NYDC16

July 29 2016

NYDC16 Observations

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So what other nuances did I observe on the East Coast in DC and NYC?

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Well, I already mentioned that Five Guys Burgers and Fries is nothing new. Unlike Hawaii where lines were constantly long, there were no lines at many of the Five Guys we passed.

Jordan Retros and Nike Foamposites

While Nike Roshes were very popular in DC, what surprised me in New York was the number of retro Jordans and Foamposites that I saw. Retro Jordans were everywhere. Even cleaning crews at Grand Central rocked the Jordans. The Jordan 8, the Jordan 6, and the Jordan 4 were pretty popular.

Unique Apple Stores

I only saw one Apple Store in DC, the one in Georgetown. On the outside and immediate interior, this location was similar to other Apple Stores. But in the back, there’s this spartan, sunlit area that’s distinctive compared to the rest of the store.

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However, in New York, Apple Stores seem to have their own unique identity. I mentioned the Grand Central location that is part of the station.

NYDC16-observations-7 — This Apple Store is part of Grand Central

While riding the bus, I got to see the glass cube at Fifth Avenue and then later, the glass corner of the Upper West Side. On the way to the MET, we passed the classic architecture of the Upper East Side. Each has its own wow factor.

Apple Pay Is Expanding

Seemingly there’s a push for businesses to adopt Apple Pay. Many vendors had signs promoting the use of Apple Pay. Levain Bakery is one of those…that I used twice.

NYDC16-observations-5

White Earbuds

Back in the day when Apple introduced the game-changing iPod with white earbuds, who knew that the color white would be so distinguishable. Years later, white earbuds are still popular as seen on a sampling of subway riders.

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Squirrels Are Aggressive

Some squirrels have gotten too accustomed to people and are even aggressive when looking for food. I thought this guy was going to launch himself at us and our food.

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Police Are Everywhere

In both DC and NYC, the police are everywhere and everywhere else. There’s a sprinkling of military personnel also. The amount of security in Grand Central was kinda surreal with armed police or guards at entrances and patrolling the area.

NYDC16-observations-8

With all that people and all there is to do at all hours in the city that never sleeps, I tip my hat to the NYPD.

Vineyard Vines

So apparently Vineyard Vines is a thing on the East Coast. Their clothes are just too bright and preppy for me, but this trucker hat on clearance beckoned to me. I doubt this brand could make it in Hawaii.

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July 27 2016

NYDC16 Necessities

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Before I forget (heck, I probably already forgot), here are some useful necessities when touring Washington DC and New York.

Apple Watch
Google Maps and Apple Maps
Battery pack
Small camera
Yelp
Adidas Ultra Boost ST
Coolmax socks

Apple Watch

I had just gotten my Apple Watch before our NYDC16 trip and it was good timing. Although I was still learning about the watch, the basics wear easy enough to figure out. The most useful feature had to have been the turn-by-turn navigation relayed from my iPhone. Not having to bring out my iPhone to get directions was such a bonus. A tap and a bing, and I knew it was time to look at my watch for further instructions. So easy. So convenient.

Google Maps and Apple Maps

Do you remember navigating via a fold out paper map and trying to get somewhere? Hopefully not since those days are gone with the use of Google Maps and Apple Maps. With the additon of public transportation, it was considerably easier to find the best route and transportation option from point A to point B.

For our trip, I used a combination of both map apps. I thought Google Maps provide the best route. Maybe not the most efficient route but overall the best. Sometimes Apple Maps would lead me through some sketchy areas and/or a roundabout path. Google Maps seemed to lead me on the most used (and therefore safer) path. But I liked Apple Maps to see what was around me. Not exactly sure why but I found it easier to discover surrounding businesses using Apple Maps. Maybe that’s why Google just updated their Maps interface.

Battery Pack

With my heavy reliance on mapping apps, needless to say my iPhone 6 battery drained quickly. Much too quickly. Frequent signal drops especially when riding the subway contributed to additional battery drain. Luckily I brought my (large) battery pack. This one was way too large to carry easily, and I would have preferred a more compact size. I didn’t bring the charging cable for this pack, but luckily it lasted for the entire #NYDC16 trip without needing a recharge.

Small Camera

I struggled with this. Do I bring my Canon DSLR or rely solely on my iPhone camera? Size, weight, convenience, and image quality were all considerations, so in the end, I did bring my DSLR but didn’t enjoy carrying it around. There was just too much walking and mobility needed where the DSLR got in the way or became a burden. Sure, the pictures were better, but it was just a hassle to bring out the DSLR for a shot. The tiny iPhone was easier to manuever, but distant pictures didn’t stand a chance.

The compromise then is to get a compact digital point and shoot camera. Something like the Canon PowerShot G9x. Easily fits in pants pockets yet has a big sensor for great pictures. The biggest drawbacks are price ($450) and the need of yet another camera. Do you really want to pay $400+ for one more camera? I now think it’s a worthwhile investment after handling the heft of a Canon body.

Yelp

sprinkles-cupcakes — Cupcakes from Sprinkles

You gotta eat and unless you like eating the same thing every day, you need Yelp to help sort through all the restaurants in DC and NYC. There are so many 4+ rated food establishments giving you daily options and varieites, so do yourself a culinary favor and sample some flavors.

Adidas UltraBoost ST

What can I say? Adidas’ Boost technology sure was comfortable for all the miles of walking. Though I think I need the Boost to be a bit firmer for me. Even the stability ST model could have been firmer, or really, am I just requesting Nike Air Max? For sure though, knitted uppers ala Adidas PrimeKnit or Nike FlyKnit is definitely a must. Cool, ventilated, and supple, it’s hard to wear any other materials.

Coolmax Socks

If you have ventilated shoes featuring a knitted upper, then it only makes sense to get socks with Coolmax. Fabric featuring Coolmax pulls moisture away from your body so while your socks may feel damp from all that walking, just know that the dampness is drying out and not trapped in your socks and feet. The cushioning of Coolmax socks doesn’t stay compressed either so each step feels just a little bit springy.

July 24 2016

NYDC16 Day 12: Epilogue

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Our starting NYDC16 flight was direct, but this was not the case for our return flight. Instead, this flight started at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

After an unexpectedly extended layover, a replacement aircraft took us to LAX. Funnily, we had bought goodies from Chinatown in New York to tide us over during all these connecting flights. But the box remained closed for the entire trip. So these guys went from the East Coast to mid-USA. Then to the West Coast and over the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. Still good!

What does walking in DC and NYC look like from a statistics point of view? Look at the cluster of bars approaching 12 daily miles before and after July 6.

Until next time, NYDC16.

July 24 2016

NYDC16 Day 11: Liberty, Library, Levain

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Our last day in New York and our last CityPass stop was the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. There’s not much to say other than this.

Okay, I do have something else to say. Do these canine cutouts actually work?

Unfortuantely, we couldn’t get tickets for pedestal access or climbing Lady Liberty, but the audio tour of the island is pretty good. Bring earbuds to make listening easier.

Then it was off to Ellis Island which is larger than I expected. Hard to imagine all the immigrants processing through this hall.

Then having to face the decision marked by “The Stairs of Separation.”

Back in Manhattan, we along with the Ghostbusters visited the massive public library.

I like how Ecto 1 has a swimming pool ladder, a beer keg, a rolled up garden hose, and a bullhorn.

The library’s store has some interesting items for purchase.

Oh by the way, the Derrick Rose Knicks numbered shirt finally had large sizes back in stock at the NBA Store, a few blocks from the library.

Visited Grand Central Station one more time (and another quick bite) then walked back to Times Square.

At Champs Sports, I finally saw the Adidas CrazyBoost Light 2016, but they only carried the red or white colorways, no black.

But really, I did not see one pair of the (new) CrazyBoost Light on feet while in NYC. What I did see were a ton of Nike Roshes, lots of Air Jordan Retros, and surprisingly, a whole bunch of Foamposites. Foamposites! A blast from the past that is still made but hasn’t seen any innovations in recent times. Now, I’m hunting for discounted Foamposites at Ross.

NYDC16-day11-5 — Foamposites still popular

Got thirsty so stopped in Starbucks to try out their new Iced Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato. Frighteningly, the barrista didn’t know what the drink was or how to make it. Admittedly, the drink had debuted that week, but for as many people there are in New York, I would have figured another patron ordered the CMMM. The drink tasted fine, but I wasn’t sure if truly was a CMMM.

Took the subway north to get bagels then had to check out Central Park before we left. Oh hey, Levain Bakery is close by…

Cookies and bagels in (crowded) Central Park.

It was past seven as we waited for the bus to come.

Back at home base, we packed up for one last NYDC16 sunset.

July 21 2016

NYDC16 Day 10: 9/11, Brooklyn Bridge, and Sushi

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Day 10 had a somber start at the 9/11 Memorial.The magnitude of the Twin Towers memorial site is moving in itself, but the museum is another experience. It truly is difficult to make your way through the museum’s exhibits. If you lived through 9/11, the range of emotions returns and resurfaces. When you hear the stories and see the collection of footage and wreckage items, it all gets too much. Plan to spend several hours at the museum…if you can handle it.

Regrouping from the morning, it was something more light hearted – walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.

But first, pizza! Brooklyn’s Grimaldi’s is legendary, but nextdoor Juliana’s was our pick. Shorter line, fast service, and great pizza.

Just don’t come in the late afternoon when they close to stoke their coal oven.

Up the street is the stairway entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge and off we go.

Repping the VH07V in New York.

Be sure to be cognizant of the pedestrian and biking lanes and stay out of the bicycle lane.

If you want a bike, there are many to rent.

Instead of love locks, earbuds are the thing. Not sure why. No, I didn’t trade up.

After walking the bridge, a quick spin around Union Square and Dylan’s Candy Bar.

Missed out going to the Starbucks next to Foot Locker or is that Foot Locker next to Starbucks?

For dinner, sushi and Japanese food in New York is different than Hawaii. Teriyaki chicken? The sauce is provided separately in a container for dipping. Comes with asparagus and eggplant. Don’t think I’ll find this on the Zippy’s menu. Sorry, I have no pics. Was too bewildered that I forgot about the pictures.

Anyways, the day’s end with the illuminated Empire State Building.

July 20 2016

NYDC Day 9: Dim Sum, Art, Cheesecake, Shooting Stars

Gee Why Life cheesecake, NYDC16

Can you guess where Day 9 of NYDC16 started?

Yep, it’s Chinatown for dim sum at Jing Fong (no matter where, local Chinatowns have a distinctive scent #justsaying).Word to the wise, don’t try to take the stairs up to the restaurant. You’ll either end up in the kitchen and yelled at, or you’ll come in from the back entrance getting funny looks.

If you want international variety, Little Italy is one neighborhood over with cannoli.

Nearby that is one of the few NikeLab locations. But be sure to check their hours. Otherwise sadness.

After a morning of eating, it was time for artistic culture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This place is a maze and amazing. For a short while for me anyways. I couldn’t handle all the art of the world. 😉

Makes me feel funny

Now that it’s 4:30pm, you haven’t eaten anything since dim sum, and you’re hungry, what do you do? You go to Juniors at Times Square for dinner and cheesecake (and complimentary pickles).

To cap the day is a trip back to Trader Joe’s on a Sunday night. I guess patrons love the 80’s music playing since the place was packed. Found some snacks to bring back to the 808 including these explosive cookies.

I ain’t lying about these cookies being explosive.

I ain’t exaggerating about being crowded either. The line to check out must have been 50 deep even with the 30+ registers going.

Good night Empire State!

July 17 2016

NYDC16 Day 8: Rock, FF8, NBA, Grand Central, Body Painting

Gee Why Life apple, FF8, nba, NYDC16, rockefeller, travel

Headed out to Times Square in the morning to see how many people never sleep in New York. Yes, it was crowded. Got discounted Broadway tickets from the already packed TKTS booth.

Needing to get above the crowds of people, we walked to Rockefeller Center to ascend to the Top of the Rock. Overall, a much more enjoyable experience than the Empire State Building. Yes, the Empire is iconic, but the Rock is better planned. Scheduled arrivals make the crowds of visitors more manageable and distributed. Even the elevator ride is better with a see through ceiling that you can watch the animated ascent. At midday, everything went quickly, and we were atop the Rock in a matter of minutes. The views are much better with the less intrusive safety glass surrounding the observation deck.

The only negative I could nitpick is the mobile connectivity. Although 800 feet up and all these rooftop antennas, I was still getting one bar of AT&T 4G service. Kinda hard to Instagram the awesome scenic pics with only one bar of service.

After touring the top, down below has many options for dining and entertainment. From hot and humid on previous days, the weather became overcast and cool so a nice warmup came in the form of a mocha from Blue Bottle.

With limited time to look around, we stopped by the Lego Store and saw the New York inspired skyline and the Flatiron building.

But I also liked the White House.

Our party separated to watch different Broadway plays while I went exploring amongst all the other people. My first destination was the NBA Store. Right outside its doors, I spied these tricked out cars.

Yup, you guessed it. Fast and Furious 8 was filming somewhere in the area. No actors were around, just the rides.

Inside the three-floor store, there were more people, oh, and all things NBA. I was going for a Derrick Rose Knicks tee, but despite being one day old, this new release was sold out of larges. Even mediums and XL were scarce.

There were items from the 2016 Championship including a tee depicting LeBron’s rim defense.

Dwyane Wade’s Li Ning kicks pack was there for $330.

I got a chuckle from Kevin Durant’s clearance gear from Oklahoma City. His OKC jersey was down to $65 from $110, but I still passed. Unfortunately, KD’s Golden State gear hadn’t yet arrived so you could only custom make items at a higher cost.

After the NBA and FF8 experience, Grand Central Station was my next stop. Yes, more people and armed guards strolling around.

There’s an Apple Store inside of Grand Central but rid all your knowledge and experiences of other Apple Stores. Because even when you see this…

You get this…over two city blocks of fruited goodness. This is not a small enclosed store. The expanse is the Grand Central Station. It’s actually integrated with the station.

I made a Genius Bar appointment to check out my Apple Watch but had 30 minutes to wait. Headed downstairs to check out the dining concourse. Said no to Shake Shack.

But yes to cheesecake from Magnolia Bakery.

Back at the Genius Bar, I was told to reset my Watch and redo the pairing process to fix my software glitch. Satisfied with the simple fix, I had to make my way to Koreatown for dinner. Walking there, I saw more of New York. There were bridesmaids crossing the street.

And nakedness at the public library for national body painting day.

Dinner brought endless ban chan and this curious sign.

And the day wasn’t done with a trip to the largest Macy’s.

Followed by a quick jaunt to Eataly.

The Flatiron building is right outside.

And that’s more than enough for one day. Good night!

July 16 2016

NYDC16 Day 7: the Empire State

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No better way to start the day than 86 stories above this bustling city. Also, there’s much less of a line at the Empire State Building before 9:00 am.

The views were clear, just obstructed by the safety bars. Here are pictures taken in between the bars.

Just try not to make it a day up at the observation decks and get too comfy. There’s more people coming, so they want you to keep moving.

After the views from the Empire State Building, we came across Gotham Poke on the way to the subway. Unfortunately, they didn’t open until bumbye.

No, I didn’t see new Knick, Derrick Rose, at Madison Square Garden, just caught the subway at the subterranean Penn Station.

From there, our next stop was the American Museum of Natural History. Had fun interacting with butterflies but the most fascinating had to have been the display of dinosaurs.

An extremely late lunch brought us to Shake Shake. Yes, the fries are better than In-n-Out.

Another day of walking the streets, and we were done. Back to home base.

July 14 2016

Cross Country Pastries

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Lugging these baked goodies across the country and across the Pacific Ocean from New York to Texas to California to Hawaii.

They better be good.

July 14 2016

Delayed in Transit

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Hopefully only a slight hiccup in travel with unplanned airplane maintenance. Guess I’m stuck with this guy.

There were a few people hanging out around “W” so I’m not sure if this was some kind of Pokemon stop or just an out of the way place to chill.

July 14 2016

Next Stop…

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Sorry Zippys, but in Washington DC, my next stop is Shake Shack.

Tried their burgers, fries, a shake, a concrete, and a cold brew…oh and picked up a shirt too. Not bad, not bad at all.

Crowded but the turnover was brisk. The bacon cheeseburger was a little gooey for me. I wasn’t a fan of the Chicken Shack. The crisscut fries were okay. The bottled cold brew coffee was alright but didn’t match my meal. The highlights were definitely the shake and the concrete.

The burgers were good, kinda like In-n-Out but with a variety of combos. I like the fries from Five Guys out of the three. Best overall value still goes to In-n-Out though.

July 14 2016

NYDC16: Day 6 New York

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Arrived at New York Penn Station via a 3+ hour Amtrak rail ride.

Not as nice looking as the DC Union Station though.

Checked into our home base for the next few days. What a view of New York City and New Jersey!

After settling in and confirming Yelp and Foursquare (which I’ve had good results with while on travel), we headed to TripAdvisor’s #2 dessert place of New York City, Levain Bakery. We almost walked by its small entryway were it not for patrons stuffing their faces on the sidewalk. There was a short line that was much longer by the time we left. These cookies are the main attraction, even at $4 each.

We bought one of each cookie along with banana bread, brioche, and a mocha. Maybe we were the cause of the line backlog?

After paying with Apple Pay, we dug into a warm cookie.

Crispy texture on the outside but soft and moist on the inside and the explosion of flavor! No wonder this place is packed and highly rated. We can’t go back for more, can we?

We had passed a Trader Joe’s on the way to Levain and headed there next. A relatively small storefront opened into two stories of Joe’s goodies along with masses of shoppers.