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Ms Smith Goes to Washington
  • Kelly Smith
Julai 2018

Ms Smith Goes to Washington

Our family travels through Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City. Baca lagi
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    1 Julai 2018
    Kelly SmithMs Smith Goes to WashingtonPengembara

    Early Morning Flights

    1 Julai 2018, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Early morning flights are cheap for a reason.

    We got up this morning at 3:30. In the morning! Evan was pretty groggy, but we all got up, ate, and dressed just in time for our cab to roll up at 4:15. It’s pretty quiet in Winnipeg at 4:15 am.

    The airport check in and security line was lengthy, but uneventful. We boarded our plane around 6 and arrived in Minneapolis at 7:50. We had about half an hour to grab breakfast and Starbucks before boarding our next plane. Our flight to Ronald Reagan International Airport (in Arlington, VA) was about two hours long.

    When we arrived in Arlington, the pilot asked us to close all the windows and open all the air vents to keep the plane cool... because it was 36c outside! Yikes. We deplaned, grabbed our bag and headed to the metro. We are staying in Arlington, so we only had to ride the metro for a few stops.

    Luckily our hotel room was ready when we arrived, so we checked in and unpacked a bit. We needed a bit of lunch, so we stopped in at The Little Beet and had bowls (Brad and I shared a poke bowl and Evan created his own). Then it was back on the metro to L’Enfant Plaza to pick up our Hop On Hop Off bus passes for tomorrow. It was getting late into the afternoon and we had to get to Columbia Heights to get in line for Bad Saint, a highly reviewed, no reservations, 20 seat Filipino restaurant.

    We waited (in the shade, luckily) for awhile and sure enough a lengthy line formed. We had read about this service where you pay someone to stand in line for you and sure enough, we saw it in action! The guy behind us in line was actually being paid to wait there for these two guys who showed up just before the restaurant opened! I don’t know if it’s insanity or pure genius...

    Nonetheless, we got in when Bad Saint opened at 5. It was family style sharing and so we ordered four dishes. The first dish to come out was the soft shell crab with a rich, earthy sauce. The next plate was beef short ribs that had been cooked in curry and it was served with flash fried beans that had been chilled. Our third dish was crazy! It was trumpet mushrooms with a duck egg and garlic oil. You mixed it all together while it sizzled and added a sour vinegar. It was a funky mix of sweet, sour, and fermented. I’ve never had anything like it! Our last dish was a pancit made of mung beans and squid ink. It was much lighter tasting than it sounds. Needless to say, we were stuffed, but they still brought us rice flour brownies to finish. Brad and I also had mango sour beers with our meal, which was nice to cut out the heat of the dishes.

    After dinner, we took the metro to our home station and then walked to Safeway to grab some breakfast food. We have been awake for 18 hours at this point and are going to bed very soon. It was a sweaty, but enjoyable first day in DC!    Baca lagi

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    Melting in DC

    2 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    We slept for almost 12 hours and woke up ready to hit the town! We ate a quick breakfast and grabbed iced lattes at the corner coffee stop and then took an Uber to the Lincoln Memorial. It was a balmy 35c by 10am, which actually worked in our favour. Hot, sweaty, and worn out tourists barely even looked at Lincoln so it was perfect to get close for some pictures! We also saw this great Lego exhibit where someone had built The Washington Memorial and White House completely out of Lego!

    We walked over to the Reflecting Pool and looked out over the water towards the Washington Memorial before walking over to the Vietnam Memorial. We could not believe how many names were inscribed on the wall.

    We had planned to catch our Hop On bus near the Vietnam Memorial, but because of Independence Day preparations, it wasn’t going to that stop. So, not to be defeated (after all we did overcome our terrible bus experiences in Rome) we walked to the White House. As you can imagine, there are many barricades and protests of all kinds happening. It was still pretty cool to see and bigger than I had imagined.

    Just down the block was Renwick Gallery. It is a small gallery and the entire space was devoted to an exhibit about the art of Burning Man. The sculptures and costumes on display were a sight to behold! There was one room that was a temple constructed out of wood blocks and a man powered tin dragon and interactive trees that grew into different shapes when you stepped on a panel. It was a very cool show!

    It was after lunch time, so we took the metro to E’nfant Plaza and walked down to the wharf. We grabbed a bite at the much talked about Shake Shack and enjoyed burgers and an incredibly thick and rich chocolate shake. There was a Milk Bar close by, so we popped in to get a piece of crack pie to share.

    Refuelled, we waited to get on the Hop On bus, which then took us to see the Capital building (from afar, lots of 4th preparations are happening there at the moment) and then to the National Air and Space Museum, which is the second most visited museum in the world. (The Louvre is first.) There, we were able to see the real Spirit of St. Louis! We also saw a large exhibit about the Apollo missions, including a chance to “look inside” the living quarters of an astronaut in space. We saw another exhibit about the Wright brothers and their process to building their flying machine. Then it was on to the planes used in WWI and WWII, and the evolution of using planes in battle. After a quick tour through the gift shop where Evan bought a Neapolitan ice cream space bar and a magnet, we walked to the Hirschorn Museum of Contemporary Art.

    We only had 30 minutes before the museum closed, so we made our way to the Barbara Krueger floor first and then up to see the Mark Bradford exhibit. We saw Bradford’s work at the Venice Biennale last year as he represented the USA there. We also saw other contemporary pieces including a very realistic looking sculpture of a large man and a condensation cube. Evan wasn’t allowed to go in one room due to mature themes. If only the security guard knew how many “jigglys” Evan had to see last year! Haha!

    Before we knew it, time was up and we had to leave. We took the metro back to Arlington so we could cool down in our hotel before supper.    Baca lagi

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    More Monday Pictures

    2 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    We decided to stay in Virginia for supper, so we took the metro to the neighbourhood of Clarendon and walked to Heritage Brewing Company for a late supper. It should be noted that even at 8 pm, it was still 32c.

    We were seated in the lovely air conditioned brewpub and Brad and I ordered flights of their beer. The brewery is owned by veterans, so many of their beers had apropos names like “Freedom Isn’t Free” and “Civil Rights.” To start, Brad and I had deviled eggs and a platter of smoked fish. The smoked fish was incredible! They had a pastrami salmon that I’m
    sure I’ll dream about! Then Brad and I shared a 1/2 chicken that had been rubbed with adobo and came with three sauces: chimichurri, “yum yum” sauce and gravy. We also had mac ‘n cheese and lime and cilantro corn on the cob. Evan chose to have the heritage burger and fries, which he enjoyed with his craft root beer soda.

    Feeling full, we made our way back to the metro where a fire somewhere down the line had caused delays. Luckily we were able to take a different line and get back safely without too much trouble.    Baca lagi

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    Museums and More Museums!

    3 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    After hitting our neighbourhood coffee shop, we were on our way. The first stop of the day was a trip back to the Hirschorn, so Evan could chat with their interactive museum robot and so Brad could check out a few pieces he didn’t see yesterday (and we all needed to see the sculpture garden). The sculpture garden had works by Rodin, Yayoi Kusama (the artist we saw an entire show of in Toronto), and Lichtenstein. We then walked over to the National Gallery of Art where we did a quick tour of the Impressionists. We saw several Monets, Van Goghs, and Cezannes, but we had seen some of these artists’ greatest hits in Paris, so we only stayed for about 45 minutes.

    We took the underground tunnel to the American Art Museum where we spent more time looking at some of my favourite art movement (Abstract Expressionism) pieces. There was “Mural” by Jackson Pollock, which was the piece that got him noticed by Peggy Guggenheim, and an early Rothko, as well as Warhol and Magritte. In the center if the museum was a large Calder sculpture which was pretty incredible!

    Then we walked as close as we could get to the Capitol Building (lots of prep for the concerts happening tomorrow!) before catching our Hop On bus at The Newseum. We rode the bus towards Ford’s Theatre (where Lincoln was assassinated) and then hopped off to walk to our lunch destination. For lunch we visited a Top Chef finalist’s sandwich shop called Smoked and Stacked. Evan had the pulled pork, Brad had pastrami and I had the special BLT. Messy, delicious, and satisfying. After sandwiches, we made a quick stop at Buttercream for a Mexican cookie sandwiched with dulce de leche.

    We walked back towards the National Portrait Gallery. To begin, we looked at some of the new acquisitions including Christy Turlington, and then moved on to the presidential portraits. The highlight was obviously seeing Obama’s portrait that was done by Kehinde Wiley. It was luminescent! It seemed to glow from within - it was that enigmatic! We also went upstairs to see Michelle Obama’s portrait, which is really beautiful.

    Unbeknownst to us, it had stormed something fast and fierce while we were in the gallery. So we ended up taking a cab to the Holocaust Museum.    Baca lagi

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    Holocaust Museum and Dinner

    3 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    To get in, you have to reserve times tickets and for good reason. The Holocaust Museum was incredibly busy. We lined up and took the elevator up to the top floor where the exhibit began. I’m not sure how to describe it. The museum was very comprehensive and gave a thorough picture of Hitler’s rise to power and the “final solution.” I didn’t take any pictures because it seemed like the last thing you should be doing, and I was brought to tears many times in the two hours we spent in the exhibit. There were cobblestones from the Warsaw ghetto, a cattle car, replica barracks, and so many stories. The pile of shoes was heartbreaking, but so were the pictures of people whose towns had been wiped out when they were all exterminated. It’s probably something I can’t describe, but everyone should go and witness.

    ...

    Heavy hearted, we left at closing time and walked towards our dinner reservation. A little early, we popped into Pret a Manger for a quick drink and cool down, and then carried on to China Chilcano, which is a Jose Andres restaurant.

    We were lucky to have a reservation because this place was packed! The concept is Asian and Peruvian, and we picked this day to try it out because they have half priced dim sum on Tuesdays! We had pork dumplings, shrimp dumplings, cilantro/veggie dumplings, pork wontons, and then two Peruvian dishes. One was a fish soup with fish collar, mushrooms, and rice, and the other was a chicken stew with cheese, pecans, and a rich chicken in sauce with rice. Brad and I sipped on Chilcanos which were basically a lighter version of the pisco sour. Everything was delicious and we left very satisfied!

    We walked back to the metro which took us back home. However, we had to make a pit stop at the Continental Beer Gardens for a quick pint. Luckily, there was a very cute labradoodle for Evan to chum around with while we drank our pints!

    Another busy day in DC complete!    Baca lagi

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    Baseball, beer, and the Fourth of July

    4 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    There were no museums in our plans today because we were going to begin our Fourth with the great American pastime. A good ‘ol baseball game!

    We walked to the already busy metro and didn’t have to question if we were on the right line because the train was packed with Nats and Sox fans alike! In fact, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it into the second train because it was so full!

    We arrived at the Nationals Stadium around 10:40 and the game was due to start at 11. Brad bought a Nats hat and shirt because, honestly, if you weren’t wearing red, white, and blue you were sticking out like a sore thumb! You may not agree with their gun laws, president, or tariffs, but you kind of had to be in awe of the rampant patriotism today. There was a guy wear a shirt that had the Constitution written on it!

    Anyway, we got our bearings and got our beverages (two beer for $30!) before sitting in our section (109). It was hot (33c) and we were in the sun, but there were a few clouds and a breeze which made it bearable for the first two innings. By then, we were quite sweaty, so we walked the concourse to cool down and scope out lunch options. They had cooling fans stationed around the stadium, which certainly provided relief! Being traditionalists, Evan and I had Nathan’s hot dogs at the game while Brad opted for crab cake tater tots (a delicious choice, btw). We made it back to our seats just as the game got exciting! Our section was full of Sox fans, so we were fortunate that the Sox took the lead because the people around us were very excited about that!

    During the 7th inning stretch, the cast of Hamilton sang God Bless America, we all sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame and two presidential mascots came out and danced. It was pretty great! Unfortunately the Nats could not get it going today and the Sox ultimately triumphed 3-0. However our section didn’t mind a bit and celebrated the victory!

    We thought our ride back might be crazy, but it wasn’t too bad and we managed to get back to our hotel to cool down. The sun has worn us out these past few days, so some AC and water was needed.    Baca lagi

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    Food and Fireworks

    4 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Brad and I had a quick nap to recharge our batteries and then got dressed for our night out. We took the metro back to the Clarendon neighbourhood to eat at Ambar. Ambar is a Balkan tapas restaurant where you can choose to do the “Balkan Experience” which is unlimited small plates. We like to try many different foods, so this was for us!

    We began with grilled calamari and a tasting of spreads that included an aged cow cheese with chilli flakes, beet tzatziki, and lamb pate served with a variety of breads. Next was the Balkan salad (Greek salad), the kajmak selection (whipped curd that is as light as air and flavoured in a few different ways - this was something that I’d never had before and it was incredible!), and drunken mussels. Our waiter then suggested the rainbow trout and potato salad, a lovely and light dish. This was followed by moussaka, lamb stew, BBQ pork ribs, and a meat and a cheese pie. It should be noted that each dish was small, so only a few bites each. We weren’t done yet! We also ate pork sausage, lamb rotisserie, stuffed peppers, and lastly the short rib beef goulash (one of everyone’s favourites!). Whew.

    Our meal had taken two hours and we needed to get to the Marine Corps park for the fireworks, so we grabbed an Uber. We weren’t interested in camping out all day at the Capitol to see the show, so we found out that you could see the Capitol’s fireworks from this park in Rosslyn. This park has a sculpture of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima and to see it all lit up was quite breathtaking.

    After going through a security check to get into the park (there were police and security everywhere!) we found a place on the grass to set up shop. The fireworks began as promised at 9:09 and lasted 20 minutes. At one point the fireworks spelled out U-S-A! That was pretty impressive to see! As you can imagine, the display was large and stunning! It was hard to get pictures because it was so dark, but Evan took a few videos.

    Once the grand finale happened, we headed out of the park with the thousands of other spectators and walked back to our hotel. It was a pretty perfect way to end our time in DC!    Baca lagi

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    Philadelphia or Bust

    5 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    We packed up all our stuff and took the metro to Union Station so that we could catch our Amtrak train to Philadelphia. The Amtrak boarding was probably the most chaotic scene I’ve seen in awhile. No real line, just random milling about and then a lot of shoving and jostling. Nonetheless we got our seats and stored our bags and sat back for the almost 2 hour train ride.

    On our ride, we stopped in Baltimore, MD and Wilmington, DE - two more states to add to our list! Although we only got to see these cities through the train windows, it was still neat to be able to see them at all.

    We arrived in Philly just after 1 and walked to our apartment, which is in the Rittenhouse neighbourhood. I’m not sure how old the neighbourhood is, but it’s obviously a historic part of your city. Beautiful old trees and brownstones line the streets and there are these great neighbourhood restaurants and stores all around.

    We got ourselves settled and then went to the Reading Market for lunch (yes, just like a Reading Railroad). This place was packed even at 2:30 pm! There were so many places to eat at that it was hard to choose. Brad and Evan decided to get huge sandwiches at Dinic’s and I had the Melter Skelter at Meltworks (raclette cheese, jalapeños, pickled green tomatoes, bbq chips and watercress). We then took an Uber across downtown to get to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where we saw a Van Gogh sunflower painting, a Duchamp urinal, an excellent Jasper Johns’ wing, and several rooms of armour (request by Evan).

    We stayed there until closing time and then walked to Crime and Punishment brewery, which was about 15 minutes away. It was happy hour, so we tried a few of their appropriately named brews before heading back to Rittenhouse to grab some groceries. Our little corner grocery store has the biggest craft beer section I’ve ever seen in a grocery store! Liquor laws are harsh here and liquor license are expensive, so many restaurants encourage a BYOB approach.    Baca lagi

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    Laurel

    5 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    When we got back to our place, we had to get ready for our fanciest dinner of the trip. We were off to Laurel, which is owned and run by a Top Chef winner. We took an Uber to get there and we went through a lot of different neighbourhoods. It seems that every block has a menagerie of places that are old and worn looking and then a few new places stuck in here and there. It’s obviously an old city, but it has this great charm that we all noticed in the afternoon when we first set out. It’s very different than all the suits wearing lanyards and tourists that abound in DC!

    We arrived at the 20 seat, tasting menu only restaurant for 8:30. We were seated and obviously Evan was the only kid there! They showed him the non-spirit cocktails list and we were on our way through the seven courses.

    Our amuse bouche was a little round sphere of rhubarb soup. You had to take it all at once because it exploded in your mouth! Our first course was cured kampachi with green peaches and sea buckthorn. It was a light and refreshing course. Next was one of my favourites and one of Evan’s least favourites, Burgundy snails with Pennsylvania polenta and a truffle foam. It was delicious! We had a small bite before our next course which was a tart filled with frozen foie gras and a blueberry vinegar.

    The third course was a table favourite: shaved asparagus with confit frog leg and herb butter. The asparagus ate like pasta and tasted hearty even though it was largely vegetables. At first we told Evan the frog was chicken and he loved it! Then we told him it was frog and he was a bit surprised, but said he still loved it! I think the staff was pretty impressed with Evan at this point- even the chef, Nick Elmi, came out to plate something for us and asked if Evan ate the foie gras (which he did).

    Next up was wild striped bass with fava beans and pistachios, another table favourite! Course number five was roasted lamb with daylily kimchi and ground ivy jus. The lamb was perfect! We were getting pretty full by the time course six emerged, and it was probably our least favourite course. It was braised pork cheek with fermented radishes. And finally, dessert was macerated Delaware strawberries with strawberries sorbet and champagne foam. However, we also got petit fours with our bill, so we also got one last sweet treat!

    The dinner was beautifully done and we left feeling quite full and happy!    Baca lagi

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    The Liberty Bell Still Has a Crack

    6 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We began our day by doing our laundry and then walked to Independence Hall to see it and the Liberty Bell. There was a fairly long line to get in to see the Bell, but it moved quickly. Before you got to the Bell, there was an exhibit about its history. It was actually really interesting to see all the groups who had used the Bell as a symbol of liberty - the women’s suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, and the LGBTQ equality movement to name a few.

    Then we got to actually see the Bell! It sounds not that exciting, but it was pretty cool to see it up close and to see the famous crack in the Bell. It was a bit smaller than I had imagined, but had a presence nonetheless.

    By this time, it had started to pour, so we threw on our rain coats and made a mad dash for the visitor center across the street. We were soaked! We spent a bit of time in the gift shop and then took pictures with Ben Franklin, the Greetings from Philadelphia sign, and the mascot from the Phillies (Phillie Phanatic). We also looked at options for the afternoon.

    Before we knew it, we had to meet our Philly Cheesesteak Tour, so we went outside where the rain had subsided and met Nina, our guide.    Baca lagi

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    More Philly

    6 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    To our surprise (and luck) we were the only people on the tour! Nina was our guide and her son, Kamar, was our driver. She gave us goodie bags to get started and they had a scoring sheet for the five cheesesteaks we were about to try. They also had a bag of Herb’s chips and Tastee Kakes, both Philly products.

    Our first stop was Sonny’s, where they do not use any extra oil when they grill the steaks. They also just use American cheese. Nina had pre-ordered at all our stops, so her son would just run in and grab our order. Seeing the long lines made us really appreciate the tour already!

    Just down the street was Campo’s. They chopped their steaks and used “whiz” instead of American cheese. Although all cheesesteaks are made with bread, cheese and steak, you could start to taste the difference between restaurants.

    Nina took us on a bit of a tour that included a stop at the Rocky statue. She explained that real estate is booming in Philadelphia right now because New Yorkers are moving in and just commuting to NYC for work. She also told us the history of William Penn and his design for Philadelphia, which was completed over the course of almost 200 years!

    Our next stop was in South Philly where Pat’s and Gene’s face off on opposing corners. They both used onions and whiz, and both did the flat steak as opposed to chopped. Brad and I really liked Geno’s! Evan was still rooting for Campo’s.

    Our last stop was Jim’s on South Street. Kamar got some pretty dirty looks from the people standing in line as he went in to grab our sandwich! This place used whiz as well, but their bread was much chewier than the other places. Nina said that their is no “best place” for cheesesteaks in Philly because people who grew up there always think their neighbourhood place is the best. She said she grew up eating Geno’s and nothing else!

    The tour lasted just over two hours and was so great! We saw so much of Philly that we’d never be able to see on our own and trying all the cheesesteaks was a perfect way to understand why people love this sandwich!

    We said goodbye to Nina and Kamar and walked to Second Story Brewing for a quick pint and to game plan.    Baca lagi

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    Last of Philly

    6 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    We decided to split up for the rest of the afternoon. Brad was going to see an art gallery that was the private collection of a man named Barnes, and Evan and I were going to explore Eastern State Penitentiary. So we got our Uber driver to drop us off separately.

    Steve Buschemi narrated our audio tour of the penitentiary. It was the world’s first penitentiary and opened in the 19th century. They believed that solitary confinement was perfect for reflection, so cells were individual (even the little outdoor space) and guards wore socks over their boots to maintain a culture of complete silence. When prisoners were moved, they wore bags over their heads so they could not see anyone. It sounded horrendous! They later changed their practice, but this silent treatment went on for decades.

    We also got to see where various movie shoots and music videos were shot once the prison had been decommissioned (1970s) and hear stories from prisoners (some are still imprisoned in Pennsylvania) who were in Eastern State. We also saw a recreation of Al Capone’s cell while he was there. It was pretty swanky!

    I thought the penitentiary was creepy, but Evan didn’t think so! The cells were so small and eerie. Nonetheless, it was a very interesting part of history that we got to explore together.

    We met up with Brad just after 5 and stopped in at Philly Flavors to try water ice, a Philadelphia specialty. We tried one orange cream and one raspberry. They are a mix between a Slurpee and sorbet, and delightfully refreshing! We ate them as we walked to Love City Brewing. This brewery was bumping! We enjoyed a few beers while playing some games.

    Our dinner reservation wasn’t until 8:45, so we decided to walk home. We got to see a lot of Center City on our walk and the rain had cooled the day off nicely, so it was a great evening stroll.

    Friday Saturday Sunday was the neighbourhood restaurant we decided to try for our last meal in Philly. We began with grilled octopus with beans, and sweetbread sandwiches with bone marrow tartar sauce. Then we shared three pastas: potato gnocchi with burnt cream; bucatini with mussels; and gemelli with pork sugo. Everything was excellent! (The lighting was too low for any pictures!)

    After dinner we walked around the block and back to our apartment. I didn’t know what to expect from Philadelphia, but it is a great city to visit!    Baca lagi

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    Start Spreading the News!

    7 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We packed our belongings and left our lovely apartment to head to the Amtrak station. It was a cool 21c, which made our walk to the station quite pleasant!

    We boarded our train to NYC at about 11:30 and arrived just before 1 at Penn Station. We made stops in Trenton, NJ and Newark, NJ along the way. Our next task was to get to the subway and then to Harlem where we were staying. It took a bit of time, but we got it figured out and ended up in Harlem where we met Barbara who owns the place. The apartment was big and airy and beautiful, and she even gave us a gift basket!

    After we settled in, we went to Whole Foods to grab a snack before taking the subway to Greenwich. From there we walked to the Chelsea Market. We checked out the shops and grabbed a few bites including a lobster roll and pork tacos. Evan also bought himself some mini doughnuts. Then we walked the high line for awhile since it was such a beautiful day!

    From there we began to head towards the Empire State Building, which was one of Evan’s “must do” items. We had purchased a Go City card, which allowed us to skip the line for tickets. What a lifesaver! The ticket line had to be at least an hour long! We just whizzed on by and made our way to the first elevator.    Baca lagi

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    Views and Stews

    7 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Everyone takes one elevator to get to the 80th floor where there is an exhibit about the building. Then you board another elevator to get to the 86th floor to see the views!

    It was quite cool and windy at the top, so I think that deterred a number of tourists from hanging around too long. We enjoyed taking our time to see New York, which you could see most of because it was a clear evening. Evan liked stoping at the lookouts and looking through all of them. Eventually, we decided to head back down, but this time we walked the six flights instead of waiting for the elevator. We checked out the gift shop and a Evan bought a NYC Taxi pen and then we took the elevator to the ground level.

    The restaurant we had reservations for wasn’t too far away, so we walked over to Her Name is Han. We were able to get our table right away, which was great because there appeared to be a lot of people waiting outside. The menu was lengthy, but it had pictures of most dishes. This was helpful because we aren’t especially well versed in Korean food.

    We decided to order pork dumplings, potato croquettes, bulgogi, and a soup that had noodles, mussels, clams, rice dumplings, hard boiled eggs, shrimp, and a spicy fish broth. Evan loved the bulgogi! I’m sure he’d have eaten it all if we’d let him. The soup was moderately spicy (enough to make your nose run a little) and so delicious! They served our meal with a variety of accompaniments as well (kimchi, pickled vegetables, etc.). There were so many dishes we wanted to try, so it’s too bad we can’t go back soon!

    After our meal, we walked to Times Square. It was bananas! I guess seeing that it was Saturday night and a nice night at that, everyone was out! As we got closer to the square, the crowd just got thicker and thicker! We all had to stay close while checking out all the action. Next, we made our way to Rockefeller Center. It wasn’t quite as busy so we spent some time looking around and viewing the art installations that’s currently there.

    By this time we were exhausted, so we took the M3 bus back to Harlem and called it a night around midnight.    Baca lagi

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    Guggenheim, Met, SoHo

    8 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    We began our day with brunch in Harlem at Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster. Evan had French toast, Brad had Nashville honey hot chicken, and I had shrimp and grits. While we ate, a jazz band played and sang gospel music. It was a great start to our Sunday!

    After a quick stop at our apartment, we got on the M1 bus and took it to the Guggenheim. We just wanted to see the building and inside the vestibule, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. We grabbed some lattes at Blueline and then walked over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We all viewed the modern and contemporary art first. There were a few Rothko’s and a couple great Pollock’s as well! Then we split off and the boys went to the see the armour and I went to the special Costume and Christianity exhibit. We met back up at the Egyptian Temple and then scooted out as the Met had become impossibly crowded!

    Our next destination was SoHo (South of Houston) for a bit of shopping. In the end, Evan was the only person that bought anything - sunglasses to replace the pair he lost the night of the fireworks.

    Our dinner reservation was quite early because it was the only time I could book at Carbone. This restaurant is old school Italian and a favourite among celebrities. We were seated by a tuxedo wearing server and serenaded by Frank Sinatra tunes. Before we ordered, we were brought shards of real parmigiana reggiano, salami, pickled vegetables, and a variety of bread. We began with a chopped salad of bitter greens, olives, mushrooms, and tomatoes. This was followed by three pastas: a take on cacio e pepe with crab; tortellini with ragu; and lobster ravioli. We all shared the pastas, but each had our own favourite. Then we shared meatballs, which were incredible! To finish, Brad and I shared tiramisu, while Evan opted to eat some chips at home instead. Go figure.

    The meal was amazing from start to finish and gave us a little taste of Italy again!

    Following dinner, we walked to the subway station abs caught the train back home. We stopped at Whole Foods to grab breakfast provisions and then spent the rest of the evening relaxing.    Baca lagi

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  • Kelly SmithMs Smith Goes to WashingtonPengembara

    Cruisin'

    9 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Our day started with hustling to Pier 83 in hopes of getting on the 10:30 Liberty Cruise. Luckily, we were able to use our Go Card to get tickets and get right on the boat! The cruise took us out to see the Statue of Liberty, but we also got to see a great view of New York and Jersey! We got up quite close to Lady Liberty, which is a way better view than going up the Statue. It was a quick hour ride, but Evan was pleased to have seen the iconic landmark.

    Once we docked, we took the bus to Grand Central Station to see it and have lunch. Traffic was crazy, so our bus ride was pretty slow, and Evan ended up losing his sunglasses on the bus, but we arrived at the Station in the end. We ate at the Great Northern Food Hall, which was opened by one of the original partners of Noma (the famous Danish restaurant). The theme was decidedly Danish/Nordic food. We had three different smorgesbord (open face sandwiches): egg and shrimp, roast beef and horseradish; chicken salad with celeriac. Evan really wanted the hay-smoked leek and potato soup, so he ate that.

    Bellies full, we walked along 5th Avenue and popped into a few stores before going on to the MoMA. We spent several hours checking out the modern art collection. There were many highlights including seeing Starry Night! We also saw many Picassos, Monets, and Pollocks.

    By this time it was almost 5 and we had to hustle in order to take the subway to our dinner reservation. Luckily we arrived with time to spare and just in time to see the chef, Enrique Olivera, walk by! Cosme was named the 40th best restaurant in the world this year and is known for its Mexican cuisine. We started with cobia al pastor (fish that has been marinated in pineapple) and tamales that came in a red sauce. Then we had a mole with special smoky tortillas, and the showstopper - duck carnitas! It came out as half a boneless, roasted duck with watermelon radishes, onions, and cilantro. It was also accompanied by tortillas and salsas. It was heavenly!

    After supper, we started to make our way to the Brooklyn Bridge, with a quick stop in the East Village at Big Gay Ice Cream. Evan had the Rocky Roadhouse and Brad and I shared Monday Sundae (which came in a Nutella smeared waffle cone). We walked back to the subway only to find out that there were major line delays. It was getting late, so we decided to just catch the express line home and see the bridge tomorrow.    Baca lagi

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  • Kelly SmithMs Smith Goes to WashingtonPengembara

    Brooklyn Bridge and 9/11

    10 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    It was set to be a hot day in the city, so we made our first stop at the Brooklyn Bridge. We walked across the entire bridge (1.83 km) and into Brooklyn. Before leaving on our trip, we watched a documentary about the construction of the bridge, so it was quite fascinating to see it up close!

    Once we were in Brooklyn, we walked over to Juliana’s for their opening time. There was already a line when we arrived, but we still managed the get a table. Juliana’s is owned by the Grimaldi family and they specialize in coal fired pizza. We had a classic with meatballs and ricotta. It was perfect! Chewy crust, lots of ricotta and a lovely tomato sauce. After lunch we passed a Shake Shack, so Evan just had to get a mocha cookies and cream shake. With his beverage in tow, we headed to the waterfront to see the view of Manhattan.

    We made our way back across the bridge and ended up checking out a street performance. Four guys were doing flips and break dancing. For the big finale, they pulled Brad (one guy said, “I’ve got a sexy white dude!” and pointed at Brad) into the trick! They lined up five people and did a flip over them. It was an unexpected fun pit stop on our way to the 9/11 Museum and Memorial.

    We used our Go City card once again to skip the ticket line. After a run through security, we headed down into the museum, which is built below ground level. The main part is more a memorial than a museum. There is an entire room where the names of the dead are read out and you can see their photo as well. There was a few pieces of the twisted metal columns that the plane that hit tower 1 had gone through. But then there was a separate section that chronicled the entire day in great detail. Timelines, photos, videos, and personal effects were all arranged. I didn’t quite expect to get so emotional, but reading some of the voicemails people left for one another or the calls the flight attendants made for help after their planes were hijacked was heartbreaking. The exhibit was totally engrossing and so well put together. We spent over two hours looking, watching, and recalling our own memories of the day. After the museum, we went to the memorial fountains which there are two of - exactly where the towers used to stand.

    Running short on time, we left the area and caught the subway to Greenwich Village. Tonight’s dinner was at Barbuto. We were seated right by the kitchen and I was disappointed when I didn’t see chef Jonathan Waxman there, but five minutes later he showed up! We have seen him on Top Chef so many times that it was pretty neat to see him in person!

    We ordered the famous kale salad to start and it didn’t disappoint! Then we shared two pastas: pappardelle with lamb, and fettuccine with morels and favs beans. Both were surprisingly light! We also shared a half oven roasted chicken with salsa verde. To finish, we shared a cheese plate that came with focaccia and bread sticks.

    Very full, we got on the express train home and tried to cool down for the night. Tomorrow is our last day in NYC!    Baca lagi

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  • Kelly SmithMs Smith Goes to WashingtonPengembara

    Last Day

    11 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    With our last day at hand, we decided to go to Central Park. The day was hot, but the park provided shade and cool relief in the city. We strolled through the park and saw the fountain, pond, and went through the tunnel. Worrying about getting to Williamsburg in Brooklyn on time, we made our way to the subway and started our journey to the birth place of the hipster.

    We grabbed quick iced lattes at a small cafe and then waited for our tour guide. At 1, he showed up and we found out that, once again, we were the only people on the tour! The tour was a food journey through the Williamsburg neighbourhood of Brooklyn. We began by getting a bit of history about people moving to Brooklyn in the 80s due to crime and overpriced housing in Manhattan. Young people began to move into the borough and started to make it “hip” - hence the hipster being synonymous with the area.

    Our first stop was a Polish bakery where we tried a meat filled perogy and got some sweet treats for later. We wandered over to our next stop which was a BBQ place called Mabel’s that is run by a husband and wife team. There we tried pulled pork, brisket, cornbread, and a bean salad. Evan loved the pulled pork and Brad and I agreed the BBQ sauce was incredible! Next was a stop for pizza. We tried a white slice (no sauce, ricotta, parm, and garlic) and a classic Neapolitan slice. Evan liked the red slice, but Brad and I preferred the white. We walked a little more while our guide told us about how the area has changed and some of the modern dwellings that have been interspersed between old factories.

    A stop at Milk Bar was next and we ate bagels bombs and tried their cereal milk ice cream, which everyone enjoyed. I’d been looking forward to our next stop, which was Mast Brothers. They do artisanal chocolate bars and we got to taste one made with goat milk, one that had been smoked, and one that was made with sheep milk. The goat milk bar was my favourite, it was so tangy! Our final stop was Odd Fellows Ice Cream. We got to choose any flavour (they make them all in house), so I got sesame Nutella, Brad had coffee crunch, and Evan had pb&j! A delicious finish to our tour.    Baca lagi

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  • Kelly SmithMs Smith Goes to WashingtonPengembara

    Last Day (pt 2)

    11 Julai 2018, Amerika Syarikat ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We said goodbye to our guide and made our way to the Bushwick area. This area has given tax breaks to businesses that allow street artists to create a mural on their buildings. These murals are huge, colourful, and pretty incredible to see! We spent some time wandering around and then popped in to The Rookery where they were showing the England vs Croatia game. We drank pints and watched Croatia triumph over England. Brad decided to leave Evan and I (we were playing Connect 4 and eventually checkers) to go see more street art.

    Eventually we had to get going to dinner, so we got an Uber and drove through Brooklyn to Olmsted. I like to describe Olmsted as “hipster-chic” (Evan is not a fan of this expression!) and it was small plate sharing. We started with tempura rabe and whipped shito butter, which was loved by everyone! We then had crab Rangoon wantons, and garden spaetzle cacio e pepe. Evan is a big fan of all things cacio e pepe since our travels in Italy. Next was their signature carrot crepe, which was beautiful and delicious! Our final dish was dry rubbed scallops with corn and blueberry purée. It was all so good! We ended with a strawberry pavlova.

    Our subway ride home took almost an hour, but we finally made it back to Harlem. We packed all our belongings so we could be ready for our 3:30 am wake up call!    Baca lagi

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    Tamat perjalanan
    12 Julai 2018
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