Travelog Day 10: NYC + Washington DC

Don't hate me for the super delay continuation of my US travelog :)

I've been really busy.

I have a real job to do.. being a Wife and Mother is really a priority and I do this job DAILY, and for the rest of my life.. I'm not complaining! It was actually a joy to serve my family. It's just that my eldest is already in Grade school, and being enrolled in a traditional school, the load is quite overwhelming for me. Until I surrender,  I've committed to tutor him myself :) Then I have my work, deadlines to meet; then I try to really squeeze in my workout whether it be running in Polo Field or Swimming. Then I have to rush back to cook and feed the kids. Tuck the kids to sleep then i have some free time to blog or catch up with my reading..

Anyway, back to regular programming!

Day 10 was again a free day in New York and we just go full blast shopping today!!! Obviously we have taken few pictures only because we're all panicking. It's our last day in NYC! In the afternoon we took a bus going to back to DC. These are some that are worth sharing though..

The Hollister shop in SoHo and these are the male models standing in their store front, alluring the passers-by, including 'us'!! Hahaha

I just had to go to Ed Hardy Store.. the guys got scared of the price tags LOL!!!  So they just goof around and pose for pictures while I was in the dressing room.

After all the last minute shopping, it was time so we went back to the Hotel, got our luggage and started to walk the streets of Manhattan to the Bus terminal. Little did we know it was 13 blocks away!!! Super walking exercise for all of us. 

We took the Bolt Bus. It was a 4 hour ride from New York straight up to Washington DC Chinatown Area. For only $17! It was such a good deal. The bus has free wifi too! Such a service only for a 1st world country.

We arrived dead tired... We all slept like snoring hens that night.

Tomorrow, it's Museum time at DC!

Travelog Day 9: Free Day at NYC

Finally we're done with the tour, and had 2 free days on our own at NYC! We just took our time roaming the streets of Manhattan and catching up with some shopping :) Today we have really few pictures because we all went panic shopping at Macy's, Old Navy, Aeropostale, Lululemon, Oakley, etc and the boy's favorite- Best Buy!

After all the walking, shopping, roaming the streets.. we are starving! HG suggested we splurge on dinner tonight and dine at the famous "Peter Luger" Steakhouse. We followed the map and took the subway to Brooklyn area..

hear it is!!!!! YUMMY

Peter Luger Chocolates gold coins

I think we all gained a pound or two tonight! We rode the subway back to Manhattan area, walked about10 blocks to wash down our dinner. Manhattan is really beautiful at night.. most shops don't close their lights and leave them till dawn. The city that never sleeps!

Travelog Day 8: New York City!

Sorry guys I went for 5 days business trip in Hong Kong with Dear Son. It's been taking so long to finish my US Travelog! LOL!! Please bear with me. I promise to post lots of pictures!!

Today, our guide was in a rush and our morning call was 6am! He said we'll be seeing a lot today. This is the picture of Manhattan at 7am! NO TRAFFIC!

He brought us to Chinatown to have early breakfast and we saw this interesting storefront of McDonald's.

From there we head to Wall Street at the heart of the financial district, home to America's wealth and business interests.

Then headed to Ground Zero, site of the tragic events of September 11th, to pay our respects and to witness the massive rebuilding efforts.

We also visited United Nations, a gathering place for 192 countries to meet and discuss important issues of the world such as peace and human rights.

We took the Waterway cruise of the New York City harbor, where you can view the city's magnificent skyline and sights, including the busy South Street Seaport, the Statute of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge from the Hudson and East River. An entertaining and informative tour guide provides interesting facts about all of the sights that make this city special.

We also visited Rockefeller Center, NBC Studios, and the surrounding shopping district along Fifth Avenue, where cutting edge fashion and luxury brands reside. No tour of New York City would be complete without a tour atop the Empire State Building, where on the 86th floor, 1,050 feet above the city's bustling streets, the Observatory offers panoramic views from within a glass enclosed pavilion.

Next stop was the newly transformed USS Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum. We all love this museum!

We also went to the beautiful American Museum of Natural History! Another favorite.

And see REAL mummies!!! And ancient Egyptian jewelries; so many things to see!

The tour continues to the bright lights of Time Square and the Broadway Theater District. We walked around and really enjoyed the city.

It was a long day. We had so much fun yet so tired from doing all this touristy thing!Today was our last day with the group. So we all said goodbye to all our new friends who most likely.. will not meet them ever again.
We extended out stay in NY for 2 days. We stayed at Manhattan Center Hotel.It's a nice boutique hotel which I bidded and won at Hotwire.com at a pretty good deal for the location!

DH and I stayed in the room to rest for 30 minutes and un-pack. I read in a blog that a visit to NYC must never miss the best street food at the corner 53rd and 6th. So for dinner, we brave the line to try the Halal Guys who sell the chicken & lamb rice. Look at the line!!! Its unbelievable. $6/plate. Huge serving too!

It was really good. We were so stuffed! So we decided to take a walk and ended up in the Apple Store. They just launch the iPad 2 days ago.

I can't believe we are still in the streets of NY at 1am!! And to end the day.. this is our loot :)