From New York City With Love (Part 2)

  “Year after year, twenty-something women come to New York in search of the two ‘L’s: Labels & Love."

- Sex and the City

Waking up in a hotel in the middle of time square in NYC in my 20s bucket list, CHECK.

My brother picked a really good hotel, 

Cambria Hotel & Suites @ Time Square 

which honestly I love how clean, new and business suite vibe it has and the location was fantastic too.

Hotel photos not my credit.

We were on a take a chill pill stroll NYC kinda mood in view of my brother being occupied with his business meetings. I hold 1 thing in hand and that is my sturdy little NYC map from the hotel. All we need to go around. Streets numbers were really easy to use to locate oneself.

Breakfast is street food and cupcakes ;) I learned about cupcake as an asian kid actually from watching this DC CUPCAKES tv  show about two sisters and all I could ever do at that was just to imagine how it would be one day to have a taste of it. I believe by the end of the show, they expanded to a shop in NEW YORK as well but I did not go for that but instead I went to 

Magnolia Bakery. 

It's a small space and you will need to queue but it was worth the wait. Wish I ordered more except the service wasn't as friendly as I was expecting but I guess that is subjective really. However, this bakery is no stranger to new yorkers and  it is also being featured in Sex and The City. 

Since there is no place to dine in, we got the food and walked to 

Central Park 

to have our little picnic moment kind and NO, it is not Central Perk though I wish it is.

It is an insane Park! If you look at NYC map, you will see a huge patch of green space i.e Central Park spread across it with more than 800+ acres in size!! Again, it is a well known place for many movies and tv shows whether as an actual filming location or just being mentioned in it. For me, I can instantly think of the episode of Marshall being robbed by a monkey in Central Park zoo. 

Don't ask me why I think of that, you can probably think of more romantic mention of Central Park than that. 

It was just an absolutely beautiful place and I don't see how it is humanly possible to ever finish walking the entire park unless you are some kind of super human. 

# My dad takes all my posing shots. Credit to him.

Love my dress from Kitschen, hat & bomber jacket from Forever 21 and boots from TaoBao.

By the time this post is up, it will also be the end of the presidential era for Donald Trump. Hence when in NYC, like it or not, not having a photo of the 

Trump Tower 

is something my Asian tourist blood can't allowed. The thing is, whether Donald Trump was a president or not, I grew up watching THE APPRENTICE at night in a tiny little tv where you to turn the antenna around to get good signal and that is for the first time, I get a glimpse on what is "business/entrepreneurship" like as a kid.

I can't speak on how Trump is as a president. I am not his people but yes I agree when he made the statement of calling corona virus and a Chinese virus, that has affected me. However, for me, politicians are politicians. You choose the lesser or two evil in your own personal conviction. However the hate on Trump and on the people who either don't speak or speak in support of him is truly uncalled for and this is the brain washing Hollywood feed us with. 

The media paints him a devil incarnation and on the other side paints Joe Bidden as a loving father/ grandfather is an image I simply find it hilarious. Anyone who sincerely believes a politician can be an angel and a nice person without any thought of manipulation and PR stunt and selfish purpose are as naïve as those who calls hate on others while they live in their mansion in Hollywood doing tick tock. 

In the end, people choose for the person whom they believe will side with giving them what they want. Two sides of a coin. In Malaysia, is no different. I used to huff and puff on people who are racist and corrupted but in the end I realize that no matter what I say on the internet, no matter how much bluff I called these politicians out, people will still believe what they want. For me, cast your vote and enjoy the win. Period. 

I am not a fan of Donald Trump but I do like the persona of Ivanka Trump. She is this boss lady, an eloquent and intelligent woman whom I find it really breathtaking because at my time, socialites in the media are people like Paris Hilton. What do you expect? I am talking like 15 years back kind. 

#Isn't this building just crazy? I don't even know what building it is. Let me know if you know.

My parents were done for the day after the Central Park walk and we head back to the hotel but I was definitely not done. I had my own WALK AROUND NYC and GET LOST kind of moment and I lived to tell the story. 

I wanted to go  around and hunt down GOSSIP GIRL filming location. I had the experience of taking the subway on my own and boy oh boy it was nasty compare to London underground haha and I took a wrong turn and accidentally walked into the hood, 

East Harlem. 

Okay so it ain't exactly hood-hood but you get the vibe of it and Harlem is the one place, friends warned me about to stay away in NY. People were staring at me odd, trust me I was not dressed to fit in there. No street creds. 

Finally I found my way back to where I wanted to head, 

Constance Billard School for Girls and St. Jude’s School for Boys aka Museum of the City of New York.

It was so surreal for me to be there. Like this is it! Gossip Girl introduced me to the world of UPPER EAST SIDE, fashion + scheming. It was the fabulous TV world for the 90s kid as teenager. 

The sun begin to dawn and literally I hoped on to a random bus that supposed go somewhere back to the city centre part and I don't even know where I was going. I was just living moment of touring new year in the Upper West side as well and eventually I picked stop and I walked my way back to the hotel to have dinner with my family and my brother's mates for Japanese BBQ. Dad can't do pizza and burgers. Just too Chinezze.

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ at W 44th St.

Love the food though! The meat wa really good. Price tag. It can kill you if you are a tourist on a budget.

Most of the time, we will get on an Uber to bring us around. Some time, we would just walk around town to hunt famous locations, being all tourist.

Empire State Building. 

What can I say. It is magnificent with 102 storey and most famously known for King Kong climbing it. Haha.

I vow to return to NYC one day just for the theater. I simply must.

After the meal, there was one final location I really wanted to go and that was the 

Columbus Circle.

It was where Carrie and Aiden broke up. I couldn't have a nice shot of my own since somehow unfortunately it was not light up that night and so here is a photo credit to the original photographer.

I mean, I love NYC because of how Sex and City took me in to kinda-sorta lived with them throughout 6 seasons in New York through a screen. I just have to. 

Though there was no nice photo to be taken but BONUS compensation was I saw...

Calling all CHUCK BASS fan, you know what this is, the 

EMPIRE HOTEL 

where Chuck Bass belongs. 

I mean, seeing this signage light up at night, helps me to wrap up my night real good you know.

Later at night, we went to a bar and honestly, I really appreciate the whole NO SMOKING inside. Malaysia needs to make this a habit and not a law among us. 

Goodbye New York for the 2nd night.

To be Continued....