It was a very windy day, and we anticipated congestion on the parkways and difficulty finding parking space because it was the day before Mother’s Day. So what’s the next best thing to do when you live in New York and you want to get to your destination hassle-free?
Take the subway!
We took our couple friend to dinner at a Thai restaurant in Queens and so after two trains, and one a half hour later, we were in Queens rested and not aggravated by a stop and go traffic. We were greeted with monstrous crowd waiting to be seated inside the restaurant, but because we managed to make a reservation, our table was waiting for us.
SriPraPhai (pronounced see-pra-pie) has been rated number one Thai spot in NYC by Zagat from 2006 – 2007 and rated top 30 in NYC in Zagat food category. This resto has been in operation for more than a decade but we only found this awesome place early last year and we have been regular patrons since. Since my first bite of their food, there was no question in my mind why this resto has been constantly praised by food critics, and it has become a destination restaurant for foodies throughout New York and beyond.
The food is exceptional, and their reasonable prices with the extensive menu makes this place so great. I would have wanted to be seated amidst the outdoor garden but the weather was not cooperating that day.
Take a peek at our food picks:
Appetizers:
shredded green mango salad with shrimp, squid and chicken
Papaya salad with crispy catfish
Main dishes:
drunken noodles with roasted duck
chicken barbecue
steamed fish topped with tomato,onion and pineapple in sweet and sour sauce
crabmeat fried rice
Veggie dishes:
sauteed watercress with oyster sauce
sauteed mixed vegetables
our drink for the night: Thai iced tea with milk and black pearls ( I had two glasses for myself -yum!)
Dessert was Italian pastries and tea at our friend’s house. They live a few miles away from the resto so we decided to head to their place. Before we knew it, it was almost midnight and it was time for them to drop us off. We got home in a jiffy because the mad rush for Mother’s Day early celebration was over. Most New Yorkers were already settled in at that time.
If you live in New York City (Manhattan), more often than not, you must live in an apartment. It is worth mentioning though,that living in an apartment does not make you inferior to people living in a single family home in suburban neighborhoods. Here in New York, although, lack of space seems to be an unending issue, and a lot of New Yorkers seem to be contented living in cramp spaces, tons of apartment dwellers in high rise buildings also enjoy the opposite.
When you say you are living in an apartment, it does not necessarily mean that you are living in a square box, perhaps, all of it is just 25 square foot. The truth of the matter is that there are a lot of apartments that are even bigger than a single detached family home in the suburbs for as long as you can afford to live on one. Moneyed people living in the city live on apartments too; perhaps on lofts, the whole floor on a building, or other decent sized units. What most New Yorkers love about living in Manhattan is their proximity to where the “action” is and accessibility to their workplace and basic establishments. All of which, are accessible by just a mere subway ride.
However, it is not to be denied that there are New Yorkers who are content with their cramp quarters in exchange of living close to where they work. They just make-do with what they have and resort to storing their belongings in the oddest places imaginable. In the city, square footage is at a premium, and closet spaces is coveted. So, because takeout culture is the norm and have made cooking at home obsolete, New Yorkers are now tapping every nook and crannies of their kitchens. If you haven’t heard of people storing their sweaters inside their ovens, their designer handbags inside kitchen cabinets, shoes inside the fridge, then just take a look at these photos.
It looks funny and odd but hey, they seem to be happy and that is all that matters.
Nowadays, it’s really amazing how we can order virtually everything online. From clothes, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, skin care, rare collectibles, car parts and even those elusive Ferrari parts.
However, for a very particular shopper like me, I have to admit that I find it so hard to decide on an online purchase. I hate to deal with returning goods/merchandise. I’m not an impulsive shopper at all. Thus, the only reason that you’ll find me returning something that I previously purchased is when the merchandise does not work or breaks on me within a short time after its acquisition.
I’m very confident with my online purchase when I have seen the merchandise on a brick and mortar store. The only reason why I’d buy it online is the price difference, otherwise, I still prefer buying in-store. I love online comparison shopping. It’s great to be able to canvass prices and read up on reviews prior to making a purchase.
Call me wayward but that’s just the way I am. And yes, I don’t text… I’d rather call. But that is altogether a different story that requires a different post.
We used to get photo birth announcements in the mail but surprisingly we haven’t had one in the past two years. I think that our friends reproductive years is already put to a halt. It’s just a matter of a few years from now when we will get the same announcements, this time, it will be from nieces and nephews.
Oh no! Does that mean I will be a grandma when that happens? I hope it won’t happen just yet. I’m not ready to grab that title.
Sending a photo birth announcement is the one thing that I will never get to do in this lifetime. It’s one experience that I so long wanted to savor but we’re not that lucky.
I guess, I just have to be content with sending new home/moving announcement cards. I’ve done it once and one thing is for sure. I’m almost certain that there will be one to send again sooner than later.
Early last night, I was determined to give my laptop a good thorough cleaning. What is thorough?
Well, that means on top of the usual clean up that I do regularly, I will use my Monster iClean to spiff up the monitor. It’s the same solution that I use to clean up our HD TV’s. It really does the job well and I don’t have to worry about damaging the display.
I was into it when I noticed that my husband came in with this box:
He finally got it! He’s been buying individual bottles for the longest time ever since he declared and decided that this Fiji Natural Artesian Water tastes a lot better than what we used to get: Poland Spring. Now, he is strongly considering home delivery.
When we travel, and the hotels we are staying in provides bottled water, we’ve had Fiji and or Evian. He never did some kind of tasting comparison until about six months ago. Since then, he’s been a Fiji drinker and I’m stuck with Poland Spring because they have to be consumed and I don’t want them to go to waste.
So, what’s the big deal about this water? I don’t know. What I know is that it costs more and famous people sip it including Pres. Obama.
I was totally engrossed on the write up about the alleged apidexin scam when in the corner of my eye I spotted the current temperature in our area right through my monitor.
Gosh! It’s only 50 degrees, which explains why I have been freezing here in the house. With the cooling season about to commence, the central heat has already been turned off and we don’t have any portable heater.
Thus, what’s the next best thing to do? Don my winter jammies and socks then wrap myself with the warmest throw. In the next three days, the weather here in the Big Apple will be lousy.
When oh when will the weather be stable with more seasonable temps? I can’t wait for the heat of summer. I know, I can take the heat over the cold temps. This girl is from the tropics after all.
If you want to try burgers that are made from 100% grass-fed beef, then plan a trip to go here – New York City.
brgr, yes that is the name of the restaurant, located on 287 Seventh Avenue (between 26th and 27th St.) serves burgers that tastes great and they are known to have higher Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E content because they source their meat from grass-fed cows. They have a wide variety of toppings and you actually have the option to build your own burger and choose your toppings ranging from the classics to Roquefort, Gruyere, cheddar, Haas avocado, herb mayo and bacon among others. They are also known for their milkshakes, in fact, they won the 2007 Best of New York award from New York Magazine for the best milkshake in New York City. Sad to say, I was not in the mood for milkshake when we went, so I will have to try it the next time.
My husband and I had the chance to try their offerings and needless to say, the burgers are really great.
we each had this refreshingly awesome iced tea.
(his) fresh morning burger (grass fed beef patty with american cheese, fried egg, thousand island dressing) with russet potato fries
(hers) rainforest brgr (grass fed beef patty with gruyere, avocado herb mayonnaise lettuce and tomato) with sweet potato fries
There was simply no room (in my tummy) for dessert while at the resto, so I took home a package of their chocolate chip cookies which was equally awesome when I had it later that night with a cup of freshly brewed tea.
Remodeling a home is a big undertaking. I know that for sure, as I have been there six years ago. It was such a daunting task but I was just glad that at the time of the renovation, we were still living in our old place. After every single work was completed, all we had to do was do a minor clean up and move in. I have to commend the contractor and his workers though, because at the end of the day for the almost four months of renovation they always cleaned up the place and put everything in order.
The one thing I enjoyed was working with the architect early on and the interior decorator. Selecting the different finishes, furniture, fixtures, paint colors and what nots was really fun. I couldn’t believe the enormous quantity of options (i.e. cabinet finishes and hardware, different brands of toilets such as Saniflo toilet among others) available in the market. It was not easy deciding which ones to pick but with the guidance of the pros, the task was a lot easier.
At the end of it all, it was such a joy to see the finished product.
Are you remodeling anytime soon? If you have the option of staying out of your house during the process, I think it would be a great move to keep your sanity. I for one, wouldn’t be able to handle the chaos, so if I had to do it over again, I will certainly opt to do the same.
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