Whirlwind week in NY

The week went by very quickly. We hung out with friends, ate and ate and ate and ate, shopped a little, and, of course, saw some Broadway shows.

Favorite eats:

• Lombardi's pizzeria - Boasts as first pizzeria in America. Yummy thin-crust pizzas. Surprisingly, not heavy like most pizzas and all the ingredients just taste naturally flavorful.
• Ippudo - Good ramen (Akamaru Modern Ramen) and pork buns. Expect to wait 1-2 hours if you go during prime lunch/dinner time. In the heart of Japantown.
  
• Babbo - Black spaghetti, yum....
  
• Katz Deli - Get the Reuben. Where Sally had her fake-orgasmic moment with Harry.
  
• Sugar Sweet Sunshine - Delicious cupcakes, must eat fresh! Just a few blocks from Katz Deli, great after Reuben dessert.
  
• La Maison du Chocolat - Good truffles, not too sweet
• Bon Chon - Korean pub with delicious lychee shoju... good chicken too. On 5th Avenue a few steps from "Korean block".
  

NY has so many places to shop, that you can pretty much go anywhere. I especially enoyed Soho, for its cute boutiques and the Japanese equivalent of Gap (but better IMHO) - Uni Qlo. You can also find good deals at Century 21, with big discounts on designer products and clothes; if you're not used to the crowd, you may get a little dizzy in there though. When we went, the store was packed with French-speaking visitors.

By comparison, NY metro is much older than DC metro. There're pros and cons. You're usually within 1-2 blocks of metro wherever you are in Manhattan, so it's super convenient. Fare is also very straightforward - $2 wherever you go, or you can opt for the $25/week unlimited or $7.5/day unlimited rides, you only have to swip to get in, no swipping upon getting out. Caution: with the "unlimited" rides, make sure you pick the correct line/entrance to go in, or else you have to wait 18 minutes before you can swip the "unlimited" metro card again. As for the con, most stations don't have escalators or elevators and there isn't real-time notifications about train schedule (DC has these). If you are not so good at packing light, carrying heavy luggage up and down staircases is not so fun. Even though subway is pretty closeby, we opted for cab rides when we had our luggages with us.

There are quite a few amazing architectural siters to check out in NYC -

• Eleven Tears 911 memorial: If you visit just one tourist site in NYC, check out the Amex 911 memorial in the Amex building. It's beautiful... Tears falling from heaven, never ending, never forgotten; victims of the attack beyond our reach in the other world...
  
• Being inside the Guggenheim Museum made me truly comprehend the genius that is Frank Lloyd Wright. A beautiful building is not just about how it looks outside, but how it feels inside. The space inside is just phenomenal and flows so well. How someone can conceive this on a piece of paper is beyond me. I've always admired Frank Lloyd Wright's work, since my days as an architecture student; but now, I can say I've truly experienced it.
  
• Another amazing building is the Grand Central Terminal. It's elegant Beaux-Arts architectural style focuses on both design and utilization. An example of this can be seen in the grand windows on two ends of the terminal. Inside the windows are actual walkways between offices; this design allows maximum natural light coming into the terminal without sacrificing efficient walkways between offices two sides of the building. Free walking tours are available on Wednesdays and Fridays.