This is my first and only rest day in my holiday.
Why my first ? coz I have been moving around so much for the last 1 week.
why my last ? Coz I got couple more of places to cover before I leave states
Before I do my review....let's begin with this famous statement :
yeah..... it is :
I LOVE NEW YORK !!!!!!!!
argh ! there you go...I say it out loud !!
jadi waktu gua mendarat last week and during my previous update.... I have not heart New York for the following reason :
1. The weather was so unpredictable. Rain, wind, then hot and sunny..and then chill at nite...I don noe..most prob ly...gua shock sama cuaca when I landed..
2. aje gileee....the miles that I walk in New York .... puarah.....gua rasa gua jg agak shock sama the amount of walking
3. you've heard... subway nya ga sebersih singapore or semodern the one in china or japan.. it's an old city
4. bau rokoknya....astagaaa... rokok seems like makanan pokok disana....
kl summer sebau apa coba ?
and yah..many more.. yg pasti it's because gua belon jalanin New York, belon terlalu familiar with the subway ..and ...yah etc....
which make me sempet wondering : kenapa coba there's so much I love New York T shirt when it's not that fantastic ?
when.....then..... I walked New York for a week....and I felt ssssoooo soooo heavy hearted when I have to leave it..
for the following reason :
1. It is the closest city that can give me our homey (singapore---> erm..yah...singapore is half my home) feeling.
I went LA, SF, Seattle, Chicago last year....all shops and stores closed at 9 PM mostly ? Not in Times Square !! Gua shop close to 10 past...and all the shops are still alive !! Rame...just like in sg..I can see ppl ....alive... hee hee
Also....They have : Ippudo ! hahahaha ..which I did not manage to eat coz of the queue... got to wait for one and a half hour to get seats. Mad.
But...I ate : the best Khong Bak bao in my entire life here in Ippudo New York. Which is super expensive too --> USD 4 ...astaga :P.... cuman enaknya....woh :)
2. It's the city where subway is the way. Just like the way I love to travel in SG ...by train :) I took MRT in sg, I took MTA in NY:)
Sebelon gua berangkat...banyak review dari friends who have been here that says that the subway system is not that easy, making me so scarred coz I'll be moving all alone...
So I do ALOT of studies on how to go by around.sampe2 minta tolong Widiya print out subway map nya....and waktu gua masih di SG...gua lemes aja coz I simply couldnt get it.... I cant understand
However: let me just say this : Thank God for English !!! Train system nya become friendly and learn-able for me... Kl di Jepang, or Hongkong, or Korea---> gua nyerah deh.
Tapi ini teh USA and all the subs explanation are in English .... YEAH !! I survive !! hee hee hee :) For those coming here : trust me : the Metro is reliable, good ... I never saw sardencis moment di Metro nya New York ....ga kaya di SG yg mana manusia digempet di train kaya ayam di kandang...not in NY.... sepadet padetnya even during rush office hour..there will always be some space
well..it's not that clean and new like singapore..but it's reliable...and CHEAP !! (for USA) ha ha ha :)
3. Gua jg denger review that ppl are not friendly here... well emang ga bisa dibandingin sama Seattle where people are just drop dead so friendly.... but overall....it's nothing like Asia. Dot.
Banyak orang gila disini....gila as in..they are just so ignorantly crazy...bukan gila cacat mental.. There's so many ppl dressing up for no good reason.. dancing in the middle of times square....
ppl are just so ignorant...that makes u feel like u can getaway doing anything....even if that's something that makes you...in chinese : diu lian : buang muka :) hahaha :)
4. for the rumour that says that crime rate is high in NY...well gua belon idup sana to proof that...tp at least I can see NYPD eeevvveerrrrryyywhere..
udah kayak CCTV..mana2 polisi semua...esp times square. Mereka keep patrolling around.
off course..jauhi daerah2 tertentu emang....gua jg cuman muterin manhattan doang...coz gua udah diwanti wanti jangan naek ke atas...belok terlalu jauh ke bawah....and stuff....so if you stay around Manhattan only...it's enough and it's safe:) there's so much to see around Manhattan itself anyway
Even so, 1 minggu di Manhattan dengan kekuatan dan kecepetan jalan gua....masih ga cukup to enjoy New York....
5. for all the tall skyline and the building structure in Manhattan. It's like almost every building are tall ....padahal some are just rumahan normal..bukan apartment ... and some are storey houses
and then when you see them at night from Empire state or Top of the rock.....hmm ... nothing tops this :) It's ...soooo sooo bright and beautiful.... Esp when you have to fight the chill of 4 celcius and strong wind on some 80th floor to take the picture of Manhattan's beauty... huah .... that's some serious effort and struggle man :P gua perang di atas :) hehehe :) give you the pics later :)
6. NY is the Financial capital of the world, still so till today ... right ? And I work in this area... so it really feels like as if I'm home....in my subject ...or probably seeing the live things of what I mostly only see in TV :)
I saw : Dow Jones building, NYSE, I walked Wall street, visited the World Financial Centre....well...just so homey...
hah....for all that reason...and many more ..I love New York !!
In brief...here's how I walk New York in 5 days :
Sunday Nov 7
Jalan2 sama Fei ke Times Square, Central Park --> lg ada marathon kelilingin Central Park yg btw : gede beeng --> sepatu boots gua kebelah sodara sodara...for the cruelty of New York roads
Then we go to upper east side yg emang keliatan upper class :p
Fei selalu bilangin: try to look at your surrounding of the people when you walk from street to street...liat the way they dress up, tipe orang orangnya, the colours that create New York :)
Dari upper east, kita ke Bryan Park, where there's a skating rink sponsored by.....who else ?
CITI :P... namanya Citipond :P heh..cannot runaway
Then we have dinner sama a Fei's Asian friends that consist Taiwanese, Malaysians, Indonesians off course and one bule, di Korean Town.
Monday Nov 8
Initial plan : gua mau ke Wall street. However, the weather is SO not friendly !!
Each morning gua struggle to get out from home although gua bangun pagi en cepet....becoz to go to train station itu jauhnya kayak dari office gua ke boat quay...ditemenin tiupan angin yg bikin rambut gua yg masih basah en dingin naek 90 derajat ke atas, and the fact that I got to push myself against the wind to reach train station.
En..this day is the worst weather that I had while I was in NY.... why ? coz : UJAN !! Angin ketemu ujan yah gimana gitu ? Payung gua udah jadi mangkok shape semua .... ujannya jg udah ga berasa turun ke body ....udah kaya air bergerak dari segala arah aja...bukan dari atas doang... so no point of holding umbrella..
Jadi..gua change plan : museum is a better option. Cari yg indoor2 aja deh..
Nah gara2 weather...by the time gua sampe museum itu udah siang bener..coz gua tunggu ujan reda dikit... sampe museum udah jam 12 siang...
American Museum of Natural History: Gua kejar beresin in 4 hours. Cuapek....although hati senang.....never saw a museum that's so informative and amazing..
kl dulu kita belajar sejarah or biologi disini...it will be SO much more interesting...en mungkin gua masuk IPA --> hahah masih ga puas sampe hr ini masuk sos
Selesai sana..gua makan Steak anjuran Jojo yg ada di guide book Dian jg : Del Frisco. Crab cakes nya...OMG !!!!! liat foto.... SO great !!
Lanjut : gua ke Empire state building, brave the wind and rain...fight for a good pic..
Jam 9 gua sampe rumah....langsung tidur....tewas kecapean lawan angin en kebanyakan jalan di museum
Day 3 Tuesday Nov 9
Sekali lagi ...rencana awal gua mau ke Wall street...tp entah kenapa sekali lagi jg gua jadi end up ke Metropolitan Museum of Art....which I have to say ....it is SSSSSOOOOOO GREAT !!!! o m g.....it's the best museum I've seen..and if I have to back again....I 1000% will.
Konon kata Dian, di museum ini ada bagian yg masuk Wall Street movie yg ke dua, tapi gua ga tau yg mana :P hahaha :) All so great :) sadly .... camera gua k.o... batere abis... hur hur hur....
but : thank God for bie-phone :) saves my day :)
karena batere abis..gua udah ga bisa kemana mana yg perlu difoto...so I decide to go Soho...shopping....ketemu sm Fei... makan di sekitar sana..
That's when kita ke Ippudo en makan si Khong Ba Bao 4 dollar yg UENAK:)
Day 4 Wed Nov 10
Hari Pahlawan !! Konon Obama dateng ke UI ? yeah..dia ke UI..gua ke woodburry ...outlet..shopping :P Sekali lagi gua mau ke wall street tadinya....tapi sekali lagi jg ga kesampean...hahaha :P
Not recommended buat balik ke outlet yg satu ini...I dont get much stuff... kecuali sepasang boot penolong yg harus gua beli kalo ga..kaki gua udah ga bisa jalan that very moment and the next next day...langsung gua pake si boot ga malu malu :P
benernya pagi itu sekali lagi gua bangun pagi..tapi gua harus urut2 kaki for half an hour becoz...kaki kiri gua ga bisa jalan napak..sakit... gilee yah New York ?
Bukan cuman kaki ..benernya badan gua udah kayak abis pemanasan sama David swt tiap hari...sekujur badan pegel tiap bangun ... astaga...
karena gua ga dapet banyak shoppingnya (sementara gua liat segabruk tante2 en om om pada bawa koper kosong and balik koper penuh semua....gilaaaa dah...belanjaan dia orang seh...scarrrryyy) gua decide buat buru2 balik ke NY (woodburry sekitar 1 jam keluar NY) at walk times square at night ... and there I fell in love to times square :)
Day 5 Thursday Nov 11
Last day...hux hux hux... !!!
Berbekal new boots....gua berangkat as early as I can to walk Manhattan down town...where all the financial buildings are...
1st stop : Starbucks : toffee mocha.
Next stop: Brooklyn Bridge ....walk half way till the middle part of it ..and then go
Then walk all the way to wall street....New York Stock Exchange....to Batterrey Park..
lanjut naek ferry ke Miss Liberty : pertama kalinya gua say Hi sama dia after 4 days in New York...ga sopan yah gua ? hee hee :P
Terus gua mo cari si kerbonya merryl lynch ... yah ampun...nyasar sampe ke ujung mana tau....
kaki gua udah mo patah...en Iphone map ga nolong banget this time..
giliran gua ketemu si Bull en foto...terus gua ambil paper map gua yg gretongan dr hotel...tertulis jelas di map si hotel itu... charging bull statue.... yg notabene deket banget sama liberty ....aaarrrgggh....
anyway...gua lanjut ke Rockerfeller Centre. Home of NBC, and 30 Rock, and the tonight show with Jimmy Fallon....
Go up the observation deck and enjoy the night skyline of Manhattan once again for the last time...
Lalu : here's the best part.
When I updated my status in facebook, some long lost friend from NUS yg udah ga gua ketemuin for 7 years, yg tadinya gua rencana mo cari dia en contact buat numpang di tempat dia dia di NY....saw my update...
padahal dia jarang banget buka facebook....thanks to Iphone, dia ga ada kerjaan di bus stop, she opened FB and saw my status....then she contacted me...
I called her on Wednesday..en kita janjian ketemu malem itu...
Kebetulan lagi Fei bisa join kita...(Gua tinggal di tempat Fei)....so 3 of us meet in Soho..
Finally...ketemu jg gua sama si Julia ketekkkkkk (panggilan sayang)...and the first thing she say when she saw me : ketekkkk !!!!!!! hahahhaha :)
this is ....by far.... the best gift I brought home to Singapore....
all her updates on her relationship....all our gossips....and finally...a contact with her :) I'm so going back to NY to stay at her place again:)
en gua seneng banget bisa ketemuin si Fei and Jul together...coz they both in NY...si Julia jarang Asian frens anyway...si Fei banyak...si Jul banyak bule friends...si Fei demen...and they both really lovin NY like mad....they converse well together... huah:) like Jackpot !!
Cheers for my best last night in Manhattan...
and ....that's it...
my very short trip to NY (centralised in Manhattan only)
I still have not got enough of Magnolia cupcakes or other cupcakes yg konon kata Julia...taste much better than Magnolia.... I have not gone to some Museum.. have not visit Little Italy, China town, or Dumbo.... have not walk around Central Park
no.... I have not had enough of New York...
the saddest part...I have not gotten to meet Rachel yg konon punya some hidden secret place to take a beautiful picture from NYU, that tourist would not know....
so... New York I love you...and I will be back :)
Oh : some tips when u are coming here :
1. Take subs to Manhattan...it's safe and cheap en clean (the one to manhattan). Do your homework to learn about it before you fly here...and u'll be good to reach your destination.
2. If you have smart phone....and you travel alone pls do spend some money on buying prepaid card with internet access. Gua beli sekitar total 73 dollar for a month......that gives me 500 minutes of talk time and unlimited SMS (local USA) plus internet access yg emang ga 3G power, tapi comparable sama kecepatan 3Gs starhub SG ---> see how sucky SH is ? haih
Anyway It helps me alot ...my Iphone.. Gua cuman berbekal Iphone Map and one more Map, minta dari Hotel lobby gratisan to walk my five days.
3. Depending on you, but I dont really plan my itinerarry...
Gua pengen plan dari Singapore ....want to have some fix one...tapi entah kenapa gagal terus...en nyerah gua...
so what I do is I list down the place that I have to visit when I'm there, in random order, and then walk my day there judging by: weather, what time do I get off from home, what does my foot strength say for that day.
Coz : weather is something that;s totally unpredicted there. Terus jg seberapa pagi kita keluar dari tempat tinggal, that determines everything.
And then, when I have visited the place, I strike down my list ;) that way...it makes me happy :)....terus tempat yg bln gua cover...gua plan lagi the next day on how to finish my list...
Maybe jg gara gara gua on holiday mood, gua ga mo dikejar2 apapun...I just want to enjoy.....
Although: I have to say....for total holiday relaxation : do not go to NY !! It's only a place for ppl to feel that their days are filled with soooo much activity and that time fly so fast and still there's so much things to see, where there's a lot of good food --> even that's just street food hot dog
In a way : it's a bit like Hongkong with friendlier ppl and language :) haa haa
For total greeneries....relaxation, watching American TV shows: go Seattle :)
4. As NY is 12 hours apart from SG or Jkt... I suggest everyone to just sleep once you've landed. Get the longest sleep you can. Drink hot tea or hot water before you sleep.. then you can get off your jet lag.
Gua emang ga gitu jet lag -an orangnya ... tapi this time around... at least I get used to USA time better than last year :)
Bring Pocari Sweat !! that's a must !!
5. Pack light : even during winter. Ulang en tumpuk aja bajunya :) heee hee hee :) Tapi yg essential tetep harus : gloves, scarf (yg anget !!)
btw pada tau magic shawl yg bulu bulu yg dijual di SG di push cart yg bisa dimacem macemin itu kan ? Nah...that shawl is GOOD enough:) really really :) beli itu deh....bisa bawa balik SG btw... some NY-ker commented on my scarf that they love it :P ahhahah :)
yah...sgitu dulu tips from my trip ....
For Vegas part...I'll update next time :)
bombie {=^o^=}
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