24-hour establishment (49 West 32nd Street, 212-967-0909, http://www.kumgangsan.net/) while at breakfast to make reservations. We were seated upstairs. It was on the warm side due to the table grills and being on the upper level of the restaurant. There’s a large grotto along one wall with a white grand piano sitting on top. Strange.
The food was excellent. We started with a couple of appetizers, sushi and dumplings, along with the customary plates of Korean picked and marinated vegetables: mild and hot kimchee (the hot was tasted mild to Tony and me), bean sprouts, spinach, tofu, etc. The waitress grilled our bulgogi and kal bi beef, which we really enjoyed wrapping in lettuce leaves and sauce. For dessert, we were given a plate of watermelon and slices of oranges, which was quite refreshing.
Outside, it felt warmer than our wet and cold morning. We walked all the way up Broadway for dessert at Stage Deli – cheesecake!!! The four of us split one strawberry cheesecake. The menu states each slice serves 2-3 people but it was the right size for the four of us.
A short and fast! taxi ride, probably the brother of the previous driver, and we were back at the hotel in minutes. Tony and Steve had been taking turns paying so Steve took care of this one. Well, apparently he got ripped off and argued with the driver but the driver didn’t budget and Steve just decided the hell with it. Too bad, as I hate to see people get ripped off. (In Naples Italy last year, my friend Mike got ripped off but I dragged him back and demanded his money back, which I got).
One last drink in our room and it was time to say our goodbyes. Kim and Steve had a 9am flight to Vermont, so they were ready for bed.
Tuesday, 13 May 2008: I actually slept in a little this morning. I think I needed it after all of our walking. I opened the curtains to see a perfect blue-sky day! Too bad! I wish we had such a day on Monday. After getting ready and packing our bags, we headed to the lobby to check out and get our car. Valet parking was $45/day. I did find a garage a couple of blocks away but when we arrived on Saturday Tony decided to just have the hotel take care of the car.
Tony and I were hungry for a pastrami sandwich, so we drove over to 7th avenue after a few turns with the one-way streets. Right in front of the restaurant was an empty parking space, so I jumped out and did a take-out order. Back in the car in less than 5 minutes, we were on our way home. Once on the NJ turnpike, we stopped at a service/rest center and had our fabulous pastrami sandwich. The cooks certainly know how to pile on the meat. And they should for $13.95! We were also given two types of pickles. Yum! Great lunch and great ending to our trip to NYC.
Back at home (4pm), we got our dog Lucy from our neighbors. She was happy to see us, but we knew our neighbors took good care of her.
I’m looking forward to returning to NYC soon! I enjoyed the vibrancy of the city and even the honking noise of the drivers. With the exception of the surly waiters at Carnige Deli, I felt the people of NYC were quite welcoming. All of us enjoyed our meals, sightseeing and the theater. It was great spending time with Kim and Steve and I think they enjoyed our company too.
Well, that’s it! I’ll be getting my photos online tonight or tomorrow, so stay tuned!
Monica
PS: Photos are now online. Click Here.
Monday, April 28, 2008
A Quick Trip to Bella Venezia!
Monday April 21, 2008: I received a phone call from Tony while at work stating he was going to Venice and that it would be a 2 night layover. I told him to check to see how many empty seats were on each flight while I ran over to my boss to ask him for the week off (I already had Friday scheduled off for Tony's 30th VMI reunion in Lexington, VA). Not a problem, so at lunchtime, I went home to get ready for the trip. I already had a carry-on bag packed and just needed to make sure I didn't miss something (which I found out later I did). Tony arranged for our neighbors to take care of Lucy and was charging my camera battery.
A short 2 hour, 15 minute drive to the Philadelphia airport, I was so excited to be going back to my favorite city! This would be my fifth trip to Venice. Check-in as a stand-by passenger was very easy. I purchased the business class upgrade for $100 for my flight home...just in case there were no available seats in coach class. When Tony checked online, there were 64 empty seats to Venice with 8 people listed and 10 seats on the return with 5 people listed.
The flight attendants were great! Kathy took charge of taking care of us non-revenue passengers, all of us traveling with a crew member. I actually slept on the flight, although just a couple of hours. I took 1/2 an ambien, which helped.
Tuesday April, 22 2008: Arriving in Venice, my plans to dive right into Venice, while Tony slept a few hours, changed. We arrived to a rainy day, so I headed to the hotel with Tony to nap. We met up with Chris, one of the flight attendants, at 3pm and headed out. I had met Chris years ago when Tony flew for the Trump Shuttle. The bus stop was about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Across the street is a "Pam" store, which I ran into to purchase a brush (one of the items I left at home). For some reason, we couldn't buy bus tickets - not at the tobacco shop or on the bus, so our round trip ride was free.
One of the many bridges in Venice
There is a new bridge being built crossing over the grand canal. Looks like it will be finished soon. It doesn't quite fit with the other 100+ bridges, as I found it a little too modern looking.
New bridge being built - near the bus station
Our afternoon and evening was spent wandering the narrow and colorful streets of Venice, crossing over the many bridges, window shopping, and taking lots of photos. I had brought my list of Venice restaurants, so we headed to La Zucca in the Santa Croce area to make dinner reservations for our first evening.
We also stopped for a drink at Cantina do Mori and drinks and cicchetti (chi-KET-tee), which are tapas-like food, at Ostaria dai Zemei. We had some baby octopus, artichoke hearts and eggplant with sundried tomatoes. Many of these bars have the cicchetti lined up and the customers just need to point to what they want.
It lightly rained off and on, but no matter the weather, it's always great to be in Venice. We made our way to the Rialto bridge where there was lots of activity going on. The market stalls were closed, but many tourists were purchasing their Venetian souvenirs.
We headed to Piazza San Marco, which was filled with tourists and of course, pigeons, and checked out the gondoliers (well, I did) along the water. Heading north, we passed by a favorite spot that my friend Beth and me love to photograph:
May 2006 
April 2008
Beth, our little "corner" in Venice has been plastered and re-painted! I liked it much better before it was painted. I'm a little heartbroken.
We made our way back to Santa Croce for dinner at La Zucca, meaning "pumpkin". Dinner was very good! We had a table just inside the restaurant, as it was too cold and damp to sit outside. The restaurant is very small, with three sets of tables in the front room and several more in the back room. The three of us shared a carpaccio salad. For dinner, I had rabbit with rice and mixed vegetables. Tony enjoyed a chicken and pork dish, which had a ginger-Asian flavor. Chris had vegetable lasagna. Not a typical Italian menu, and only written in Italian, it was a very good meal. We shared a carafe of red house wine.
My rabbit dish - delicious!
After dinner, we made reservations at Trattoria al Ponte, across the little canal from La Zucca. It was another restaurant on my list and Chris said she had enjoyed dining there before. A nice walk back to the bus station and back to our hotel. We had a round of drinks at the bar before bedtime.
Wednesday April 23, 2008: Tony and I headed out about 8:30am. Chris wasn't feeling well but said she would meet us later for dinner. It was a beautiful day! We walked towards the bus stop and purchased bus tickets in a store. Although the hotel was located in Mestre (on the mainland) it was easy to get to Venice and only a short 10-minute bus ride away.
We walked everywhere! It was too nice to be inside any museum, as Venice itself is a museum! A Chinese couple asked for directions to S. Marco, which I gave, but I'm sure they got lost along the way. Hopefully they saw the signs that are posted in various spots.
Winding our way through the streets, we eventually came to what I call the gondola parking lot. There were lots of tourists boarding their gondolas for their short 30-40 minute ride. Someday we'll splurge for a gondola ride.
For lunch, Tony and I ate at Trattoria al Vecio Canton (Ruga Giuffa, Castello), one of the best places for pizza. Without a good map, it can be hard to find. I had dined here several years ago and always wanted to come back for their thin, crusty pizza with fresh ingredients. I enjoyed their spinach and ricotta pizza, while Tony had one with mushrooms. We both agreed we should have split one pizza.
After lunch, we headed up to the Fondamenta Nove vaporetto stop so we could take a ride around Venice to the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore. We purchased a 12-hour vaporetto pass, which was expensive, but we felt we would use it a few times (and did). The church was built in the mid 1500's by Andrea Palladio. Tony sat outside resting his knees (he'll be having knee surgery this fall), while I went to the top if the tower to take some photographs. There was an elevator, which cost 3 euros. What great views of the city! People were coming and going and I took my fair share of photos.
Back on the vaporetto and 3 stops later, we were enjoying gelato at Nico's on Fondamenta de le Zattere. The place was crowded with people buying various flavors of gelato. I love the pistachio! We were able to grab a table to enjoy our dessert and people watch.
Tony wanted to find a particular bar that he went to a few months ago, so we headed across the Accademia bridge
and up towards the Rialto bridge. I think we spent 2 hours walking along the streets to find this bar. No luck at all! We were ready for a break, so we had drinks at Aquila Nera around the corner from cafeteria Bartolomeo's.
We chatted with a very nice couple who were on holiday from Australia. They had rented an apartment nearby and were enjoying their drinks before dinner.
It was time to head to dinner. While waiting for the vaporetto at the Rialto stop, I saw Annette, Ron, and their daughter in a gondola. Ron was one of the flight attendants and it was Annette's and her daughter's first visit to Venice. I snapped a few photos for them. Not paying attention, we got on the wrong vaporetto and had to backtrack one stop. We still made it to the restaurant and met up with Chris, who was feeling much better.
With Chris
Trattoria al Ponte is another small restaurant along a small canal and across from La Zucca. It was warm enough to sit outside for dinner and it was a delightful evening. Chris started with a vegetable soup while Tony and I shared an antipasto misto di salami, a plate of mixed meats. We also ordered a small plate of boiled octopus, which was quite tender and mild in flavor. For dinner, I had a meat-stuffed tortellini with a gorgonzola sauce and mixed grilled vegetables. Tony had a breaded cutlet with the same grilled vegetables. We shared a liter of red wine. For dessert we found a gelateria nearby. I enjoyed the Nocciola - hazelnut gelato. This was the first time I had gelato twice in one day!
While heading back to the bus station, I took some night photos. I didn't have a tripod with me, but I think I managed quite well.
Thursday April 24, 2008: Arrangements were made to have all us stand-by passenger travel together to the airport at 9am to checkin. We all made it in business class, while the coach section was full. What a treat that was! The service was great and so was the food, from a nice variety of hor'dourves to a delicious shrimp salad. And the flight attendants were generous with the wine and champagne. I "slept" with all three pilots, or they slept with me - at least that's what Tony's been saying. My seat was next to the one that is reserved for the pilots when they are ready for a break or nap.
It was a very smooth flight home, but not our ride home. We ran into the afternoon traffic and also found out that Rte 70 near Frederick was closed due to a large sinkhole. We ended up in Columbia for dinner to wait out the traffic. Our drive home and our stop for dinner took about 5 hours! Back at home, Lucy was happy to see us. Poor girl, we had to drop her back off at Angie's house since we were heading to Lexington the next day.
It was a whirlwind of a week, plus the weekend in Lexington VA for Tony's 30th VMI reunion. We had a great time with his college friends, but that's another story! I'm ready for Tony to have another 2-day trip!
Monica
PS: Here's a link to some of my Venice photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10583103@N03
Restaurants
La Zucca
San Giacomo dell'OrioSanta Croce 1762 - Venezia+39 041 52 41 570
Email: info@lazucca.it
http://www.lazucca.it/ita/index.asp?L=2
Opening time: 12:30pm - 2:30pm; 7:00 - 10:30pm; Closed Sunday
Vaporetto: No. 1 water bus to the San Stae stop; Head down on Slzda. S. Stae and turn right on Cle Tentor. Go 2 blocks and then make a quick left and quick right turn and the restaurant will be on the left just before the canal and bridge.
Trattoria al Vecio Canton
Ruga Giuffa, Castello, 4738/a Venezia Tel. 0415285176
info@alveciocanton.com
http://www.alveciocanton.com/eng/locale.htm
Closed Tuesdays
Trattoria al Ponte
Across from La Zucca
Ponte del Megio (Calle Larga), Santa Croce 1666
See directions to La Zucca, as this restaurant is across the canal
+39 041 7197 77
Closed Sundays
Gelateria Nico’s
Zattere
Located just down from the Zattere vaporetto stop or a 5-minute walk from the Accademia bridge
A short 2 hour, 15 minute drive to the Philadelphia airport, I was so excited to be going back to my favorite city! This would be my fifth trip to Venice. Check-in as a stand-by passenger was very easy. I purchased the business class upgrade for $100 for my flight home...just in case there were no available seats in coach class. When Tony checked online, there were 64 empty seats to Venice with 8 people listed and 10 seats on the return with 5 people listed.
The flight attendants were great! Kathy took charge of taking care of us non-revenue passengers, all of us traveling with a crew member. I actually slept on the flight, although just a couple of hours. I took 1/2 an ambien, which helped.
Tuesday April, 22 2008: Arriving in Venice, my plans to dive right into Venice, while Tony slept a few hours, changed. We arrived to a rainy day, so I headed to the hotel with Tony to nap. We met up with Chris, one of the flight attendants, at 3pm and headed out. I had met Chris years ago when Tony flew for the Trump Shuttle. The bus stop was about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Across the street is a "Pam" store, which I ran into to purchase a brush (one of the items I left at home). For some reason, we couldn't buy bus tickets - not at the tobacco shop or on the bus, so our round trip ride was free.
One of the many bridges in VeniceThere is a new bridge being built crossing over the grand canal. Looks like it will be finished soon. It doesn't quite fit with the other 100+ bridges, as I found it a little too modern looking.
New bridge being built - near the bus stationOur afternoon and evening was spent wandering the narrow and colorful streets of Venice, crossing over the many bridges, window shopping, and taking lots of photos. I had brought my list of Venice restaurants, so we headed to La Zucca in the Santa Croce area to make dinner reservations for our first evening.
We also stopped for a drink at Cantina do Mori and drinks and cicchetti (chi-KET-tee), which are tapas-like food, at Ostaria dai Zemei. We had some baby octopus, artichoke hearts and eggplant with sundried tomatoes. Many of these bars have the cicchetti lined up and the customers just need to point to what they want. It lightly rained off and on, but no matter the weather, it's always great to be in Venice. We made our way to the Rialto bridge where there was lots of activity going on. The market stalls were closed, but many tourists were purchasing their Venetian souvenirs.
We headed to Piazza San Marco, which was filled with tourists and of course, pigeons, and checked out the gondoliers (well, I did) along the water. Heading north, we passed by a favorite spot that my friend Beth and me love to photograph:
May 2006 
April 2008Beth, our little "corner" in Venice has been plastered and re-painted! I liked it much better before it was painted. I'm a little heartbroken.
We made our way back to Santa Croce for dinner at La Zucca, meaning "pumpkin". Dinner was very good! We had a table just inside the restaurant, as it was too cold and damp to sit outside. The restaurant is very small, with three sets of tables in the front room and several more in the back room. The three of us shared a carpaccio salad. For dinner, I had rabbit with rice and mixed vegetables. Tony enjoyed a chicken and pork dish, which had a ginger-Asian flavor. Chris had vegetable lasagna. Not a typical Italian menu, and only written in Italian, it was a very good meal. We shared a carafe of red house wine.
My rabbit dish - delicious!After dinner, we made reservations at Trattoria al Ponte, across the little canal from La Zucca. It was another restaurant on my list and Chris said she had enjoyed dining there before. A nice walk back to the bus station and back to our hotel. We had a round of drinks at the bar before bedtime.
Wednesday April 23, 2008: Tony and I headed out about 8:30am. Chris wasn't feeling well but said she would meet us later for dinner. It was a beautiful day! We walked towards the bus stop and purchased bus tickets in a store. Although the hotel was located in Mestre (on the mainland) it was easy to get to Venice and only a short 10-minute bus ride away.
We walked everywhere! It was too nice to be inside any museum, as Venice itself is a museum! A Chinese couple asked for directions to S. Marco, which I gave, but I'm sure they got lost along the way. Hopefully they saw the signs that are posted in various spots.
Winding our way through the streets, we eventually came to what I call the gondola parking lot. There were lots of tourists boarding their gondolas for their short 30-40 minute ride. Someday we'll splurge for a gondola ride.
For lunch, Tony and I ate at Trattoria al Vecio Canton (Ruga Giuffa, Castello), one of the best places for pizza. Without a good map, it can be hard to find. I had dined here several years ago and always wanted to come back for their thin, crusty pizza with fresh ingredients. I enjoyed their spinach and ricotta pizza, while Tony had one with mushrooms. We both agreed we should have split one pizza.
After lunch, we headed up to the Fondamenta Nove vaporetto stop so we could take a ride around Venice to the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore. We purchased a 12-hour vaporetto pass, which was expensive, but we felt we would use it a few times (and did). The church was built in the mid 1500's by Andrea Palladio. Tony sat outside resting his knees (he'll be having knee surgery this fall), while I went to the top if the tower to take some photographs. There was an elevator, which cost 3 euros. What great views of the city! People were coming and going and I took my fair share of photos.
Back on the vaporetto and 3 stops later, we were enjoying gelato at Nico's on Fondamenta de le Zattere. The place was crowded with people buying various flavors of gelato. I love the pistachio! We were able to grab a table to enjoy our dessert and people watch.
Tony wanted to find a particular bar that he went to a few months ago, so we headed across the Accademia bridge
and up towards the Rialto bridge. I think we spent 2 hours walking along the streets to find this bar. No luck at all! We were ready for a break, so we had drinks at Aquila Nera around the corner from cafeteria Bartolomeo's. We chatted with a very nice couple who were on holiday from Australia. They had rented an apartment nearby and were enjoying their drinks before dinner.
It was time to head to dinner. While waiting for the vaporetto at the Rialto stop, I saw Annette, Ron, and their daughter in a gondola. Ron was one of the flight attendants and it was Annette's and her daughter's first visit to Venice. I snapped a few photos for them. Not paying attention, we got on the wrong vaporetto and had to backtrack one stop. We still made it to the restaurant and met up with Chris, who was feeling much better.
With ChrisTrattoria al Ponte is another small restaurant along a small canal and across from La Zucca. It was warm enough to sit outside for dinner and it was a delightful evening. Chris started with a vegetable soup while Tony and I shared an antipasto misto di salami, a plate of mixed meats. We also ordered a small plate of boiled octopus, which was quite tender and mild in flavor. For dinner, I had a meat-stuffed tortellini with a gorgonzola sauce and mixed grilled vegetables. Tony had a breaded cutlet with the same grilled vegetables. We shared a liter of red wine. For dessert we found a gelateria nearby. I enjoyed the Nocciola - hazelnut gelato. This was the first time I had gelato twice in one day!
While heading back to the bus station, I took some night photos. I didn't have a tripod with me, but I think I managed quite well.
Thursday April 24, 2008: Arrangements were made to have all us stand-by passenger travel together to the airport at 9am to checkin. We all made it in business class, while the coach section was full. What a treat that was! The service was great and so was the food, from a nice variety of hor'dourves to a delicious shrimp salad. And the flight attendants were generous with the wine and champagne. I "slept" with all three pilots, or they slept with me - at least that's what Tony's been saying. My seat was next to the one that is reserved for the pilots when they are ready for a break or nap.
It was a very smooth flight home, but not our ride home. We ran into the afternoon traffic and also found out that Rte 70 near Frederick was closed due to a large sinkhole. We ended up in Columbia for dinner to wait out the traffic. Our drive home and our stop for dinner took about 5 hours! Back at home, Lucy was happy to see us. Poor girl, we had to drop her back off at Angie's house since we were heading to Lexington the next day.
It was a whirlwind of a week, plus the weekend in Lexington VA for Tony's 30th VMI reunion. We had a great time with his college friends, but that's another story! I'm ready for Tony to have another 2-day trip!
Monica
PS: Here's a link to some of my Venice photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10583103@N03
Restaurants
La Zucca
San Giacomo dell'OrioSanta Croce 1762 - Venezia+39 041 52 41 570
Email: info@lazucca.it
http://www.lazucca.it/ita/index.asp?L=2
Opening time: 12:30pm - 2:30pm; 7:00 - 10:30pm; Closed Sunday
Vaporetto: No. 1 water bus to the San Stae stop; Head down on Slzda. S. Stae and turn right on Cle Tentor. Go 2 blocks and then make a quick left and quick right turn and the restaurant will be on the left just before the canal and bridge.
Trattoria al Vecio Canton
Ruga Giuffa, Castello, 4738/a Venezia Tel. 0415285176
info@alveciocanton.com
http://www.alveciocanton.com/eng/locale.htm
Closed Tuesdays
Trattoria al Ponte
Across from La Zucca
Ponte del Megio (Calle Larga), Santa Croce 1666
See directions to La Zucca, as this restaurant is across the canal
+39 041 7197 77
Closed Sundays
Gelateria Nico’s
Zattere
Located just down from the Zattere vaporetto stop or a 5-minute walk from the Accademia bridge
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Favorite Travel Quotes:
The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page ~St. Augustine
I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine. ~Caskie Stinnett
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ~Confucius
Experience, travel - these are as education in themselves ~ Euripides
Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind. ~Seneca
I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself. ~James Baldwin
I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train. ~Oscar Wilde
I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them. ~Mark Twain
I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine. ~Caskie Stinnett
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ~Confucius
Experience, travel - these are as education in themselves ~ Euripides
Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind. ~Seneca
I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself. ~James Baldwin
I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train. ~Oscar Wilde
I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them. ~Mark Twain
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Photos from Today: Bradford Pear Trees
These are bradford pear trees in my front yard. Today was such a beautiful sunny and warm day. It hit in the high 70s! Tomorrow we're back to cooler weather.
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