Day 13 : A New York State of Mind

{ Monday, 27 July 2009 }

We ♥ NY. And to think we almost bypassed this awesome city. Kudos to you, Chris, for putting your pregnant foot down and insisting upon us venturing into the Big Apple because, well, it was 500% worth the hassle.

Staying in Hotel Belleclaire on the Upper West Side is a treat because our block never sleeps! At around four in the morning dad went out to grab coffee and hung outside the Westside Markets, watching the semis bring in the produce and chit chatting with the workers. He later came back to the room and said, "the people here in New York aren't very friendly." That's okay, dad. You are!

Okay, on to the good stuff. Here's a play-by-play of all we did today { and it was jammed pack with lots of goodies!}

WALKING THREE BLOCKS FROM BELLECLAIRE AND INTO CENTRAL PARK


WHO ARE WE AWAITING?! IT'S THE...


... MONINGKAS!


HUNTING FOR BREAKFAST, NEW YORK STYLE


PSST, ALLAN, GUESS WHERE WE STUMBLED UPON?


THAT'S RIGHT, THE DAKOTA!


BREAKFAST TIME
{ and oh boy was the food delicious! and perfectly seasoned. and fresh. goodness, i could go on and on and... }


I GUESS MAILE'S THE ONLY ONE HAPPY TO EAT




BRIGHT-EYED GIAN

After a delicious breakfast { I had baked eggs for the first time; Brandon's steak was seasoned just right; the pancakes and french toast were made from scratch; we even had freshly squeezed orange juice! } we boarded the train into Rockefeller Center.

NOW KALE'A IS EXCITED


HEADING TO THE CENTER


TIME TO POSE. AGAIN.


TURN AROUND, GIAN!


DAD'S ALWAYS KEEPING AN EYE OUT FOR US

After Rockefeller we consulted our trusty map and determined that *egads* Times Square was only a few short blocks away. Dad and mom really wanted to see it so we headed there, but first we had to make a quick pit stop at...

MAGNOLIA BAKERY
{ and yes, it's waaaaaay better than georgetown cupcake }


WALKED BY RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL...


... AND GOT DIZZY LOOKING UP


"ARE WE THERE YET?" ASKS KALE'A


YES, KALE'A, WE'RE HERE


TIMES SQUARE
{ dirty, smelly and reeks of tourists. but hey, mom was able to buy 5 i ♥ ny t-shirts for $10! }


MOM WANTED A PHOTO OF THE BALL

Walking to Times Square made us hungry so after dropping by the biggest Toys-R-Us in the US we headed for the nearest Gray's Papaya to see if Bourdain's claims are correct.

It took us a while to find Gray's because the GPS on Brandon's phone thought we were driving in a car. I even called Allan to help us out but he said the nearest GP was forty minutes away. I finally called 411 and they came through.

MAILE DIDN'T MAKE IT
{ see her purse? she held onto it for the entire day!


GRAY'S PAPAYA!
{ they only provide four types of condiments but that's all you need. oh, and their freshly made juices are refreshing. }


GRAY'S PAPAYA, I COULD HAVE EATEN 12

Yes, GP is the best hot dog. Period. End of discussion. And if you don't believe me, fly/drive/boat to NYC and head to the nearest GP and try it for yourself. That Bourdain, you can trust his pallette.

After walking around the city all morning we, meaning Christine, needed a break so we walked to the nearest train to head south to the Staten Island ferry. On the way to the subway we saw two iconic landmarks:

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN


THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING


ON THE TRAIN
{ this is, by far, gian's favorite thing to do in the city }

We got to the station, waited a few minutes and boarded the John F. Kennedy ferry to Staten Island. Brandon took some pretty stellar shots that I must post:

THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE


AND THE BRIDGE AT ANOTHER ANGLE


BYE NEW YORK!
{ we brought the southern rains with us to NYC. seriously, where ever we go the rain seems to follow }


LADY LIBERTY


GIAN LOVES WATCHING THE BOATS ON THE WATER


"WHAT'S THAT STATUE?" ASKS KALE'A


ONE OF MOM'S TOP FIVE FAVORITE MOMENTS


SAME WITH DAD


FULL OF PEOPLE
{ hey, it's a free ride! }




QUITE POSSIBLY MY FAVORITE SHOT OF KALE'A THIS YEAR


NEW AMSTERDAM


DA BOAT, AS GIAN CALLS IT

After the round trip ferry ride we took the train back to the hotel, grabbed Chinese/Cuban fushion food for the keikis and grandparents { which was also delicious } and put the babies to bed. we forgot to bring the camera with us on our evening excursions so I don't have photos to post but I do need to share with you what we did.

New York is a foodie city so naturally we dined out for dinner tonight. Christine and Brandon's date night brought them to the financial district where they feasted on french food from the famed Las Halles, Bourdain's former employer. My date night with Atelei took us to Season 1 Top Chef winner's restaurant, Perilla. It's Restaurant Week so we opted for Chef Harold's prix fixe dinner and he really came through with his vegetarian options. Atelei's entree tasted better than mine! After dinner the Moningkas headed to Greenwich Village to listen to jazz while we headed uptown to meet Ceyli at Serendipity. We got their famous frozen hot chocolate and honestly, this little store is all hype. I've had better iced chocolate drinks, but the location and decor was cute. After dessert Seyli invited us to see her UES apartment, and since we were in the area we went to see it. Goodness, she has a HUGE apartment for New York standards.

At around 1:30 in the morning we left Seyli's and headed back to Belleclaire. And you know what greeted us? My adorable sleeping beauty:

MONKEY TOES


ALL THAT WALKING POOPED HIM OUT

Good night, New York. We'll see you again tomorrow.

Day 12: New York, New York

{ Sunday, 26 July 2009 }

This morning we awoke in Hershey's campground and the keikis immediately ran to the nearby creek to play in the water. Good thing grandma had them wear their Crocks!

LOOKING FOR STONES

MOM SAYS THEY ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN FINDING THE BIG STONES

GIAN, ROLL UP YOUR PANT LEGS!

"I FOUND A BIG ONE," YELLS GIAN

"OOH, PRETTY WATER!"

ON THE HUNT FOR BUGS

At DC Christine opined that she wanted to visit NYC. "We're already here," she explained. After a brief family meeting we decided that yes, since we're only three hours away from the city we should head there for one night. Atelei found one two double bed room in Hotel Belleclaire on the Upper West Side for cheap so it was set. New York City, I hope you're ready for us!

First stop, Jersey City to view Lady Liberty. Too bad it rained.

POSE FOR MAMA, GIAN

THE MONINGKAS

THE PROUD IMMIGRANTS TO AMERICA

AS CLOSE AS WE CAN GET TO LADY LIBERTY

HAPAI CHRISTINE WITH NYC SKYLINE IN THE BACKGROUND
{ photo by brandon }

"OH SAY CAN YOU SEE..."
{ photo by brandon }

THE CITY

HUDDLING FILIPINO-STYLE TO AVOID THE TORRENTIAL RAINS

LADY LIBERTY

Dad suggested we leave the open air and head back to the comforts of the RV. We did and with Brandon driving and Atelei as navigator, we made it to Park&Go, an RV/18-wheelers/car airport parking. Atelei said that since we'd only be staying one night we should only bring one small carrying bag. We listened and soon after the driver picked us up in his 15-passenger van and we headed to Newark Airport. We got to Newark and Atelei and I immediately set forth to find affordable transportation to the city.

CALLING FOR A CAR TO NYC

After booking two Lincoln Continentals we waited for five minutes before the cars arrived. The Moningkas and mom went into one car while dad, Atelei, Gian and I went into the other. Mind you, we left Newark at around 7:45pm. Apparently the former car's driver knew what he was doing and despite horrendous traffic in Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, he was able to get them from Jersey and into NYC and onto the UWS within thirty minutes. Our car's driver, however, took over an hour to get to our destination. Mom had Gian's pillow in her bag so Gian had to ride the entire trip without his night-night. Praise God he was a good boy and didn't complain too much.

When we finally arrived at Hotel Belleclaire we were pleasently surprised to see how clean, modern and elegant the hotel looked. Emery Roth designed the hotel in 1901 and they are currently renovating its exterior so it looks similar to its original design. They upgraded our one bedroom room into a two-bedroom suite. Mind you, New York dwellings are tiny. However, our rooms were quite comfortable { and with AC! }. Even the bathroom, despite being snug, was clean, had a window, and new.

We are now settled and resting { actually, dad's outside exploring our neighborhood } for our big day tomorrow. Gray's Papaya, Central Park, and all things touristy... here we come!

BROOKLYN BRIDGE AT NIGHT
{ photo by brandon }