Washington D.C.- Part 2

At the beautiful home of VK, husband JK and daughter A
The White House
Downtown D.C.
National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia
Five Guys Burgers at Washington Dulles International Airport

January 8, 2008, Tuesday. Our stay in DC was way too short! E didn't get to see half of the museums/ monuments/memorials, the Pentagon and Arlington Cemetery (haven't seen this too). And VK and I lacked the time to catch up with each other. But as we always say, all these give us more reasons to come back! Thanks VK and JK for a wonderful stay in DC. Thank you for welcoming us in your home and taking time to take us around. We are so grateful for friends like you.

Our last day in DC included a photo stop in front of the White House ( I told E he can't possibly leave DC without seeing the White House, and VK was kind enough to bring us there). We were also able to squeeze in a tour of the National Air and Space Museum Steven Udvar-Hazy Center before going to the airport, which E and VK's daughter A thoroughly enjoyed.

Washington D. C.

Freezing at the Princeton Junction while waiting for our train to Washington D. C.
Union Station, Washington D.C.
Washington Monument
Jefferson Memorial The Capitol

January 7, 2008, Monday. We took the train from Princeton Junction to Washington D. C. (USD82 per person) at 7AM (still dark as the picture shows) and arrived at the Union Station in Washington D.C. after about 3 hours. We spent some time at the Union Station (it was a top tourist attraction according to the magazine we read in the train) before going to our friend VK's house.

After lunch with VK, husband JK, and daughter A at 49Twelve Thai Cuisine (4912 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Tel 202 9664696), VK and A toured us around downtown starting from the Roosevelt Memorial and walking all the way to The Mall. E went to the Holocaust Museum while VK, A and I went to the coffee shop beside it ( I excused myself from the Holocaust Museum because when I went to the Holocaust Museum in Berlin, I got depressed after). We went around The Mall for more pictures, but didn't go into any museum (shame on us!).

Back in New Jersey

E with R at brunch in Garden Buffet
Jackson Premium Outlets
Princeton University Town
Princeton University
Inside the Princeton University Campus

January 6, 2008, Sunday. We're back in New Jersey, but this time with E's cousin R in East Windsor. We started the day with a big brunch at a Buffet. Yum! Thanks R, for the treat! Then R brought us to Jackson Premium Outlets to look for more bilins and pasalubong especially clothes because we should take advantage of the 0% sales tax in New Jersey-- so it was the usual Polo Ralph Lauren and Gap. But for ourselves, we went crazy over dinnerware at the Corelle and Corningware outlet store. There were so many things we wanted to buy but we were constrained with the fact that it will be difficult to bring all of those home. Another reason why we wished we lived in the US. We had to content ourselves with the white-colored dinnerware which you can purchase in singles and were on extra reductions at buy 3 get 4. We figured that even if they didn't match what we had back home (we had white ones with a sunflower design which are no longer available) we couldn't go wrong with pure white ones. We also bought a couple of steak knives.

Before we know it, it was getting a bit dark ( it starts to get dark at around 5:00 in winter), and since we really wanted to see Princeton University, we had to leave.

Princeton was pretty. From the town to the campus, I felt that it was a place I would love to live in. Peaceful, with the right amount of activity around you. There were a lot of quaint stores, cafes and bookstores around the town. Inside the campus, the old buildings were beautiful, it was really nice to walk around. Being part of the academe, I felt inspired in that place. Maybe it's something I can dream about --- to teach and study there.

Last stop for the day was Walmart. We decided to send a balikbayan box from NJ because our stuff were already really hard to manage at this point (what with the dinnerware we bought and a lot of other things). Here I found a lot of bath things (which I also obsess about), good quality towels at USD4.50 -- can you believe it?

Belated Happy Birthday, Mom!

Rotorua, New Zealand, March 2005

Just a short break from my US Travelogue--- to greet my Mom a Belated Happy Birthday here (no, I'm not a bad daughter to greet my Mom a Happy Birthday only now, but it took a while to look for a picture of the two of us for this entry. And I called her up from the US on her birthday itself, plus, I shopped for her in the States:-) )

I always tell everyone that I am my Mom's daughter -- she's very hardworking, and a multi-tasker at that! Even now that she is retired from work, it doesn't really look it because she's still busy with so may things. I also inherited her talent for "cramming", I still remember when I was still very young, I would wake up in the middle of the night to hear her tapping on the typewriter. My Mom also taught part-time at a graduate school while working (and jet-setting) full-time. I'm really proud of my Mom, she was travelling alone for work until she turned 60, I can't imagine her carrying her luggages across continents, but she really did!

All these, while taking care of us! She's amazing, isn't she?

My Mom is a most kind and generous soul. We would all run to her whenever we are in a tight spot. And I know that this is true not only for us, her children, but for her friends, relatives, household help and other people. I always strive to be more like her.

To Mom, thank you for everything, and may all your wishes and dreams come true!

28 Hours in New York - Part 2

With DL, at their lovely apartment
Central Park
With RL and DL at the Time Warner Center
Cold Stone Creamery

January 5, 2008, Saturday. We headed to the Time Warner Center in our continuing search for the "cruet". But since Time Warner is right across Central Park, we had to take pictures there first. Inside the Time Warner Center, we couldn't help but also take pictures of the lantern, which we called the "giant parol". We also decided to take our brunch at Whole Foods located at the basement. It was their version of the food court, where you had a lot of choices of food and the food was priced per pound. I tried to take a picture of the place pero bawal daw... We ordered macaroni and cheese, beef stew, shepherd's pie and vegetables.

E's special request for dessert was, you will never guess... ice cream! We were all shivering earlier at Central Park, how can he think of ice cream? DL and RL took us to Cold Stone Creamery. Ice cream was served similar to the "teppanyaki" ice cream we have in hotel buffets here in Manila. It was really good!

To DL and RL, thank you very much for a fun-filled 28 hours in New York and welcoming us in your lovely home. Indeed, the time was too short to see everything, and most especially to spend time with dear friends. But as I texted, there are now more reasons for us to go back to New York!

28 Hours in New York

Empire State Building
Times Square
How New Yorkers sip their coffee
Rockefeller Center

January 4, 2008, Friday. E and I were really excited that we will be spending the next two days in New York with our dear friends DL and RL. From New Jersey (New Brunswick Station), we took the train to New York's Penn Station (USD10 per person + tax). From the train station, we walked all the way up 7th Avenue (or was it 8th? I forget) to reach some of our must (photo)stops in NYC: The Empire State Building and Times Square. Our friend DL met us somewhere in between the Empire State Building and Times Square.

After the long (and very cold) walk, we had a light lunch at Europa Cafe (which according to DL is very New York) right in the middle of Times Square to grab sandwiches and to plan our itinerary for the day.

After E relayed his unsuccessful search of the "cruet", DL suggested Soho. Among our stops were Dean and Deluca, The Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel in Soho. Still no such luck. We had coffee in one of the coffee shops, and that's where we learned how New Yorkers like to sip their coffee. Interesting...

We headed next to Fifth Avenue for some serious window shopping and photo ops at Radio City Music Hall and right by the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.

We then met RL, DL's dear husband for dinner at Morton's Bar 12.21 for a couple of their famous mini burgers and fillet mignon sandwiches. Yummy! We decided to spend the rest of the evening in DL's and RL's beautiful apartment, and took home dessert from Junior's Cheesecake and The Little Pie Company.

The evening was spent looking at pictures from their trip to Malta, catching up for DL and I, and computer games for RL and E.

We had a very full, exciting and fun-filled day, and it was great to see our dear friends!

The Suburban Life

Lunch at Bridgewater Commons

Dinner at Shogun

January 3, 2008, Thursday. This day was spent enjoying the quiet life in suburban New Jersey. I found it the best of both worlds, peaceful life with all the conveniences a short drive away. We went to Bridgewater Commons, a typical mall with all the popular shops. Our first stop was of course Bath and Body Works which was having this BIG sale. Not knowing whether the sale will continue on until our last week in the US ( although it did have "this week's specials" signs all over) we decided to buy some of our favorite products ( shower gels, candles, MORE home fragrance oils, liquid hand soaps) Our criteria: the items should be 50% or 75% off. We also went to Victoria's Secret -- I was tempted to buy some of its lingerie and sleepwear, but still found them too expensive even at 25-50% off, so didn't buy any. Of course, Hubby's interest would be household items especially kitchenware, so we went to Williams-Sonoma and The Pottery Barn. Hubby was intent on buying a vinegar and olive oil glass dispenser, which we learn later in our trip is called a "cruet".

Our next stop is a mall where there was a Crate and Barrel store (the name of the mall skips my mind as of now) to look for the elusive "cruet", no such luck. But we did enjoy browsing and wished we lived in the US so we can buy all the nice items we found.

My cousin K decided to bring us to Kohl's just to let us experience chain store shopping. And I found one of the best buys of our trip: Levi's jeans at $26 in exactly my size. Perfect fit with the exact length (no need for alterations). I loved it. I've never been able to buy Levi's in Manila, guess why?

For dinner, K, wife M and son K brought us to this fabulous Japanese restaurant and went gaga over their teppanyaki. Beef tenderloin, shrimps and scallops. Yummy!

Thanks K and M. WE LOVED OUR STAY IN YOUR HOME. We miss you!

Woodbury Commons

January 2, 2008, Wednesday. A must visit for any shopaholic! Here you will find brands that you will not find in other outlet shopping malls. Brands such as Tod's, Gucci, Prada, Armani, Chanel, Bottega Veneta etc. offer as much as 60% off the original price. Nope, there were no Chanel 2.55s on sale there:-) But there were a lot of nice things in Tod's and Bottega Veneta. A word of advice: if you are going to shop for clothes from the American brands Gap, Polo Ralph Lauren, Banana Republic and will be going to a New Jersey outlet mall--- don't shop here. The Sales tax here is 8.375%, while in New Jersey, 0% tax for clothes!

I'm shown here taking a lunch break of South Philly Cheesesteak and Fries outdoors because the food court was full. And you guessed it, I was freezing cold--- and it took only a few seconds before the food turned cold too. Ice-cold steak and fries, kakainis!

New Year's Day in New York

January 1, 2008, Tuesday. We spent New Year's Day with E's friend FP and his family who are now based in Toronto. We actually just stayed in the Ground Zero area the whole time because we were more into catching up than sightseeing. We just had lunch at Lemongrass ( an Asian restaurant) where F treated us (Thanks, F) and had coffee at the Starbucks near Century 21 Department Store. By the way, this store is amazing. Lots of discounted designer stuff!

New Year's Eve in New Jersey

December 31, 2007, Monday. We arrived in New Jersey early morning of December 31 after that 38-hr trip. Of course even if our bodies felt like lying on the bed, we were too excited to see my cousin K and his family, my Aunt S and Uncle C.

We only had time to take a shower before the rest of the family (K's brothers with their respective families) arrived.

We spent the whole day and evening celebrating with lots of good food and updating each other about our lives (the last time we connected with some of them was 3 years ago when some members of their family went home to Manila, but I haven't seen the rest of them in maybe 10 years!).

It was a good way to celebrate the coming of the New Year -- the excitement of being in a new place and feeling right at home in the company of family.

Our 38-Hour Journey to New Jersey

Snack time at the Singapore Changi Airport
Hubby enjoying his ramen
At last, out of the airplane at the LAX
Coffee inside the LAX

December 30, 2007, Sunday. Hubby and I have been loyal to Singapore Airlines for years, in return, I have already used mileage points to go to Singapore and the US in the past. In exchange for this particular free flight to the US, we had to suffer a longer than usual trip to our 1st stop, New Jersey.

3.5 hours - Manila- Singapore flight

4.0 hours - Waiting time at the Singapore International Changi Airport

20.0 hours - Singapore - Los Angeles flight

6.0 hours - Waiting time at Los Angeles International Airport

5.0 hours - Los Angeles - New Jersey flight

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38.5 hours

The positive side:

-Free internet access at the Changi Airport which we later find out, will be the only airport we would go through that had free internet access.

- Free perfume squirts at the duty free shops in Changi (no need to buy a perfume for the flight because the perfumes we had were in our checked-in luggages).

- We were able to watch a couple of movies in the airplane: Bourne Ultimatum (which I loved seeing again), The Nanny Diaries, A Feast of Love, episodes of Ugly Betty, CSI New York, The Office in my case. I'm not sure what Hubby watched... just to illustrate one of the major advantages of taking Singapore Airlines in a long-haul flight is that their inflight entertainment system is individualized.

-We learned a lot about the Los Angeles airport (LAX). One lesson: it is difficult to land in LAX and take another domestic flight within the US because you would have to personally bring your luggages to go to the domestic terminals via a bus. Can you imagine carrying your balikbayan boxes to the bus and bringing them down again when you get to the domestic terminal?

-With 6 hours to explore the LAX, we feel that we are now experts of the airport, especially the United Air terminal.

Back to Reality

Hubby and I just got back from our glorious vacation in the United States. It was great to see all our relatives and friends. Can't wait to share our stories and pictures... but , have to get into the shower first and sleep straight for at least 6 hours to recover. It took us 24 hours to get here from Los Angeles...