US & UK Trip (Day 4): New York - One day walking tour and Museum of Modern Art

The next day, I took a walking tour with Free Tours by Foot (highly recommended) and covered quite a lot of ground in 6 hours. Starting from the Financial District (Wall St, New York Stock Exchange, etc), we stopped by Trinity Church, and made our way to the World Trade Center. We also covered SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy, Greenwich Village, the High Line Park (and I probably missed a few other areas)!

Better views in the day

Just like in the movies!

Yummy!

I really wanted to walk on the High Line, and I was glad that the tour covered that (well to be exact, it ended there, and I walked the rest of the way to the other end). The High Line is a 1.45-mile-long elevated linear park created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on the west side of Manhattan. A very interesting concept indeed- in warmer weather this must be a lovely place to hang out.

I spent the evening at the Museum of Modern Art. I am not a fan of modern art- but there were some interesting pieces on display. Been there, done that! Haha :)

People were furiously taking photos of this

US & UK Trip (Day 3): New York - Woodbury Common and National September 11 Memorial & Museum

The next day saw me catching an early bus to Woodbury Common- a premium outlet about 40 mins from the city. It was a so-so experience, but certainly not one that I would repeat, as I am not a big fan of branded stuff anyway. You also need to specifically ask for the items that are actually sold at the main stores- else you would likely end up buying stuff made for the premium outlet stores, which I feel is really misleading the consumer. Hmmph. 

Exhausted from all the shopping, I got some rest back at the hotel and headed out to visit the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. This was an exceptional museum- informative with details of what happened on that fateful day, yet respectful to the many who lost their lives. It was an incredibly poignant experience- words simply cannot do it justice. As a visitor in the museum, I had a tiny taste of the confusion, panic and the disbelief that New Yorkers must have experienced that day. People desperately searching for their loved ones- putting up posters and leaflets everywhere, emergency workers working round the clock to try and locate and rescue survivors; I truly cannot imagine what New York must have felt like on that day.

I did not know that the 'main' exhibit was right in the middle of the museum, and hence had to rush through it all in the end- as the museum was closing. Arrgh- I could totally kick myself!

The memorial fountains are two square pools where the Twin Towers once stood. The names of those who perished that day are etched on the sides of the pools.

How the world has changed since that fateful day- 9/11.....

US & UK Trip (Day 2): New York - Grand Central Station, New York Public Library, Times Square & American Museum of Natural History

Day 2 was a day of adventure! I took the subway to Grand Central Station and then walked out in search of the Daily News Building- looking up to see the Chrysler Building (below) on the way.

Next up was an (audio) guided tour of Grand Central Station- which was very informative. I really enjoyed myself, wandering around the station and discovering its secrets along the way.

The ceiling was cleaned in the mid-1990s, but a small dark patch was left to create a 'before and after' effect. The dark patch was a result of over 100 years of dirt, mainly from cigarette smoke. Ewww! 

Can you see spot the dark patch?

Thought this was very amusing- just like in the movies!

My next stop was the New York Public Library. Unfortunately the famous Rose Reading Room was closed for restoration works, so that was a real bummer.

Bryant Park was just beside the Library, so I stopped for a bit to browse the Christmas market and enjoy some mulled wine while watching people enjoy themselves skating. It was pretty cool- again, the downside was being alone.

Onwards to the famous Times Square- ok, so now I can say 'been there, done that', haha! Watching a show wasn't on my itinerary- as I was rushing to my next stop- the American Museum of Natural History.

The museum was AWESOME. I took heaps of photos, and I stayed until closing time. The kids would have loved this- I really must bring them here someday- and to prep them, they would have to watch the 'Night at the Museum' movies!

I visited some old friends from university- who graciously hosted me for dinner. It was lovely seeing them again and catching up after so many years. What a super long but super fun day!

US & UK Trip (Day 1): New York - Radio City Music Hall & Rockefeller Center

Work brought me to UK (again- in the same year!) and US in December 2015. Naturally I made plans to squeeze in some sight-seeing time while I was abroad.

My very first Business Class flight (on British Airways)- so exciting! It was an awesome experience- the food, the alcohol, the flatbed, the stopover lounge in Heathrow where I had a lovely, refreshing shower- it made the journey a truly memorable one.

Yummy!

Upon arrival and after checking in to my hotel in Queens (which was super close to the subway station, but the area overall was a little bit scary especially for a lady travelling alone), I rested for a little while, and then headed out in a bid to stay awake to beat the jetlag. I went to Radio City Music Hall to watch the 'Radio City Christmas Spectacular' starring The Rockettes. The show was very good and very enjoyable- but I was super tired and ended up yawning quite a bit towards the end.

I walked around the grounds of the Rockefeller Center, and as you can see- Christmas was well and truly in the air. The festive atmosphere really made me miss the family; wished I had them with me... Sigh.

The Channel Gardens

 The famous skating rink

Vacation Bible School - The Big Top!

Can't believe it's time for VBS again- this year, the theme was 'The Big Top'. The circus theme was pretty cute- the boy was a 'Faithful Fire Eater', and the girl was a 'Loving Lion Tamer'. Nice, eh?

The kids had a great time. Special thanks to the volunteers who made this happen. May the seed of God's word be planted in the hearts of the children!

The Music Run!

My first time at The Music Run- really cool and fun! Hubby and I enjoyed ourselves. But man, the 5km wasn't easy (it's my fault that I am so unfit).... Really need to improve my fitness levels! Sigh.

Haha!

So cute!

The route was divided into 5 zones, with a different music track for each zone. It would have been nice to be able to hear the music throughout each of the 1 km stretch, but I guess that would probably be difficult (impossible?) to achieve as the music would just 'bleed' into each other at the borders of each of the zones.

There was a music party after the run- but we didn't stay for that (we're too old!).... Haha! Will try and bring the kids for this run next year :)