New York - Day 3 - Woodbury Common

I'd heard many magical tales about Woodbury Common, an outlet centre located about an hour out of New York. Many wonderful stories, many bargains to collect.

We were advised of two options - a rental car or a bus. Everyone we spoke to agree that the bus was a pain in ass, so we rented a car. Smee was a little apprehensive about driving on the the other side of the road and while we did veer a little to the right at times, all in all, I'm still alive, I got my shopping and that's what matters.

It was nice to finally sit in your own car with the heating on and not have to brave the sub-zero temperatures. We managed to arrive at the outlet in about an hour with few hiccups.

Smee in the driver's seat. Our view from inside the car. Our little PT Cruiser. The snow at Woodbury Common.

Woodbury Common craps all over Bicester! At about 3, maybe 4 times the size, it's easy to understand why people recommend you allow a day for your visit, whereas Bicester can be done within about 2-3 hours. I think Mooey would like it here (hai moo!)

Couldn't resist a picture next to the snow mound and the little gazebo.

Surprisingly, Smee and I didn't buy too much; we had to remain responsible shoppers and not get sucked in to bargains. I was rather proud!

After a relatively early start, we succumbed to our fried chicken cravings and opted for some Popeye's. This turned out to be something difficult. The Popeyes crew member asked us "Do you want brown meat or white meat?"

Smee and I looked at each other, confused. "Sorry?"

"Do you want brown meat or white meat?"

I had heard her the first time; repeating the question didn't make it clearer! Isn't chicken white? I kept thinking she was going to hand me over a deep fried beef steak if I said brown.

The store manager turned around and helped, "Breast or thigh?" Aaaah that made things clearer. I've never heard of chicken meat referenced in such a way before. I guess when you think hard about it, the thigh is a darker meat than the breast.

Our dinner for the night. Needless to say, we didn't feel very healthy afterwards.

Check out how big that can of Grapeade is!

The Big Apple - Day 2

Today was a shopping day so few touristy pics. Our appetite for ramen was whet from last night's dinner and Smee and I were more than happy to have a second round. We had noticed a modest noodle bar near A&F and were keen to try it out. Unlike last night's Momofuku, Larmen New York (Men Kui Tei) had Asians patrons - a clear sign that something must be right!

While I've read some mixed reviews, there seem to be more positive than negative. For out visit, it was all positive! Yum yum!! While you could argue that they didn't have enough supplementary toppings, I think for a simple, no-nonsense ramen with a deep broth, this was definitely better than Momofuku. This would become a regular haunt for me. An added bonus - they also have two other stores in New York, one here and the other on 151E 49th St, between Third and Lexington Ave.

Outside the noodle bar and our serving of cha shu (Japanese Char Siu).... mmmm fattiness adds to the flavour....

I had the Tonkotsu ramen (pork bone cloudy soup) while Smee opted for the Shio ramen. YUM!!!!

The Rockefeller Centre Christmas decorations. We had to interrupt our shopping for the obligatory photos.

Me so happy to try on boots! I bought them, just in case anyone was wondering.

Nearby the Rockefeller Centre was the NYC branch of Minamoto Kitchoan - I'd forgotten that one New York had one too! Some of you may remember the last bit of this post (or maybe none of you will) whereby I indulged in some goodies. I nearly started skipping on the spot and clapped my hands when I saw this store! Hehehe

Almost exactly like it's London counterpart, it was filled with delicious mochi balls and the like. Even better was that prices were US dollar for British pound. Why is that everything in the UK is double the price of nearly everything in the US? There is no justification behind it. Alright, so Smee and I went a little nuts.

All our goodies, in and out of the bag.

(L - R, T - B) Fukuwatashi senbei - mmmm vanilla waffle cookie

Macha manjyu - Green tea mantou

Hakuuno hotori - White bean paste cake

Kurimanju - I've forgotten what this was

Kohakukanume - mmmm plum jelly, with a real plum!

Now for the piece de resistance.......

So nicely packaged, it was a shame to unwrap it but we couldn't wait to eat our Maccha Choco Daifuku - soft white chocolate wrapped in an even softer rice cake, showered in green tea powder.

I COULD EAT COUNTLESS BOXES!

I am rather tempted to buy these in the London store.

You know, the best bit was the white chocolate surprise centre that melted in your mouth. They also came in a chocolate flavour but we decided to behave ourselves.

Smee and I completed our shopping for the day. I guess I should blog dinner as well, however that extremely disappointing after eating all our snacks. Let's put it this way - we couldn't find good pho in Chinatown.

New York, New York - Day 1

Aaaaaah New York. I had high hopes and was a little concerned that the city would let me down, given that the last time I was there I was a wee one who was very fascinated with bright lights and all things sparkly. I'm happy to say that New York did live up to it's hype and although it felt a lot smaller than what it did in 1999, it still ranks as one of my liveable and lovable cities.

Smee and I had a relatively uneventful flight (BA managed to not lose or damage our luggage for once) and I teetered with excitement as our bus pulled in towards Port Authority near our hotel. *mental note to others: don't take the Airtrain/subway into Manhattan from JFK if you have large suitcases - elevators are non-existent on the subway*

Despite reading that the last two weeks of December is the worst time to go to NYC (long queues, crowds) it didn't feel overcrowded at all. It definitely wasn't as crowded as London, nor were there significant queues. You get so used to your crappy way of life in London that you can start to appreciate small efficiencies such as less queuing and less shoving. I didn't have to push anyone on the street or subway!!

The infamous Times Square.

Smee and I checked in to our hotel the Milford Plaza. While I could not ask for a better location (two blocks from Times Square) the same can not be said about the general hygiene of the hotel. All Germaphobes, heed this warning. Given that the hotel was essentially just a place to sleep at night, I could ignore the general 'old' smell of the building. However, I could not ignore that mysterious bedbug bite that appeared on my bum after our second night. Hrrrrmmmmm.

It was difficult to ignore the lack of OHS standards too. I'm amazed that we never got electrocuted.

Smee and I were starving and off we trotted to find a quick bite. Burger King was deemed the appropriate way to begin our descent into becoming American for the week. Watching the store manager (in her 20-something-year-old-bandanna-wearing-wise ways) have an argument with customer was quite the entertainment - it felt like I was a part of US sitcom studio audience.

They definitely don't do things in halves here. I was so shcoked to be given this 'large' coke. Aah but when you can supersize for less 50 cents how can you argue the logic?

Squirrels are so smart at breaking open peanut shells. Here's a few at Madison Square Park.

Fifth Avenue at night, outside Abercrombie & Fitch.

The one thing that really shortens my temper is being inside Abercrombie & Fitch. Why do they have to play their music so loud? Why does it have to be dark in there? Why do a lot of the staff exhibit moronic behaviour? It's a good thing that their clothing is half price when compared to the London flagship store. I would buy more if I could tolerate being inside such a store.

The one thing I was really looking forward to in New York was having decent, affordable food. Yippee! Something that London does quite badly is decent Japanese food. Sure if I could afford to eat at Nobu everyday I would, but sometimes all I need is a good serving of sushi, ramen and the like without all the pomp and circumstance.

We were recommended to try Momofuku, a ramen bar. The weather was perfect for it. NYC had definitely turned on the winter scale and we were facing temperatures of -3 to 2 degrees everyday. Hmmmmm.... ramen.... so warming..... Let's see, the last time I had decent ramen was about 2 years ago in Sydney, so I was very much looking forward to some soup. The cafe itself was something reminiscent of Chocolate Buddha/Wagamama but on a smaller scale.

Smee had the signature ramen with pork, while I had the beef brisket.

Given that I haven't had decent ramen in a long time, this was very much to my liking. The broth was light and the poached egg on Smee's dish was a nice addition. However, the noodles soaked up the soup too quickly and in the end, it was like eating a dish whereby the chef skimped on the crucial ingredient. The prices converted while probably cheaper than London (US$14 a bowl), Momofuku by all means was not a cheap meal. Not to say I won't go back, but I won't be going back in a hurry.

Afterwards, we took a few night snaps at Times Square.

Why on earth would you want a deep fried pickle?

Update

I suppose I should give a general update to compensate for the infrequent blogging and to satisfy Moo - the only person who reads this blog regularly.

I'm off to New York on Saturday for 6 nights - YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The last time I went to New York was in 1999 and I fell in love with the place. It was big, busy and dirty back then, but I so wanted to live there on the condition that I was earning truckloads. So I guess that isn't happening anytime soon.

It's been nearly ten years and I'm sure it's changed. I hope it's not too busy. Crowds in New York in 1999 were pleasant in comparison to crowds in London in 2007. I guess it doesn't matter too much. Even if it's just as crowded as shitty London, the shopping will certainly compensate. I can't wait!!!!!!!

Ummm, what else? Yes, I'm still reading that Bill Bryson book. I think the last time I read it was about a month ago.. The same excuses apply - it's too bulky to carry inside my handbag to and from work. That gives me an idea! Buy a bigger handbag in New York. Oh heck, lets just buy a few. Alright, I'm gonna try and finish it while in New York.

Hmmmm not much else to say.

Circle Christmas 2007

The Circle celebrated Christmas a bit early this year due to travel commitments of many of the members. Dinner was at Med Kitchen in Coven Garden with the Christmas dinner menu and decorations to boot.

After a 'table on fire' episode as a result of paper hats and streamers making direct contact with a tealight, I ate my ash-peppered bruschetta.

An incident with my digital camera meant that I only took three photographs, of which only one is worth posting. I figure you all can find the other photos somewhere on Facebook.

Kt, Lil Miss J and I with the Christmas cracker. Note Kt and my impersonation of Mrs. Claus.

No gifts were traded this year for KK, opting for an "Act of Service". We're all so freaking original with half of us opting to offer our culinary skills to our recipients. Let me just say, my Oreo cheesecake is making it's long awaited comeback.

Now to make up for the lack of photos, here's a pic of the Christmas Tree I set up at work. Yes, I do get paid to do that.

Good-bye dear friend

The time has come to say good bye to a very close (literally) friend of mine - my first pair of Sass & Bide jeans. *sob* Admittedly, when I first bought them, I considered returning them. They were far too tight and I cried in pain everytime I wore them, but I was reassured that they would stretch and stretch they did.

They have been with me since late 2001 and have travelled all over Australia and the world with me. They've seen me through thin days and fat days, witnessed my weight fluctuations, had numerous episodes with food spillages and have enjoyed the constant companionship of my muffin top.

I was criticised a few years ago for continuing to wear them with a rotten crotch (see below), but that only fuelled me to wear them with pride. Jeans that rotted and molded itself to my gait.

My rotten seams.

So what happened exactly? Well, it was a normal day and I pulled out the dear ol' friends and put them on, ready for action. I was aware of the presence of a small hole adjacent to the top corner of one of the pockets. That hole had been getting progressively larger over the past months and I cared little for that fact that the colour of my underwear was (slightly) visible.

As I bent over, I heard a loud *rrrrrrrrrRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPP*. Uh-oh. Bum visible. All I can say is that I'm thankful that I had not yet left the house.

I cannot salvage this.

Oh well, at least I have another almost identical pair, but nothing shall replace the original, faithful friend.