THE city

ok. so i've been told that i do not update my blog sufficiently. i shall not mention names so hui-en does not feel victimised. :)

here's more about new york. sans photos because i didnt bring my uploading cable.

today was a shopping day. or rather night. but before i get there, i shall attempt to introduce you to my 'new' friends. #1 cheryl = jeremy's girlfriend, she's such a sweetheart! #2 daniel = cheryl's friend who 'saw her grow up' back in singapore. another sweetheart. #3 tricia = aunty janice's daughter (my new york host family!), who is by far the crankiest polo ralph store manager i know. #4 nigel = tricia's brother, the cutie who is cameraphobic. hmmm... ok so more bout new york shopping.

we woke up at daniel's apartment (which is situated in the BRONX - dont play play) at about 1230pm. then we left the place for breakfast/lunch/tea at 230pm. went to a cool noodle place called republic. yuppie hangout but good food nonetheless...

following that, we did an extended road trip to the new jersey mall - garden state mall. jersey is great for shopping because it is TAX free. and its amazing to be able to pay the tagged prices. opposed to the 8.125% imposed! eeee... we got lost in the midst of everything. so we took like 2 hours to get to the mall. muahahaha.

then we headed to KFC for dinner at around 10pm. worst buffalo wings ever! but i still think that the msian/sg kfc chicked is way better! maybe kentucky has better chickens? :)

so far, i have bought QUITE a number of clothing items. yesterday, we headed to the outlet malls. and frankly, that was rather disappointing. things are NOT dirt-cheap. i guess possibly cos they were very 'branded' to begin with e.g. gucci, prada etc. but i did manage to get some prep gear to start school with. UVa here i come!

to list the touristy destinations:
1. Metropolitan Museum of Art - which in my opinion (Jem thinks so too) is not the best place ever. it felt like a collection. like they dumped all the stuff into this very beautiful building. in fact i like the singapore art museum better. haha. go visit it!

2. Central Park - walked in the park and along the park a couple of times during the MTA strike (i walked 30 blocks!) to get the the west side of manhattan! hyper pretty. with horse carriages parked by the sides! but they dont smell the best... huge, and pretty park. despite the botak trees.

3. Times Square - whooosh, neon lights all over. and the Nissin Cup Noodle in the centre. love it! pretty pretty. i took a picture at the foot locker opp the MTV TRL place. haha.

4. 5th Avenue - love it even more! the window displays are fab. they are so well done! especially for Christmas. oh dear me. one cool street with hyper expensive stores. worth the stroll though. free yet priceless

5. The Bronx - enough said. it really IS scary. so we just hide in the apartment. no walking allowed honey!

6. Broadway - my 1st broadway show! HAIRSPRAY. retro happy polka dotted musical. which was cool! but SONG, its not that great lah! :) still happy bout it though! :) there is a current plan of watching the mandatory phantom of the opera. :)

in retrospect (and some accounting), i would probably have spent less if i went back to kl for the break. but then again, i wouldnt have had this unique strike stricken trip to NEW YORK CITY! i love the city. i really do. and the people arent that bad. yes, they are far less likely to smile at you. but they are decent people. we see the extremes. decadence and poverty. neon and darkness. you name it you got it.

makes the city, THE city.

coming up next - the people of new york city.