NYC

Just got back to Baltimore from New York City. I met up with friends from way back and it was great. Although I loved the diversity and the endless activities in NYC, I really don't think I could live there! Visit and stay for maybe a week or so...but not live there. Aleth, Grace, Lenny, and Au all said that it grows on you and you get used to it...but I'm not really sure it would be the same for me.

Things I'll remember about the visit:

1. I loved the cuisine. There was just so much variety, whether it be the kind of restaurant (upscale, street-side, take out...name it!), the kind of food, or the price. That's probably one of the things that I can get used to if I ever settle there. It's a total culinary experience! In the 2 & 1/2 days that I was there, I tried authentic Spanish, Brazilian, and Cuban cuisine. We wanted to get into the Ethiopian or Turkish place, but didn't have a chance to. Of course I tried the hotdog bought off the street and ate it at the park...if I spent another day, I might have tried the streetside falafel or the gyros, too! Possibilities are just endless!

2. I've tried most modes of transportation in the city...the subway (surprisingly not as scary as I thought), the bus system, and the taxi through rush hour traffic (there are a lot of pretty crazy drivers out there!). I wanted to take the double decker bus, but it was just too cold to even contemplate that!

3. Naturally, I wanted to do all the touristy things, but since it's peak season, the lines to get in were horrendous! Case in point: The line for the Empire State Building wrapped around the block and overflowed to the next block. Aleth and I decided we will save that for my next visit. It just was not worth it freezing our butts off while we stood in line. The estimated wait time was 140 minutes. Insane! It also took us more than 30 minutes to get into St. Patrick's Cathedral. There was even a line for Tiffany's. The crowd at Rockefeller Center was unbelievable...and to top it off, it started to snow!

4. Spending time with friends that I haven't seen in over 5 years was of course the highlight of the trip. When we met up, it was as though we just saw each other yesterday. It was hilarious, actually. Some things never change! Aleth did notice that my Filipino has improved A LOT since she last saw me...which is kind of weird since my Filipino got much better AFTER I left the Philippines. Funny. Kelangan maulit to! The trip was so bitin!

5. I hope the next time I go to NYC, it's not by chance, such as this one. I would really like to be able to watch a Broadway show. We could've stood in line for half priced tickets, but it was just WAY too cold. I'm sure that if I put that on my list of things to do, one of these days, I'll be able to cross it off. I don't know how long it will take, but I'm sure I'll make it! hahahah

Okay, anyway, my sister and I are on our way out...More later!