Travel {Photos} : NYC Part 2

This is a series of some of my favourite pictures from my NYC trip last year, the last batch of pictures from my U.S trip. It took me a year to complete these posts. 

Tsk tsk. Procrastination at it's best.

Looking back all these pictures make me wanna travel again. Not for a short trip but for a month long travelling trip. If only I still have the luxury to do so.

At the mean time, enjoy these photos! :)

View of the concrete jungle from the Empire State Building

What's left of the WTC

Yummy sushi at Iroha, Times Square

Special Jap fried rice at at Iroha, Times Square

Me at a nearby Thai cafe

That's not my strawberry frap

On the way to Brooklyn Bridge on a tour bus

At M&M world

Random wall art of a local cafe

Pancakes and orange juice - our staple breakfast almost everyday

When you see a needle and a button in the middle of nowhere, you know you're in Fashion Avenue.

Not an ice-cream truck.

Bagel here was ah-ma-zing

Vintage AA poster, gotta love it!

At Fao Schwarz, the best toy store in the world

The famous iron like building

More travel pictures to come! :)

Travel {Photos}: Chicago

This is a continuation from t

his Las Vegas travel post

.

Just to be clear, most of the travel posts on this blog are not current and the time period of my excursions was last year in June - July.

I apologized if I have caused any confusion.

To make it easier for everyone reading, here's a list of my travel dates:

1. Sydney                                                      28th - 29th May 2011
2. Los Angeles                                               8th - 9th   June 2011
3. San Francisco                                             9th -11th  June 2011
4. Las Vegas (Link 1, Link 2)                         11th -13th  June 2011
5. Chicago                                                   14th -15th  June 2011
6. New York*                                                15th -19th  June 2011
7. Maldives*                                                  23rd -26th June 2011
8. Dubai*                                                      27th -28th June 2011
9. Hong Kong                                                   9th -13th July 2011

*New York, Maldives, and Dubai's travel post will be up soon

June 2011

When I think of Chicago, I think of the song "If you leave me now" by the band Chicago.

Weird, I know. But that's all I know about Chicago.

I didn't know what to expect of Chicago cause we only made a trip there to see Jay's best friend, RC. We didn't even research on what to do there cause we know we have RC to bring us around.

Highlights from Chicago trip were:

• Pancakes from Le Peep - They were so good, we had breakfast there again before we left!
• The Field Museum - I used to think the Malaysian National Museum was great when I was younger. After visiting the one in Chicago, I take that back! The museums in the US are 10 times better. 
• Chicago Famous Stuffed Pizza - I'll let the picture explain this one.
• The Bean - Literally, a large bean shaped mirrored steel sculpture right smack in the centre of Millenium Park in Chicago.

As usual, I'll let my pictures do most of the talking.

Upon arrival at Chicago's O'Hare airport, we were greeted by this view. I thought the hanging globe looked so pretty with fairy lights around it.

RC introduced us to this amazing cafe near by his university, Northwestern, called Le Peep. The pancakes were amazing! We went there for breakfast twice in a row.

I am salivating just looking at the pictures above. If you get a chance to visit Chicago, please do visit this small little cafe hidden away from the city.

We only went to two tourists spots in Chicago cause we were only there for 2 days. First up is Millenium Park.

I haven't heard of "The Bean" until I was in Chicago. I didn't get the hype of it until I was right infront of this huge sculpture. It was actually pretty amazing.

This shot was taken under the Bean.

I love how the mirror-exterior of the Bean reflected the view from our backs. It was such a great view to look at!

This was the park view:

This was the city view reflected on the Bean and us. :)

It makes a great backdrop for your pictures, don't you think so?

Second tourists spot we went to was The Field Museum. Even though we knew it was going to rain, we decided to take a walk to the museum. That way we get to see the city more.

The

Field Museum

:

Back in June, they were having an exhibition for whales, hence the big banner across the pillars of the Museum. I felt like I was in the movie "Night of the Museum" when I walked in to the main hall. It made me reminisce the times when I was a kid, being all excited exploring the museum.

This is Sue, the largest, most complete, and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex ever discovered, according to the Field Museum.

They had a Mummy exhibition back when I was there. I wasn't too sure if it was a permanent or a temporary exhibit. I've always been intrigued by this whole Mummy thing so we checked out the Mummies section. They had an artificial cave-like house to display the Mummies and their belongings.

The cave may be artificial, but everything else in there was real! Including a real Mummy!! You can peek through a window to see where it is. Every time I look at it, I get goosebumps.

There's a one way path for you to explore the Mummy's cave and it brings you all the way down to where the real Mummy is. As you go deeper into the cave, it gets colder and colder.  They were baby mummies in the cave too. I don't know about you, but I'm quite superstitious when it comes to dead bodies and spirits. So I didn't capture many pictures, only their jewelries that they brought with them when they were dead.

I gotta say, the Mummies back then were quite fashionable. I wouldn't mind wearing some of the jewelries they had:

We also explored the Evolving Planet section. I thought this wall decoration at the Evolving Planet was beautiful.

The Field Museum was huge, we didn't have enough time to explore all of it. I would recommend spending a full day just at this Museum. There were so much things to see and explore.

The last bit of Chicago that I wanted to share with you is the famous Chicago's pizza! It's basically a huge stuffed pizza and it is a must try when you are here. RC said they have this almost everywhere in Chicago but we chose Giordano's, to try the famous pizza.

It's definitely different but I wouldn't say stuffed pizza is my thing. It was too filling and rich for me, I only had a slice and that was already enough to stuff me up! I would still recommend for you to try it, it wasn't bad but it wasn't excellent as well.

That pretty much summed up my trip to Chicago. Next travel post would be....

Stay tuned for the next travel post lovelies!!

Travel {Photos}: Las Vegas by Night

Finally had the time time to do a travel post.

This is a continuation of

Las Vegas by Day

post I did a while back.

Las Vegas is very lively at night. Everywhere you go, there is something going on, especially on the strip. We watched two shows during our two nights stay in Vegas. First was David Copperfield's and the other was The Peep Show by Holly Madison (Hugh Hefner's former girlfriend). I have to say I really enjoyed the The Peep Show, and this is coming from a girl. It was quite classy until a half naked men in thongs started grinding his penis right in front of a lady's face who was seated at one of the front VIP tables.

What a sight.

As usual, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Hope you'll enjoy this photo post.

Excalibur Hotel's Castle:

The strip:

Bellagio's fountain show:

David Copperfield's magic show at Hollywood Theatre:

MGM Grand's iconic Lion statue:

Dinner at Todai, a Japanese buffet restaurant:

We purchased our dinner before hand at Half Tix. Yup even for food, you can purchase them at a discounted price. The variety of food they had was massive and it was worth the money. The taste wasn't excellent but it was definitely satisfactory.

Part of Bellagio's decoration:

Train made out of candies and marshmellows at Bellagio's candy store:

Night outfits @ Vegas:

Left: Forever New top, Valley Girl high waisted shorts,

 Ralph Lauren lace socks, Wittner clogs.

Right: Shakuhaci lace dress

The Peep Show at Planet Hollywood:

This has to be my favourite decoration in Bellagio:

Close up of the Carousel:

 Pretty ain't it?

That's the end of my Las Vegas travel post. 

Next up will be Chicago! 

Stay tuned everyone and have a lovely weekend!

Travel {Photos}: Las Vegas by Day

Viva Las Vegas! *woot woot*

Vegas is such a fun place to be in. Food was cheaper, people are happier, weather is welcoming, and there are just so many things to do! So much so, I've decided to split Vegas post into two.

I'll talk about what we did in Vegas during the day in this post and the other one is during the night.

Once we landed at the airport, we were greeted by these sights:

They have pokey machines at the airport! My mom would be so happy if she knew.

We decided to stay at the Bellagio cause one of our friends told us it wasn't as expensive as it looks and she was right! :) I don't remember how much it was but definitely much cheaper than Crown Towers in Melbourne. More on the hotel later on.

Once we checked in, we explored the city straight away. It was so sunny and warm outside you really don't want to waste your time indoors!

We found this cheap all day breakfast place in Planet Hollywood called Pampas:

Steak and eggs breakfast for only $5.95!!

Score!

There's something about the Orange Juice in the US, they are SO good! Instead of my usual morning coffee, I'll have OJ instead.

The food wasn't exceptionally delicious but it was good for the price we paid.

p/s: The pineapple muffin was very yummy.

After brunch we explored the city more:

At a mall which sells all the branded and expensive goods.

Those white sculptures are actually made out of ice.

I was so tempted to put my face against it cause it was burning outside that day.

Eye catching Visual Merchandising of Prada luggage bags:

Fake NYC in Las Vegas:

Coca-cola store:

M&M world:

Pretty bar @Cosmopolitan Hotel:

Pretty cosmetic store @ Cosmopolitan Hotel:

I think there's a Wedding Chapel at every hotel in Las Vegas. This one was in the Bellagio if I'm not mistaken:

Half tix

store.

For those of you who are travelling on a budget. This is a

MUST KNOW

place to go.

It's located near/opposite Monte Carlo Hotel, next to a market.You won't miss it.

Go there if you want discounted tickets for shows and food. Yes, you read that right. You can buy buffet tickets for a cheaper price here too!

We had our late lunch at a restaurant in Bellagio's casino called Noodles:

The food was really good!! The Thai Iced Milk Tea tasted really good but this is the first time I have a lemon wedge with my Thai Iced Tea.

It was kinda weird. O_o

That was all day 1.

Now day 2 was spent at Las Vegas premium outlets.

We took a bus provided by our Hotel to get there.

There were two outlets but apparently the North one was the best.

This is the only picture I have cause we were too busy shopping to take any pictures. :)

Day 3 was time for us to leave Las Vegas and on to New York!

We decided to have Bellagio's buffet for breakfast. I've heard that it's best in Las Vegas.

I'm not sure if it is the best but the selection of food they have was massive!

It tasted good as well.

Be sure to get there early cause you will need to queue up to get in.

Phew. That was a really long post about Las Vegas by Day. Looking at all these pictures really make me miss the good times I had when I was travelling with J.

Next up will be Las Vegas by Night.

Travel {Photos}: San Francisco

Oh, San Francisco, where do I start?

• San Francisco was so beautiful. 
• The architecture of the houses in the city is truly amazing.
• Love how the trams are very old school and use manual breaks.
• Just like L.A, San Francisco was really cold for Summer!
• There were lots of homeless people around the city- not too sure what I think about that.
• The sight of the Golden Gate Bridge was surreal.
• Pretty, pretty fairy lights all over San Francisco.

*sigh*

I wanna go back to San Francisco.

I'll let the pictures do the talking now.

I love how almost every airline in the US provides complimentary snacks and beverages even though the flight is only less than 2 hours.

Our sight upon arrival in the city:

Our lunch was at Westfield's food court, which was surprisingly good.

We headed to bloomingdales after lunch.

I 

♥

bloomingdales! 

I was so tempted to buy all of their official merchandises.

Some of my favourite buys from SF:

If you're a tourist like me, DO remember to apply for a tourist discount card at major departmental stores like bloomingdales and Macy's.

You get approximately 10% off everything except for cosmetics.

There were fairy lights every where.

Especially when you're approaching the Fisherman's Wharf.

Even in restaurants, there are fairy lights!

We went to the Fisherman's wharf rather late (cause I was shopping *guilty*) so we had to settle for the only restaurant that was open at that time, Cioppino's.

The food was alright, nothing special but the portion was huge!

That was end of our first day in San Francisco.

Next day, I spotted a fashionable young guy strutting on the street while I was on our double decker tour bus.

We passed by the very famous six Victorian houses at Alamo Square but I couldn't capture a good shot of it was we were on the bus. I did manage to capture other similar looking houses:

We love the hotdogs in San Fran. 

Those sour pickles/radish/veggie was very delicious!

Rainbow flag = Gay pride

San Francisco city view.

You see that long stretch of green road..

Here's the close up of that green road:

 San Francisco City Hall:

We stayed at the Hilton in San Francisco which was located at a great location.

The hotel is a little old, but I guess that's the charm of the hotel.

Do book online as it's much cheaper.

Our breakfast buffet which comes with our hotel deal wasn't bad at all. :)

**********************************************************************************

Next travel post:

If you haven't already join my giveaway, click

here

to join. :)

Travel Photos: {LA Baby!}

For our 7th anniversary, J decided to spoil me by taking me on a 3 weeks trip around the US, Dubai and Maldives. I had the best time of my life! It was the perfect getaway to celebrate our special milestone together.

Our first stop was Los Angeles, California!

Oh my god, never in my dreams I thought I'd have a chance to visit the US. 

It was so surreal. (This was only LA, can you imagine my reaction when I was in NYC??)

Ok I shall stop sounding like a total moron and get on with the pictures.

Universal Studios Hollywood

I've never been to a Universal Studios before, so I was quite excited to be visiting this touristy spot.

You're not in LA, until you see palm trees

A very real plane crash scene:

Wysteria Lane is so pretty! I wanna live in one of these houses. If you're a fan of Desperate Housewives, can you tell which house is whose? I think the yellow one belongs to Bree Van De Kamp.

Downtown LA

We were taken to Downtown LA, by our chauffeur from the hotel that we stayed in, for some food and sight seeing. Nothing much here, except for office buildings and Staples Center.

Nokia Theatre LA:

Staples Center:

Dinner @ Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill:

One of the best truffle chips I've tried. Yum:

Venice Beach

I heard that you can see all the buff body builders working out and some weirdos at Venice Beach.

But we went there too early in the morning, we didn't get to see much, except for a couple of people doing Karate and weirdos.

If you're a tourist like me, don't buy souvenirs at Hollywood Boulevard, buy them at Venice Beach instead. The prices do vary a whole lot!

Farmer's Market

This place was quite interesting. There was much more than just food around this area. Nearby, there's a shopping district, which name I've forgotten, and which I wasn't able to stop and shop due to time constraint. (We were on a day tour)

I *heart* LA!

Hollywood Boulevard

A must visit place for tourists. I didn't think it was a big hoo-haa and it was packed with people during the day.

There, you have your typical Hollywood Walk of Fame and a street full of people mimicking stars like Elvis Presley, Spiderman, Willy Wonka and the likes. I thought it was free to take pictures with them, but silly me, they don't wake up in the morning and put on ridiculous costume for nothing. :)

I grew up listening to her music.

Just good old Elmo rocking up for work. Hehe

Marilyn Monroe's wax figure kinda freaks me out a little.

Our hotel in LA

We stayed at Four Points by Sheraton near LAX and I was pleasantly surprise. For the amount that we've spent on this hotel, it was worth it.

The room was spacious with a squeaky clean toilet, which is a MUST for me, and the food at the hotel was great and reasonably priced. Nearby, there's Burger King and a convenient store.

I love how at every hotel in the US, there's a filter coffee machine with a ready-to-go cup!

I also love how orange juice and coffee is unlimited almost everywhere we go to. Even though I prefer Melbourne's coffee, give me a big pot of black drip coffee and I'll be happy for the rest of the day.

I also love how there's a tour centre that we can go to for last minute day tours.

Me on our very comfortable tour bus.

These purple flowered trees were everywhere in LA, it was such a pretty sight to look at.

All in all, I enjoyed LA but the weather was a tad too cold for summer!

I was given the task to research for places to go in LA and I regretted not doing a good job. There were so many things to do in LA but we just didn't have sufficient time. I wanted to visit the vintage stores that I saw along the way to our tourists spots but didn't get a chance to. Maybe next time, I'd be sure to plan properly and no more touristy places.

Have you been to LA or are you from LA? If so, what are the must go places for a local?

Next up: San Francisco