Another tour around Central Park

Before leaving New York, we had about an hour and a half to spare.  Not sure what to do within that short span of time, we decided to just head back to Central Park and spend the rest of the sunny afternoon there.  I was really tempted to take the horse ride around the Park (just like in the movies) BUT I knew that it probably ain’t as romantic as it looked.

While heading towards the park, we got stopped by a guy who urged us to take a tour around the Park on his set of wheels.  It was a slow day so he offered us a discount for a 45minute ride with commentary on Central Park.  Well, we decided since we were tourists in the City, we might as well pay the fee and hop on.

Here were some of the sights that I captured around the Park:

A lovely finale to the end of our New York – Boston holiday!

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New York Food Rave #6: Jean-Georges

I had meant to make us dinner reservations at Nougatine (thanks to recommendation from R over at {girl on the ave}) but ended up making lunch reservations at Jean-Georges instead because I thought the sister restaurant was closed during lunch.  Silly me (face palm*)! Nevertheless, I was pleased to have stumble upon this gem which was the perfect ending to mark the closure of our New York – Boston vacation.

The lunch menu comprised of 2 courses that you could select and priced at US$38, what more can one ask for dining at this 3 Michelin star restaurant.  I’d say definitely a STEAL for this lunch course.

And it didn’t disappoint us.  The Amuse Bouche was a fresh prawn carpaccio topped with sweet honeydew and served with a side of chilled green pea soup.

The problem about not blogging immediately after eating all this delish food is that you tend to forget what you ate, which is the very case that is happening to me now.  Looking at the above pic does not jog the memory at all.  I completely forgot what the Man ordered as his first dish.  Was it the fried goat’s cheese?  Honestly I have no idea but I’m putting the pic down anyway for it looked and it was pretty darn good as well.

As for my starter, I went for the Hamachi Sashimi, Avocado, Yuzu and Radish.  It sorta was a no-brainer for me for I simply love anything with Yuzu in it.

Starter No. 2 that the Man ordered – Goat Cheese Gnocchi, Caramelized Artichokes, Lemon and Olive Oil.  Thank goodness we shared for having to finish this on your own would be too challenging for the Goat Cheese was simply too much.

The Man’s Wagyu Beef Tenderloin with Crunchy Beignets.  Juicy and tender – a winner in his books.

I honestly thought my main was better – Crispy Confit of Suckling Pig, Truffled Mash Potato and Smoked Bacon Marmalade.  One word – Heaven!  Okay if I could use two words to describe this?  It would be Absolutely Heavenly!

Don’t give Jean-Georges a miss if you are heading to the City!  The lunch menu is definitely worth a bang for your buck.

Jean-Georges

Address: One Central Park West, New York, New York 10023

Telephone: +212 299 3900

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New York Food Rave #5: Crack Pie

R from {girl on the ave} kindly shared her list of must-eats in New York.  Amongst the many recommendations in this superb Excel spreadsheet that she has created, I knew I couldn’t give the crack pie from momofuku milk bar a miss!  I remembered reading her post and wondered just how good pie (other than key-lime pie) can be.

And if I can quote R, it would be ‘this crack pie is crazy good!‘.  I’ve never been a huge pie fan but the crack pie was seriously that good.  It’s a little sweet and normally I can’t stomach too sweet stuff at one go (for I get crazy guilty after that) but as I sat down and started nibbling on the pie, I was surprised that I could finish this on my own.

This probably explains why I have to be doing my Power Plates class diligently 4-5 times a week now.  Le sigh..

Don’t give this a miss if you are ever in New York and have a sweet tooth. It may taste super-duper sweet on the first bite but give it a couple more bites – you’ll be hooked!

P.S:  Just leave the guilt behind.

milk bar midtown
everyday 8 am – 11 pm
15 w 56th st
new york, ny 10019
between 5th and 6th avenues

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New York Rave: (Power) Shopping

It’s no secret that I love to shop.  So, in New York, one of the highlights of the trip was joining a group of our friends to the Premium Outlets at Woodbury Common.  I mean who could resist shopping for bargains?  I most definitely couldn’t.  Friends rented a car so I joined them on the journey up to Woodbury Common.

We were supposed to spend the entire day there but I had to rush back to the City to join the Man for dinner with his boss.  Never mind, power-shopping it is then.  So when we arrived at Woodbury Common at about 9.45am.  I got myself a cup of coffee and armed myself with the map, I started circling the stores that I wanted to hit.  No time to waste on browsing and window-shopping for each shop that I enter to has a goal in mind – purchase or just walk out empty-handed.

There were buses going back to the City almost every hour but because I couldn’t afford to be late for the dinner, I decided to play it safe and head back to the City at about 2pm in case ‘Murphy’ decides to play a cruel trick on me and mess up my timing with bad traffic.

Pleased to say, some 4 hours later, this is my fruitful haul!

I think I did pretty darn well given only 4 hours in one of the biggest factory outlets in the US.  A girlfriend recently returned from her NY trip as well and she spent 2 whole days at Woodbury Common.  (Major envy, of course!!!)  But arh well, I hope that there will always be a next time then.  *Fingers crossed!*

Times Square

If you want to get in on a piece of action, I guess there’s no other place in New York quite like Times Square especially when dark falls.  There always seem to be loads of people at every corner that I happen to wander into.

And despite being pushed by people if you don’t walk on fast enough, I kinda enjoy the vibe that Times Square brings.

We even got to catch a Broadway muscial – Priscilla Queen of the Desert!  Tickets were purchased on the day itself at a discounted price.  The mom and sister helped to get the tickets.  Click here for more infor on how and where to purchase the discounted tickets for Broadway shows.

Cupcakes craving

Thanks to the popularity of the Sex and the City series, I see plenty of cupcakeries this trip in New York and Boston.  Aside from Magnolia Bakery, the sister saw the Crumbs Bake Shop and wanted to get some to try.

I obviously got really distracted while waiting in line with the sister to place our orders of cupcakes.  Everything looks so delicious but also extremely sweet. I also hate having to make a choice when pressured so I ended up not ordering any for I probably could pinch some off the ones that my sis were going to order anyway.

Mom couldn’t make up her mind as well but eventually decided on a Coffee-flavoured cupcake while the sis went the classic Red Velvet cupcake.  She couldn’t wait to try them and we stood by the road-side along Times Square digging into her Red Velvet cupcake.  A bite was all it took for her to proclaim that the cupcake was too sweet and the ones from Magnolia Bakery were much better.  So I decided to save the calories and forgo trying these cupcakes.

What’s your take on the cupcakes boom in the US?  Or what are some of the brands that you tried and will simply keep going back for more?

Crusin’ around Manhattan

There’s so much to do in New York, I’m glad that our trip was slightly longer and that I got to do more around the city.  Even having said that I felt like I didn’t cover a lot of ground.  I guess if you are strapped for time and want to pack the most out of your time in the city, I suggest that you consider taking this 3 hour leisurely cruise around Manhattan.  This was exactly what I did one afternoon with my mom and sis.  We thought we’d just take it easy and enjoy the main attractions from the comfort of our seats as the boat sailed around Manhattan.

I felt like my trip wouldn’t be complete if I missed out a chance to see the amazing Statue of Liberty.  I didn’t want to make a day trip out to visit her so I was rather contented taking shots of her from afar as our boat cruised by.

The Brooklyn Bridge – one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States.  Loved the snapshot I took as our boat sailed past this magnificent structure.

The Manhattan Bridge – another suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn.

Fooling around with the camera.  Never really paid close attention but check out how smooth my mom and sis’s complexion are.  Camera trick?

We rather enjoyed the guided tour for our guide provided commentary as we sailed along these breath-taking sights and brought fascinating history to life.  On the flip-side, our guide’s voice got rather quiet and monotonous towards the end of the cruise that our eyelids felt heavy and we fell asleep momentarily before sailing back to the City.

You could book this tour through Viator or Circle Line Sightseeing at 42 Street.