How Cold is TOO Cold?

Ok, really -- how cold is too cold in NYC? 30? 20? 10? Yesterday's low was 15 degrees F and its not going to be any better today. I don't know about you - but that's cold for this California girl! and, that's cold for my two California friends that are visiting as well!

Can you guess what the above picture is? Its a picture of Joy, Lye and me wearing long johns! haha. anything to keep us warm in this chilly weather -- and sadly, its still not enough! back out to the cold we go!

Penelope's Brunch in Murray Hill

Penelope's on 159 Lexington Avenue at 30th Street is a quaint little cafe/bakery/restaurant that serves up one of the best Egg, Ham and Cheese English Muffin sandwiches, also known as Penny Egg Sandwich. What makes this sandwich different than many other food establishments is the PESTO that lines the english muffin and the fluffy scrambled egg that sits between the bread. Oh, so delicious. Though, the brunch menu says its made with american cheese, its not the typical yellow american cheese you are accustomed to, its white and has a milder flavor. If you order the Penny Egg Sandwich, you have the option of putting it on a croissant, which in my opinion is a travesty. If you place it on a croissant, the heat from the ingredients will make the sandwich greasy, or way tooo buttery. Also, you can have the sandwich prepared with its main ingredients - eggs, cheese & pesto sandwiched between your bread choice for $8 - but where is the fun in that? Among your meat choices are ham, sausage, bacon, soy sausage or fakin bacon and since I already gave away what my favorite sandwich is, you know the best is with HAM ($8.50). Plus, it makes the sandwich less greasy. If I can leave you with one other piece of knowledge about this sandwich -- it is to order extra PESTO on the side -- you will fall in love with the sauce and would likely want to add more of it. So, go and enjoy one of the best egg, ham and cheese english muffin sandwiches I've ever had! (see you later McDonald's!)

If you're not a fan of this type of sandwich (blasphemy!), there are other things on Penelope's brunch menu that I'd recommend (all $14 entrees and served with your choice of Apple Cider, Mimosa or Coffee/Tea and Juice) and of course others I'd tell you to pass on.

The Salmon Wrapped Poached Eggs -- two farm fresh eggs wrapped in smoked salmon on black toast with green goddess dressing, served with greens. A definite GO and order menu... Ample portions and good breakfast item.

Nutella French Toast - three slices of french toast filled with warm chocolate hazelnut filling, dusted with powdered sugar, served with a side of fresh fruit -- sounds better than it tastes; the french toast is made with a baguette, which comes out hard and is not to my liking. This is a personal preference, but I prefer my french toast to be soft, not hard or crunchy -- they should change it to challah bread.

Pumpkin Waffles - with apple butter, dried cranberries, toasted cinnamon-cardamon pecans and warm baked apples -- again, sounds better than it tastes. If you're a pumpkin pie lover and want that pumpkin/cinnamon taste, you are better off ordering something else. You can barely taste the pumpkin or the cinnamon (hmm, perhaps its a good thing?), so I'd much rather prefer the traditional waffles.

Desserts/Cakes -- You really can't go wrong with anything that you choose; its all very delicious - so treat yourself to something sweet!

Though, I've talked a lot about its brunch/breakfast menu, I've also been there for lunch/dinner. I'd highly recommend the Curried Chicken Salad ($9.25), Mac & Cheese ($6.50) and Chicken Meatballs ($8).

This place is notorious for long waits over the weekend, so if you plan to have breakfast/brunch with friends, I'd recommend going early (as in 8-10 am), and go with just ONE friend. If you're a popular cat and is desperately trying to get a table for four or six people -- you will be painstakingly waiting for a hour or more if you arrive later than 10 am. On the plus side, you can enjoy their free coffee while you wait (um, probably not worth it especially if you're standing outside in the cold!). You'd be better off getting your breakfast at Banc on 3rd avenue! If you don't want to wait (who does?) and are only a party of two, you can also try to sneak into the bar area in the back, which is first come first serve or order to go and eat at home. :D

Happy Eating and don't forget to order that Penny Egg Sandwich!

Penelope's
159 Lexington Avenue (at 30th street)
NY, NY 10016
(212) 481-3800

About Penelope's: Penelope's opened in 2003 and is created and operated by Jennifer Potenza and built by her partner Michael Tsoumpas. The restaurant's menu is loosely based off of all the places that Jen has worked at - individually picking out certain items that she has loved to eat/drink at her previous places of work - which has varied from working/serving in clam shacks in Cape Cod, deli sandwiches in Montauk, coffee shops in Chelsea, cocktail nights in the east village, and Italian wines near Soho.

No Plates - A new GastroPub in Williamsburg!

I just signed up on Yelp.com and wrote one of my first reviews... and here it is for "NO PLATES" in Williamsburg, Brooklyn!
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If you're in Williamsburg, do not miss this delectable new gastropub that opened a week ago! The food is absolutely amazing; everything you taste from the chicken wings to the pork duo sandwich to the country fried chicken has a sophisticated taste that you will undoubtedly love and will make you yearn for more!

The restaurant believes in high quality, all natural ingredients -- serving beef from "Pat La Frieda", chicken from "Bell & Evans", seafood from "Wild Edibles", and seasonal, locally sourced organic produce. No Plates touts itself as a simple restaurant that serves "bar food" w/ classical French and Asian techniques.

If this is bar food -- then the nearby restaurants are going to have their draw drop and their cash register empty simply because this place is JUST THAT GOOD and AFFORDABLE!

So, lets get to the heart of this review:

Food. As you can tell, I'm a BIG FAN of this place. Here are the food items that my six friends and I ordered (yes, we were a bit indulgent!)

Fried Calamari w/ Wasabi Mayo and Popcorn Shrimp w/ Spicy Mayo ($7, $9, respectively) - both extremely tasty and you can't go wrong with these appetizers.

Classic Cobb Salad ($13) - produce is extremely fresh, so much so, that you do not even need to use the blue cheese dressing (definitely put it on the side) -- the crunchiness from the romaine lettuce and bacon combined w/ a thinly sliced hard-boiled egg w/ chunks of avocado are amazing!

Chicken Wings ($8 for six, $15 for twelve) -- if you do not order this dish, you will be regretting it! The Super Spicy Thai wings are deep-fried to perfection and are bursting with intense flavors. If you can't eat spicy, then I'd recommend ordering the Honey BBQ wings -- which were equally as good, w/o the spicy kick!

Pork Duo ($14) - Tender braised pulled pork and pork belly w/ pickled daikon, greens and spicy mayo served with extremely crunchy fries. Can I say the meat was absolutely divine and mouth watering? Yum. The whole-grain/7 grain baguette could be a bit softer, but still -- this dish was a huge hit at our table!

Country Fried Chicken ($15) - meat brined and marinated for one day, served w/ mashed potatoes and gravy - D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S and S-U-C-C-U-L-E-N-T. Chicken was crunchy and juicy... and couldn't get enough of the mashed potatoes!

Full yet? Oh, yeah, there is still more to come -- yes, you'll get your dose of food coma here!

Hangar Steak ($17) - garlic herb marinated and char-grilled beef served w/ glazed carrots and those delicious french fries that I love! Steak was juicy and flavorful.

Three Cheese Lasagna ($13) - mozzarella, fontina, parmesan and fresh basil served with garlic toast. This dish takes 20 minutes to prepare, so order this when you sit down! Why? Its incredible. Usually lasagnas have this tangy or too sweet taste, but this lasagna -- which I'm not surprised since everything else on this menu is absolutely fantastic - had once again, the perfect balance between sweet and sour. Lets just say, after we finished all our foods, we just had to have another bite of this dish... and then another and another...

and finally...

DESSERT -- Order the chocolate cake topped with the chef's 'specially' prepared vanilla whipped cream. You would think we couldn't put another spoonful of anything into our mouths/stomachs -- but, we could and did -- This was an extremely decadent dessert.

If you eat here, besides having one of the largest smiles on your face, expect to have your belly double in size. Yes, wear your spandex pants that you've been hiding in the back of your closet (jk).

Drinks. BYOB for now. No Plates is still waiting for its liquor license,

Price. You seen it above. In NYC standards, its affordable and comparable to other food establishments.

Space. Can accommodate parties of 6 or more, probably would say 10 max since you want other patrons to eat here too. There is a bar seating area as well.

Executive Chef. Hooni Kim, who previously worked at Daniel and Masa, is a culinary genius! Akin to how people pair wine with food, Hooni Kim has by a stroke of ingenuity paired his food with beer! Ask him his thoughts on salt, citrus and other seasonings and you'll hear how "in love" and how much "joy" he receives from cooking -- its enough to make you want to become his apprentice, or sous chef! Expect to see his own restaurant opening sometime later this year/or next year! so we hope his sous chefs learn how to cook as well as he does!

Service. Good. Jeff is the general manager and moonlighting as a waiter at the moment. One of our food items was a bit undercooked and they replaced it w/o any hesitation and gave us a free entree to try!

Negatives. With all this good, there has to be some negatives -- though this is painstaking for me to say this -- its a bit chilly in here, so bring your jackets. The gastropub is housed in an old building, which surprisingly, didn't have a functioning heater! BRRR.

Happy Eating!!!

No Plates
280 Bedford Avenue
(between Grand St & 1st St)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 302-2002

On Vacation -- Check out my Travel Blog!

I've been dual posting on www.simplyMEinNYC.blogspot.com and my other travel blog that I recently started www.simplyEVERYWHERE.blogspot.com (do you like the "simply" continuation? haha; click on link here or on the link to the right under "fun links").

I haven't set up the automatic mail feeds for the new travel blog yet (and probably won't do it until I am back in the states -- so just bear with me and go directly to the travel blog for updates - thank you thank you thank you)

anyhow, its been difficult posting blogs while traveling, especially with the slow internet speeds... but be patient and you will receive. :D

happy travels and happy eating in the meantime!

Starting my Scuba Diving Lessons! Day 1

Today is the day I MAN UP and learn how to dive! Its such a crazy and foreign thing for me to do, especially since I'm not a good swimmer and am afraid of drowning. With these two things in mind, you would assume it would deter me from attempting to dive -- but, I guess I'm not an ordinary person, or I'm just an adventurous person who wants to test my own limits (if i die, i guess i died trying, right? ha ha). I'm not sure how I'll face up to this challenge, but obviously since I am writing about this now, I lived to tell the tale after my first day.

So what did I do today? It was all about tests and practical application of what I learned from books and video instruction. Btw, I had no idea learning how to dive would take so much time. You generally hear it takes about 3-4 days to become open water certified, but what I didn't realize is that its essentially an all day thing. You get a PADI instruction manual that you will have to comb through, or alternatively, you can pay close attention to the videos you are required to watch. After going through each chapter (5 chapters, and they are long), you are then asked to take a quiz at the end of the book, which is later followed up with another test conducted by your dive instructor. That's only the written tests! There are also 4 instructional dives in the water, where you will be testing your book knowledge in a practical setting.

So, today I completed my knowledge 1 & 2 tests (essentially, learning what positive/negative/neutral buoyancy is... equalizing pressure inside your body ... learning how to use the equipment and how it will keep you alive under water ... yes, breathe through the regulator! ... hand signals ... among many other things). I passed the knowledge 1 & 2 quizzes (seriously, its almost like i'm back in school - you have to review a 30 minute video for each chapter, then at night you read the chapters (um, you're supposed to) and answer the questions at the end. After all of that is done you then meet with the instructor to get quizzed again). I passed this phase and then it was onto the "fun" part - the confined water dive.

If you've snorkled before, you have some sense of how it is to swim with fins and also how it is to get water through your air hole (not pleasant). So think about that and now add on the "comfort" of swimming with an oxygen tank on your back, 5-10 pound weights and other gear ... its a lot more difficult. It takes some time to get used to all the equipment and even after a day, I'm still not that comfortable with it. Every thing was a new step and every step got harder as I continued on! The first was being able to try to stand erect in the water with all the gear and then being able to descend into the water and kneel. Oh yeah, lets just say I had to go up a few times before getting used to kneeling down on the ocean floor (all of this is a semi-confined water environment -- out here in the Red Sea -- its just a shallow part of the sea vs. in a swimming pool). I would say the most difficult thing I had to do today was alternating air sources through the snorkel and through the regulator while underwater. You have to BLOW out water from the snorkel and if you make the mistake of breathing in while water is in the snorkel -- you will instantly choke and feel that burning sensation from the salt water in your throat! ugh, extremely unpleasant and this can easily make you want to quit! After a few attempts I made it through this part -- but it made the following skill tests more difficult to pass since my mind was getting a bit "nervous" and "scared" which -- we all know -- prevents ourselves from advancing to the next level... And what I can gather from day one is this entire course is all about how confident you feel in your abilities (that makes sense since life is like this). I will admit I was a bit shaken with this part of the test... and as I moved on to the next challenge (5 step descent) ... I was a bit nervous underwater again and my next challenge was to take off my face mask and have it off for a minute. Needless to say, I had so many things in my mind that I couldn't accomplish this next task - my chest felt tight; my lunch felt like it was about to come up (mental note: do not eat too much before diving, but that all depends on how you are when you exercise -- i don't really eat); my mouth was extremely dry from all the dry air I was inhaling through the regulator and it tasted like salt; and to top it all off -- i had to pee (and regardless of what anyone says, its not that easy peeing in the open water even though its probably quite easy in the pool! ha ha) So, with all of that, I was just drained and had to call it a day. So I finished water confinement 1 and half of 2 -- which, I will complete the rest of 2 tomorrow.

So my friends, this diving experience will be a true experiment and a test of whether I can get over my fear of drowning and at the same time trying to do something fun and new! Its a WHOLE NEW WORLD down there... tomorrow is a new day (and ugh, still have loads to read for tonight!)

Pharaoh's Revenge in Egypt (Myth or Not?)

You either clicked on this because you thought it was an interesting title about a Pharaoh plotting his revenge, or related the title to Montezuma's Revenge (ie getting bad stomach pains / diarrhea after eating something).

Well, I named this blog entry, Pharaoh's Revenge because of the latter comment. Many people have heard Egyptian Food is not good and can really do a number on your digestive system - but as Wilson and I have found - it isn't as bad as we heard or were told. : D Wilson and I have braved the Khan El Kahlili foods, some street vendor food, "local" restaurants and other foods that were offered to us - and so far so good (knocking on wood)! So, either Wilson and I have iron stomachs or the food here is really not that bad.

So far, here are a few things we've eaten (in order of appearance ... ha ha; RED says don't go, GREEN says go, BLACK means it was ok).

Kepta Sandwich (Khan el Kahlili) - Aka Liver Sandwich (cow). Sounds interesting, right? Would you try this? I'm Chinese, so I've had liver many times before so it was worth a shot. The liver was dipped into a flour-like dough and then deep fried in a wok of hot oil. After a few flips, the liver was ready to be eaten. The liver was weighed and then placed inside a pita-like bread. They provided some cucumber and tomato salad on the side and topped it off with a yogurt-like light brown sauce. We were ready to eat! It had a nice crunch to it and was de-lish-ous! A definite must try! Price: 2.5 Egyptian pounds, equivalent to approximately $ 0.50.

Beans Over Pasta (Khan el Kahlili; Koshary Pasta) - I have yet to figure out the name - Fuul Pasta? As you can see, its a simple dish. We saw many of the locals eating it, so it must be good. The dish is a mixture of macroni and spaghetti pasta covered with a light tomato and bean sauce. My initial bite and reaction to it was - its bland! But, I soon discovered that it was supposed to be eaten with some lime juice (which i found on the counter). After I added it, it was much much better. Not bad for a quick meal on the go. Price: 2.5 Egyptian pounds, equivalent to approximately $ 0.50.

Schwarma Sandwich (Giza, near Pyramids, Felfela Take-Away) - Lamb sandwich. Sandwich included lamb and a light brown yogurt-like sauce wrapped in a thin pita bread. You can order medium / large. Medium 7 egyptian pounds, Large 12 egyptian pounds. Bread was great,

Mixed Sandwich (Downtown, Felfela Sandwich Shop, 15 Sharia Hoda Shaaraw) -- It was a mix of everything. Falfafel, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, and french fries. Ahhh, just thinking about it is making me crave it. The refried beans mixed with the falfafel was an absolute hit! Crunch and mush doesn't sound appetizing, but wow, its great. It sort of reminds me of the days when I used to eat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza - the crunch and the mush combined together to make a delectable flavor. : D This lovely sandwich was enough to fill me up and it cost - you won't believe it - 2 Egyptian pounds (less than US $ 0.50).

"Chips" aka French Fries (Downtown, Felfela Sandwich Shop, 15 Sharia Hoda Shaaraw) -- Wilson loves fries and couldn't resist. Forgot how much this cost, but it was nice and crunchy. But you have to love the server behind the counter!

Oriental Rice with Meat Sauce (Downtown, Egyptian Museum Cafe) -- It was oily, but it was rice, says Wilson. Price: 40 egyptian pounds, approximately $ 8.00. Definitely overpriced, but we're eating at the museum.

Chicken Schwarma with Fries (Downtown, Egyptian Museum Cafe) -- Eh, it was ok. Sandwich had cut up pieces of chicken with some bell peppers. Flavor was medi-ocre, but I didn't expect much from this cafe since it was at a tourist location. Price: 35 Egyptian pounds (approximately $ 7.00)

Mixed Grilled Meats (Emara Hati El Gish, 32 Sharia Falaki or 32 Falakay) - Includes Persion Kostalita (lamb chop - wow so good), sausage with rice (loved the tomato infused rice), grape leaves with rice (tomato infused rice, but grape leaves are too tangy for my tastes), kabob & kobta (salty) , liver (okay), and chicken (nicely flavred, not dry). Overall a great way to introduce you to a variety of prepared meats. The lamb and the sausage with rice was by far my favorite. Price: 54.90 egyptian pounds (approx. US $ 10)

Eggplant, Lemon, Tomato (Emara Hati El Gish, 32 Sharia Falaki or 32 Falakay): The dish included mini-chunks of tomato, lemon and topped off with grinded bits of eggplant. The little bits of eggplant was almost unnoticeable in taste. Price: 4.92 Egyptian pounds, less than US $ 1

Tobola (chick peas) - Metabel - Labana (Emara Hati El Gish, 32 Sharia Falaki or 32 Falakay): grounded chickpeas with some spices. It was ok, a bit too salty. Price: 4.92 Egyptian pounds, less than US $ 1

Sambisa with Meat (Emara Hati El Gish, 32 Sharia Falaki or 32 Falakay): Triangle shaped pastry dish that reminded me of an Indian samosa or a softer Spanish empanada. You can order this with meat or cheese. The meat sambisa was tasty. Price: 10 egyptian pounds, approx. US $ 2.

Assortment of Appetizers (Part of our Bahariya Oasis Tour Food with Select Egypt) - This was what we were served at lunch. Cheese and Tomato (pass), Tuna from the can (pass), Cheese paste with tomato and cucumber (pass), Cucumber and tomato salad (ok), egg and tomato (yum!), Bag of Lays cheese potato chips (yum) , pita bread, and bananas. Overall, it was an interesting spread ... Most of the foods I could do without, but the egg and tomato dish was my favorite (probably because I used to eat something similar to this when I was growing up)

Chicken with Vegetables and Rice (Part of our Bahariya Oasis Tour Food with Select Egypt) -- Wilson and I agree that this was by far one of the best meals we've had (aside from that Mixed Sandwich with the refried beans!). The rice was loose and extremely flavorful (have no idea what was put in there - fat lard? Since there probably wasn't any butter). The vegetables also had a very good taste to it. The carrots, onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers were cooked to a perfect softness and had a richness to it that was something I haven't had. If I could have this everyday, I would become a vegetarian! But since I can't have that everyday, I'm still an omnivore. The chicken was freshly "prepared" (ie killed) that day. Our driver seasoned it with salt and lime juice and threw it on the barbecue grill. Delicious. Everything in this meal was fantastic. Definitely worth it.

Thus far, these are the highlights of my food adventures in Egypt! The food has been better than expected and I hope to taste more of the culinary treats of Egypt! and finally, I hope I won't experience "Pharaoah's Revenge"

Until the next Egyptian food tour ...

I'm on my way to EGYPT!!!!

Day One - Getting Ready to Leave, December 15, 2009

Its 3:30 pm, wait, now its 3:45 pm … crap, its 4:00, I really have to get a move on it if I want to make my 6:30 pm flight at JFK. I now have 2.5 hours to get to the airport (and no, there is no online check in with Egypt Air. It takes about 40-50 minutes, door to door, to get to the airport via LIRR. I also know at a minimum, I must be there 45-50 minutes prior to departure, regardless of international travel, if I wanted to check-in and check-in a bag. So I have to be there before 5:40 pm (or else the ticket agent will see me groveling and pleading with them! Not a pretty sight – haha!)

So if I leave now (um, not ready yet), I will get there around 5:00 pm. Plenty of time (you getting skirmish yet?) , so, I tell myself, I will make it (yes, I’m notorious for cutting it close to departure time). I caught the 4:22 pm LIRR Jamaica outbound train and made it to the check-in counter at 5:10 pm. Not bad – phew, what a relief! So with one hour and twenty minutes to spare – what can I do? Shop… No, I made my way to the gate (afterall, I didn’t want to miss my plane after cutting it so close). I also used the remaining time to call my credit/debit cards to authorize usage in Egypt and Jordan (definite must, so don’t forget to do it on your next international travel!) and texted a few friends before I left. Ah, the hard part is done, now I can relax and sleep on the plane!

If you’re curious about my preparations, read below… If not, wait for my next blog posts on Egypt!

Excitement Level: Low. For some reason, I don't usually get excited until I’m am at my destination. It doesn't feel until I am there and witnessing it. :D

Mental Preparation: None. Though, I do admit, I am a bit nervous to be a woman traveling in Egypt (thank goodness, I’m traveling with my brother, which reminds me -- should I pretend that we are married? sick thought, i know, but apparently married woman here are not accosted as much!).

Physical Preparation: Limited. Ankle is still hurting a bit. - I expect to do my own physical therapy while on the road. Gym? I went a few times to get my body ready for some scuba diving (though, I had no pool to see if I'm capable of swimming a few laps – so let’s hope I don’t drown!)

Planning: A lot. My brother determined our route and I obliged. I figured out all the hotels and made reservations via email. I used Lonely Planet Egypt, Lonely Planet Middle East and tripadvisor.com to find reputable and clean hotels. For the first few nights, Wilson and I will be staying at a 5-star hotel (he is returning from a 42 day safari -- so he needs to slowly readjust back to society.) No we aren’t staying at 5-star hotels the entire time, just 3-stars (or whatever I can find). Took a week or so to get email confirmations from most of the hotels (sounds easy, but really isn't).

Packing: Not so bad. Packing my clothes was easy -- I packed one carry on suitcase for a 38 day trip (I checked it in), one side tote bag filled with camera stuff and another sling shot backpack with my camera equipment. Lots of camera equipment and I already feel as if I've packed too much!

Purchases: Drove me insane. Tested three cameras and six lenses within a week. At the end of the week long camera trials (sounds like a lawsuit!), I chose the 7D and equipped it with 24-70mm F/2.8L lens and 70-200mm F/4.0L lens. Btw, I have some new friends at B&H, though I do admit they probably hate me at the return counter. :D But, if I’m about to spend THAT much on equipment, it better be good and perform well under certain stress tests! (future blog about camera purchase to come)

Last Minute Thoughts

I made my flight and with 45 minutes to spare! phew! I can't believe I'm on my way! The excitement is slowly building. (ha ha, the photo of me on the left is me writing this part of the blog!)

I can’t wait to see what Egypt has to offer and I can’t wait to explore and live day to day, not knowing what to expect next. Every day will be a new challenge, whether finding a way to our destination, haggling with Egyptians over their wares, or finding a clean bathroom! Whatever it is, I love the newness of traveling and the unknown. Traveling is probably one of the only times where I find myself in a heightened “survival” mode – where I depend on my gut instincts, my common sense and my ability to talk to strangers. I love it! I really can’t wait to interact with the locals to find the good food and the hidden gems! oooh and all the beautiful photos I will capture (cross your fingers!) So, on to my adventure I go!

my travel blog will start soon! www.simplyEVERYWHERE.blogspot.com (not up and running just yet! but will be soon!).

btw, my New York postings will be limited for now, but I hope I will have internet access while on the road and can blog about the adventure in the Middle East. I will be gone for 38 days -- and will be visiting Egypt, Jordan and maybe maybe Israel (if we have time) with my brother.

TGIF -- Bloody Marys... Photo of the Day

I took this photo a few weeks ago on a Sunday morning with a Sony Alpha 900.

Its a Bloody Mary from a French Bistro in the Lower East Side (you will see a review for the restaurant, hopefully before I leave for Egypt). It was a tttaaaaddd bit strong, but as my friend and I called it -- it was our day to be destructive... And though, it may seem like I drink a lot (esp. with the recent Irish Victorian Bar review) - its quite the contrary - I drink on occasion and this was a very special occasion. :D

Since its Friday and we know everyone is going out tonight -- don't forget to pick up your Bloody Mary the morning after at brunch -- does it really cure a hangover?

110 Street Subway Station (Photo of the Day)

I am at the 110 Street Subway station quite a lot and on this particular day, I just loved the positioning of the people and the railway columns. And I have to say, its interesting to people watch on the subway!

I didn't have my DSLR with me, so this photo was taken with my point-and-shoot Canon SD880IS... I still love my Canon cameras!

Where is your UPS delivery man on XMAS?

I'm sure everyone has had a box or a letter shipped to them, but do you ever wonder how and where your package is being prepared and shipped? And whether or not it'll be on time? I did. I'm sure everyone is thinking that right now, especially as they are waiting for their holiday orders to arrive. Perhaps you were like me, anxiously clicking the refresh button under the UPS "track order"page?

Today, I went over to a friend's place in Jersey to pick up a "next day air" package, but didn't know when the UPS delivery truck would arrive. However, the doorman mentioned that UPS usually makes their rounds around 12:00-12:15 pm or at 1:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m (hmm, a lot of delivery times). It was 11:00 a.m. when I asked the doorman. One hour, that's not too much of a wait, especially since I was very anxious to pick up the package. So I wait... 12:00 p.m. no UPS truck, no men in brown uniforms, only United States Postal Service in blue uniforms. Um, hello, I want the guys in the brown uniforms -- where are they? So, I peer out the window and guess what I see? I see two UPS trucks sitting in a parking lot. A few minutes later, I look out again and now there is a group of UPS trucks congregating in the parking lot across the street from my friends apartment. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Where is my PACKAGE?!?! and why are they lined up like so? I wasn't angry, rather I was curious. So I decided to walk over... If you can see the photos above, it appeared as if the UPS trucks had their own organized line-up, a semi circle of sorts, with the back of the trucks all facing one another. I was intrigued, so I walked over.

As I entered this semi-private affair, I was pleasantly surprised. The guys (no female workers today), were joking and laughing... music was blasting ... people gathered round to hear the captain's orders and packages were being moved from one truck to another -- they were all having a good time! ... it was almost as if I was watching a scene out of a Christmas movie (or Elf) where you see the elves working away in an assembly line putting packages on the right carousel so it goes to the right Santa bag -- meanwhile you hear them singing and humming along to Santa Clause is coming to town.

So why was it set up like this? Were they having some sort of party? You can call it that ... They set the back of their trucks to one another to organize the delivery of their packages. So, they were simply rearranging packages from one truck, to another, in an attempt to make the delivery process more efficient! Go Santa's little helpers!

As they finished separating the packages, each truck departed to deliver their goods to the households of New Jersey (yeah!!! boxes and more boxes of goodies -- presents?!!). Ah, the sleigh is ready ... "So were you naughty or nice this year?" one UPS man asked.

Nice of course! (ok, he didn't really ask, but wouldn't it be cool if he did? ha ha)

So, are you wondering what happened to my package? ... and whether it arrived at 12:15 / 1:00 / or 4:00 pm. If you think it arrived at any other time but 12:15 pm, you probably don't know me very well. :D jk. Lucky for me, as I was spectating, I met Bob who seemed like a jolly fellow... it turned out he was my special UPS man delivering packages to my friends apartment building. He was my Santa for the day (he found my package in his truck!). And though he was going to make the delivery later in the day, he was gracious enough to make a quick stop at my friends apartment (it was across the street!) before heading out to his other destinations. Woo HOO!!!! Santa agrees -- I was nice all year!

So ... my brown sleigh arrived just in time for the holidays (or in my case, arrived just in time before my Egypt trip next week!)

Thanks Bob and the rest of the Santa crew for making my day!

Thank you for riding NYC Transit - PATH TRAIN - (Photo of the Day)

Today I ventured out to New Jersey and I saw this sign and thought -- ah, I'm leaving my city...

This is the walkway on 34th Street to the PATH train...

Did you know? .... For $1.75 you can take a ride and be in another state? Yes, you can wander around Hoboken for $1.75 (btw, great place to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and only 14 minutes away!)! Or, if you were me, take a ride to the Newport station.

Its a rather easy and quick ride, especially since you are entering another state -- it took me less than 20 minutes to get to Newport (excludes waiting time for the PATH Train). I was told that during the weekdays, especially during peak hours, the PATH trains come every 4-5 minutes, and during non-peak every 10-15 minutes and off-off-peak every 30 minutes. That doesn't sound so bad (click here to check your destination/schedule). Of course waiting times are longer on the weekends... but again, if you are living in New Jersey and commute into the city, its not that bad.

So, for $1.75, or $3.50 round trip -- its not a bad way to spend a day venturing out in another state! Happy travels...

Lillie's -- Unsuspecting Cool Bar in Union Square!

Ever hear of an Irish Victorian Bar? I didn't until I walked into Lillie's Irish-Victorian Bar and Restaurant on 17th Street between Broadway and Fifth avenue. In contrast to other Irish Bars, Lillie's does not have the typical Irish Bar front entrance that is adorned with heavy wood panels or a sign that has the name of the bar encrusted with gold lettering. Rather, the entrance to Lille's is nondescript, but you will know its Lillie's by the locket photo of Lillie on the glass window and its name in cursive gold lettering. As you enter the bar, you will immediately know its no ordinary Irish Bar. Its not "divey" or a "whatever" bar. The bar immediately sets itself apart with its lighting, the columns, antique wood carved bar and furnishings. The antique wood carved bar topped with marble and its furnishings were acquired from a Victorian mansion in Belfast, Ireland (yes, it was packaged and shipped across the Atlantic). You will find other antique carvings there and its representative of an era in which Lillie lived (1853-1929). For more info on who Lillie was, scroll to the end, but lets get to the meat of this story and why you should frequent Lillie's!

What do you normally look for in a good watering hole? Depends on the mood and the day, but first and foremost its alcohol. Then its food, especially if its going to be a long night of drinking! and finally, its the atmosphere -- though, if the alcohol is cheap enough, you'll probably go just about anywhere (ha ha).

Lillie's -- things you would want in a good watering hole.

• Good alcohol selection. Beer from more than 15 countries with 25 on tap ($6) and 30 bottled ($5-12) - Guinness, Smithwicks, Kronenbourg, Stella, Boddingtons, Hatachino White (actually not that great), Sam Adams are all on tap ... and the list continues. Whiskey? Yes, they have Irish Whiskeys and Single Malts ($8.5 - $123). If none of this meets your liquid needs, Lillie's also has a fully stocked bar with hard liquor and a selection of wine and champagne ($8 - $19 glass). Btw, some of the wines are from the Langtry Estate in California, where Lillie herself owned and lived from 1888 to 1906!
  

• Food - Its a bar and a restaurant. So, you can come for lunch/dinner/brunch ($5 - $18) or bar bites ($8 - $20) after 5 pm. We ordered bar food and I was pleasantly surprised that it was reasonably priced and the portions were not scanty . The miniature burgers were good (though, probably could do without the raw onions) and the chicken tender strips had a solid crunch to it (yum!). For dinner, they have Bangers & Mash (YUM) and if your stomach desires -- the Full Irish Breakfast is served all day! btw, the kitchen is open till 4 a.m.!
  

• Atmosphere - Upbeat. Its not a sleepy bar. The music is loud, but not so loud where you find yourself having a shouting conversation with a friend (you just have to lean in a little, which may be to your advantage! :D ). The bar is spacious, but it can get crowded. Its extremely busy on Friday, but if you're willing to brave the crowds like I did -- its worth it! It's NOT a teeny bopper place -- the clientele is your run of the mill after work crowd -- with a good mix of ages ranging from mid twenties to late thirties.
  

Though I'm not sure whether the bar was previously owned by Lillie (highly doubtful) or if the theme and concept was named in honor of her (more likely). Either way, Lillie's in Union Square has a unique story behind its name and for the liquid consumer -- it provides a unique atmosphere for everyone who wants to satisfy their liquid desires and hunger pangs. The alcohol and food prices are reasonable and on par with many other Irish bar establishments, but for the upbeat Victorian atmosphere I thought it was well worth it. I highly recommend this joint if you are looking for an upbeat Irish watering hole!

LILLIE'S IRISH-VICTORIAN BAR AND RESTAURANT
13 East 17th Street
Between Broadway and 5th Avenue
212.337.1970
Open from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m.
Photos of the bar, click here (sorry, didn't bring my camera that night)

Did you know this bar has a unique story behind it?

So who is Lillie? Lillie was born as Emilie Le Breton and was raised on Isle of Jersey, off the coast of Normandy and lived from 1853 to 1929 . According to Lillie's bar website and wikipedia, Lillie married Irish land-owner Edward Langtry at the age of 20 and through her life became an acknowledged beauty of her era who was an "A-List guest, an actress, a model, a mistress to the future king of England (Edward VII), inspirer of poetry and plays by Oscar Wilde". Her nickname was "Jersey Lilly" and was popularised by a portrait of Lilly done by Sir John Everett Milais. Interestingly enough, the portrait had her holding a Guernsey Lily instead of a Jersey Lily flower (ok, that may not have been that interesting). She moved to America in 1887 and became an American citizen in 1897. During her time in America, she purchased a winery in Lake County, California in 1888 and was sold in 1906. To this day, the winery is still in operation and its wines are served at Lillie's Irish-Victorian Bar and Restaurant. For more information of her, visit the wikipedia link noted above!