Learning Experience

This trip to New York was indeed an EYE-OPENING experience for both Me & Tat...

First being the WEATHER:
During our shopping for winter accessories and necessities for the trip, we were advised by the people in the Cold/Winter Wear Shops that the estimated temp. in New York during late Feb. to be between 4-10Degree Celsius.
Shocked of our life when we were landing: "This is your captain speaking. Welcome to New York Airport and we are experiencing a temp. outside of -1Degree Celsius!"

*What the xxxx?*Obviously from my tone, you would have guess that we didn't bring enough winter clothes!!!*BUT we survived!!*

The temperature continued to fluctuate for the next 6 days and on our last day, temperature went as low as -6Degree Celsius!!! Parks covered with snow but we still saw dog runs going on with many dogs playing and we saw a gigantic dog - looks more like a wolf to me!!

Then it was the SNOW:
Singapore is a tropical country and obviously for the 2 of us who hardly travel, snow was like "WOW!!! WAH!!!"
Mountain tortoise you may call us, but it was quite an experience (a happy one definitely) playing with the snow-cum-ice. *Shoes wet, socks wet*

Buildings & Infrastructure:
Most of the buildings, especially the church were of the old structure, having lots of carvings..(Don't really know how to describe them...) With comparison with Singapore as a busy city, it is a total different view. The only similarity i want to highlight is the flight of stairs outside their COURT...(Is it a must to have stairs outside a Court???)

Infrastructure is a terror!!! The lines are really confusing and the stations are underground, not very bright and dangerous i would say..*Took us 6-7 days before we figured out the system and how not to hop into the wrong train!!*
People there simply ignored the yellow line boundary and it gives me the feeling that it's quite easy to fall onto the track!! In the train, we even saw teenagers dancing hip-hop and on another occasion, a one-eye man giving a speech before bringing out a bag "soliciting" for $$$...

Consumer Goods:
We knew that expenditure was going to be high in New York (I spent USD$3.50 for a slice of Salmon Sashimi!!!) but actually, there are some items that are more affordable in New York than in Singapore. *And obviously, we had to sweep them back (in order to make our 20++ hours flight worth!!*

This is as per what was served to me!!

$Clinique Products$COACH$Kate Spade$My Shoes$

Want to emphasize that when I mention more affordable, the difference is really BIG...
~Clinique product is at USD$17.50 (SG$24.50) and what you see in Duty Free Spore is SG$50.50~Shoes of my size need to cost addition $3 when purchased in Spore thus causing the total amount to be approximately SG$42 or more...New York (in xxx shoe source) I can get a pair at USD$19.99 (SG$28.00) and the second pair at 50% off!!!~

Food:
Nothing much to comment about the food except for the serving as well as their many mobile food stalls selling hot dogs, sausages and GYROs... Gyros are meat (chicken or lamb) fried with onions wrapped in something like a Prata... Very nice!!
*Maybe it's a business opportunity to bring it back to Spore....hmmmm!!!*

Servings for most food are huge too!!

This tray is what u will use during your BBQ to contain chicken wings!! U can see its 3/4 filled!

Oh...also the culture of tipping (15% of bill!!!) as well as the term for "eating here or take away". In New York, they call it "to stay or to go."

Last but not least, the TV shows:
I kind of miss the TV shows there....Parental Control, NEXT, Maury Show (my fav.) and Jerry Springer... These are all variety shows and though we feel its acting but they are interesting. Maury Show targets all sorts of social problems - Getting delinquents to explain their actions/crimes and help them turn over a new leaf OR helping parent to identify the other parent of a baby as 1 party has obviously slept with more than 1 partner... etc.
*I may not have provide good description of the content but i simply enjoy watching it*

mY ConCluSion:
It was a Cold but valuable learning trip!!! I know TaT may not have enjoyed as much as he missed a lot in the museums (as i was getting really bored there!!) and he couldn't visit as many places as he wanted to with me around (coz it was freaking freezing COLD). So i just want to apologise for all the "spoils" that i caused and THANK HIM for accommodating!!

~If there is a next trip, please still bring me along, can?~