Browse Author: beakatude

steak and cheese

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We visited Dayantha in Philadelphia this Easter weekend. On Saturday morning, we left the house at 8 am to catch the subway to Penn Station. I didn’t realize it until we got there but Penn Station is just below Madison Square Garden. How cool! Anyway, the New Jersey Transit is a pretty economical way to travel. You can get a one-way ticket to Philly for $18.50 versus $45 on Amtrak. The ticket machines are very convenient and the trains are very punctual. The train seats are adequate but they seem to squish quite a few rows in each train car. Our train ride included quite a number of stops and we were a little delayed because we had to go a little slower for a disabled train up ahead. I didn’t think it would make much of a difference but I was wrong. When we arrived in Trenton, our next train was right in front of us but left without us. We got there too late. We literally missed it by a minute. As a result, we had to sit around in Trenton for another hour. *sigh*

We arrived in Philly at 1:33 pm and Dayantha was there to pick us up at the station. We went straight to Pat’s for some cheese steak sandwiches. There was a long line and Geno’s across the way had an equally long line. These people are really serious about their cheese steaks. The sandwich and fries were really tasty. We tried the cheeze whiz kind and one with provolone. I prefer the latter but we had to try the original whiz-style.

We later checked out Dayantha’s new loft. It’s really spacious and has a whole wall of windows that lets in a lot of natural light. Along with seeing Dayantha’s new home, we also met Christine for the first time. It sounds like they’ve been going out for a few months now. They seem pretty happy together.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which is also known for the “Rocky steps” out front. And of course there were plenty of people running up the steps and punching the air. It’s quite silly if you ask me. The museum was actually pretty cool. There was a variety of exhibits including photographs and “art on paper”, arms and armory, and European Art (Matisse, Monet, Degas, etc).

Dinner was at Melograno, a small restaurant that allows you to BYOB. The food was great and the scene was fun and festive. The night ended at Fuji Mountain for some karaoke. What a day!

hustle and bustle

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We were in Manhattan on Friday. We started on the subway with some wedding gifts that Jason needed to return. It was a little awkward since one of the items was a big wall-mounted candle holder that was already difficult to carry and now we were boarding the subway with it. So the first stop was the Bed Bath & Beyond. Once that was taken care of, we had lunch at Republic, which is a fusion noodle place in Union Square. The ambience was very cool and the food was decent but more for a yuppy whitey crowd.

Right outside of the restaurant was the Farmers’ Market. We picked up some hot apple cider and walked around a bit. There was a guy who was standing on the corner sketching the scenery with a magic marker and I really liked his style. So as I passed him, I gave him a compliment with a thumbs up. About 10 paces past him, he called me back and offered one of his drawings (a copy) and said that he was giving these away for a small donation. I nodded and Jes handed him the change in his pocket and we were on our way. Some may say that I got conned but I felt it was actually worth the 75 cents. His style caught my attention, he was very professional (having a flyer with his email address), and he was very courteous/humble with his sales pitch. After taking my painting class I definitely have a higher sense of appreciation for things that are created by hand.

Afterwards we took the C Train up to the Museum of Natural History. It was really big and really crowded. There were a variety of exhibits including a big dinosaur display in the entrance, a butterfly conservatory, animal replicas in glass displays, and different cultural tools and clothing. The best part of it all was that we got in free, thanks to Jason’s friend who met up with us.

In the evening, we met up with Jia in Times Square where she was studying. They went to Good Friday service while Jes and I explored the rest of Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and Fifth Ave. We visited the Peninsula Hotel and had drinks at the Top Bar. It had a nice view but the drinks were really pricey. Dinner was at Golden Chicken & Ribs (on Ninth & W. 41st), a hole-in-the-wall that makes a mean grilled chicken.

Here are photos from Friday.

Queens and Flushing

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This afternoon we explored Queens and Flushing. It started with some $2 pizza at Rizzo’s (just minutes from Jason’s place on Steinway between 30th and 31st). The pizza was yummy, the garlic twists were tasty, and the guys working there were really friendly. In fact, the guy at the counter gave us a free slice of pizza and my fruit punch was also on the house. When I asked if I could take photos of their pizza, he let me go behind the counter so I didn’t have to take the photos through the glass. How cool was that?! We’re definitely going to have to go back one more time before we leave.

Then we hopped on the R Train and headed east. Transferred onto the 7 Train and headed northeast. We stopped at Shea Stadium for a stroll down Flushing Meadows. We got to see Shea Stadium where the NY Mets play and Arthur Ashe Stadium where the U.S. Open Tennis Championships take place each year. The park was big and scenic but the weather was cold with gusts of 10 mph. We walked over to the Unisphere, which is basically a gigantic metal globe that was built for The World’s Fair a long time ago. I recognize it more for being the backdrop of the last fight scene in the Men In Black 2 movie. **Correction: It’s MIB1**

After that, we got back onto the 7 Train and got off in Flushing. It’s best known for being a big Chinatown. It was bustling with lots of Chinese immigrants running a variety of shops and restauarants and many of them didn’t speak English very well. We tried the 75-cent Peking Duck, watched the noodle guy hand-pull noodles that we later ate, and bought baked goods at Taipan Bakery. For dinner, we went to King 5 Noodle House (Prince St. at 39th) for Shanghai-style pork dumplings and warm home-made soy milk. It was crazy how much food we got for $24 for 3 of us.

It was an afternoon of exploring and cheap eats. I’m officially pooped out and need a good night’s sleep. Here are photos from today.

Early Spring Break

I’m taking today and tomorrow off in addition to the next week that I already have off. Spring Break started for me last night when we got on our red-eye flight to New York City. I didn’t sleep much on the plane but JetBlue gives you a Bliss-brand “Shut Eye Kit” that includes eye shades, ear plugs, lip balm, and hand cream. Pretty cool…We arrived here at 5:45 am EST and hopped on the AirTrain, E Train, and R Train to get to Queens. We’re staying with Jason and Jia for the week and their apartment is pretty spacious for a NY pad.

We had breakfast down the street at Mini Star Restaurant that served eggs, cornedbeef hash, potatoes, coffee, juice, and toast for less than $4!! What a deal! I was feeling pretty strong this morning until we got back and put my head down. I ended up napping for about 3 hours and felt refreshed enough to play a little Wii with Jason. I knew it was something I wanted but now I REALLY want it. He has the sports pack and I really enjoyed the golf and tennis. The little Wii-mote is pretty responsive and gives a lot of tactile and auditory feedback. Nice job, Nintendo.

This afternoon we’re going exploring. We just need to wait for Jason to be done with his work and Jes to wake up from his nap. Ta ta for now!

I want a Corona.

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Today I went to my last painting class and I finally got to use my blues. I tried to keep it simple and painted one of my photos from Hawaii.  I think it turned out alright. I’ll have to finish the clouds/sky a bit but otherwise I’m happy with it.  I really do think my favorite color is blue.

beakatude wuz here

Have you seen this before? I was just surfing and thought I’d give this a shot. Apparently, I have been to 21 out of 50 states (41%). There’s another one where you can check all the countries you’ve been to but I’ve only been to 3 countries including the one I live in…so sad.

**create your own visited states map**