Browse Category: outta here

Old Skool Steak

brooklyn sunset

On Sunday night, we had dinner at Peter Luger in Brooklyn.  Reservations are usually hard to get but Jason managed to get them just a week in advance.

peter luger steak

The steak comes sliced and cooked to perfection with a yummy crust and tender inside.  The decor was really old and rustic.  I mean, take a look at our table…unfinished wood that looks like it’s been out in the backyard for years.  The servers are gruff but efficient and the restaurant doesn’t take credit cards!!

laos

bar

After dinner we hopped on the subway and hung out at a rooftop bar with a view of the Empire State Building.

view on fifth

It was a warm but pleasant night and I got a neato shot of the Chrysler Building and the city lights.

subway

The subway ride back to Queens felt pretty long considering that over 12 hours earlier I had run 13.1 miles.  This is a photo I took from down below as I was kimchee squatting and waiting for the train.

Half Marathon Hotness

3 running ladies

Haha, I know we were awesomely sweaty but I’m referring to the temperature on Sunday morning.  Jia, Vyl, and I ran the more|fitness Half Marathon on Sunday, which took us around Central Park twice.  I had always wanted to run around CP and finally got to do it!

squatting for shade

At 6:30 in the morning, Jia and I headed out to the subway station in 70-degree weather.  It was really eerie how warm it was so early in the morning.  By the time we met up with Vyl at the park around 7:45, it was about 74 degrees.  In fact, as we stood waiting for the start gun, Vyl and I ducked behind the people in front of us for some shade.  Ah…much cooler.

running

The race started at 8:00 am and we were off!  Fortunately for us, the route had pockets of shade along the way and they were spraying us with a firehouse at certain spots but it didn’t keep us cool the whole time.  There was an abundance of fluid stations at each mile marker and I forced myself to take a cup each time even when I didn’t feel like it.  As we finished the first lap and started the second, we started seeing girls one-by-one lying on the ground with ambulances pulled up alongside them.  Dude…I thought I was feeling hot but some people were hitting the wall pretty early.  Eventually, the heat got to me too and gave me a crazy nauseous feeling.  I had to take frequent walk breaks to cool off but I finished the race without passing out.  Woo!  Vyl and I kept wishing for SF weather and Jia was having a great time running her very first half marathon. The route also had some rolling hills but nothing as drastic as we were used to.  However, it was enough to make the heat even more unbearable.

medals

At the finish, we got our medals and last cup of Gatorade and were greeted by Jason and Jes.  I think our time was around 2:30 but I don’t actually know since we both forgot to turn off our Garmins at the finish.

tea brunch

We took the subway and then a cab to our brunch destination where Bang met up with us.  Brunch was at Alice’s Tea Cup, which was satisfying but they totally failed on the bacon…too bad.

subway

The subway trains were packed on our way back and at one point had to stradle some guy’s wheelchair and squish myself against the pole to keep me from falling.  Once we got back to Queens, I showered and took a deadly nap next to the A/C.  It was great.

13 Hours in Manhattan

nina and holly

On Saturday, I left the house early to meet up with Holly for brunch.  We ate at a place called The City Bakery, where we sat and got caught up for at least 2 hours.  By the time we got out, it was a scorchin’ 80 degrees outside.

expo

In the afternoon, I met up with Jia and the boys at the race expo to pick up our bibs, tshirts, and other shwag.  One of the items in the goodie bag was a sample bag of dog food.  I wasn’t about to bring it home with me so I started asking people on the street if they wanted to have it.  Out of the 4 dog owners that I asked, no one was willing to take it.  Oh boo…it was a fun little game while it lasted.  I ended up leaving it outside the subway station hoping that someone would want it.

momofuku

We then headed out to Momofuku for some noodles and fatty pork.  It was just as tasty as I remembered and Jes finally got to taste what I had been raving about since the first time I tried it with Brother a few years ago.

brooklyn bridge

To walk off lunch, we visited the Brooklyn Bridge.  On the way, we found a dance crew that was fun to watch.  The bridge itself was really cool.  This was something that I’d always wanted to do and it didn’t disappoint.  The breeze was also nice enough to cool us off a bit.

sevilla

In the evening, we walked down to Greenwich Village where we met up with the Bangs and Kwaks for dinner at Sevilla.  All 8 of us squished in a booth made to seat 4-6 people and we stuffed ourselves with paella and mussels.  By the time we got back to Queens it was midnight and I was exhausted.  I quickly prepared for the race on Sunday and went to bed.  That was a long day.

Friday Afternoon in Manhattan

Rizzo's

After a quick stop at Rizzo’s (still awesome), we hopped on the subway to Chinatown.

Dr. Jia

Jia was at work and Jes got his eyes checked (and dilated) by Dr. Jia Lao herself.

ice cream

Luckily the office was just down the street from the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory so I got to have a tasty treat.  Yay!

top of the rock

Afterward we went to MoMA, which was free from 4-8 pm but ridiculously crowded.  That was a bust so we went to 30 Rock for a 360-degree view of NYC.  A ticket to the top of the Rockefeller Center is pretty expensive ($20/person) but it was one of those experiences you’ve gotta have as a tourist.  I saw the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, and Central Park with an unobstructed view (no glass or bars).  Dinner was at Sakagura, which was really yummy.  We were supposed to meet up with Holly and Roy afterward but I was so exhausted from the red-eye and a full day of walking around that I just had to call it a day and head back to Queens.  Beakatude needed to recharge her battery.

Good Morning, NYC!

sunrise

Jes and I took the red-eye to JFK last night and arrive at 6:15 am EST.  I actually slept some in the plane and woke up to a spectacular sunrise!

game time

The subway ride to Jason and Jia’s was easy and the brothers got a couple hours of game time while I took a quick snooze and hung out before our adventures for the day.  We already had a small sandwich at the airport and ordered eggs and corned beef hash that was delivered to the house.  Now it’s off to Rizzo’s and then a subway ride into Manhattan.  Woo!

The Wedding continued…

reception

As a continuation of Joy and Johnny’s wedding in Hawaii, we held a local reception on Saturday at the Cerritos Library.  The dress code was casual Hawaiian so it was great to be able to wear flip-flops to a wedding reception.

feast

The party was complete with a Thai feast, slideshows, speeches, dancing, drinking, and plenty of hijinks.

family

neighborhood kids

I was so happy to see my family all together again and it was fun to see Johnny with his friends from all the stages of his life.

dancing

There were lots of little kids and toddlers roaming around and it was fun watching little Brandon boogie down on the dance floor among all the grown-ups and slightly older kids. He’s the little guy in the sweatshirt on the bottom-right doin’ his own thang.

new sister

Overall, the party was a success and ended with the bride and groom leaving the place in a dizzy slurring mess. We hung out with them this morning at the Magical House and it was good to see them alive and well with the exception of a little tiredness in their eyes.  I’ve been back in SF for only an hour and I miss home already.  I guess it’s time to book my next flight. 🙂