10/24/2006 08:27:00 AM
I'm back again guys. New York was simply an amazing city and Anne was a great travelling buddy. Let's start with Fri first. It was daddy's birthday Singapore time. They were in Thailand so I gave him a call to wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Love you Daddy! Pray that God will continue to use you to bring Him glory daddy. Shine, shine, shine!!
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Got back another mid-term, one that I thought I would do really badly on. Praise God, I got a 94 for it!! So let's get on with the trip.. :)
20th Oct - Day 1
We left campus at 4pm to catch the 6pm chinese bus to New York. The reason why it's called the chinese bus and why it only costs $30 there and back is because it's a bus run by Chinese people and it stops in Chinatown New York. The bus took an hour longer than the usual 4 hours cos of rush hour traffic.
Anne and I had to eat chips and swedish fish (a gummy bear like sweet) cos we didnt have time to get any food. The ride was ok, seats comfortable. We were both excited yet unsure about the trip. Afraid we'd get lost or something.
Upon arriving in Chinatown, we took a taxi to our hostel. We got a cheap place ($28/per night) and we got what we paid for. But it was alright. We just spent a few hours a night there anyway.
anne in the bare minimum
the outside of our hostel
As we were hungry, we ventured out into the neighbourhood to grab a bite. We found a really nice lil american diner, with the whole works (70s deco, blue leather seats, mirrors, homebaked pies..) Ate a burger at midnight. It was good. We then headed back to hit the sheets.
21st Oct - Day 2
Anne and I woke up at 9 to shower and meet our fellow exchange friend, Astrid for brunch. Her parents were in town and she had been there since Wed. I had sour cream pancakes and orange juice @ Buddy's. It tasted delicious!! Was a typical chic american city breakfast place. After a good time of talking and lounging, we split (Astrid headed back for Bentley). Anne and I headed for Battery Park to catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty.
We walked down from Tribeca and saw Ground Zero. It's still a place that many people visit. It's a sad place. Next was Trinity Church. Anne took really good pictures of the church. It was nice to go in and sit there, so peaceful.
tribeca
it's so cold
ground zero
trinity church
Then came the cruise from Battery Park. It was so cold!! The wind was so strong!! Got to see the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline. Really beautiful. We got off at Pier 17 where Anne and I ate at one of the cafes. We sat outside and the sun was shining. God blessed us with really good weather.
bull near wall street & battery park
manhattan skyline
brooklyn bridge
can you see the statue of liberty?? my hair almost covered it!
pier 17
anne really loves food
After walking around a bit, we intended to go to Empire State Building. Upon arriving on Broadway, we were distracted by all the shops. Decided to do some shopping and go to Empire State Building in Dec (we're planning to go again.) We walked all the way up to Time Square. It seems smaller and not as overwhelming this time as compared to last year. Maybe I'm used to being in America.
Did some souvenir shopping and then went to find dinner. We ate Japanese food!! Stumbled upon a lil restaurant. Cooked by real Japanese. It was simply mouth-watering. The rice, egg, salad, soup. Yum.
Toys 'R' Us came next. The store was simply packed with adults. Guess people are starting to do some christmas shopping. Geoffrey is so adorable :)
And then like 2 old ladies, Anne and I headed back to our hostel. We stopped by Starbucks to eat cake and drink hot chocolate. We were simply too tired to check out the nightlife.
22nd Oct - Day 3
Woke up at 8 to get an early start. Grabbed breakfast from Starbucks and munched on it on the subway as the ride into SoHo took approx 30 min. We arrived at about 930 and the place was so quiet. It was nice to be able to take pictures of the place without anyone there. We walked to Little Italy first. Pretty district with numerous bakeries and pizza places. Found out that my dad 'owns' a gift shop there!! *been eating too much corn*
Headed back into SoHo. It was busy!! There are so many shops and many people set up make shift stalls selling handmade jewellry, scarves... It was interesting to walk around and see what a typical Sunday in SoHo was like. We were very tired so we took a break at a small coffee house. It was nice to simply sit, drink a mochaccino and people watch. 
We walked around more, thought about going into Central Park. Decided against it cos of the weather (it was cloudy) and took pictures from the road. Ate lunch at the diner near our hostel and headed for Chinatown to catch the bus. We walked approx 30 blocks carrying our bags. It was so tiring!! But we made it.
The journey back consisted of Anne sleeping and me thinking about Singapore. Had to think of what to tell the students who are going to Singapore for exchange next sem. Met one of them today, James. He seems really nice and sweet. The bus made good time and we reached campus at 1130pm.
Overall, it was an amazing trip. Anne and I got along so well during the trip. It had to be the hand of God. We agreed on all the places to go. We had deep sharings and conversations. We looked out for one another. And we didnt get angry or frustrated with each other. Thank you Lord for keeping us safe and causing us to love and care for one another. You are truly One who blesses abundantly.
+ AMEN
