the met and shake shack

An amazing must see is the rooftop of the Met, which offers a panoramic view of Manhattan.  If it wasn't so humid, I would have enjoyed a spring picnic along with the sculptures. 

The views of the city are not to be missed @ the Met.

Here is the famous the Flatiron Building, which I found the curves and the perspective unique.  The sculpture we found in Madison Square Park was surreal sight.  It's like an elephant in the room and people still go about their business with this massive head in the park. 

 I just love the randomness at it's finest.

A stop at the Shake Shack is a must before heading back to L.A.  They rave about their burgers being better than In & Out, so we had to compare with our own taste buds and found the Shake Shack burgers to be more greasy.  Also, In & Out is more affordable to any body's pocket book, unlike Shake Shack.   It's still a very good burger, especially the Shack Stack, yum!

A short trip indeed and enjoyed NYC's hot spots, until next time!

nyc in the summer

When you want to feel the heat of summer, travel to NYC and experience the humidity.  It was sticky hotness and getting around the underground was not my cup of tea.  Nevertheless, I did enjoy my short time of wandering aimlessly around the city and getting in some art and fashion too.

My sis and I stayed at this hip place the Ace Hotel.  We would never consider staying at this hotel since it's so darn pricey, but Gilt has these amazing deals that you can't pass up.  The place fit the mood of NYC by the bold mural on the wall to the little details of the iron board and desk accessories.  It's not a bad set up since Opening Ceremony is right next door and Stumptown Coffee Roasters, yum!

I love these odd rings and bracelets from Opening Ceremony and coffee art.  It's also refreshing to find random things that make a neigborhood stand out, like this beer drinking shark.  While taking a breather from the heat, we went to this bookstore to read some mags and flying books were on the ceiling, inventive, yes!

We also stopped by at Dean and Deluca and sampled a selection of cheese and Owl beer.

I channelled the 80's when the subway was passing by and brunch food @ Cafe Gitane.  The dish of kous kous with hummus and sausage on the side, delish.

A trip to NYC would not be complete without some cocktails with our friend K_la @ the lobby of our hotel.  I also adore the decor of the place from the comfy leather couches, taxidermy and cow rugs.

Chin chin!

To be continued...

NYC, a second time around

I haven't been to NYC since I was 21 years young. Did the city change or what? It's only been 9 years, but so many barrios have had a facelift and NYC is so much dirtier than I remembered. Granted, I have traveled to other cities, and now I can compare subway systems, parks, eateries and just street traffic and NYC is much dirtier. I still <3 NYC. It's still fun to ride on the metro underground and come up to the street level and be transported in a different barrio. It's also a treat to be out so late because the city never sleeps. I work nights and I still follow that crazy vampire schedule and even in L.A. the only places that are open are diners or taco trucks. The highlights were seeing the new MOMA, guggenheim, magnolia bakery, strawberry fields and just walking around taking it all in. I hope to revisit once again NYC!