I Heart NYC!

I Y NYC!

(I couldn't get the heart image in the title)

After I took the ferry over the city (disappointing - heavy fog so no views of the NY skyline) and checked into the hotel, I met my mom and Akemi for lunch. After that, it's a blur of 4 days of eating and shopping. And walking, but mostly walking to our next destination to either shop or eat! I've been to NYC often enough to know my way around, but not often enough to be able to just hang out - I still want to see and do everything everytime I'm there. Add my mom & Akemi's "places" and we had packed itineraries! Suffice to say it was great fun, decent weather (a little cold, but nothing too problematic). Instead of a play by play or highlights, I think I'll just post the list of all the of places where we ate!


Union Square Cafe for lunch
Il Laboratorio del Gelato (not the actual store, the stand in the Union Square Whole Foods)
Burger Joint (in the Le Parker Meridien Hotel)
Daniel's Bagels
Macy's Cellar (we watched a baking demonstration and then got a restaurant-sized sample!)
Kee's Chocolates (we bought omiyage, but had to eat some too!)
Pinkberry (Nolita location)
Momofuku Noodle Bar (new location, East Village)
Some other 2nd rate FroYo joint in the East Village (totally sub-par to Pinkberry)
Daniel's bagels (again)
Oms/b (take out for lunch)
Garrett's popcorn (Oprah's favorite)
Roasted Chestnuts from a street vendor
Katsuhama (Japanese-style Katsu restaurant)
Starbuck's (at Woodbury)
Nathan's hotdogs (at Woodbury)
Wu Liang Ye (Sichuan takeout near our hotel)

The Asa Trips - Year 2

I was in NY a few weeks ago and spent the first part of the week back in Staten Island with my friend Linna and her trips. A lot has changed in a year! The trips are now 17 months and walking around! (Emilee is still wobbly, but almost there). It's funny, the glimpses of their personalities that I saw last year are still spot-on, but are now more fully developed. Nicky is by far the most advanced - running around and climbing things (I think he'll jump the gates around the house soon enough) - and still very social and likes playing with older kids and adults. Nate is still shy and kind of sensitive and the quickest to cry and Emilee is still aloof, does her own thing and is a bit self-conscious. They all love the tv (I was over the whole Elmo thing after a few days!) and are big on the CD cases (they love to open them and then bite them for whatever reason). They eat well and nap well so Linna is lucky - but it's a very tiring day for her. I continue to be amazed by her good spirits! Because the kids were sick, we didn't go out so I passed the nap time sorting clothes (3 huge 65 gallon bins of baby clothes!) and helping to make the kids' food (veggie and rice gruel all day, everyday for them!) and providing adult conversation for Linna. I'm glad I visited, but I was also excited to get over the city to meet my mom & sisters for a few days in the city! Top to bottom below: Nicky, Nate and Emilee Asa.

Coney Island Hotdogs in Detroit Rock City

A couple weeks back, we went to see Kelly Clarkson at the Detroit Fillmore (she totally rocks out, no signs of her American Idol self anywhere!). We decided to head down early and see a bit of the city and to sample a "Michigan" - a Coney Island hotdog. Yes, I'm sure you - as I once did - thought of a Coney Island as a hotdog from New York. Which it is, but not quite. A Coney Island hotdog means two things. One, a spicy hotdog served in western NY state, bare or with mustard and two, a beef hotdog with mustard, chili and onions - developed in Michigan during the early 1900s by an immigrant from Greece (who had passed through Ellis Island and sampled a Coney Island hotdog there). Greek dude works hard and is eventually able to opens up a store downtown serving hotdogs and chili and at some point mixed the two together, inventing the second Coney. He calls his store American Coney Island. Eventually, he brings his brother over from Greece and helps him open a Coney joint, right next door! (talk of portfolio diversification not that prevalent then, I guess!). That place is called Lafayette Coney Island. Three generations later, both places are still open, having seen the ups and downs of the city (properity during the auto industry's heyday, the crash and burn and the subsequent attempt at a renaissance (still happening, slowly). Native Detroiters have been debating which is better for decades the same way New Yorkers debate pizza and Texans debate BBQ. Everybody has a preference sometimes due to family habits, not actually comparing the two! So we picked Lafayette, which was sold to the employees a few years ago. Probably because it hasn't changed in almost 100 years (American has expanded the space and menu - and refurbished much of the furniture) and we dig all things old. I was too embarrassed to take pictures of food but this guy did it all for me. Bottom line, yummy, cheap food that is not so good for you. Maybe once a year, if that. But still, very tasty.

Next, we headed out to the Henry Ford which is a big complex that Henry Ford built - seems like mostly to preserve his legacy. We didn't have time to do the whole thing, so we visited the Henry Ford museum, ". . . the history museum that brings the American experience to life." It's pretty much a HUGE (and I mean HUGE) collection of all things cars, planes, trains and peripheral stuff in between. I wasn't expecting much, but I was pretty blown away. Very cool museum. From one of the two Allegheny trains to JFK's car (in which he was assassinated) to the bus that Rosa Parks sat in, there seems to be one of everything, even the theater chair that Lincoln (that would be Abe) sat in when he was assassinated. Most random thing to me was the Dymaxion house but it definitely had some competition (I guess it's not that random as it was built to have been built from aluminum in old airplane factories post WWII). I would definitely recommend a visit, but don't think anyone will be in the area any time soon! However, if you ever visit, I'll buy you a Coney at Lafayette!

Fall Colors

It's most definitely fall here. The air is cool and dry (well, ok, not so much when it rains. . ) and the fall leaves are brilliant and flying all over the place. The autumn colors here (reportedly) rival the northeast though I've been to Boston in November and those trees along the Charles were amazing. So in this lull between holidays and before the really cold weather comes, we've been outside as much as possible, driving down country roads and doing some hikes (and when I say "hikes", it is really more like walks, since it's pretty flat and there is no vista payoff at the end). Anyway, some pictures of the scenery and my little squash friends. . .