Finally, Miami!

I'd been so scared that I was going to miss my flight to Miami that Sunday that I kept waking up every hour before I actually have to wake up at 4 AM.  Major Northeast snowstorm notwithstanding, I was going to be on that flight to tropical wonderland no matter what.

I was a bit groggy at 5 in the morning and I kept watching these monitors when I really didn't have to.  I was already checked in and was just waiting at the gate for boarding.

Snow and ice can still be seen on the runway which got me a little worried but not really.  I just have this tendency to temper my excitement and happiness with worry.

Look at that heavenly, sunshiny day!  I was so giddy with excitement that I felt like I was the only tourist on the mostly tourist AA flight.

A friend came to pick me up at the airport, took the bus straight to Miami Beach (which cost about $1.35), checked in at the Tropics Hostel, walked around and she succeeded in making me jealous with this view from her apartment.

Flying in from wintery, freezing New York, I was the happiest girl on earth when I took these photos.

I woke up at 7AM the next day to walk and lounge around the beach some more. 

Is he actually fishing from there?  Why would little fishies risk being beached by swimming so near the shore?

I fell asleep on the beach for more than an hour until my friend texted me to meet at her apartment for lunch.  Unfortunately, I can't really recommend any Miami Beach restaurants as they were ridiculously expensive and I was so ready to subsist on instant noodles and fried chicken for the next four days.

Between that time and lunch, we managed to meet up with the friends I've made in the hostel at the beach, braving cold waves that were just aiming for my swimsuit top to leave me a barenaked lady.  I've been so used to calm Philippine beaches that waves like those tire me out so quickly.

After hours under the sun and a lunch of empanadas, I was looking and feeling like a cooked lobster, ready to fall asleep.  I've made plans for the next day to go to the Florida Keys alone, my friend had to work.  $40 for a Key West day trip wasn't bad and it was 4 hours from Miami.  I don't really know what else there was to see in the Keys except for more beaches and the Hemingway House.  A friend I met at the hostel decided to go with me and keep me company. 

What started out as a mere afterthought to the my grand Miami vacay became the highlight of my trip because of this guy.  Characters everywhere!

 

Bar Boulud

I love New York Restaurant Week because it combines my love for food, a good deal and good company.  Of course, choosing the company will be up to me and not the restaurant.  Three courses for lunch for $25 on what would normally be just an entree sounds good to me.  And so the first restaurant I went to for the first NYCRW of 2013 was Bar Boulud.  This is one of several restaurants owned by Daniel Boulud and I've been reading and hearing a lot about them.

The simple, minimalist interiors didn't impress my lunch date but it looked elegant to me.  It could've used a little softening up with a few flowers here and there.  Anyway, we were chatting up a storm and so I totally forgot to take a picture of our appetizers.  I ordered the Soupe de Potiron which is basically a roasted squash soup and my friend ordered the pate.

Squid ink farfalle with rock shrimp, saffron pearl onion, confit fennel and bouillabaisse jus for my entree.

She had the Atlantic skate, leeks fondue, glazed scallions, potato tuille in a  syrah sauce.

Of course, the grass is always greener on another plate.  I preferred the skate, which was prepared just the way I wanted, crispy but not overcooked.  The farfalle was nothing special and the fennel on top of it was weird. 

And for my favorite part, dessert.

Hazelnut frangipane, chocolate ganache, coffee ice cream - this was heavenly.

Almond biscuit, lemon & lime compote, lemon-thyme meringue, orange mousse. I'm not a lemon-y person so I didn't like this that much.

In a city where real estate costs a lot more than one's soul, I find it fascinating how architects, designers, restauranteurs make up clever ways to fit everything in.  Like ways to incorporate wine cellars into the small space they have.  Bar Boulud's wine cellar lined the corridor going to the restrooms and their private function room.

 

Halloween at Maxwell's NYC

I was out for a Halloween party at Maxwell's in Tribeca tonight with friends for some comfort food and that meant burgers, fries, mac & cheese and drinks before Hurricane Sandy blows us all away.  I'm not much of a burger girl as they all taste the same to me.  Being Asian, I love me my rice and rice just doesn't go well with beef patties on a bun.

I ordered the Maxwell's signature burger with slices of Angus rib eye, red wine gravy, sauteed onions, fried egg and horseradish mayo.  Now I chose this because I'm a gravy girl and steak with gravy on a burger bun sounded so enticing.  They could've added mashed potatoes in it and I would've died and gone to heaven.

The meat was cooked just right and the red wine gravy soaked the burger bun.  I guess I didn't eat fast enough so I had to fork my way through my burger because the bread was soggy already.  It was delicious but messy.  Fine by me, I actually would've loved a gravy-soaked burger bun had I been in the comfort of my own dinner table.  I just didn't want to be eating sloppily in a Tribeca bar.  This burger is perfect for breakfast too since the fried egg was a nice complement to an already filling meal. 

Southwest - 8oz Angus beef, pepperjack cheese, bacon, guacamole, sweet chili sauce

 

End of Summer at The Met

I've been wanting to see the Regarding Warhol exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art for days and since I've taken up a lot more days at work, I couldn't just walk off into the sunset of Museum Mile on 5th Avenue, which is where the Grand Dame of NYC Museums is located. 

But I finally did and so here goes my way of coping with the end of summer.

I left the house early.  Early for me means 11am, after a breakfast of waffles and Nutella.  Then burger lunch at Shake Shack at 12noon.  Yup, I like to eat.

I got to The Met at almost 1 and of course, tourists galore!  I got in line to get my little pin, gave my donation of $1, trying to be discreet about it but all the while itching to tell all those in line before and after me that they don't have to give the recommended fee of $25.  They can give me the $24 if they're so inclined to spend money.

Anyway, I couldn't take any pictures at the Warhol exhibit, which was weird because they couldn't care less about taking pictures of the classics.  I'm guessing it might have something to do with copyright laws like in books.  If it's more than a 100 years old, then it's public domain or something.

Auguste Rodin

Stepping Out, Roy Lichtenstein

Nymphs and Satyr, William Bouguereau

And so I did my moping at The Met.  Now I'm ready for fall.  Getting ready for winter will require a lot more art and beauty.

Chicago The Musical

I saw Chicago on Broadway last week.  My favorite number was Cell Block Tango.  Although there weren't any mainstream celebrities that I know of like Christie Brinkley, I liked it just the same. 

I can't do a review to save my life.

Confessions of an Ex-Airline Slave

My brother who hates traveling (gasp!) dramatically informed us that he changed his mind and would love to travel too.  About time!  I've never understood how he can be contented in staying in one place and not gasp in awe about waterfalls and unicorns but I do see his point about the endless immigration lines and packing.

I'm not so delusional as to think that I'm alone in this wanderlust, travel bug, thirst for travel restlessness.  I grew up in an mid-income household where both of my parents worked to make ends meet.  Add 6 kids and two house helps, a mortgage to be paid off and reasonable luxuries (like a pack of Chips Ahoy!) to the mix, we get frazzled parents and disciplined kids who know they won't always get what they want.  But we always, always got to go on those yearly summer trips to a beach resort no matter what.  

Then I worked for Philippine Airlines for 7 years after college.  That fed my wanderlust even more as I took advantage of it to the best of my abilities.  Imagine eight people traveling together as non-revenue passengers (that means free in airline-speak) to LA and SF from Manila.  I was always unhappiest before these trips because I absolutely can't have one of us get bumped off a flight.  Stress and pressure could've killed me then.  Oh, the things I've learned to do to ensure that all 8 of us get on those flights.  And I didn't even have to touch anybody.

All Smoke, No Fire

Had I not received tickets to see The Last Smoker in America, it wouldn't register a blip in my brain.  That's not such a bad thing because there are a lot more shows that I haven't seen but anyway, I went to see it with a friend.  We weren't about to waste free tickets even if it meant two hours of our time.

Most of the people around us must've been family and friends of the cast because they were all too ready with their laughs and nods of approval.  What?  Ganya and I were stoic-faced mascots looking at each other, wondering what people were laughing about.

This won't be a proper critique, as is usual with me and this blog, and there's really no point anymore  because the show closed September 1.