Well, my friends, it's been three months since I started working, so I decided to celebrate by... going to New York! Okay, not really to celebrate. More like, to explore this crazy city by myself, visit my aunt and cousin who live there, spend way too much money, and use up a Southwest voucher from last year when I got stuck at the SFO airport overnight.
(And yes, I did get called out for being a slacker for taking a vacation already).
I think the last time I was in New York was more than 10 years ago, back when I had no money and had to do touristy things with my parents. Overall feel this time: very walkable with easily accessible... everything. But it did feel way too fast paced for me. Either I'm just a true laid back southern Californian, or I'm getting old and cranky. In any case, the last time I feared for my life while defying every traffic law was in Rome, and even that was nothing like what I experienced. Signal lights? Traffic lights? What are those? Still, it was fun to live the New Yorker life for a week.
In summary: really nice strangers, awesome weather, jaywalking everywhere, running around honking taxis, eavesdropping on French tourists, Phantom of the Opera round 2, watching fights on the subway, visiting a rich family's house in the upper East Side and meeting Taylor Swift's dog's brother, meeting my cousin's cool church friends, accidentally getting off at a sketchy stop in Harlem, and watching a totally underwhelming yet expensive opera.
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| I shared half of that lox sandwich with a homeless guy and awkwardly ate lunch with him. No words were exchanged. |
Of course I had to stop by Dominique Ansel's bakery to get one of their (in)famous Cronuts. Instead of going before 7am like the website suggested, I arrived around 7:30 and managed to purchase one around 9. As for the actual pastry, it was... a bit disappointing. Maybe my expectations were too high. I was expecting something like a soft donut, but the Cronut was literally a deep fried croissant covered in sugar so it had the hard crunchy texture of something deep fried. I also felt like the filling was a bit too sweet, but I did enjoy the strawberry rhubarb flavor. I'm also really glad I didn't go in March, when the flavor was matcha pineapple...
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| Kind of pricey, very large, a bit too sweet, not greasy, and definitely pretty. |
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| A bit of San Diego from the High Line! |
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| One of the many cool eateries in Chelsea Market. |
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| Bryant Park and some Cuban grilled corn. |
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| I enjoyed these donuts much more (left: blueberry, right: peanut butter and strawberry jam). |
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| Shamelessly paid $2 for the Met... |
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| Crepe cake and walnut cake at Lady M. Very light. |
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| Barbecue in Brooklyn. Too bad it cost me $65... T_T |
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| There was an almost naked man sunbathing around this area. Thankfully he is not in this picture. |
