Our Nation's Capital: Washington DC

So after a late night (early morning) last hurrah in NYC, I wake up late and hungover for the resumption of my trip. Ugggh. I was supposed to stop by Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, then have a lunch of Philly cheesesteak before heading down to Washington DC, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't wake up and leave early enough. So, I drive straight on to DC. Philly will have to wait for another day....

I get to DC in the early evening and head to Seth's place, an old friend from SF who now lives in DC. (Traffic in DC is horrible.) We then have a nice dinner at this new Asian-Fusion place, and proceed to Halo, the bar next door. Enjoying the drinks too much (overpriced at $10 a pop! but with happy hour two-for-one until midnight, it wasn't so bad), we completely forget that we had parked my car at the Whole Foods garage across the street. Uhm, which closes at midnight! When we go to get the car and find out that we are locked out until 8 am, we had no choice but to go back to the bar of course and continue drinking....

The next day I hop in a cab to pick up my car and do some sightseeing:

I had been to DC before but had never been to the FDR Memorial. It is inspiring! And the current occupants of the white house would do well to take heed of what FDR espoused all those years ago.

The other memorial I hadn't been to (as it's fairly new) is the WWII Memorial. What struck me as interesting was how they had a wreath/monument for all of the US states and territories (e.g. Guam and Puerto Rico), but they ALSO had one for the Philippines, which is neither a state or territory of the United States.

It could be because the Philippines fought alongside the US in WWII, but so did the other Allies like the UK and France. Yet, they didn't have a memorial for those other allies. Hmmmmm. Could it be we're already the 51st state (as I keep joking about)?

That weekend I had a grand tour of Georgetown University (and all the nooks and crannies of Seth's alma mater, where secret activities occurred), and walked around Georgetown (the town) a little too. It started raining though so we couldn't walk around as much as we wanted. I also got a haircut from a Peruvian salon -- nice cut, but they didn't offer me a beer this time! Note to self: I must have been on the road too long now to need another haircut!

Needles to say Friday and Saturday nights were fun nights out. Saturday was a big dance event with Junior Vasquez spinning. We were half hoping Madonna would make a surprise visit as JV is a friend of hers and has remixed a few of her songs. Turns out that the rumors about NYC and Roxy were true, only it was happening this weekend, not the weekend before when I was @ Roxy. Darn. I missed her by about a week. I heard the place was packed! Oh well, I had fun @ Nations in DC too.

That Sunday night I was going to cook dinner, but we were running out of time and getting hungry, so we go to this nice restaurant instead. There was a 45 minute wait for a table, so we were getting ready to hunker down at the bar when this guy who Seth had just met the night before @ Nations comes over and aks us if we would like to join them. They had a table for four and there were only two of them. They had overheard the hostess telling us of the wait. I thought that was really nice of them!

Monday night was a quiet night in, to recover from the weekend. I cooked dinner. Seth had convinced me to stay a couple more days, so I visited the Lincoln memorial, a memorial to another awe-inspiring President, and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

All in all I spent a week in DC! Much longer than I had intended. But I had a great time. (Other than the DC traffic) Thanks again Seth! More revealing pics of DC nightlife not appropriate for this blog are available. Wink Wink. If you read this far and are interested, email me and I'll send you a link.

New York New York

I spend the night at an old high-school friend's house in Stamford, CT. It was still pouring rain, so after a nice Japanese dinner, we just decide to call it a night and head home. The next day I'm off to NYC!

I was going to stay at a friend's place in the upper west side coz he was leaving for the weekend. I was worried about where to park my baby during my stay in NY, but as my friend needed a car anyway for his weekend getaway with his girlfriend (meet the parents weekend), it turned out to be the perfect arrangement: I had his apartment all to myself (evil grin), and he got to use my car for his trip. When we first talked of my staying at his place a few weeks ago, he said (jokingly, but with some truth to it) "be polite" -- meaning no tricks. Now that he borrowed my car however, as he was leaving, he says "no need to be polite!" heheh.. I thought that was funny. Might have to take him up on that offer...

I got in on a Friday night (wow, what timing!) and had a nice dinner with an old-friend from my IBM days. Nice restaurant on Columbus. Thanks again Bong! He had an early morning the next day so after we parted ways, I started bar hopping (of course), and ended up at SBNY. Fun fun fun. Didn't get home till almost 5. First time I took the subway after midnight too! I'm becoming a New Yorker! I had my Metro card (from a previous trip) and all! Midnight snack of peanut butter and jelly. At the bar! Yum!

Saturday was spent mostly recovering from the night before, but I did get to walk around the nice upper west side neighborhood. The rain had thankfully stopped. All everyone could talk about was how the rain had been pouring non-stop for the last 8 days. Now that the rain had stopped, everyone seemed to be out enjoying the sunny day. I spent most of it lying on the couch watching TV. :) Saturday night I went to Roxy (after a nice sushi dinner), again feeling like a local with my John Blair card and all (half-price cover). Rumor had it that Madonna would be making a surprise visit that night. I didn't believe it. Hmmm, this feeling like a local feels right. Maybe I should try living in NY for a while.... (Note to self: look into possible job opportunities here)

As I got home around 6 am, Sunday was (again) spent mostly recovering. Took the subway downtown and checked out the village. Rob was coming home that night so I met up with him and we had a nice Thai dinner at this chinese restaurant (go figure). It was an inexpensive place but the best part was the wine was free -- all you can drink! As soon as we sat down, the lady puts two glasses of white wine on the table. Before we even say or order anything. Nice! Leave it to Rob to find a place like this.

I was going to leave the next day, but Rob convinces me to stay another couple of days. Being flexible, sure.. why not. I still practically had the apartment anyway as he was going to be at his girlfriend's place most of the time. After dinner, I meet up with Andy (someone I met in NY from previous trips) and have a couple of drinks at the rooftop of the new hotel Grosvenoort (sp?). Afterwards we walk around a little.

Monday I attempt to be a little bit cultural and head to the Met -- which of course is (and always has been) closed on Mondays. Uhm, duh. Disappointed, I walk all the way across Central Park (which I've never been to, other than driving across, so that was a nice walk) to head back to the west side when I come across the American Museum of Natural History. What the heck, I was in museum mode, so I decide to check it out. Turns out they had a special exhibit: Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries, which was actually really interesting.So I spend the rest of the afternoon there.

Afterwards, I head home and was just chillin when I decide maybe I should catch a Broadway show while I'm in town. I check online and decide to catch Avenue Q as they still had tickets available. Online fees were atrocious, however, so I decide to head down to the box office and buy tickets for Tuesday night. While in the Times Square area, I decide to just grab dinner at this cheapo Chinese noodle place, then head back home and call it an early night. I was on the couch and watching TV by 10 pm!

Tuesday, I try again to get to the Met. They also had a special exhibition that was just opening that day! It must be my lucky day. Van Gogh: The Drawings. It was a very interesting exhibit, but they didn't allow photos :( Oh well, after spending quite a bit of time there, I was running out of time before the museum closed. I decide to head to the rooftop for a unique view of the NY skyline and the Park. And along the way run into some artwork/scuptures that caught my eye:

I meet up with Rob and have a couple of beers right inside the park by the lake, at the Riverboat cafe/restaurant. It was very relaxing. Then I head off to catch the Broadway show. Walking through the park in the dark is a totally different experience!

Avenue Q is AWESOME. I cannot describe and praise it enough, but suffice it to say that it totally spoke to where I am on this roadtrip -- i.e purpose in life, etc. (except that they were fresh out of college, and I am ancient!) Sigh.. I'm making it sound all serious and all, but no, it was a fun fun fun show. Catch it if you can!

It WAS my last night in NYC, and I was feeling a little frisky after the show (and three vodka tonics), so I head to Therapy. Fun place, met some nice fun people from the Saks "convention" that was happening in town. Maybe I wasn't so polite after all...

It's now Wednesday, and I've been in NYC almost a week now! I heart NY! But it's time to head out and continue the trek...

Yale University

Driving south again, I have a nice dinner in the college part of Providence, Rhode Island (Brown University). I try to find a place to stay for the night and my GPS system directs me to a hotel nearby. I call and find out they have VERY reasonable rates. When I get there, however, it turns out to be a "Gentleman's Club" with rooms available upstairs! Ahem. You know what that means.... :)

I decide to get a better room at similarly reasonable rates on the outskirts of town instead. The next day, I move on and drive down to New Haven, Connecticut for another university -- Yale. The campus is beautiful! The buildings below look like old churches, but they're actually libraries and the college of law! Very impressive.

The impressive architecture and campus still does not do enough to compensate for what it's spat out to the world though: GW!

What I really enjoyed seeing though was an original Gutenberg bible! There are only 20 or so surviving copies, and only 5 or so in the US.

Looking for a place to have a late lunch, I find a place called the Rainbow Cafe. I really liked this hanging by the entrance to the place:

Made it to the East Coast: New England!

OK, so this update is a couple of weeks old... but better late than later eh? (ooops, remnants of my days in Canada).

I leave Montreal around 3 pm after catching up on much needed sleep. It's stopped raining but is still cloudy and overcast. I cross the border back into the US -- the customs/immigration guy asks me where I've been. He says "Wow, you visited a lot of places!" so I say, "Yeah, I'm on a road trip all across America." He asks "Alone?" and I say "Yeah..." He then jokingly asks "Mid-life crisis?" and then checks my ID, sees the age, then says "Oh yeah, mid-life crisis." Wishes me good luck and then waves me thru. I thought that was funny.

I drive through Vermont and enjoy the gorgeous foliage colors change. This is exactly what I timed my trip to hit the northeast for. It was awesome! I'll have to keep the memories in my head though as I did not stop to take pictures. It went on for miles, along different terrain and elevations, and for as far as the eye could see left or right. I cross through New Hampshire and then enter Maine. It's started raining again for the last hour or so, and I am driving through narrow winding roads in the dark until I enter Portland. I quickly find a place to stay (did not have a reservation), and hunker down for the night. It's late and so I decide to just order Chinese delivery.

The next morning, I begin sightseeing. 4 weeks, and 5800~ miles later, I finally made it to the East coast! I start out walking around Portland, then head out to the Portland Head lighthouse. Very New England! And this is the Atlantic Ocean!

It was still overcast and cold. I keep driving south, stopping by Portsmouth, New Hampshire:I keep going South until I enter Salem, Massachusets. It's raining again and gotten dark so I quickly find a place to stay, and have my leftover chinese food from the night before (much to the amusement of the front-desk clerk whom I asked to microwave my food for me -- she commented: "big-spender, eh?").

The next day, I begin the "witchy" tour of Salem:

It was fun to walk around (specially the week or so before Halloween), and enjoy the kitchy witch memorabilia/decor. The Salem Witch Museum was interesting and worth it, but the Witch Village was a total rip-off. The only downside to this stop was when I went back to my car after walking around (running to it, actually), there was a ticket on my windshield! My meter had expired. I was 5 mins late, which was why I was running. Damn. I'm wondering now if they will be able to find me in CA or should I just ignore the darn thing.

I drive South again, aiming for Providence RI, but stop by Plymouth Rock, for some quick pictures of the actual rock where the Pilgrims landed, and a replica of the Mayflower.

This was a pretty cool stop for me because when I was in the third grade, in the Philippines, we actually divided our class into pilgrims and indians and reenacted (with costumes and food and all) the first thanksgiving! Yes, in the Philippines! -- and in case you're wondering, I was an Indian.)

Vive Montreal!

We had a late dimsum lunch, so I got to leave Toronto late, almost 4 pm -- and got stuck in traffic. It did not help that it was a long weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving) and it was pouring rain! What should have been a five-hour or so drive, took me seven and a half hours -- driving in non-stop pouring rain! And the truck drivers in Canada are aggressive! It was a stressful drive and so when I got to my hotel at around 11 pm, I decided to stay in and rest, even though it WAS a friday night. Sigh. I must be getting old.

I spent the next day sightseeing, even though the rain had not completely stopped. It had at least slowed down to just a shower here and there. I was in the old part of Montreal and enjoyed the architecture and the scenery.

I found out that St Joseph's Oratory was the biggest church/shrine in the world dedicated to St Joseph, and since I was named after him, I decided I had to go make the pilgrimage. When I got there, I saw that the churche was perched on a hill. I was like "Cool, it's an actual pilgrimage to get to the top!", but I was wrong. Tsk tsk tsk. When I got closer I found out they had escalators! Whatever happened to pious devotion?


It was a beautiful church. In the chapel below (where there were so many lit candles burning, it actually warmed up the room), there were rows and rows of discarded crutches and walking sticks, from the sick who had made the pilgrimage and been healed. I do a little more sightseeing, then decide it's time for a drink and head to the village.

I see this pair of leather gloves on the floor at the bar, so I ask the guy next to me (who was talking in french to the guy next to him) if it was his. He looks down, nods yes, picks it up and continues talking to his friend, with nary a thanks! I assume maybe it's because he does not speak english. A few minutes later, a friend comes over and they greet each other and converse (very loudly, i might add) in english! Hmmmm. Maybe he was just rude? Anyway, some more time passes, and I see he's dropped his gloves again. I just ignore it this time, and when he eventually walks away from the bar, I don't tell him about the gloves anymore. And so voila! I now have a new pair of leather gloves, which fit me perfectly, btw!

Saturday night was a fun night, with Manny L taking charge of the military ball. I also bump into Dr Ted! To save money on cabfare, I had bought a 3-day subway pass and since the subway starts at 5:30, I of course had to stay until at least 6 in the morning before heading back to my hotel.

Had a late lunch sunday at this really cool microbrew, Tres Brasseres (sp?), it means three blondes, I think. I met this cool guy and his sister from Boston and upstate NY. They drove up for the weekend to celebrate his birthday. Turned out we were staying at the same hotel, so they invited me up to the concierge floor for cocktails later.

It was raining but I wanted to get at least a little sightseeing in, so I decided to head to the Notre Dame church. I get there around 5:30 and discover that there was a mass going on (it is Sunday, after all). I decide to hear mass -- even though it was in French! As I was leaving the church, I notice some tourists still trying to get in -- but were being turned away because the church was closed for the day. They were told to come back the next morning -- when they open at 8:30. Funniest thing I hear all weekend: I overhear these two guys saying "maybe we'll just come back right after the party!"

I go back to the hotel for cocktails at the concierge floor, then to my room for a little nap before the black and blue party. It was an awesome party, with 15,000 in attendance at the main stadium of the Olympic center. The music, lights, entertainment -- everything was amazing. They had a Montreal DJ start, then a pair of DJs from Spain, then finally the main guy: Danny Tenaglia. Surprisingly, in spite of the large crowd, I still bump into some people I know. Once again, I had to wait for the subway to start up again in the morning, so I decide to leave the party at 8:30, even though it was gonna go all the way till noon. (Hmmm, I wonder if those two guys went back to the church.....)

I take a nap, check out of the hotel and head on out. Next stop, I'm back in the good 'ol US of A.

Oh -- there was this high-end restaurant I saw that specialized in Asian fusion cuisine. I think it means "this is Asia", and I also saw this statue of someone I don't even know who. Anyway these kinda represent my fun fun fun weekend in Montreal:

Toronto Ho!

A really good friend of mine from way back in elementary school moved to Canada when I was a freshman in high school. We've only seen each other once or twice in the last 24 years or so, the last time being around 8 years ago. Anyway, we recently just got back in contact again, and he invited me to stay at his place while in Toronto. So that's where I'm headed.

I get in a little early so I head downtown first before going to his place, which is outside the city. I drive around a little to get a feel for the city, then decide it's happy hour! Surprise surprise! Hmmmmm. I decide to let the traffic subside and stay downtown first before heading to Ken's place.

Two beers (or so) and a 45 minute drive later, I get to his place -- which is practically a mansion! I won't bore you with details of his gorgeous kitchen (exactly the design I had in mind for mine), swimming pool, THX-certified movie room, etc.. but I will mention the 3,000-bottle wine cellar! (which I promised to take a photo of, but which of course I forgot to.... take a guess why?)

Needless to say, we promptly began partaking of the grape while catching up. Ken grilled up a nice fish fillet for dinner and we kept chatting and chatting until the wee hours of the morning. If anyone wants to know, if I remember right, we had 4 bottles of wine among the three of us (Ken's bro Mike also joined us).

I guess it goes without saying that I slept in late the next day. Poor Ken had to wake up early to go to work and/or take the kids to school. We had a nice italian lunch while struggling and still recovering from the night before. The lady asked us if we wanted wine with our lunch and we all said a resounding "NO!". Marilou (another good childhood friend from years and years ago and whom I also hadn't seen in 8 years since my sister's wedding) joined us for lunch. After lunch, I just decided to chill and read a book by the pool. The rest of the day/night was uneventful, even though we did have a couple of bottles again that night.

The next day was my sightseeing day. I went into the city, parked my car @ City Hall (the twin semi-circle shaped buildings) and just walked around the different neighborhoods.

Then I decide to be touristy and ascend Le Tour Canada, the world's highest observatory @ 147 storeys tall. After sightseeing and taking pictures, I sit down for a beer at their bar/cafe. From the table behind me, I hear these two older ladies speaking Cebuano (the dialect of Cebu, where I'm from). It's not that often that I hear Cebuano, but I ignore them and continue enjoying my beer and the view. When they finally start talking about Nora Aunor, however, I decide to jump in and introduce myself as a fellow Cebuano!

They were so excited to learn I was from Cebu too! They ask me all these questions, and say the same thing: that it's not that often that they meet someone from Cebu. They give me their contact details and all. One of them was a retired nurse who had been in Toronto over 30 years, and the other one was an old friend visiting her from Cebu. She asked me how long I was staying in Toronto, because she said her Scottish husband had a yacht docked in the Marina below, and she would take me out on it if I stayed until the weekend!! She said it was a big one and that they take it out to the Bahamas, etc. Damn. I was leaving the next day so I had to decline her offer, but I got another beer and kept on chatting with them. It was actually fun but my tongue sure got a work out, not having spoken the language in a while.

I walk around a bit more after the Tower and see some more sights. Then head to this awesome restaurant, Perigee, to meet Ken and some other old friends for dinner. Their menu is based on the Japanese dining concept Omakase (meaning trust me). They prepare their tasting menus by combining French techniques with Mediterranean flavours while incorporating a wide range of ethnic influences. They converse with each guest first to determine what type of dining experience they desire and then cook for them accordingly. The overall experience, with the food and wine pairings, was excellent. And of course the catching up and laughing with old friends was a lot of fun. (Peter I hadn't seen in 24 years!)

After dinner, I had to experience at least one night on Toronto, so I stayed behind with Edwin for a few drinks before heading back to Ken's place later in the evening (or was it early in the morning?). Cereal and peanut butter does hit the spot!

I was leaving for Montreal the next day, but not after a nicd dimsum lunch with Ken, Sarah, Sam and Kevin. I had an amazing time in Toronto. Thanks again Ken for your hospitality, and Sam for letting me borrow your room!

Back in Canada Again: Niagara Falls

So I cross the border into Canada from Detroit; very easily this time. 30 seconds and the lady waves me through. First stop Niagara Falls. My hotel is supposedly right across the falls, but I have no expectations as I just got a cheap room and would probably be facing the other direction. I was very excited though when I got to the room as I got upgraded and got a "falls-facing" room with a jacuzzi tub and all! The room was awesome! Here's the view from my window:
It's late when I get in, so I just grab a nice steak dinner at this Montana Grill place (after I was turned down by a Japanese steakhouse even though the place was empty. They guy says they were expecting a busload of Japanese customers. But I'm not sure. Maybe it was because I was just wearing shorts and t-shirt and alone??) I walk around later and absorb all the kitchy touristy places with flashing neon lignts, e.g. Ripley's believe it or not, Wax museum, Marvel Superheroes, etc. Not getting into it, I head back to my hotel room and indulge in the jacuzzi tub.

The next day was a gorgeous sunny day. I enjoy the amazing views and take lots of pictures with the 10,000 other tourists who were there. I thought this was the honeymoon capital of the world, but it seemed more like the Japanese tourist capital of the world, or the senior citizens tourist capital of the world.






That last one has the appropriately named Rainbow Bridge in the background. The bridge that connects the USA and Canada. Next stop: Toronto