USA Itinerary (New York) Day 15 - Jean George's Nougatine, Central Park, Times Square, Luke Lobster, Lady M cakes, Stumptown Coffee

Reaching the end of our USA East Coast trip! Took me so long to get the blog posts up but I am so happy to relive the memories again through this blog.

We checked out of our apartment and headed to Nougatine at Jean George's for their set lunch. It was really good! We had 3 courses of really awesome food for 38 USD. I would definitely return to Nougatine if I find myself in New York again.

Nougatine was situated right beside Central Park so we headed into the park for a stroll after lunch. It was such a nice beautiful place. The weather was rather unforgiving that day and it was grey and bleak but we still enjoyed our stroll through the park even if it meant we were freezing half the time. Strawberry Field, Bow Bridge, Bethesda Fountain (which was not flowing because of the cold) and lots of happy people milling around. It was perhaps the only place in New York City where I did not feel compelled to hurry up and get out of the way.

We headed down Fifth Avenue and found ourselves in Times Square with the giant M&M shop and Toysrus! The Toysrus was so amazing with its huge indoor ferris wheel and a huge selection of toys. 

Times Square was still really crazy though and it got so claustrophobic so we plodded back to the Central Park area and found the Plaza Food Hall where we had wonderful lobster rolls again and clam chowder at Luke's! We also had Lady M cakes and Stumptown Coffee to wrap up the night and our trip.

It was such an awesome trip and I was so happy with all the places we went, all the food we ate, and the culture we experienced. But most of all, I was so glad I was on the trip with Zg, Stef and King, and super thankful for all the memories and laughter we shared.

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14.

USA Itinerary (New York) Day 14 - Dominique Ansel Bakery, South Street Seaport, Sarabeth, Keens Steakhouse, Avenue Q

Another cronut run at Dominique Ansel Bakery for breakfast. Aside from the delicious strawberry rhubarb cronuts, we also had croissants and steaming mugs of coffee. Managed to snag a table at the back facing the courtyard but it was way too cold to be sitting in the courtyard so everyone was just milling around the few tables at the back.

Headed down to South Street Seaport to grab some cheap tickets from the TKTS branch there. We did our research and realised that the South Street Seaport branch opened the earliest so we hurried down when it opened. The day was cold and frigid, and being near the port certainly didn't help. The queue for tickets was super long so we took turns to stand in the cold. Thankfully there were some nearby shops which we could run into when it got too cold. 

After grabbing some really awesome seats for Avenue Q, we went into Abercrombie nearby and bought a lot of shirts and casual wear. The boyfriend is a huge Abercrombie fan! We took a stroll around the port, saw some really large ships, and ran off quickly because it was just too cold.

Had lunch at Sarabeth which was quite a disappointment. They served us with dirty unwashed utensils and were totally nonchalant about it when we told them. Food was all right, not the best, but service was truly lacking.

Walked around Fifth Avenue a bit, explored the Apple Shop and strolled past the Trump Tower.

Took the bus down to Keens Steakhouse for a very delicious dinner!

We were seated in the Bull Moose Room which was so beautiful with its paneled walls and that large bull moose in the middle of the room. It is apparently in honour of Theodore Roosevelt who used to frequent the restaurant. Check out the ceiling where there is an almost infinite array of pipes which, according to research, dates back to the days when Keens Steakhouse was a pipe club. At the entrance of the restaurant, there is a glass panel mounted with the pipes of all the famous patrons of the pipe club in the good old days. 

Stef, King and Zg had a great time with the beef. According to Zg, it was truly one of the best beef he had ever tasted! I don't do beef so I had the thick cut bacon and roast chicken. The thick cut bacon was AMAZING. Keens Steakhouse is a very interesting place to dine in and I would strongly suggest you visit even if you do not take beef. I mean, I don't take beef and I still had an awesome time in the restaurant. 

Headed to New World Stages for Avenue Q. Such a funny musical! I loved it! I really wish I could watch good musicals in Singapore often but, frankly, it is too costly a hobby to indulge in regularly. 

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 15

USA Itinerary Day 13 - Woodsbury! And Meijin Ramen.

I am finally inching towards the end of my USA East Coast series.

Had breakfast at a local bread store around the corner before picking up our rental car from Dollar. Drove to Woodsbury where we did more crazy shopping. Brands like Kate Spade and Coach are really very much cheaper in US! I also bought a pair of Timberland boots so I finally own a pair of waterproof boots for those trips in cold rainy weather. (And because I am so slow in posting this blog post, the said pair of boots has already accompanied me on two such trips!)

The drive back was really scary though because there was no street lamp along the interstate so it was incredibly dark outside. Coupled with the blustering wind, rain, and our car windows fogging up because of the cold made me really nervous. Hugs to Zg! When we finally reached New York City, King and Stef went to return the car (thank you!) while Zg and I had Japanese ramen at Meijin ramen. Also ordered some hot sake for us to fight the cold. While the ramen was not mind blowing, I was super satisfied to have a bowl of hot soup and hot sake on such a cold rainy night.

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 14, Day 15

USA Itinerary (New York) Day 12 - Chelsea Market, High Line Park, Bryant Park

Our Delta flight from Orlando back to New York was delayed. We were not informed till the very last minute, there was little word of apology or any form of communication, and everyone was just sitting around waiting for things to happen. But we got to New York safely and that was all that matters. Stef and King were running late for their Book of Mormon musical so we headed separately after checking into our Airbnb apartment. Our second airbnb apartment was in Upper East Side and was a pretty quaint little place.

Zg and I headed to Chelsea Market for our late lunch/early dinner. I really really liked the place and it was so much fun to just walk around, stop and grab some yummy food, and just soak up the vibe. It reminded me a lot of Pasarbella in Turf City.

We had Lobster Roll at Lobster Place. It was good but I'm going back for another lobster roll at Luke's instead of Lobster Place any day. 

We also had Mokbar Classic Ramen at Mok Bar which served korean ramen. Added a poached egg and it was loveeee. So good. Not as spicy as the ones I had in Korea or Singapore, but it was still really delicious. Maybe I just really missed Asian food at this point in time.

We also had tacos at the No. 1 Tacos and it was SO GOOD. When Zg was queuing for the taco, this friendly guy behind told him that this taco was really the best in New York. Well, we haven't eaten any other taco in New York and cannot be sure whether his claim was true, but it was truly delicious!

It started to rain as we tried to explore High Line Park which made the walk really difficult. Also, it was getting late and the place became really quiet and dark after awhile so we left pretty quickly. What a bummer though, it looked like such a nice interesting place to be.

We took the train to Fifth Avenue for a stroll through Bryant Park and to check out the Rockefeller at night with a row of cherry blossoms. I didn't notice the cherry blossoms the first time I was at Rockefeller on Day 1 of our trip and it was a surprise to see them in full bloom the second time I came around. Just goes to show that sometimes we miss out on the most beautiful things without meaning to. 

We had a lot of fun in Bryant Park. The rain had just stopped and the ground was wet with puddles of rainwater and we were trying to hop around the puddles. We failed and eventually decided to just stomp around and kick water everywhere. There was nobody else in this quiet park, the night was cold, our breaths were warm, and we laughed and giggled into the night. I still remember that night now with so much fondness. 

We wanted to head to a rooftop bar for a drink but we were lazy, and it started to rain again, so we hopped onto a bus and went back to the apartment. 

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15

USA Itinerary (Orlando) Day 11 - A horrible experience with Dollar Car Rental but the day was saved by good shopping at premium outlets

We arrived at Port Canaveral in the morning, had breakfast, and disembarked into sunny Orlando. We took forever to reach the Dollar car rental shop because the shuttle service took 45 minutes to arrive. The lady driving the shuttle bus was friendly and nice, but appeared severely overworked, and we were completely clueless as to why the shuttle bus took 45 minutes to get to Port Canaveral from the Dollar shop which was about a 10 minute drive away.

Anyway when we reached the Dollar car rental shop we were in for a rude shock. The queue was omfg long, we waited for an hour before it was our turn, and found out that they did not have the full size car which we reserved (and paid for) prior to our trip!

WTF.

Their attitude was horrible, they were completely unapologetic about the screw up, and absolutely flippant about not being able to provide the car we reserved. Offered an extremely small hatchback and told us in no uncertain terms that it was literally take it or leave it. Amazing. If we were going to settle for any shit car that you are going to provide, what was the whole point of reserving and paying for the vehicle before our trip?! It's like making us pay for a scallop and eventually serving us clams and telling us that it was as good as it gets.

Anyhow, so we managed to squeeze all our luggage into the miserable boot of our small hatchback since we desperately wanted to get moving. We asked for the toll-free package (i.e. we paid a flat fee for tolls and need not go through the toll booths and pay separately) and were told it was included, so in the mess and confusion we left, thinking we are finally done with this horrid place. When we arrived back in Singapore, Zg received a rude shock when Dollar billed him for the tolls PLUS a fine for each toll booth we ostensibly skipped.

WTF AGAIN.

It was quite a large sum and I was so furious, I think I could have hit the roof. We wrote to them and filed so many complaints but Dollar simply ignored every single one of them. So I checked all the consumer tribunals in Orlando (lawyer instinct) which was no good because we were literally miles away. Thankfully social media has no boundary, and after a handful of posts on Dollar's Facebook page they refunded the amount and we only had to pay for the tolls. At least there was some justice there. And thank god we can write in English. I can totally imagine being forced to swallow the fine if there was no way to communicate anything to Dollar.

So after a rocky start, we went to the Orlando Premium Outlets (Vineland Premium Outlet and Orlando International) for some retail therapy where we scooped up some awesome purchases. If you visit the premium outlets in US, do remember to drop by the information center for a booklet of discount vouchers that give further discounts on top of the good prices. Had Five Guys for dinner which was good, but my heart belongs to Shake Shack!

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15

USA Itinerary Day 10 - Bahamas on Royal Carribean cruise: Cococay, Bahamas

Took the tender boat to Cococay, Bahamas which is Royal Carribean's private island. Cococay was incredibly beautiful. Powdery white sands, extremely clear waters, strong gusts of wind, and watching stingrays! Such a lovely enjoyable day in Cococay.

After getting off the tender boat, we were greeted by Cococay's version of Straw Market, just that this was a colourful assortment of outdoor stalls selling shirts, hats, swim wear and a bunch of random stuff.

The first section of the beach nearest the tender boats was very crowded. I guess nobody wanted to venture far and just wanted to settle down at the nearest beach chair. 

We decided to walk on some more and after rounding a bend, we finally reached the Bare Foot Beach where there was less people, the water was clearer and the sand was a perfect powdery white. The water was calm and peaceful so we could walk out slowly and watch stingrays. There was hardly any waves, unlike the rough waters at Cabbage Beach in Paradise Island. I could soak peacefully in the waters and enjoy the sun on my face. 

Lunch was barbecued and grilled meats near the tender boats and food was pretty good. After lunch, we settled down on the stretch of beach closest to the tender boats and I started to read while Zg had a nap. Stef and King went to swim. It was obvious which was the more active couple haha!

Returned to the cruise at around 4 pm and had a short nap. The service crew and chef did a little performance during dinner and they totally deserved our applause for the wonderful food and service every night at the dining room! Drank our bottle of red wine and went to sleep as the ship rocked crazily on the way back to Port Canaveral. 

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15

USA Itinerary Day 9 - Bahamas, Nassau on Royal Caribbean cruise: Senor Frogs,Junkanoo Beach, Cabbage Beach

It was a bright sunny day with clear blue skies and strong winds. We docked at Nassau, Bahamas and realised immediately that the difference between Caribbean beaches and Asian beaches was that the former lacked the humidity which characterized the latter. The sea breeze in Bahamas was cold and we did not feel sweaty or sticky on the beach. 

We left the cruise to explore Nassau, Bahamas. We did some research before our trip and read that Nassau had a pretty scary reputation, especially in the Over-the-Hill areas where violent crimes happened frequently. The general advice for tourists was to stick to areas near the port or travel across the bridge into Paradise Island. 

We spent the afternoon at Senor Frogs which served awesome cocktails and had an infectious happy party vibe. Certainly no better way to enjoy the perfect weather than with a delicious cocktail and catchy music!

After all the drinks and snacks, we continued walking into the downtown area along the coast. We explored the Straw Market which resembled an indoor pasar malam with little stores selling various handcrafted goods. It was dark inside, warm and surprisingly humid. I read some online stories about how tourists could be robbed inside the Straw Market but we were thankfully safe. These handcrafted goods were extraordinarily expensive though, totally targeting the American tourists, so we left after strolling through the market without buying any. After exiting, we went down the road towards Junkanoo Beach and popped by various souvenir shops along the way. 

I also observed a number of rather odd things in this part of Nassau. I did not see many locals along the street, aside from the ones in the shops and Straw Market. The street was pretty isolated and only a handful of vehicles went around. The whole place was geared towards the tourists from the cruise and the shops were shuttered once tourists began returning to the cruise. Many shops were selling Cuban cigars and lots of touts were prowling the street pestering tourists to buy the cigars. And by pestering, I really mean that. A young tout followed us for like 5 minutes asking us to buy cigars and refused to leave.

Junkanoo Beach was crowded with tourists so we hopped onto a taxi and headed to Cabbage Beach in Paradise Island. Cabbage Beach was nice with its powdery white sand and the long stretch of sand meant that tourists were evenly distributed and not lumped together as with Junkanoo. Waves were very strong here though and I was repeatedly washed ashore when I attempted to soak in the waters. We eventually gave up and decided to rest on the sand, listening to our ipod and drifting off to sleep. I read a little, wrote some post cards, and had a fantastic relaxing late afternoon. 

Took the taxi ($4 per pax) back to the port and ran up to the top deck of the cruise just in time for this magnificent sunset. The only other sunset which could rival this was in Boracay. Nowhere else comes close.

We washed up and headed to the main dining room for formal night, basically a night where everybody dressed up and ate yummy food. We obviously did not have enough space in our luggage to bring nice dresses or suits so we did the best we could, but everybody else was dressed to kill. The food was great as usual.

After our dinner, we went back to our room to drink our moscato (we were allowed to bring two bottles of wine on the cruise each) before checking out the poolside party. The poolside party was incredibly tame and child-friendly, not the clubbing sort, and everybody was line dancing to pop music under the starry night. Ok not our cup of tea, so we left for the Viking Crown Lounge hoping for some clubbing atmosphere but nope, it was dead, there were only 10 people in there and the dance floor was empty. 

Eventually we brought our Pinot to the poolside to enjoy the relatively better music and played ping pong. Playing ping pong with alcohol in our systems had to be the most hilarious thing on earth. It was so exciting because the ball flew everywhere and we could hardly get it across the net to the other side and I recall the guys did a lot of running to retrieve the balls. Party music ended at 1 am so we returned to our room, went over to Stef and King's side to drink prosecco, watch anime, laugh loudly at ridiculous things, and listen to ipod music. Woohoo! Was a great time.

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15