Jing Fong - Dim Sum in NYC Chinatown

I didn't really know what I was in for when I joined my friends for lunch in Chinatown last weekend.  I had never been to a Dim Sum restaurant before, and I had no idea what it was.  Mary is of Chinese heritage, and she found the restaurant, Jing Fong, online.  It's located off of Canal Street and not far from the subway station.





From the outside, it looked small.  But when we entered, there was a large escalator which took us to the restaurant.  I was shocked at the size of it.





It was quite chaotic.  Servers came around to our table, pushing carts with different things on them.  I think I would've been completely overwhelmed if it weren't for Mary.  She speaks Cantonese, so she told the servers exactly what we wanted.










Seriously, I don't know how I would've managed in that restaurant without Mary. But it was a fun experience, and I got to try a lot of different foods. Only, I'm afraid that if I went back, I would have no idea what to get.



I think I got fussed at for taking this picture.  A woman behind me said something about a camera and buying fruit.  So after that, I was hesitant to take more photos, though the colors of Chinatown and street vendors are really photogenic.



I did, however, snap a photo of the purses.  When you walk down Canal Street, you'll here people saying, "Gucci, Louis, Fendi, Prada," trying to lure you in to purchase designer knock-offs.  They'll take you inside somewhere - they can't sell the good knock-offs on the street.

Brooklyn Bridge

Wednesday, we took the subway to the Financial District.











And then crossed the Brooklyn Bridge






There is a pedestrian (right) and bike path lane (left).  Bikers commute across the bridge and travel quickly, so it's important to stay out of the bike path.















The bridge was being renovated, so unfortunately, there were tarps covering the sides and blocking some of the view.









The lock trend (which began after a movie set in Paris) is present here, too -







From the end of the bridge, we walked back towards the river to Brooklyn Bridge Park.



The Manhattan Bridge -













I want to come back here at night and photograph the Manhattan skyline.  It's on my NYC photo to-do list.

July Issue of Sunset Magazine

I love Sunset Magazine.

It's one of the magazines that I keep around to refer back to for design or trip ideas.  After I tagged "sunset camps" to one of my instagram photos I took of myself in Death Valley, they contacted me to license the image to place next to the editor's note in the July edition of the magazine.  If you're on instagram, you can see this photo along with others at @alisontravels

Thank you Sunset Magazine!

NYC Times Square

The only other time I've been to New York City, I remember spending a good amount of time on Times Square.  Our hotel, the Westin, was adjacent to Times Square (we were supposed to stay at the Marriott Marquis, but there was some mix-up with the reservations... which ended up being fine because the Westin was super nice with Heavenly beds), and we rode the Ferris Wheel at Toys R' Us.  Anyway, when I think about New York, I think about Times Square.  Which is why it was incredibly weird for me to have been in NYC for five days, having yet visited Times Square (though I did see the Westin we stayed at when catching a cab one night).  So today when I had some free time, I decided that it was time to make a visit to Times Square so that I'd perhaps be able to better wrap my mind around the fact that I'm in New York City.



Okay, okay.... the real reason I was dying to go to Times Square is because since I last visited New York City, Disney has opened a store there.



The downside is that it seems to be encouraging these freaky Disney character IMPOSTERS....



Who does he think he is????  He's definitely not fooling anyone with that costume... Mickey has yellow shoes.  Hmph.

Anyway, the Disney Store has super cute NYC merchandise...





I need to go back and take more photos of the merchandise.  There is an adorable collection of I (Mickey) NY tees, mugs, and keychains.  Unfortunately, I was unable to find another antenna topper with the Statue of Liberty crown on it.  We had purchased one at the old Disney Store in NYC, but it was taken from our car years ago.



There are only two levels to this Disney Store.  The old store was actually a "World of Disney" Store and had I think 5 levels.  I suppose they had to cut back when moving to a more ideal location.

I was disappointed to not see a lot of adult merchandise.  I also think that souvenirs such as the build-your-own Mr. Potato Head would do well there.  Hopefully, Disney will be able to expand the store in the future.

However, as Dad already knows, I didn't walk out of the store empty handed (I had to use my Disney Visa to get the 10% discount!!) - but if it helps my cause, I did buy something just for you, Dad!



But my bed was empty, and I needed a friend!!!

New York City's High Line

On our first day of studio in New York City yesterday, we visited NYC's High Line Park.  I was familiar with the High Line after watching the documentary Urbanized (2011, Gary Hustwit).  The project is a really creative, innovative answer to both restoration and preserving history, as well as creating green space in an urban environment.  New York City's High Line is an elevated railway track above Manhattan's West Side which had become overgrown after decades of being unused.  In 1999, Friends of the High Line was founded as a community group to preserve the historic structure.  The High Line (first phase opened in 2009, second in 2011, and third currently under construction) is now a community park with landscaping designed by architects, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and landscape architecture firm, Field Operations.  The High Line serves as not only a place of gathering, but a connection between surrounding buildings.  It's a really unique concept, and I quite enjoyed the execution of it.







I love how they left the rail lines and incorporated them into the landscaping and design -







There are some pretty great views -







These lounges actually roll along the track.  You can push several together or separate them!





There were two different amphitheaters (this is the larger) with a glass wall so that you could see the traffic and buildings behind the stage -











The High Line only spans a mile, so it's an easy walk.

We also checked out the Chelsea Market which is indoors and off the High Line (though I believe only accessible from the street).







The site for our project has access to the High Line (the line actually runs right through the site), so I'll have many more opportunities to explore this unique place.




During the summer, the High Line Park is open from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM.  It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues.

Chelsea Market is located at 75 9th Avenue, between 15th & 16th Streets.  To access from the High Line, take the 16th Street exit.