NY NY part one

hey everybody! i'm back to blogging i guess. a few pals have come up to me saying i don't blog anymore. i put that down to me just wanting to blog about really interesting stuff, not dumb one-line bimbotic quibbles which you can get from any ah lian blog.

and here it is, the promised few entries of my NY trip. that was way back in the december-winter-break-new-year-period (huff-huff).

upon arrival we were greeted by a curious grey new yorker squirrel. they might be grey to blend in with the buildings.

we decided to have a little italian experience for dinner. fresh from my italian 101 course in fall term, i was eager to have a proper full italian meal.

look at the insane amount of clams on shaoning's plate. you would have mistaken it for a seafood main course. but no, it's a pasta entree COVERED in clams. each of us probably stole 3-4 from him, and he still had enough for himself. damn!

i, on the other hand, had a plate full of pasta and cheese. no meat. but don't get me wrong, it was heavenly. it's just that a carnivore like me needed his meaty kicks.

i said 'grazie!' to the waiter when he served my dish. he gave me a stunned bewildered look and walked away. i wonder if my pronunciation was good that he was surprised or so horrid he couldn't make out the word. oh well.

the sights of little italy. it's not much, but you would notice all the italian flags hanging at every junction. that was probably to mark their territory just in case any of those chings from the nearby chinatown lose their way.

the rockefeller center with all the lights and christmas decorations was beautiful.

and behind me is st patrick's cathedral. amazing.

we went to the top of the rockefeller to admire the new york skyline. the undeniable logic works this way:
- the tallest two skyscrapers in new york are the rockefeller center and the empire state building.
- the empire state building looks better than the rock.
- so, we should go up the rock to look at the rest of the skyline, and view the empire state in its full glory.
and as they say, the view from the top is fantastic. just look at how far the never-ending lights stretch! ok, i was in the small town of ann arbor for too long. the view simply had me mesmerized.

peering over the ledge and down can make your knees quiver and legs weak.

the famous rockefeller christmas tree was nothing short of dazzling. i'm still in awe of all the little colorful lights.

the radio city tower.

and here's a preview of times square as we walked past.

for more of times square and more, stay tuned!