So it has been a week that I returned from the States and I’m not even close to wearing off the jet lag. Now that I’m actually feeling more like myself, an account is necessary.
So where shall I start…
Reetika, Richa and I know each other from the time that we went to college at
SCMS-UG – around the time that the iPod classic first generation was in vogue. Through three years of gruelling education, living it up in Pune, marking proxy attendance in class, study and sleepover sessions, birthday acquisition trips and feasting on the
Smokey Chicken Wrap from the corner wrap store –
Wrap Around – we made it through and became graduates.
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| And old favourite picture of the three of us! |
Apart from a short meet-up in Delhi, since 2007 we had never really gotten a chance to meet again and catch up. So obviously, we’ve been at the subject of ‘Let’s go on a trip’ for quite a while. Parents, friends, boyfriends all said that it wasn’t possible. There was no way that we were actually going to plan a trip and execute it.
Ten days. The Big Apple. Sin City. In all their faces!
Reetika had introduced me to Sex & the City, and it had grown to become one of the first American television shows I began to watch, and of course love. So it kind of made sense that our trip would be to New York. Manolos or not, the idea of strutting through the streets and avenues, soaking up the Sun in a Sunday brunch and do random things that we’d seen on the show was extremely stimulating.
New York it was, and Las Vegas joined in later, owing to Reetika’s clever discovery of an Expedia offer which one could just not refuse. Weeks and months of Google hangout sessions, hours of extensive research and a lot of general tomfoolery later, May was here and it was time!
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One of the several Google Hangout sessions. Very productive.
PS: Butt is missing, as usual 😛 |
Starting out on an extended weekend from Muscat, I must take this opportunity to pat my travel consultant on the back for recommending Etihad Airways and stressing on the importance of charging points for each seat.
It was my first time on board the UAE’s national airline and I can safely say that I am quite overwhelmed. The service, the timely arrivals and departures, the food and wine, and most importantly, the entertainment! My iPhone which was filled to the brim with movies and series remained untouched as the on board entertainment kept me occupied. The Hobbit, The Parent Trap, Rise of the Guardians, Discovery documentaries and an unending list of movies had me really excited. Not to forget the very nice Danish gentleman I met on the plane and had quite a lovely time chatting with. More on him later. Another special mention to the Abu Dhabi International Airport for the free WiFi, so classy. Save the restricted leg space on Economy seats, I really didn’t notice when 14 hours flew past and we started our descent into New York’s JFK International Airport.
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| First look. |
After battling the two and a half kilometre immigration line, keeping a straight face to the curt questions of the stony faced border officer and nursing a rumbling stomach, I was free to step out.
Into New York City.
I’d always thought about what it would feel like to step out into JFK by myself, hail a yellow cabbie, state an address made of complicated numbers and be on my way – just like in the movies. Ladies and gentlemen – mission accomplished.
Of course not before acquiring a prepaid 4G connection from AT&T. Yes, I know that $100 including tax was a tad much for ten days, but nothing could beat the joy of being connected on the go. So thank you – the very nice man at the AT&T store at Terminal 4 of JFK, you were a lifesaver.
Onward to the city, which I was driven to Manhattan by an Indian cabbie who obviously wanted to know where I was coming from and tell me his life story. Sometimes, in the right frame of mind – I really do enjoy these arbid conversations.
Getting to our hotel, the NYMA was pretty easy and I began to recognise the neighbourhood as soon as I saw Korean karaoke shops lining the streets. Meeting Reetika and celebrating the fact that I had no bawling babies on my plane, I couldn’t really believe that we were actually here. In other news, Lufthansa had been an absolute party pooper and not allowed Richa to get on her flight due to some visa complications. So she was on a different flight, en route to Newark. Phew!
So while Richa was inching towards us, Reetika and I decided to take account of the surroundings and get some dinner and drinks. After a short stroll, we settled on the John Dory Oyster Bar, which had a charming outdoor seating arrangement with lights in the trees. Following an embarrassing episode of me naming a wrong drink, we were quite happily seated with a bowl full of ice featuring the first ever oysters that I quite unwillingly tasted (Tick on new things attempted) and the absolutely delicious Hawaiian blue prawns with coriander mayonnaise. Couple of hours of cheerful chats and after an unhappy episode of the last blue prawn landing on the sidewalk instead of Reetika’s mouth – we set off to our hotel to get some much needed rest and welcome Richa!
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| Mish, striking a pose. |
Day 1
According to the itinerary, today was dedicated to general New York meandering. After the NYMA breakfast, we decided on a walk to the Grand Central Station, lunch and then the Sex & the City tour (Yes, you read that correctly). Walking twenty blocks in the wrong direction (Thank you Google Maps on the iPhone), we used Richa’s ancient Blackberry to steer us the right way to Grand Central and spent a good two hours admiring the architecture and the decor that was done up for the centennial celebrations. Lunch at Eata Pita was a really morphed version of the classic falafels and was a little too full for my taste, but the girls enjoyed it, with accompaniments of a hot dog (with relish) and some dumplings that Reetika knows a fancy name for. We then proceeded to locate the SATC tour (For NY first timers, just look for the 5th Avenue Apple Store – the pickup point is bang opposite, in front of the Plaza Hotel – we walked a lot of extra blocks looking for the Pulitzer Fountain, so this should help.)
Three hours of SATC reminiscence took us on a bus to the Pleasure Chest (where Reetika bought us all goodies :P), the famous cupcake shoppe – Magnolia (where the lines were crazy, so our tour people just pre-ordered us cupcakes with yum frosting), a Jimmy Choo outlet in addition to the Meat Packing District. We passed by a number of famous SATC hotspots and stopped at the ONeil’s Pub for the classic Cosmopolitans (which was Steve and Aidan’s bar with wooden interiors – dreamy!). Corny you may say, but it was a real fun ride, good rest for our tired feet and almost like a bus tour through NYC, acquainting us with the various little districts.
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First official shot of the trip.
And we found a perfect backdrop! |
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| 100 Years of the Grand Central Station. |
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| The rip-off, but yum Mister Softee |
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| The SATC ride |
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| Everyone say “Choo” 😀 |
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| 9$ Cosmopolitans at ONeil’s |
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| Spring 🙂 |
We were dropped off close to 5th Avenue and the next obvious stop was the HBO Shop which was a little piece of heaven – they stock Game of Thrones merchandise (!!!). I almost lost my mind and my glasses, while the girls kept their cool watching me try several Stark t-shirts. Walking back to the hotel through Times Square, I think we marathoned another 30 blocks. While I met Inder after a ten year hiatus and had much to catch up on, the ladies treated themselves to some Korean BBQ. More walking, sitting in the lovely Bryant Park and really chilly breezes later, we were all tucked in quite comfortably in our beds at the NYMA.
Day 2
Today we were supposed to be on the Jitney to the Hamptons, but we wised up and decided that the trip might just leave us a little too exhausted. So we cancelled our reservations, slept in late and proceeded to dress up for our first New York style brunch at Greenwich Village. We put in a lot of effort looking for the perfect place – with wooden chairs in the Sun and found it in a little Italian breakfast place called Extra Virgin. Everything here was just right – the delish drinks (Read: Rose sangria, Raspberry mojito and Strawberry lemonade), the chatty hostess, the weather and of course the food. While I feasted on an Eggs Benedict with crispy bacon, Richa got the Oregano roasted chicken sandwich and Reetika’s Sirloin Burger looked like the most delicious thing on the planet. Polished off, with buttermilk oatmeal pancakes with warm berry compote – at the end of which we were so full that even standing up felt like a task. But glad we weren’t on a bus? Hell yes.
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| Brunch roundup! |
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| So, what do we do after that humongous meal? |
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| Brunching! 😀 |
Taking the Subway back to Manhattan, we managed to get ourselves utterly confused about the ‘Uptown’ and ‘Downtown’ concept – which I must say complicates things for newbie travellers. London Underground, you were shown much love at this moment. However, after a brief struggle and climbing in and out of a number of stations, we did manage to get back to Times Square, get sold tickets to a comedy show later that night, get awestruck by the Sephora merchandise and walk it back to the hotel in what was a rather satisfying New York morning.
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| With all the lights and noises. Times Square. |
Come evening, we were all dressed to watch Judah Friedlander and others at The Stand, which was quite a lovely little underground place stuffed to the brim with stand up comedy lovers. Must say thanks to Reetika, else we would have possibly never even thought of this – but what a show it was. You must catch this excerpt of hobo-lookalikeJudah’s plan to run for President – absolute ROFLment.
Following the laugh riot and a ball-freeze episode while trying to hail a cab to our first failed attempt at getting into a New York club at the Gansevoort Hotel, we snuggled into the nearby Mc Donald’s for a taste of the quintessential American hamburger *Said in the Steve Martin French accent*
Getting back to the hotel, packing began for our early morning flight to Las Vegas – and a couple of winks were achieved before we were up and running once more.
Day 3
Half awake and feeling quite robbed by our private cab driver, we reached JFK and went through what is the arduous security check at the airport. Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse than being asked to get your laptop and camera at every airport (like in India), these people won’t even let you keep your shoes (Brr!) or belt on. I guess one does get used to it after a journey or two, but remember to never wear loose trousers which need a belt while flying within the US. I’ve warned you, from personal experience.
After walking like sleep deprived zombies through the airport and a breakfast of Strombolis and hot chocolate, we boarded the Jet Blue to take us across the expanse of the country. Must take a moment here to congratulate the airline on the amazing aircrafts (You won’t believe the kind of leg space!!!), the really nice crew, blue chips that they serve on board and my absolute favourites – their social media firm.
*Pause for applause, as I experienced when the aircraft touched the runway at the McCarran International Airport*
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| Vegas! |
Las Vegas it was, baby. Pat on the back to us for pre-booking ground transport from the airport to the Strip from Bells Transport – it worked like clockwork, and they got us a private stretch limo on the way back!
Cut to Las Vegas Boulevard and lines and lines of monstrous hotels and casinos, leading on the spectacle that is the Bellagio. The last time I was in town with parents, we stayed at the Luxor and I don’t even remember seeing this majestic hotel in its entirety. But after ten years and worshipping Ocean’s Eleven – I can safely say that it is one of Las Vegas’ best. Reetika got stuck in the revolving door (yet again), we started at the ceiling, I used my ‘I’m from the media’ card and we checked into our little bit of Italian extravagance. For the first hour, we couldn’t even believe we were there – excuse the excitement, but when you see packets of Gummi bears, a stocked mini bar and a bathroom as beautiful as that one, it is difficult to contain emotions. Not to forget the massive window which you could look out of all day and not see the Strip, but a spectacular vista of the actual Nevada desert, with its mountains and streaked skies – I just couldn’t get enough of photographing from it.
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| Earrings on a glass table. In perspective. |
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| The breath-taking view from our room! |
A quick shower and we were out on the boulevard with rumbling stomachs, when we stopped by Tiffany and Co. and each bought our first Tiffany’s – mine of course being a pearl drop earring for Ma. I’ll have to wait a few years to buy what I really want from them.
A little more browsing through overpriced Louis Vuitton handbags, we realised that the day was Cinco de Mayo and what better time could there be to indulge in some Mexican food. So we put our names down on the Cabo Wabo waiting list, got ourselves a couple of massive drinks (literally huge!) and window shopped. Finally, we settled down with a plate of tacos each – chicken for Richa, grilled Baja fish for Reetika and crispy breaded shrimp for me – with Mexican rice and beans (read: Rajma). Major slurrrp and over-eating central.
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| Ola. |
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| The over-sized drinks. Slurrrp. |
A lot of walking afterwards, standing by the Bellagio fountains and casino exploration helped us feel lighter, afterwards – before we took a short dip in the Jacuzzi and got back to our rooms to get ready for the ‘Ultimate Vegas Club Crawl Experience’. This was supposed to a party bus that would take us around lounges and clubs on the Strip – which started very well with us at The Mandalay Bay’s Mix lounge and went downhill there from, giving us a rather acerbic experience at the Hard Rock Cafe. More on that on my TripAdvisor review (Muhaha!) All I will say is that I was quite glad to be back to the hotel undamaged physically.
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Vegas at night.
Picture from the Mandalay Bay. |
Day 4
This was possibly the best day of the whole trip – or perhaps the only bit that was actually restful, hence quite treasured. We woke with aching limbs and minds disturbed from last night’s experience and decided that this morning was to be dedicated to relaxation. Brunch at the poolside Bellagio Cafe (Grilled chicken sandwiches and pepperoni pizza) accompanied with mojitos and sangrias followed by a sun soaking session and a dip into one of the three beautiful pools. Absolute bliss.
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| Chill mode. |
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| ♥ |
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| Brunch at the Bellagio poolside cafe |
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| Grilled chicken in Ciabatta and pickled cucumbers. |
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| The drink that was called ‘Adios’ 🙂 |
When we finally did get ourselves to leave the pool and get into a community bath (Big win, Reetika!), we slipped into summer dresses and flip flops (Yayyy, said my poor feet) and continued our Strip exploration into the Venetian. Jell-O shots, being thrown out for not having an id on me, margaritas with salted rims and a lot of walking later, we got to the exceedingly beautiful Venetian and did the whole Gondola ride with a serenading senor. Ah, the good life.
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| Jell-O shots outside the Venetian |
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| Almost in Venice.. |
Before we knew it, it was time to get to the hotel Aria for our first ever Cirque du Soleil show – Zarkana! This was one I was really excited about and it totally needs a separate post to elaborate on its breath-taking performances and exuberance.
Feeling overwhelmed and completely satisfied by the rather hefty amount that we had paid for the show, we walked over to the Bellagio to finally hit the casinos! Richa and Reetika got very lucky at Black Jack and even slots initially, and the expensive yet delicious drinks at the Baccarat Bar were paid from the winnings! I also have to talk about the casinos here- at the Bellagio and the other ones, they’re not only these huge labyrinths full of tables and the noises of clicking die and shuffling cards, but they make for a world of their own. You could spend hours within them, and not know whether it was day or night outside. Tired, yet victorious, we sunk into our heavy luxury Bellagio beds. Sigh.
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| The Bellagio slots area |
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| Winning at Russian Roulette |
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| Loot! |
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| We even found a SATC slot machine! |
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| Celebratory drinks at the Baccarat! |
Day 5
Next morning, hung over by the over $100 wins by the girls, we decided to check out and go to the Sugar Factory, the Paris Hotel’s resident sweet tooth cafe for brunch (Yes, all our meals we brunch – we never woke up in time for breakfast!). This restaurant would possibly classify as one of my most favourite places on the planet – and yours too, if only you sneaked a peak at the menu – do take alook.
What we settled on for drinks was a massive ‘Berry Bliss’ goblet – a combination of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries mixed with Fresh lemon sour, Palinni raspicello, Fragoli Strawberry, Finlandia wild berries and Bacardi Dragonberry. How can one resist it? If we weren’t starving by the time, we would have possibly only feasted on desserts – but we settled for an All-American pizza and a Blue cheese bacon burger. We promised our very cute server – Eli that we would be back for waffles and sweet crepes, but alas, didn’t find the time or the stomach for them.
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| The Goblet! |
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| Yumm! |
Onward to burn off the calories, we marched into Caesar’s Palace, spent a few hours looking around, trying our luck at slots while feeling like we were in medieval Rome. Proceeding there from to keep our date with the sharks at Mandalay Bay’s Shark Reef Aquarium- spending a good hour there looking at a baby male Komodo dragon, while Reetika petted some harmless Rays and of course saying our hellos to the kings of the tanks – Mr. Sharks. Quite exhausted and in anticipation of being on time for our flight to the big apple, we took a quick ride to Freemont Street to visit the famous Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, where Reetika bought a necklace and I walked around aimlessly just like Richa had in the HBO Store. Quite entertaining.
Back to the Bellagio, we grabbed our luggage, changed and waited for our transportation back to the airport. Richa demonstrated her customer relationship demanding skills and got us a private limo because we were delayed *Applause for Butt*. A short and rather intoxicated ride to the airport (thank you Guatemalan driver who let us drink for free out of crystal ware), we were stuffing our faces with super-sized Burger King delicacies and getting ready to snore our way to New York!
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| With the limo! |
Day 6
Arriving groggy and sleep deprived to a very rainy JFK, waiting in line for half an hour for a cab and dealing with a cabbie who clearly had anger management issues – we learned that we couldn’t check into the NYMA before 3 pm – and currently the time was – 7 am. Well we were on holiday and nothing, yes nothing could dampen our spirits, so we left our luggage at the hotel, ate a leisurely breakfast, got into a cab and fetched our New York Passes. These, let me tell you are your best friend if you are a tourist in New York and want to visit Museums, rides, zoos and the whole jazz fest. It helped us skip a massive queue at the MoMA and I will recommend it whole heartedly!
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| I found droplets in NY ♥ |
Back to the NYMA, we got a few hours of shut eye and proceeded to buy Richa her new shiny piece of technology – the iPhone 5, from the signature 5th avenue store! After hours of gaping at chic Apple merchandise, we celebrated with a ‘Da Bomb’ from the best food cart in New York – Wafels and Dinges. They were parked at Central Park and this was definitely not the last time that we would be visiting.
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| Central Park |
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| Delish extreme! |
Walking through Central Park, we reached the Fashion district and stopped through a multitude of signature stores ensuring that our handbags got heavier. Tired and weary, we decided to do our New York classic steak dinner, zeroing in on Keens Steakhousewhere we wine-d and dined on a prime rib English cut with a side of creamed spinach, while Richa ate something called ‘Chicken-on-a-brick’ which was rather delicious. This was my first authentic steak meal, and I was mildly impressed – but I would recommend Keens to any out-of-towners for a really great dinner experience. Just one tip – don’t wear trainers like I did. Ahem.
Adult entertainment was a must-do on our list, along with a hookah bar, but we only managed the former, and I don’t think any of us are complaining. We stopped by Rick’s Cabaret, were quizzed on whether we were ex-wives or girlfriends and had quite an interesting night, with two Jack and cokes each. More details upon request.
Day 7
Beginning with all things touristy, we visited the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) – one of New York’s many treasure chests of art. While most of it was modern art including installations by Andy Warhol, which I don’t really understand, there was one gallery which had all of us transfixed – with the original works of Picasso, Cezanne, Gauguin and Van Gogh. Ethereal.
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| MoMA |
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| Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ |
Getting done there, we stopped by the Rockefeller Centre for what is known as the best panoramic view of New York City. Lots of queues later, the girls feasted their eyes and taste buds on Ben ‘n’ Jerry’s ice cream and we made the climb to the upper levels of the observatory and what a view it was. It was pity that I hadn’t carried my DSLR, but even the pictures that my iPhone managed are indeed quite breathtaking. On one end, one can see the stretch of green among the concrete – Central Park, then you can turn around and see the winding Hudson flow past, and of course there is the great depth that you can observe from so high above the city. I’m really not an admirer of big cities and their high-rising sky scape but it’s difficult to explain why I could stand at the Top of the Rock for hours and be mesmerized by what lies ahead. Note: Please get the NY Pass – helps you skip long lines.
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| A patch of green |
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| Mesemerising |
Taking a break for lunch, we found yet another famous food cart – The Halal Guys – so stood in line for some really amazing gyros and iced tea Snapple! Walking around the business district a little longer, we then took a rather expensive cycle rickshaw ride to Bryant Park. I will never forget that cheating Asian man in my life– may he contract the worst ever diarrhoea.
Then comes the bit I was most excited about, in New York – the Broadway show! We had pre-booked Chicago – The Musical at the Ambassador Theatre on Expedia months in advance, and when we were ushered into the theatre, our hearts almost leapt with joy. We had the best seats ever – five stars and a kiss to Expedia, and what a show it was. The women, the music, the dancing, and the charm – it completely transported me to an old world America where it was all about ‘All that jazz’! I can still hear the resounding applause ring in my ears – an exclusive post on this later.
We had made reservations for dinner at the Italian restaurant ‘Nizza’, which took a great deal of walking to find – but we made it just in time for the kitchens to close and were able to squeeze in our order of the Piccante pizza and pork chops with drinks, of course. A quick stop at the Latitude Bar & Grill and a few watermelon martinis later, we were ready to call it a night!
Not to forget the 20 odd block walk back to the hotel in the delightful New York weather – I’ve never been happier walking!
Day 8
The day that Akshay was getting to the City! I was a little afraid that I would oversleep, thanks to all the alcohol and he would lose his way and I’d feel terrible. But his navigation skills are applaud worthy as he managed to locate NYMA despite the troublesome scaffolding. Was it good to see him, after almost a year! – So much that I sat him down in our little washroom so we wouldn’t have to whisper whilst the girls slept.
Later in the day the girls went to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, which I hear was quite delightful, and Akshay and I bought Richa’s mum’s new iPhone while I ogled at the grape Beats by Dr. Dre and kept referring to xe.com for how much they cost in Rials (I did finally buy them – my only major self purchase in the States).
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| My beauties 🙂 |
As hunger was setting in, I introduced Akshay to the Waffle and Dinges guys and one can only image how bonkers he went over them. While we devoured them sitting by the pond in Central Park, I loved how the place felt – and how convenient it was to have a green space in the middle of the city with a water body, where you could just bring a picnic basket, a book, your dog and some music and have a lovely day by yourself. We walked around some more, Akshay got a caricature done (a pretty good one, at that) and we met the girls for lunch – hot dogs and gyros.
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| Caricature time! |
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| Dogs! |
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| *Hug* |
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| My new chevron iPhone case ♥ |
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| The eerie moving Lady Liberty on 5th Avenue |
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| Picnic in the midst of the tulips 🙂 |
Come evening, and the air was getting colder and I could feel that the rains were upon us, as was a slight fever. But it was our last night in New York so we put on our dresses, while sending Akshay to the lobby to work on his project and finally set out to the Lower East side. Long waiting lines at clubs, Frankenstein-like stares and a David Blaine sighting later, we got into The Delancey & Ludlow(DL), a rather nice bar and dance club which supposedly has a pool full of vodka on the rooftop! Akshay and I had a ‘Captain Barbossa’ cocktail – an interesting mixture of Captain Morgan rum, Cranberry and a dash of cinnamon – so yum! As my fever took a toll, I left the girls to dance and stepped out into the now pouring rain with Akshay to New Roma Pizza across the street and had quite a blast chatting and catching up over pizza while the rains came down on us. Good times!
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| Hawaiian deliciousness 🙂 |
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| We had the best seats at this pizza parlour |
Day 9
Reetika left early in the morning to Portsmouth and as we hugged goodbye, I could hardly believe that the trip was almost at an end. Richa spent the rest of the morning packing and then left to do her remaining bit of shopping while Akshay and I planned our visit to the Brooklyn Bridge and lunch. Although Akshay was mostly interested in the latter 😛
Lunch at Empire Pizza, right around our block and I said goodbye to Butt and we headed onward to Brooklyn! Although I would have loved to get onto the Staten Island Ferry as well, but my poor feet and tired body didn’t have the courage to stand in any more lines and we just walked the Brooklyn Bridge. Its steep climb, but the weather was perfect and Akshay was such uncomplaining company, walking slowly alongside. What I loved best was all the graffiti on the bridge and the love locks, which made for such excellent photo subjects – only wish they hadn’t blocked views for most of the bridge; only a brief section in the centre is actually all open, but looking back, the skyline looked amazing.
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| The Brooklyn Bridge walk |
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| 🙂 |
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| Love-locks! |
While Akshay was convincing me to take the subway to Central Park to get his last bit of the beloved waffle with Belgian chocolate fudge and gingerbread ice cream, I spotted a truck right at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge and pointed it out to him – boy, you should have seen his face. So waffles were consumed, while the sky rumbled and thunder clapped and rain came lashing down on us – there could have been nothing better that New York could have done to make my trip beautiful.
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| Guess who had found their favourite food truck? |
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| Cloudburst! |
On the way back, I was reminded on the time that I read about Joshua Bell performing in the NY subway – we encountered a quartet – the Hopkins Entertainment Group, playing the Titanic theme song, followed by a version of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. It was amazing to see that in a city as busy as New York, how people would flock to listen to a little classical music – if you’re interested, you can listen to some of their work here.
So we headed back to the NYMA to collect my luggage and say goodbye. I was so glad that Akshay could make it, all the way from Buffalo and I cannot thank him enough for being so patient and kind. Much love! Also, I need to thank Inder for rushing through work and making it in time to say bye – I cannot begin to say how happy it made me. Thank you!
On my way to the airport, as the SardarJi driver chatted away happily about being from Calcutta, my thoughts were elsewhere. It felt like a deep chasm where things were bright and beautiful – and I sensed as though I was moving away from it. I had the most delightful ten days and I know I will remember it for the longest time – I’m delighted that Richa, Reetika and I decided to do this, and even though our purses are way lighter, my heart definitely feels fuller.
Las Vegas was great, but it really was New York City that was the shining star of it all. From the bottom of my heart, this is Frank Sinatra, singing the best song he ever did.
I ❤ NY
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Tips to get pregnant! LMAO!! Sorry this took my attention before I could get to writing what I had in mind. 😀 😀
This post was a movie in itself. There really isn't anything that you guys left out, is it?
How much did you guys eat though? :O
I want more details on the adult club story. Very curious. Ex-wife or girl friend?
Love the photo with the goblet! 🙂 And the trip's first with Reetika and Richa.
How's Google hangout btw? Never used it.
So so glad you went for this trip! Love your closing lines. Can imagine how it must have felt. There really isn't anything better than travelling to beautiful places with your most favourite people around.
Cheerio, Priyummm!!
@ RB: Now that it did make you LMAO, I'm just going to leave the comment there 😀
I know, right! The monster blog post, almost 5000 words – I am so proud of myself 😛
Yes, just too much food and drinks, but there was so much walking involved, that I'm actually feeling like I might have probably lost a few inches!
Haha, I will tell you more about it – knew someone would request!
Yay! Can you believe that 90% of the photographs are from the iPhone – I am so very impressed with the device.
And yes, Google Hangout is waaaay better than Skype, if you ask me. Kabhi try karte hain hum?
🙂 I've found nothing rejuvenates as much as travel, even if it is spotted with odd experiences. I look forward to planning something with you – bohat time ho gaya hai!
i love NY tees nahi hain? 😛
itna saara food dekh kar mera to pet hi bhar gaya!! 😀
@ Naween Bhaiya: Of course hain! Bas unme photos nahi hain 🙂
Hehehe! I'm sure you would have loved that food truck, as much as Akshay did! Slurrrp.
Thank you thank you thank you Priyam for documenting this!!
You captured the spirit of our trip and the places we visited so well. My favourite part was when so many servers, seeing our beaming faces, asked us what we were celebrating… Uhh, nothing specific really, just life. I am ecstatic thinking of the next time we do just that. 🙂
Cheers on a job well done!
Reetika
😀
This one was truly a delight to pen down – had such a good time reliving all the food, especially!
You're right – we were asked at almost every place, about what the hell we were so happy about!
Here's to the next time! 🙂
Oh bloody hell. This is the longest yet one of the most enjoyable travel diaries I've ever read. The little details add so much!
Haha, Karan. Thank you for reading with so much patience 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it – and yes, the small things matter the most – that's why I try to make sure I don't forget them!
Baap re… I read this over 3 days.. 😀 Whatte fun only!!!
5000 words, told you so 😀