RSSOct|11|2006
The World Trade Center, AKA Ground Zero
Posted by Zahir as Americas, Food and Drink, Getaways, United States
Our first night in town, we went to Manhattan for dinner. It was late on Friday; while every imaginable fast food joint was open, many of the nicer restaurants were not.
So we walked, passing restaurant after restaurant that wasnt quite suitable. (By the way, there is tons of construction going on in downtown Manhattan, probably left over from the damage to the World Trade Center area. Be careful.) At last, we found a nice little park with lights in the sidewalk, so we turned down it.
I realized fairly quickly that there was no building in front of me. This was strange. For blocks, it had been cheek-to-jowl buildings, with hardly an inch left between them, and with …
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Oct|09|2006
New York’s Chinatown: A Bargain in Every Shop
Posted by Zahir as Americas, Arts & Culture, Cities, Food and Drink, Getaways, Shopping, United States
New York is amazing, but I think my favorite neighborhood has to be Chinatown.
First, its the smells. Smell, you realize, is the first of the five senses to develop in a child, the most primitive of our senses, and its connected directly to our emotional center. Evokes an instant gut reaction, no matter how rational you think you are.
Judging by smell, Chinatown is totally schizophrenic. Fish markets are common; roast duck hung by the neck can be seen from time to time in store windows. Next door, dumpling shops and noodle vendors release marvellous cooking smells into the streets. And the shops burn incense, and have furniture and other items carved from sandalwood and cedar and camphor, …
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Oct|07|2006
New Yorkers Are So Nice!
Posted by Zahir as Americas, Cities, Getaways, United States
A real surprise in New Yorkers theyre completely friendly. Apparently they dont make eye contact because they dont want to be interrupted everyones terribly busy. But one vendor stopped and talked to us for what seemed like an hour. He was great, made a point of showing us his vendor badge and making us feel welcome.
And after that, we started noticing things: people held doors for you, even if it took you a few minutes to get to the door. Restaurants did everything they could to make sure you got what you wanted. And store owners watched patiently as we browsed and bought nothing, even after playing with all …
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Oct|05|2006
New York City Wow
Posted by Zahir as Cities, Getaways, Reviews, United States
Ive been in New York City for a couple of days, staying at Staten Island and going across on the ferry. Though Ive lived in cities most of my life, and though Ive visited Chicago, New York has been a treat!
First, riding over on the ferry is a blast. Youre on this boat that can carry over four thousand people. On the top deck standing outside, the wind in your teeth, its like well, its rather cold, really. But exhilarating. Approaching the city watching the skyline grow bigger and realizing that you cant even see buildings like the Empire State Building, that the two Tallest of Them All are gone now, and yet getting …
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Oct|03|2006
The Pirate Sets Off Across America
Posted by Zahir as Adventure, Americas, Family, Getaways, News, United States
Im preparing to embark on a hell of a journey. For reasons Ill keep to myself, I and my dearest friends are driving from one side of the United States to the other. Were starting in Boston because its convenient. Well wind up in California, because its a nice place to wind up. On the way, Ill be sharing with you my experiences.
Have you been to New York, Washington, Atlanta, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles? Or Tijuana? If youll let me know what you want to know, Ill do my best to help you out. A journey like this is more than a tour through different parts of a country/continent. Its a journey through …
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Oct|01|2006
Asia’s Best of The Best
Posted by Zahir as Asia, Awards
As we’ve done quite a few posts on Asian destinations, it was interesting to see the Asian winners at the World Travel Awards.
The coveted title of Asia’s Leading hotel went to nonother than the Oriental in Bangkok, a fine choice, as after staying there I cannot imagine a better hotel I’ve ever stayed at. It was also nice seeing another grand old hotel win a top award when Tokyo’s “Imperial Hotel” won as “Japan’s Leading Hotel”
The Peninsula group also won a quite a number of awards in the region, including “Leading Hotel Brand”, “Hong Kong’s Best Business Hotel”, “Thailand’s Best Business Hotel”, “China’s Leading Hotel (Beijing) and “The Philippines Leading Hotel”. I’ve visited most …
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