Adventures in NYC

So the other weekend, a couple of good friends of mine came down here from Buffalo, NY. For those of you who don't know their geography (and that's ok, you're from other countries), Buffalo is from the upper west part of NY, kind of near the Ontario Canada, and also near PA and Ohio. It's quite the trek down here to Long Island, I'd say like 8 hours drive.

But anyways, they are some of my favorite people, and are finishing up school there. We've spent the past 2 1/2 years together, seeing each other every day, through think and thin. We've taken some 250 exams together, partied on the weekends, and have "just hung out" by about infinity. It's amazing how close you can get in such a short time period, but I guess it's multiplied when you are with each other so much. So what am I trying to say? Well, we're a big deal :)

A couple of them are Canadian, and they wanted to see what this crazy city called New York has to offer. It has a couple of cool things to do, right? Yeah, at least like 5 bazillion jiggawatts worth.

My room mate and I (who I've lived with for 3 years already... craaazy) took them on a short tour, and here's a short taste of what we saw...

You have to come to Chinatown if you are ever downtown. It's a necessity. There are floods of Asian people, and authentic food everywhere. I mean you find chickens and ducks roasting in windows, baskets of crayfish in the street, and fruit stands on every block. It's a huge open market, and the prices are dirty cheap.
Some Chinese Chicken BBQ - Awesome

Some cool berry that I've never seen before

If you find humor in this, we would get along perfectly

The girls had to get some purses or bags (whatever you call those things) from Chinatown. If you like that kind of stuff, I totally recommend it. It's fun being taken into a hidden back room, reminiscent of the Bat Cave, and paying money for a pseudo-Guccified-Dolce Gabbanied-hand bag for like 30 bucks. Man, I can't believe I knew the names of those brands. My manhood is fleeting... I need to go watch football or something :)

After lunch, we had to hit up Little Italy... which has one of the best pastry shops in the history of man kind, Ferrara. I'm kicking myself for not trying the gelato there, but I was sooooo full of Chinese. Thank god for walking it off :)
Crazy pastries I could never make

So, after feeling pretty bloated, very full, and happy to be alive on such a gorgeous day in August, a traveling we went. Another destination was the Brooklyn Bridge, which is very cool and old fashioned looking. The bridge is going on like 160 years old. It's a cool sight to see, and there's a cool waterfall coming out of it.
See, cool waterfall

And after that was the South St. Seaport for some chilling by the water, and Battery Park to get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. The weather and sights were all really beautiful, until later in the day, when it got kind of stormy. Here's some more pictures, because hey, they say a thousand words, right?
Brooklyn Bridge

Chillen by the Seaport
A spooky sky before the storm in Battery Park

An unrelated picture at a party, but it reminds me how lucky I am

So, that's a quick synopsis of a couple hours of NYC daytime adventure. I love my friends and consider myself very lucky to know such cool, caring people. I know in a few months we'll be scattered all over the globe, and be off starting our careers and lives, but that's ok, we won't slip. I've always lived by if you want something bad enough, you'll make it happen.

Comments

Mama Mia said…
looks like you and your friends had a blast! china town and little italy... wish they had those in the OC. I like your new layout by the way! very manly sheek.
What a fun day! I love Ferrara cannoli shells! NYC bakeries and pastry shops are the best! But I hope you didn't watch the Mets/Phillies game last night...ummm.. the Phillies beat the Mets in the 13th(I think it was) after coming back from a 6 run deficit...ahem! (I used to be a Mets fan while living in north jersey but was converted).
Emily said…
Those Canadians look like a lot of fun.
This was such a nice post...I hope you all stay in contact.

Chinatown and Little Italy sound amazing. I want to try so much food when I visit! Especially gelato.

The bridge is beautiful. I like the stormy Battery Park pic - it's really cool.
And the "Big Wong" picture is hilarious.
Dee said…
I was watching Are you smarter than a 5th grader last night (yes, I know) and this lady had a tough time figuring out whether Utah was lower south than New Mexico or something. Then again, she couldn't decide whether Switzerland was in Asia or in Europe. Uhm, there was a point I was trying to make but...

Moving quickly on, glad you had fun. Those cool berries are probably longans, and they're really yummy. You'd probably like them since you like Malaysian food :)

Love the spooky sky pix!
Clumbsy Cookie said…
What? Did I read it correctly? You were too full to eat an ice-cream? You let me down, big time! Lol! Ok I'll forgive you because you took such a nice stormy picture! I'm glad you had such a nice time with your friends! Friends are really the best thing ever invented!
LizNoVeggieGirl said…
What a delightful trip. You know that I love NYC, so I'm glad to see that you guys had such a wonderful time.
I love the Big Wong pic, cracked me since I know you.
Yeah you definitely had a good time, and your friends are so cool. Last time I hit all the spots you hit was last October (columbus day) and it was soooo hot out. But when I was in Chinatown I snagged up some great faux-designer sunglasses. Little Italy seems to shrink more and more each year.
I have a ton of family from rochester, ny--how weird is that? And from the thousand islands in canada.
Snooky doodle said…
Nice photos. You seem to be having really a good time :-) It s nice to have a couple of good friends too. You re lucky.
Christine said…
Yeah, Buffalo's near Niagara Falls. I went there once after visiting family to the east of Buffalo.

Looks like you had a great time! I didn't know there was a 'back room' that sold stuff like that, heh.

You definitely have to go back and try the gelato, although you might be able to find a place that's not in Little Italy.
Antonio Tahhan said…
gotta love nyc!! I wish dc had as many open markets like that with exotic fruits and veggies... I need to do some investigating.
it looks like your friends had a blast!
Hey kiddo, what a wonderful adventure. I've been to New York City twice in my life. My brother, the one I told you about, lives in Mystic, CT. The two times I've gone to see him it's been quick trips to NY on the train ( I love riding th train). There is so much to see and do. But I do remember eating at the Carnegie Deli. Wonderful food..Huge servings.
Chibog in Chief said…
hi adam, i love your new look! so neat n clean :-)

i love nyc! i was there last year and little italy and china town are indeed a place to see! thanks for sharing all these photos! specially the last one LOL
Gloria Baker said…
I love the Blog new look Adam!!! and I love your adventures in NY!!! and the pictures are so nice!! I love these fruits that you show, I never saw before!!! Thanks by sharing the pictures Adam, xxxGloria
Adam! You're so cute! Hee hee. So um, Big Wong? Hmmm? I'm laughing because you included it in your tour and you showed it to us ROFL

You've got some great friends and some wonderful people to hang out and party with. If and when you decide to come down here and visit, I'll make sure you have a good time. Ok, not a good time... But just a good time. I hope that wasn't too incriminating LOL
Thistlemoon said…
Sounds like a fabulous trip! I love going to NYC for a day maybe two - after that, I begin to feel too overwhelmed! LOL!

But I am never going to forgive you for not trying the gelato...tsk tsk.
Pam said…
What a fun and memorable day...nothing better than spending time with good friends. I have never made it to NYC but I look forward to exploring it someday.
Astra Libris said…
oooh, thank you so much for the glorious tour of new york!

Friends are what the world is all about... Y'all looked like you had such a wonderful celebration of friendship as you traveled.

P.S. (I guess we would get along, because I was rolling in laughter as soon as I saw the photo outside of the fantastically named restaurant... :-)
Natalie Que said…
I love seeing the pics, are you the one in the last one with the white hat? I couldn't tell which one was you compared to your profile pic!

It is fun to see a post like this on a food blog, just mixing it up and telling some stories {yes, they were funny!} and seeing some pics of life {and food!} beyond recipes and the actual making of the food.

Glad you had such a nice time with your visitors!
hungryandfrozen said…
Big Wong - Bwah!
I want to go to New York so bad :/
Looks like you had a fab time - yay for good friends :)
Jaime said…
those "Berries" are longans! you must try them :) they're a lovely fruit, similar to lychees, but i like them better!