Washington Weekend

I took a bus .. and away i went for a non stop weekend at Washington DC. With just barely 2 days there, i wanted to see all that i could in one of the grandest capitals of the world.




Capitol Hill where the statue of Freedom sits distinctively on top of the rotunda


Just next door, was the Library of Congress and I was pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous interiors of the building.




Museum of Air & Space. I was never a space geek, but being among the relics of space such as space stations, planes that pioneers like Amelia Earhart flew, and the first Wright flyers. I just stood in awe and made me wanted to learn more about them.


National Archives - i was prohibited from taking photos within. But on display was the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Faded and barely legible under the dim light yet still on display. There was something very powerful & touching about this gesture. In the honor of the 10th anniversary of 911, they displayed side by side, the original scripts for George Bush's address to the Nation during 911 and Obama's speech announcing Osama Bin Laden's death. Poetic.


Explored the Smithsonian Castle gardens..


Admired the beautiful peacock room in the Freer Gallery



Visited the Holocaust Museum - again no photos allowed. It left a very deep impression for me, for these poor people who died during the Holocaust. I felt angry even, that during the onset when Hitler started his propaganda campaign against the Jews, none of the nations stood up to offer them a place of exile from Nazi Germany. May this sort of injustice never happen again.



Ben's Chilli - a DC re-known eatery for having the Obama family & Bill Crosby as its regulars. Half Smoke hotdog + a bowl of chilli. It was yummy, but the atmosphere & spirit of the restaurant just made it quite an experience on its own.



Vietnam memorial ..


White House - had a pretty bad experience of seeing a guard yelling at some Chinese tourists asking him for help to take photos for them. I was tempted to film it down and youtube it. It would definitely cause a national scandal in China. Times when the economy is bad, tourist dollars are important, no?


Martin Luther King memorial which was newly openly recently.


Roosevelt Memorial - it was made up of a series of waterfalls, smoothing brownstones and statues.



There was a Ericsson memorial sponsored by the people of Sweden.


Korea War Memorial.



Lincoln Memorial !!!!!!!!



WWII Memorial


Washington Memorial





Museum of American History - there were pop culture items like Dorothy's red shoes, the first Kermit. There were historic items like Lincoln's top hat, the furniture in which the confederate surrendered. But most importantly was the first American flag ~ It is now too weak and fragile to be ever hung again (or photographed ..damn it!).

Pieces of the flag were given away initially by the family that kept it, now it is proudly preserved within this museum. You can see big pieces missing, but oddly touching all the same; seeing this flag sewn together by housewives and flown in war, cut up in pieces and now admired behind a glass wall.



Hope Diamond ! at the National History Museum



I stopped for my first experience at a American Indian eatery. I had a Grilled Buffalo Strip loin with Saskatoon Berry Butter. It was accompanied by Annatto Spiced Yucca, Chayote Salad, Cashews, Queso Blanco, Yerbeé Mate Vinaigrett. I might be greedy but this was my first time eating buffalo, it was slightly tough and leaner than beef. The yucca tasted similar to a sweet pumpkin or yam. Good stuff !!!

I headed back the next day for Fresno Chili, Coffee Rubbed Pork Loin, Coconut, Vanilla Bean Sauce accompanied by Hominy, Parched Corn Salad, Grilled Wild Leeks, Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette and Stewed Yellow Wax Beans, House Cured Bacon. And of course, i topped it off with a cup of Mexican Spiced Chocolate. Ahhhhhh.... Tell me, with that type of description, wouldn't it make your mouth water as well?

The wax beans tasted like long beans except it was much more tender with less stringy. For the hominy, it tasted like beans, but the lovely part was having some corn kernels in the salad. It gave the salad a special crunch. The pork loin was a bit dry, it reminded me slightly of tandoori.



The American Indian museum was architecturally beautiful with curves and clean lines, earth and water. But the display was rather fragmented across 8 tribes without any seeming similarities. There was a floor about the past, a floor about how they live now and try to maintain their heritage when so much was lost in the past.

:) It was a good trip and i managed to cover most of what i wanted to see. Here's looking forward to more weekend trips all around !

Zarkana @ Radio City

Being a fan of Art Deco, Radio City is now one of my favorite venues in the world. So breathtakingly beautiful, the venues deserves a show of its down.

That was what Cirque de Soleil tried to do, making Zarkana tailored to Radio City which i felt was quite apt. The Circus of the Sun was making a production for Radio City in which the entire concert hall was designed as a sun.

The production was brilliant as usual, but what was refreshing for me was that this must have been the first time in which they stage a production as a rock musical. I honestly didn't have a clue what the lead character was singing about. And i was like 15 rows away from the stage.

High Line

I took a walk down the park over the weekend. Just that the park was suspended up the air and i was walking among buildings.

HUH?

That is essentially what the High Line was, a former railway that was used to transport meat to the meat packing district. Through the years, it was left unused and vegetation started growing on the railway tracks.

When the state wanted to tear it down, a group of New Yorkers campaigned, raised funds & converted it into the park that we see today. Frankly, the more i know about New York and its quirks, people and spirit, the more i fall in love with the place. The fact that a group of average Joes grouped together and preserved something so amazing just blew my mind.

Making my way to the High Line,






I knew that in the Summer, they held an event called the Spot at the Lot, where a bunch of food trucks gathered. I wanted to have lunch there but the line was just too long a wait for me.


Taking the stairs up, i reached one of the most unique and beautiful gardens that i had ever been.






My photos don't do the place justice, you just have to see it to believe it.

Eating My Way Around New York

As part of the experience in making New York my home, one of the key missions was to find good food.

Boy, did i find some ~

A beautiful stroll down Central Park, then to brunch by the lake at Boathouse makes for a great day.


In the battle of the ramen in NYC, Totto Ramen has consistently ranked as one of the top five in the city. A typical queue takes for a typical 30-45 mins wait. Rich, thick broth with springy noodles & the best part of the meal, was the fatty, home made cha shu that went with the noddles. Awww, not for the dieter.

Burger Joint @ Le Parker Meridien. Imagine a 5 star hotel, there is a mysterious scent of grilled burgers in the lobby. Floor to ceiling brown curtain partitions off a portion of the lobby, a queue snakes out from the corner. Then, you find, one of the best burgers in town !




The burger was one of the best and affordable ones i ever had. Soft bread, fresh ingredients, a thick, juicy patty fresh off the grill. Goodness in a bun.




For an interesting experience & happy hours, i headed to Beecher's Handmade Cheese, raspberry infused vodkas, cheese platters, mac & cheese for 7 dollars a pop. It was value for money & with the gigantic cheese machine in the middle of the shop, you know where your food is definitely coming from.


Jamaican food ! It was my first time and definitely won't be my last. A colorful, cheery cafe with food to die for. At least my 5 other dining partners agree to it.Ms Lily's, you have found a fan in me. I had the Jerk Pork burger, but the next time, i am coming for more. I have Serious Eats to thank for this.


Basil & Black Pepper ice cream from a food cart. I don't know why, but it reminded me vaguely of black pepper crab. Savory meets creamy made for a good dessert. I guess i wanted to end this post by saying, here's to a year of adventurous eats !