I ♥ New York (Day 1)

After watching Miss Universe 2010 replay last weekend, I had a major, major inkling to reminisce about my work-related trip to Uncle Sam last year. One of the highlights of that trip is a side trip to The Big Apple.

Date of my personal bite of The Big Apple: May 9-10, 2009
 

Brooklyn Bridge: The bridge that reaffirmed my bubble thought that I'm in New York!

So how did Miss Universe 2010 come in to my reminiscing, you may ask. It's a prevailing fact that Donald Trump is the myth behind the most prestigious beauty contest ever known. So when the cameras showed Donald Trump in the audience, a vivid flashback of The Big Apple came into play. I do remember my excitement when I stood before the Trump Tower in 5th Avenue last year and took a quick picture of it. Oh man, I was giddy with happiness when I saw where The Apprentice was filmed.

Our group took an early morning flight via U.S. Airways from Richmond, VA to LaGuardia Airport but the plane could not land in La Guardia airport due to poor visibility (damn thick clouds) hovering over the whole New York. The only recourse is to land in Lehigh Valley International Aiport in Pennsylvania, so after major, major delay, the airline gave us a free land trip from Lehigh to Fairfield Inn Marriott in LaGuardia where we made room reservation.

Behold the evidentiary support of my own personal bite of The Big Apple.

 

A popular way of touring New York City is by classic double-decker, hop-on, hop-off guided bus tour. But nothing beats exploring the city on foot.

Miss Liberty wannabes in Battery Park

WWII memorial in Battery Park which faces the New York harbour

My empire state of mind: wacky! 

On a serious note, that giant eagle marker has this:

Erected by the United States of America in proud and grateful remembrance of her sons who gave their lives in her service and who sleep in the American coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Into Thy Hands, O Lord.

The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House (originally U.S. Custom House) - now the home of the New York branch of the National Museum of the American Indian as well as the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

26 Broadway (a.k.a. the Standard Oil Building) is a New York City Designated Landmark at the southern tip of Manhattan at Bowling Green.

Arturo DiModica's 7,000-pound bronze Charging Bull, a reference to the bulls (optimists) and bears (pessimists) at the stock market

I'm in Corporate America a.k.a Wall Street!

They say that in order to complete your personal bite of the Big Apple, one has to ride the subway.  We did and we enjoyed every minute of it!

Trinity Church is a historic, full-service parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is located at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway in downtown Manhattan.

Isamu Noguchi's Red Cube, a prominent landmark in front of Marine Midland Building (also HSBC
 Bank Building)

Interesting statue of a corporate man in a park near the Ground Zero

Solemn look in an almost solemn site -World Trade Center site (Ground Zero)

Even though I was a continent away when the 9/11 attack happened, the effect still reverberates when I took pictures of the site.

Time to drop our Century 21's shopping loot at the hotel. LOL!

To put to test that NYC is the city that never sleeps, we went to Times Square via, of course, a yellow cab! I have never imagined that I would set foot in the world-famous site of the annual ball drop during New Year's Eve. Also known as "The Crossroads of the World" and "The Great White Way", Times Square has achieved the status of an iconic world landmark and is a symbol of New York City and Uncle Sam in general.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Times Square

The city that never sleeps

Plus, we had a $120-worth of light dinner at the TGIF resto in Times Square. My first day at The Big Apple was almost surreal I even likened it to a childhood dream that finally came true. It came in an unexpected way which left me flushed with happiness up to this day. So, that was my Day 1. Stand by for my Day 2 entry. :) 

2009 Wanderlust

Year 2009 confirmed that I suffer from wanderlust. Since I landed in fictional Netopia and began my saga as a corporate refugee, I just could not help it. Come along as I chronicle my wanderlust case last year.

BAGUIO CITY

February 2009

Together with a couple of friends, I went to Baguio City to witness the Panagbenga (Flower festival) and to take the 252-steps challenge at the Lourdes Grotto. We also visited the famous landmarks of the summer capital, to wit: Burnham Park, Camp John Hay, Session Road (where floral parade took place), Wright Park, The Mansion, Mines View Park and the Bell Church. We also sampled local cuisine at Pizza Volante, Cafe By The Ruins and Everything Nice Cafe at Camp John Hay.

After Baguio, we went to Our Lady Of Manaoag Church in Pangasinan to pray for the inevitable.

July 2009

It was our first out-of-town trip as "lovers", and Baguio seems to be the perfect getaway. Warning ahead: I'm made of cheese. It was the start of my relationship journey. Click at your own risk. And here's more... and more... and some more.

U.S.A.

April 5-May 19, 2009

Virginia

Last April 5 2009, I was sent to Charlottesville, Virginia for on-site training at LexisNexis, a publishing company which offers a widely used content from legal documents, among others. Our group of four flew via Narita and Detroit on Northwest Airlines. We travelled for almost 24 hours on different time zones.

I fell in love with the suburban Charlottesville at first sight. The Marriott Residence Inn in Millmont Street near the Barracks Road shopping district was our home for six (6) weeks, save for some days when we flew to other states. I was amazed with the beautiful campus of the University of Virginia, which is only a stone's throw away from the hotel.

Virginia has lots  to offer to its tourists. We explored the mountaintop home and the vast and colorful gardens of Thomas Jefferson called Monticello. We also did the Monticello Wine Trail wherein we had wine-tasting at three wineries located in Greenwood, Crozet and Afton. It was followed by a hiking activity in a pioneer homestead in Blue Ridge Mountains. We saw the famous bluish haze of the mountains, hence the name. We also did some outlet shopping in Williamsburg Prime Outlets where signature items are way much cheaper than in the Philippines. As if shopping still did not exhaust us, we went to Colonial Williamsburg, the historic district of the independent city of Williamsburg, Virginia. The Lanthorn Tour in the place was simply magical, and I captured lots of spirit orbs in my digicam. On Easter Sunday, we did some hiking near the Rivanna River. We also had a Jamaican dinner in a trainor's house in Palmyra. On our last weekend in the Old Dominion (Virginia's nickname), we explored a geologic cave in Front Royal, Virginia called Skyline Caverns, where the largest calcite anthodite in the world is on display. We also passed by the scenic Skyline Drive of the Shenandoah National Park in Front Royal to take pictures.

Texas

Last May 1, 2009, I went to McKinney, Texas to visit my aunt and her family via U.S. Airways. It was pretty challenging to fly interstate in a foreign country for a neophyte traveller like me. All in all, travel time from Charlottesville to Dallas lasted for six (6) hours, waiting time included. I flew via Charlotte, North Carolina to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport where my aunt welcomed me with open arms! During my first day there, my aunt brought me to Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas, where she shopped for pasalubong for me to bring home. After shopping, we went to Downtown Dallas, the main business district in Dallas, Texas. The windy yet sunny atmosphere contributed much to our leisure walk in West End Historic District. Sights like Dealey Plaza, Old Red Museum and Sixth Floor Museum, the building from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President JFK, were captured by my cam.
 

New York City

I also had my first bite of The Big Apple last May.

First day: We flew via U.S. Airways in Richmond International Airport, which is a two-hour drive from Charlottesville. Due to zero visibility, the plane had difficulty landing in LaGuardia Airport in Queens County. Instead, we landed in Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania and a three-hour road trip ensued from there to Marriott Fairfield Inn in Astoria where we stayed. We rode the famous subway to Battery Park. From there, we saw the Lady Liberty amid the foggy afternoon. As we walked along Wall Street and Broadway, sights such as the old U.S. Customs House, the Charging Bull, Trinity Church and Isamo Noguchi's Red Cube fascinated us. Then, we saw the Ground Zero site and shopped at the nearby Century 21. We wasted no time exploring "the city that never sleeps", hence we went to Times Square and had dinner at TGIF. We also saw the glittering lights of Broadway theatres on the same night.

Second day: After breakfast, we went to Battery Park which faces the New York harbor. We rode the Staten Island ferry and the famous Statue of Liberty left me in awe. The ferry made a quick stop at the Ellis Island. After the breezy ferry ride, we immediately went to Manhattan area and had our pictures taken at some landmarks such as Grand Central Terminal, Koreatown, New York Public Library, Empire State Building, Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, Trump Tower and the Apple Store in Fifth Avenue. Our last stop was the famous Central Park before we headed off to LaGuardia Airport for our flight back to Richmond. I'd like to think that we were able to drop by at all the landmarks in our short visit to The Big Apple.

Washington, D.C.

Also during May, we visited the state of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. From Fairfax Country, Virginia, we rode the Metrorail (popularly called as "Metro") to Smithsonian station. We saw the Washington Monument  and the U.S. Capitol from the National Mall, an open-area national park in downtown D.C. We took pictures of some Smithsonian museums such as the Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle), Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, National Air and Space Museum (where we had Mcdo "museum" lunch), National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of American History. We continued our walk-a-thon till we reached the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. Of course, we didn't the miss the notable spot in Pennsylvania Avenue - The White House. I also caught sight of the Freedom Plaza, which was renamed in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., who worked on his "I Have a Dream" speech in the nearby Willard Hotel.

BOHOL

June 5-8, 2009

Our family bonding in Papa's hometown in Loay. If interested, click here.

CORON, PALAWAN

September 16-19, 2009

It was probably the most unforgettable island adventure in my dormant life. Our trip to Calauit Safari Park brought out my boat phobia. Still, it was an oddly amazing getaway.

BORACAY

November 19-22, 2009

The boyfriend and I pledged that we'll go back to this island paradise. And yes, I'd bring the same tsinelas.

Backtrack to Easter Sunday in Charlottesville

Actual date of 2009 Easter Sunday is April 12, and I was still in Charlottesville, Virginia during that time. It was a refreshing experience to celebrate Christ's resurrection away from the traditional setting in the Philippines. Here, Roman Catholics celebrate Easter almost like Christmas. Since after a week-long penance and having a no-pork diet, we truly deserved a feast with our families.

Mary Jane Divine and Deborah Rose, members of LexisNexis Statutory Code training team and who went to the Philippines last February to March, invited us* to hear mass at the Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. The church is located at 401 Alderman Road, adjacent to the University of Virginia. As we all know, most Americans identify themselves as Christians (not necessarily Roman Catholics).  Deb and her husband Benjamin fetched us at the Marriott Residence Inn. I still think that those two gracious ladies (and Deb's husband too) were kind enough to go out of their way to accompany us in a Catholic Church. The celebrated Southern hospitality is simply amazing.

Inside the church

 

 A sight to behold - Mamy Mary with fresh, colorful blooms beneath

 

 Outside the brick walled church

 

 MJ took off her dogwood flower earrings and told us that dogwood flowering tree is Virginia's official State tree.

 

 Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church

Deb also invited us to lunch at her house in Riverbend Condominiums. How nice of her, huh? While we were marveling at Deb's digital photo frame that displays her Manila pictures, she served a deli tray full of.. just see the pic!

 

 Deli-cious tray of cheese cubes, cold cuts and olives and fresh strawberries

Deb's father, daughter and granddaughter also came to join us for lunch. Too bad I wasn't able to take pictures of Deb's homecooked meals.

 

 Post-lunch pic

After lunch, Deb invited us to take a stroll in the Old Mills Trail, just beside the Riverbend Condominiums, to check out Rivanna River. Really, when she said there's a clean river (I guess it is, compared to Pasig River), I was almost surprised.

 

The hikers (I switched to comfy sneakers from ballet flats during mass.)

 

Forward, march!

 

The dogwood flower

To my right is the Rivanna river (no sign of garbage, really) and, OMG, a huge rock! What the hell was I thinking then? Hahaha!

 

Riverbend Condominums

 

Goofin' with Deb's granddaughter (FYI, she's only 11 years old. Big kid!)

 

Back at RI: With our Easter loot bags from MJ

*The Fantastic Four

Blue Ridge Mountains & Blue Ridge Pig

Still on the same day (April 11, 2009), we went to a mountain farmstead in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Did you know that this massive land form binds eight states of Uncle Sam? These are the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia. Googles's the man! Click  here for more of Wikipedia's enlightening narrative.

I got some info from Wikipedia, and I quoted it below.

"The Blue Ridge Mountains are noted for their bluish color when seen from a distance. Trees put the "blue" in Blue Ridge, from the isoprene released into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to the characteristic haze on the mountains and their distinctive color."

The famous bluish haze of Blue Ridge

 

Uber cold!

 

Oh wind, take away our sorrows...

 

Fall has just ended...

 

Looks like in the old bygone movies

We walked through the self-guiding trail through a mountain farmstead. I learned from a signage that it was originally a Land Grant tract dispensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia to induce pioneers to settle the Blue Ridge Mountains and establish the border of the Western Frontier. Later it became known as the William J. Carter Farm. The original buildings have long since disappeared, but were replaced by other authentic structures moved from nearby.

 

Walk-a-thon starts now!

 

HRH Minnie, Don (the boyfriend) and moi

 

Goofin' in the logs

 

Knock, knock, knockin' on log cabin's door

 

Little house on the prairie

 

Lemme out, y'all!

 

Reenacting the bygone tradition of lynching... Hahaha!

 

My own postcard shot (ehem)

 

I just found a deer!

Walking through the self-guiding trail of a farmstead was truly a learning experience. I felt like I time-tavelled to the early days of American pioneer and frontier life. On hindsight, it was truly a man's instinct that he needs to seek greener pastures and build his own family while trying to survive the atrocities of his government and environment. Don't we all love freedom? We, Filipinos, are no strangers of that fact. Up until our liberation sometime between 1944 and 1945, we have forever struggled for survival and freedom.

Holly Eldred, another trainor from LexisNexis, recommended a quaint and rustic resto named Blue Ridge Pig in Nellysford. Click here for this famous pull'd pork barbecue resto's review. I saw that pulled pork is spelled as "pull'd pork" in their menu, and the price is just right -$8 to $10. It must be the South American English, y'all! The resto crew (owners) spoke to us in a heavily-accented English.

 

Piggin' out in the Blue Ridge Pig

We ordered the house specialty pull'd pork barbecue sandwich with two side dishes: macaroni salad and potato salad. If you're going to ask my most honest opinion, I'd rather eat Mcdo value meal. Why? It was quite a turn-off when we saw how the pork meat being pull'd (whatever) into shreds by dirty hands. Let's just say that maybe he was digging up some potato plots before he pull'd. Totally unhygienic. Ew, sorry. Plus, I never did like onions in my potato salad. I heard it's an authentic recipe -good ole Southern potato salad, but I'm no onion lover.

Staring at his calling card which he proudly inserted in the ceiling

  

Cute pink pig lantern (Noticed our take-out styro boxes? We barely finished the pull'd pork barbecue sandwich.)

 

The sign says: "Rustic... Sophisticated... Smoked" - Meats and Sandwiches, The Washington Post"

It somehow impressed me when I saw The Washington Post's review in the resto's road marker. Wow. I consulted my fling* once again and found this: "The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest, founded in 1877. Located in the nation's capital, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation."

*Google