We left for America after the World Cup game between Germany and Spain. It was a really tight game. Not many chances. We left around 4:50 PM and I drove. Encountered a major rain storm around Hamilton area. We got to the Duty Free shop around 6:30 PM. Picked up some munchies, beer and drinks and we crossed the border.
I get nervous at the border. You have to try and relax. Americo was driving at this point and he was nervous at the border. It was kind of funny. Where you going? Long Island. Where in Long Island? Umm. What was it called? Rockville. Why are you going there? To play hockey. Blah blah blah.
We entered America around 7 PM crossing the Lewiston Bridge. We took the New York route on the I-90 to Syracuse and then took the I-81 south. We stopped at Homer, NY to get some gas and food. But Homer was such a small town. The sign off the highway said there was a food stop and gas stop but Homer had nothing (practically). We filled up on gas ($2.59 per gallan, $25) and kept going. We learned that we made the wrong stop and that where we should have stopped at was Cortland. It was funny because Cortland had all the amenities that you would expect from a rest/gas/food stop. Homer and Cortland couldn't be more than 2 miles apart. But Cortland had the new facilities and Homer had the old mom and pop gas station (and that was it!).
We stopped at Tim Horton's and had dinner. It was 10:10 PM. We finally hit the road around 10:35 PM and we didn't stop until we got to New Jersey. Americo drove the whole way. I fell asleep around 11:30 PM and was in and out of sleep until 12:30 PM. We arrived at the Ramada Inn in Rochelle Park, NJ around 1:50 AM. We checked in and expected to receive the cheap walk-in special that we saw advertised through roomsaver.com. They wanted to charge us $85 for the night. Lucky Americo brought it up and we paid the $59 that we expected. It was late. It was a good idea to fight the fee. But after a long drive I can see how easy it would be to just pay it.
We were in our hotel room around 2 AM. I went to bed around 3 AM. Taking some time to get a feel for the room and watching some TV until I fell asleep. I woke around 8:30 AM and got us some breakfast (before the food was gone). We then talked to the desk to see if we could get another night at the hotel. They wouldn't give it to us at the rate that we wanted. So we decided to leave. We figure we could find another hotel at the cheaper rate in Jersey. We looked around on roomsaver.com and decided on the Hampton Inn in Elizabeth (my initial destination choice). I drove to Elizabeth and when we entered we were pleasantly surprised. The Hampton Inn was quite comfortable. Much better than the Ramada. Little things make a big difference in the look & feel of a place. The Ramada had dark carpets but the hallway wasn't cooled by an A/C. The Hampton in the front foyer had dark wood floors. The walls were a cool cream striped satin looking wall paper. The seats in the dining area (small but cozy) were comfortable, inviting modern styled chairs. Whereas the Ramada was red and dark when we walked in that late night. In the morning it was brighter but because of the layout of the hotel there wasn't as much natural light. So it felt cramped and dark.
The rooms felt different as well. The Hampton had light coloured blankets while the Ramada had pastel, dark coloured blankets. The Hampton just felt fresher. The Ramada's blankets was just rougher on the skin. I just think it's interesting the differences a few select features makes on the complexion of a place. Both hotels had a dark wood finish. But because of the light in the Hampton you could see the finish. It felt more luxurious, more refined, cleaner and tidier. Just a better hotel. It did cost $20 more but it was worth it.
We signed in around 11:30 AM. We hoped to be out of there by 12 PM but that was just a hope. We left around 12:30 PM looking for the Elizabeth train station. We asked the guy at the desk but he directed us to the shuttle bus that goes to the Newark Airport where we could take the NJ train to NY Penn Station. We later learned that the Elizabeth train station is not out of commission. The hotel shuttle hotel guests to and from the airport. The NJ train was far more expensive because the transport is used to pay for the airport. Therefore, we paid $15 (Americo paid $11.50) to take 3 stops to NY Penn station. The $15 was much different than the rate that was quoted from the NJ transit website. I got a quote of $6.50 from Elizabeth (which is one stop further than the Newark Airport) compared to $15. I was pissed off about this.
We got to NY Penn station around 2 PM. Picked up a day-pass for the NY subway system and our first stop was the WTC site. We took the E line to the WTC. Took some pictures. I was amazed that they could fit 2 buildings in the space that I saw. Amazing! And with the congestion of the location it's surprising and scary that 2 large buildings would fall in such a dense urban area.
We started to walk to Battery Park (where the statue ferries disembark) but the direction that an officer provided us appeared to be different than what I expected. I checked out the map and realized that there is a Battery Park City (West of WTC) and a Battery Park? I'm doing a search again now and I guess I was wrong (again!). Anyway, we took the subway back to Penn station (we missed our exit at Chambers) had lunch (at Moe's Burrito Grill) and then we headed south again (along the 1 line) towards the South ferry stop. We exited and found the Staten Island ferries (not the statue ferries) and decided to take the trip. We played it loose in the city and it was great. 20 minute ride to Staten island and back again we had a good time. Americo got a chance to relax. I had the chance to take pictures of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.
It was around 5 PM at this point. We then took the R train to Wall street and we walked around a little. Took pictures and then started up (7 line) towards the Empire state building. We decided to wait till later for the Empire state building so we took 7 line again to Times square. Americo stopped at an electronic camera shop and 10 minutes later Americo had bought a 70-300 mm zoom lens for his Nikon D3000 digital SLR. It was maybe 7:30 PM at this point. Our last stop was the Empire state building. Fantastic monument to go visit. Beautiful, regal and iconic. It's incredible that the building should now symbolize the city of New York. I fell in love with the building. It's funny because my first impression of the building was one of surprise. The building has held up pretty well over the years. I was surprised that it didn't look older. The facade was very much clean and crisp (almost fake looking). Did they have renovation done to clean it up? It looked too clean to me. The front entranceway has got the signature 350 on it. There is a doorman and the entranceway. A rotating entranceway into the building. A long corridor leading to a desk. A beautiful mural behind the desk and dressed in gold. The image is of the building surrounded by golden beams of light. The imagery is fantastic. I really enjoyed the feeling of the place. It just brings back the images of big money New York. I can imagine Clark Gable singing 'Puttin' on the Ritz'.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Hong Kong
I'm in Hong Kong now. It's 3:22 AM Sunday morning. Days become nights and days become blurry in the haze of travelling half-way around the world. I'm travelling with mom and Elaine (sister). They are sleeping right now.
We left for Pearson around 9:15 PM on Sep. 24th. My uncle drove us to the airport. We checked our bags and waited for the boarding call. My feelings about the trip is mixed. The intent was to travel to Asia alone, or at least with a friend who was interested in going and finding out later why we went. But that changed because I was afraid to go alone and because all evidence suggests that I couldn't handle it on my own (language being the principle defficiency). I have to admit that I'm defficient in many ways but there's nothing like a trip with yourself to expose them to the light of day.
We travelled Economy class with Korean Air. Mom asked around and we eventually settled on these flights. A very nice flight. Cheap seats and beautiful flight attendants. That's all I need to say. Red-eye flight so we left Pearson at 11:50 PM Thursday and arrived in Seoul 1:10 AM Saturday. Mostly uneventful. You try and sleep, you eat and then you try and sleep some more. If it weren't for our hostesses I would prefer to wake up in Seoul and have no recollection of the trip. The girls wore a beige jacket over a beige skirt, teal blouse with a scarf tied at the neck. Very elegant. Some wore short sleeves some wore long sleeves, some wore pants, most had their hair tied back but one had her hair short and cropped. Quite a variety. However, they all had their hair accented with a hair clip that looks like the traditional chopsticks. I enjoyed it.
We got to Incheon International Airport at 1:10 AM (local time). We exited the plane and walked to Gate 21 which would take us to our next flight (only our next flight was 6 hours away). This was the perfect chance to catch up on some sleep. I slept maybe 2-3 hours on the flight. But in Incheon it was 1:10 PM (Toronto time) and I was wide awake. With so much time on our hands your instinct is to explore. There were phones, washrooms and closed shops at the airport, a free public internet hotspot and an information desk. Mom and I walked up and down this part of the airport once or twice saying hello to some of the people we met on the flight. With nothing else to do (and not sleepy at all) I got online to see how I could entertain myself. Logged into MSN Messenger and began conversations with Americo and then Martin. Americo was still at work (sucker!) but Martin Kim (is a guy whom I met at D-Link Networks a few years ago) was free. We kept in touch, he left for Seoul in 2007 looking for better work. Well, since I was in Seoul (technically Incheon) I decided to contact him. He was surprised to hear that I was in Seoul. It was like 3 AM at this point but 3AM wasn't so significant compared to the 2.5 years and thousands and thousands of miles between us.
I'm having an aside moment :) Litmus test. Friendship. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to get reacquainted, Martin and I. We jumped right in. He took off from his place in Seoul (I believe he said Non Hyeon) grabbed a taxi and travelled like 40 km to see me. Very cool. All I had to do was exit through immigration, fill out entering Korea form as well as a customs declaration form and then I was in the arrivals section of the airport waiting for Martin at McDonald's.
Anyway, Martin got to the aiport around 5 AM and we talked for a few hours. I was happy to see him. Martin, like myself is single with no attachments. So for him, as well as I, going out at 3 in the morning because a friend calls you up one day is an excellent way of getting to know someone and becoming reaquainted. I know, for me, I didn't feel quite so alone in Asia. We talked about work, women and life since D-Link. He's working for Alcatel-Lucent as a sales-engineer. It was great catching up. It was like old times. In fact, it didn't feel like time passed all that much (not that 2 years is a big deal). He was the same, I was the same, only the location has changed.
We talked til 7 AM and then I had to leave. I'm gonna try and fly back to Seoul during this trip. I know that Elaine and mom haven't expected this little turn of events but I feel that it would be personally an excellent option. A friday/saturday weekend would be ideal (for Martin as well as myself). We can hit some of the nightspots and see what Seoul has to offer. Martin says that I'm more interested in women than he remembers of me (we talked mostly geekspeak in Toronto). It's a part of our reality now. They change everything.
So mom, Elaine and I boarded KE603 bound for Hong Kong. 3 hours flight. We landed at 10:40 AM local time. I watched a movie on the flight that I didn't get a chance to finish. I'll have to download it when I get back to Toronto. It's called "The scam". A Korean film. We passed through immigration and then located our bags and met up with my uncle. My uncle drives an S500 Mercedes Benz. Boy was it smooth. We rode to Shatin (where my uncle, aunt and cousins live) and we got settled in my cousins flat. Had dimsum and then I had to crash. I was so tired. I really didn't sleep much on the flights and without sleeping at the stop-over I was a walking zombie. I slept for an hour or 2 and then got up for dinner with my uncle/aunt/cousin/mom/Elaine. Came back to the flat and crashed again. For most of Saturday it's been a blur.
We left for Pearson around 9:15 PM on Sep. 24th. My uncle drove us to the airport. We checked our bags and waited for the boarding call. My feelings about the trip is mixed. The intent was to travel to Asia alone, or at least with a friend who was interested in going and finding out later why we went. But that changed because I was afraid to go alone and because all evidence suggests that I couldn't handle it on my own (language being the principle defficiency). I have to admit that I'm defficient in many ways but there's nothing like a trip with yourself to expose them to the light of day.
We travelled Economy class with Korean Air. Mom asked around and we eventually settled on these flights. A very nice flight. Cheap seats and beautiful flight attendants. That's all I need to say. Red-eye flight so we left Pearson at 11:50 PM Thursday and arrived in Seoul 1:10 AM Saturday. Mostly uneventful. You try and sleep, you eat and then you try and sleep some more. If it weren't for our hostesses I would prefer to wake up in Seoul and have no recollection of the trip. The girls wore a beige jacket over a beige skirt, teal blouse with a scarf tied at the neck. Very elegant. Some wore short sleeves some wore long sleeves, some wore pants, most had their hair tied back but one had her hair short and cropped. Quite a variety. However, they all had their hair accented with a hair clip that looks like the traditional chopsticks. I enjoyed it.
We got to Incheon International Airport at 1:10 AM (local time). We exited the plane and walked to Gate 21 which would take us to our next flight (only our next flight was 6 hours away). This was the perfect chance to catch up on some sleep. I slept maybe 2-3 hours on the flight. But in Incheon it was 1:10 PM (Toronto time) and I was wide awake. With so much time on our hands your instinct is to explore. There were phones, washrooms and closed shops at the airport, a free public internet hotspot and an information desk. Mom and I walked up and down this part of the airport once or twice saying hello to some of the people we met on the flight. With nothing else to do (and not sleepy at all) I got online to see how I could entertain myself. Logged into MSN Messenger and began conversations with Americo and then Martin. Americo was still at work (sucker!) but Martin Kim (is a guy whom I met at D-Link Networks a few years ago) was free. We kept in touch, he left for Seoul in 2007 looking for better work. Well, since I was in Seoul (technically Incheon) I decided to contact him. He was surprised to hear that I was in Seoul. It was like 3 AM at this point but 3AM wasn't so significant compared to the 2.5 years and thousands and thousands of miles between us.
I'm having an aside moment :) Litmus test. Friendship. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to get reacquainted, Martin and I. We jumped right in. He took off from his place in Seoul (I believe he said Non Hyeon) grabbed a taxi and travelled like 40 km to see me. Very cool. All I had to do was exit through immigration, fill out entering Korea form as well as a customs declaration form and then I was in the arrivals section of the airport waiting for Martin at McDonald's.
Anyway, Martin got to the aiport around 5 AM and we talked for a few hours. I was happy to see him. Martin, like myself is single with no attachments. So for him, as well as I, going out at 3 in the morning because a friend calls you up one day is an excellent way of getting to know someone and becoming reaquainted. I know, for me, I didn't feel quite so alone in Asia. We talked about work, women and life since D-Link. He's working for Alcatel-Lucent as a sales-engineer. It was great catching up. It was like old times. In fact, it didn't feel like time passed all that much (not that 2 years is a big deal). He was the same, I was the same, only the location has changed.
We talked til 7 AM and then I had to leave. I'm gonna try and fly back to Seoul during this trip. I know that Elaine and mom haven't expected this little turn of events but I feel that it would be personally an excellent option. A friday/saturday weekend would be ideal (for Martin as well as myself). We can hit some of the nightspots and see what Seoul has to offer. Martin says that I'm more interested in women than he remembers of me (we talked mostly geekspeak in Toronto). It's a part of our reality now. They change everything.
So mom, Elaine and I boarded KE603 bound for Hong Kong. 3 hours flight. We landed at 10:40 AM local time. I watched a movie on the flight that I didn't get a chance to finish. I'll have to download it when I get back to Toronto. It's called "The scam". A Korean film. We passed through immigration and then located our bags and met up with my uncle. My uncle drives an S500 Mercedes Benz. Boy was it smooth. We rode to Shatin (where my uncle, aunt and cousins live) and we got settled in my cousins flat. Had dimsum and then I had to crash. I was so tired. I really didn't sleep much on the flights and without sleeping at the stop-over I was a walking zombie. I slept for an hour or 2 and then got up for dinner with my uncle/aunt/cousin/mom/Elaine. Came back to the flat and crashed again. For most of Saturday it's been a blur.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
New York New York
I'm writing this 3 days after returning from New York. Getting back to my day-to-day means that I can't remember much of the experience any more. It's just not as vivid.
Let me start from the end and work my way back.
We left Long Island (near the Baldwin railroad station) around 10:25 AM. It was sunday and Americo just finished playing his Bronze medal game (the Ottawa Barbarians didn't make the Gold medal game because of the goals-for tie-breaker). After the game we were basically ready to go. We drove out of New York taking the I-385 north of Manhattan. There was a delay as a bridge was closed down due to a fire on Friday. Once we got onto the bridge that was available we were off to the races. It was a nice drive. We took I-81 through New Jersey and then back to New York state. We drove to Syracuse then near Rochester. We hit Buffalo on our way to the Lex bridge and discovered that the way at the bridge was 2 hours long. We decided to head back and go to Peace bridge instead.
The way back was pretty irritating. GPS is pretty cool when the girl knows where you want to go. But after we started backtracking she was just getting on my nerves telling me where to go. What's a guy to do when your GPS is giving you bad directions!? Jeesh.
We got to Peace bridge but before we got on we stopped to get some cheaper American gas and to switch drivers. Funny thing is when we got to Buffalo the clouds were hanging over the city like a plague. But driving through New York, and driving to Toronto (after Buffalo) was a pleasure. Strange I know.
Actually, driving to Toronto wasn't a pleasure. The sky was clear but the road was blocked. Stupid accidents along the QEW meant that our projected time of arrival for 8:53 PM turned into 10:26 PM.
Let me start from the end and work my way back.
We left Long Island (near the Baldwin railroad station) around 10:25 AM. It was sunday and Americo just finished playing his Bronze medal game (the Ottawa Barbarians didn't make the Gold medal game because of the goals-for tie-breaker). After the game we were basically ready to go. We drove out of New York taking the I-385 north of Manhattan. There was a delay as a bridge was closed down due to a fire on Friday. Once we got onto the bridge that was available we were off to the races. It was a nice drive. We took I-81 through New Jersey and then back to New York state. We drove to Syracuse then near Rochester. We hit Buffalo on our way to the Lex bridge and discovered that the way at the bridge was 2 hours long. We decided to head back and go to Peace bridge instead.
The way back was pretty irritating. GPS is pretty cool when the girl knows where you want to go. But after we started backtracking she was just getting on my nerves telling me where to go. What's a guy to do when your GPS is giving you bad directions!? Jeesh.
We got to Peace bridge but before we got on we stopped to get some cheaper American gas and to switch drivers. Funny thing is when we got to Buffalo the clouds were hanging over the city like a plague. But driving through New York, and driving to Toronto (after Buffalo) was a pleasure. Strange I know.
Actually, driving to Toronto wasn't a pleasure. The sky was clear but the road was blocked. Stupid accidents along the QEW meant that our projected time of arrival for 8:53 PM turned into 10:26 PM.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Washington DC
I'm on my way to New York. My friend Americo asked if I'd like to join him. He's playing hockey at a tournament there. So we're driving.
We left around 10:10 AM on Thursday morning (had to rent the car and load it). It's been an easy drive so far. Blue skies, open road. Driving can get tedious. When I 16 years old, Americo and I couldn't wait to drive out to the States and see what we can find and do. The first time we went to down to the States we got turned back at the border because I didn't have official papers. Next time, I made sure I got my passport and a few months later we tried again. This time we were through and we crossed the border sometime in the morning. It was an interesting experience at the time (as you could imagine). We crossed Peace Bridge and then you were in downtown Buffalo. Downtown Buffalo isn't too pretty. So I remember we were eager not to spend too much time there, we didn't want to find any trouble. But that trip ended with us spending 2 hours at the border (coming back) as they took some time stripping down our car looking for drugs. It's funny in hindsight but at the time it was a little nervewracking. They interrogated us separately. We were guilty of trying to cross the border without declaring our purchases. Kids.
Old memories. We crossed the border easily yesterday. Followed Americo's GPS and we were driving along I-79 South route towards Pittsburgh. Somewhere before Pittsburgh I took over the driving and I drove the rest of the way. Poor Americo, I took a washroom pitstop, but Americo didn't need to go. I took over the driving at around 3:30 PM and I drove the next 4.5 hours. Americo was hurting by the time we got to Washington DC. :)
If you check out google maps you can see our route. We had a few missteps along the way. We had to get off the I-76 (exit 57) to get some gas but when we tried to get back onto the highway (trying to avoid the toll of the I-76) we found ourselves going westbound on the I-376 heading towards Pittsburgh! We lost maybe 30 minutes on this venture. It pushed back our projected time of arrival to 8:23 PM. Steadily we made the time back. We arrived in Washington DC at 7:53 PM. All-in-all it was a 9 hour drive plus the 1 hour for washroom, food and gas break.
From 8 PM onward it was a rush to take in the National Mall before it got dark. Americo preferred to stay with the car, so I jumped out and took in the sights. I walked toward the centre of the park, orienting myself to the pier of the Washington monument. The first thing I found was the White house christmas tree. It was undecorated (of course) with a plague containing a picture of President F.D. Roosevelt and his christmas tree. It situated the tree to the White house. So I turned around and there it was.
At this distance the impression is the same impression you would get from a postcard (or from television). The view wasn't so impressive as it was secure. We were separated from the building by a road way which cordons off the building from uninvited visitors. Surrounded by the national mall (with no vehicular access) means that security is high with visibility from all directions (from the vantage point of those protecting the site).
I took my few pictures and then I started off in the direction of the Lincoln memorial. Given that the White house and the Washington memorial makes up 2 of the triad I knew that the Lincoln memorial had to be to left of the White house. I walked to the west street and spoke to a southern gentleman who directed me to Constitution Ave. and a walk toward 22nd St. I jogged there.
We left around 10:10 AM on Thursday morning (had to rent the car and load it). It's been an easy drive so far. Blue skies, open road. Driving can get tedious. When I 16 years old, Americo and I couldn't wait to drive out to the States and see what we can find and do. The first time we went to down to the States we got turned back at the border because I didn't have official papers. Next time, I made sure I got my passport and a few months later we tried again. This time we were through and we crossed the border sometime in the morning. It was an interesting experience at the time (as you could imagine). We crossed Peace Bridge and then you were in downtown Buffalo. Downtown Buffalo isn't too pretty. So I remember we were eager not to spend too much time there, we didn't want to find any trouble. But that trip ended with us spending 2 hours at the border (coming back) as they took some time stripping down our car looking for drugs. It's funny in hindsight but at the time it was a little nervewracking. They interrogated us separately. We were guilty of trying to cross the border without declaring our purchases. Kids.
Old memories. We crossed the border easily yesterday. Followed Americo's GPS and we were driving along I-79 South route towards Pittsburgh. Somewhere before Pittsburgh I took over the driving and I drove the rest of the way. Poor Americo, I took a washroom pitstop, but Americo didn't need to go. I took over the driving at around 3:30 PM and I drove the next 4.5 hours. Americo was hurting by the time we got to Washington DC. :)
If you check out google maps you can see our route. We had a few missteps along the way. We had to get off the I-76 (exit 57) to get some gas but when we tried to get back onto the highway (trying to avoid the toll of the I-76) we found ourselves going westbound on the I-376 heading towards Pittsburgh! We lost maybe 30 minutes on this venture. It pushed back our projected time of arrival to 8:23 PM. Steadily we made the time back. We arrived in Washington DC at 7:53 PM. All-in-all it was a 9 hour drive plus the 1 hour for washroom, food and gas break.
From 8 PM onward it was a rush to take in the National Mall before it got dark. Americo preferred to stay with the car, so I jumped out and took in the sights. I walked toward the centre of the park, orienting myself to the pier of the Washington monument. The first thing I found was the White house christmas tree. It was undecorated (of course) with a plague containing a picture of President F.D. Roosevelt and his christmas tree. It situated the tree to the White house. So I turned around and there it was.
At this distance the impression is the same impression you would get from a postcard (or from television). The view wasn't so impressive as it was secure. We were separated from the building by a road way which cordons off the building from uninvited visitors. Surrounded by the national mall (with no vehicular access) means that security is high with visibility from all directions (from the vantage point of those protecting the site).
I took my few pictures and then I started off in the direction of the Lincoln memorial. Given that the White house and the Washington memorial makes up 2 of the triad I knew that the Lincoln memorial had to be to left of the White house. I walked to the west street and spoke to a southern gentleman who directed me to Constitution Ave. and a walk toward 22nd St. I jogged there.
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