| Patty / 貓貓 / 洋葱...'s profileMeow Meow's PlacePhotosBlogLists |  Tools  Help |
|
July 29 Hot July Along Highway 1 South It was a lazily Sunday afternoon, after "dim sum", we were just driving around then I suggested to go to Half Moon Bay since we haven't been there in ages. It was foggy along the way. Saw this lighthouse on the cliff, later I learned from the web sites it was Piegon Point Lighthouse, one of the tallest lighhouses in America. Its gatekeeper house is also a hostel. Accomodation right by the sea in very affordable price, how wonderful could it be! It is just perfect! Next time we could stay there and get the first gleam of the sunrise and stay late for the sunset.
Continued on the road trip, we headed to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It was nearly 5 pm and the beach was still full of people. I heard the cool water and the sandy beach were calling me, so I ran to the sand and got myself ready for strolling by the water.
 The Boardwalk was celebrating its 100 years, some evenings after 5 pm its offers 25 cents rides and hot dogs. Many concerts and special events happening all the way to end of August.
My favorite activities on the Boardwalk: Ride the Giant Dipper, have a chocolate dipped soft serve cone, stroll from one end to the other and back again, stroll on the pier and watch the sunset.
 July 13 Hot July in Lake Tahoe & Reno Had a little getaway in Reno & Lake Tahoe the past weekend. John Asguagas's Nuggets sent me a two nights complimentary offer during the weekends. I took the offer because it was the first time I received free room offer from this casino hotel even I only visited it a few times and did not play much there.
The room was a traditional style, however it was old and the table lamp cover had a broken spot, so was the bed covering; but the room was spacious and clean. Its atriam pool was the selling point, it had 8 individual bubbling pools and a Jacuzzi pool, a fitness club. I spent an hour in the pool each morning and 30 min in the gym.
 Horizon in Lake Tahoe gave me $50 cash offer, so we drove up there to redeem $50 and played a little there, and a little at Harrahs then headed to the beach. It was after 5 p.m. and was still quite hot.
 There was a wedding by the lake.
 When we stayed at Nuggets, I like the Rotisserie Buffet. It was the traditional hotel style buffet on the weekends which I like the most: no Chinese and Mexican food, just red meat and seafood. I always save room for the desserts.
On Sunday, I spent the comp points at Lodge Buffet in Grand Sierra Resort Casino (that used to be The Hilton) buffet. It had the best desserts station with lots of varieties.
During those two days we played at each different casino, we lost some in one place and won from the other, that went on and on, but we still had money left to play at each casino. We were not thinking of winning big but just for the fun of it.
Hing had $30 slot dollars at Peppermill so before we left Reno, we stopped by there and its comps dollars brought us luck, we splitted the slot dollars and each won $40.
July 04 Happy 4th of July The bike bridge over HWY 80 in Berkeley. I was on the way to the July 4th festival in Berkeley Marina.June 25 Meow Meow - One Year If there are ghosts and spirits existing, I will only want to see my loved ones appear infront of me. My Po Po, my Mom, my Meow Meow. Just a few more hours, it will be my cat Miki's one year memorial. It has been a year and I am not yet overcome the sadness of the loss of my cat. I have already taken the Monday off, June 25th. I know myself, it is going to be a very emotional day and it will be difficult for me to focus at work so I rather take this day off.
I only felt the presence of my cat a few times during the month after she passed. Within those few times, only one time I saw her image appeared infront of me. It was past three in the morning and I were still reading a book, I slept on my side facing the bedside table. All of a sudden, I felt the weight on top of my pillow as of my cat was jumping and walking on it, then I looked up, I saw my cat - only half clear like I could see through her body, she was walking in front of me towards my blanket as she always did at night, seeking the comfort inside my blanket. When my cat was walking right in front of me, I could feel the chilling air around her. When she reached my blanket, she was gone. I wanted to tell Hing Meow Meow has returned but I could not make any voice.
The other times I only heard her meow,slightly. There were a few times I heard her meow right above my head as she was waking me up to feed her. Couple of time I came out from the bathroom, thought I heard a scratch on the wall as she was stretching then a slight meow. I think it was telepathically, because Hing and I never felt her presence together.
There were other times Meow Meow visited us in our dreams.
Tonight, I want to see her, feel her and hear her...either way, again. June 17 Friday ShoppingIt was a nice Friday afternoon. I took the last lunch shuttle to Union Square, it stopped in front of Levi's flagship store. The store was having sales, many itmes were 50% off. I limited myself to one item and after looked around, my heart was set on the white tank dress with two pockets on front, was $88 and I got it only half the price.
 Since Tina mentioned Victoria Secrets was having $10 off bras sales, so I stopped by there to get one of those. I bought the Sexy Little Things™ ,adjustable cleavage plunge bra $19.95 after $10 off. While I were there, I also picked up 5 bottles of the bubble bath gel. I love taking bubble bath, it would be so perfect if I had a four claws tub!
Even H&M's bras cost a lot less but I thought Victoria Secrets' products could last longer, and they were just underwears therefore I would rather pay a bit higher to get something that lasts longer. June 13 New York City in 4 DaysA friend of mine wanted to visit New York City in July, came asked me for some recommendation. She was going to spend 3 to 4 days in the city.
Here are my recommendations:
New York City is an island, a big melting pot, many people are immigrants. Even those who claim themselves the New Yorkers, their grand parents, great grand parents, great great grand parents probably were immigrants. Therefore all the 1st time visitors should visit these two places as soon as they have settled: Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island.
If you divided up Manhattan into two parts: Central Manhattan and Downtown Manhattan. Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are located at the south of Downtown Manhattan, on Hudson River. Day 1:
- Morning: Take the ferry at the Battery Park, be sure to purchase the tickets cover both islands. On Ellis Island there is a place where you could get the great view of Manhattan and take a picture with you right in front of it which is very neat.
Check out the Circle Line link for the ticket price and schedule. http://www.circlelinedowntown.com/statueFerryBatteryPark_schedule.asp - When returning to Battery Park, is a good opportunity to visit the following nearby sites: 1. Castle Clinton National Monument. This is right on the Battery Park so don't forget to stop by before going forward. 2. World Trade Center Ground Zero. After the 9/11 tragic, this site became not only a memorial but the most popular attraction in New York City. 3. Trinity Church. The oldest church with a small cemetery behind it. 4. Wall Street, go touch the bull. 5. South Street Seaport Historical District and Pier 17 Pavilion. A museum, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex create this colorful touristy destination. If you started your day late, you might end your first day here. If you are an early bird who started the day early, this could be your afternoon tea spot, then you may move forward to Chinatown. Day 2 (or continuation of Day 1): - Chinatown. It is simply just fun to stroll around the streets and alleys. Dim Sum, HK style cafe and noodle houses are the great choices for affordable breakfast, brunch or lunch. There is a street vendor always line-up with tourists and locals for mini puff cakes, ask the locals they will tell you where it is. The following three restaurants suggestion: M Star Cafe in Chinatown. 19 Division Street. 明星茶餐廳 Congee Village. 100 Allen Street. 粥之家 Golden Bridge Restaurant . 50 Bowery {金橋,葉玉卿丈夫開辦,酒樓前身是金門,秋天的童話內,十三妹和Vincent談分手該幕} - Little Italy. Next to Chinatown. The restaurants and shops are centralized on Mulberry street and Mott street. This could be your afternoon tea, dinner or after dinner coffee stop. Choose any Italian restaurant for your desired for the dinner. But for the desserts and coffee. I strongly recommend Cafe Palermo on 148 Mulberry Street. This place has the best cannolie. Cannolie is an Italian pastry, a crispy shell (can be coated with dark chocolate) filled with ricotta cheese and chocolate chips. - SoHo. Go northwest of Chinatown and Little Italy. On West Broadway and East Broadway between Canal and West Houston , on Prince street and Spring street . This whole area lined with boutiques, designers shops, and restaurants. Check out City Search web site below, it has a list of the stores. http://newyork.citysearch.com/roundup/39730?brand=smx_roundups
Highlighted two must see shops:
1. Uniqlo flagship. 546 Broadway. Japanese brand, affordable designer clothes.
2. Levi’s store. 536 Broadway. How can I miss this one? Levi’s SF headquarter employees, please bring your i.d. for the discount!
Museum highlight: Guggenheim SoHo. 575 East Broadway at Prince Street. Here is the web site - http://www.ny.com/museums/guggenheim.museum.soho.html
- Greenwich. Continues on West Broadway towards north, you will be face to face with Washington Square Park, on your left side is Greenwich Village, on the right side is New York University.
- St. Marks Place. Go past New York University, walk by Stuyvesant Street, between Second Ave and A Ave. Because this area is pretty much occupied by the students therefore eating and shopping here won’t be pricey. Lots of trendy shops and second shops here.
There is one tiny and narrow shop with two high chair sitting outside of the store is the home of Belgian Fries, Pommes Frites 123 2nd Ave. (between 7 & 8 St.) http://www.pommesfrites.ws/
I love fries, especially these twice cooked fries placed in paper cone are so crispy and delicious. There are more than 25 kinds of dipping sauce to choose from. When you are here, try to look for a Japanese restaurant that offers a oden booth. This restaurant gets very crowded during dinner time. Lots of Japanese go there, so must be authentic enough.
Day 3 & 4:
Moving towards Midtown and Upper East Side. Now it is up to you to divide the activities among two days.
Midtown Area:
Fifth Avenue 第五大道is a major road to most of the main attractions. It starts from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village and NYU, goes all the way to Central Park and even further to Harlem 哈林. Fith Avenue in Midtown is filled with high-end stores such as Tiffany & Co. Walking on this long avenue is quite a unique experience because not just the stores keep you busy, but also the buildings themselves are worth to make you stop to take a good look at them. The beauty of each building and the rich histories behind, many were used for the setting in the movies. The followings are some landmark sites along or nearby Fifth Ave and you might recognize them from some movies:
- Flatiron Building. 175 5th Ave and East Broadway. This is one of the oldest buildings in New York City, also its iron shape (if looking down from the sky) made it the landmark.
- Empire State Building 帝國大廈. 373 5th Ave. Well known from many movies: "An Affair to Remember", "Sleepless in Seattle" and "King Kong". It was the 2nd tallest building before the tragic of the World Trade Center. Take the high speed elevator to 86th floor to get the best view of the city.
- NY Public Library and Bryant Park. 42nd Street & 5th Ave. The movie site of "Ghostbusters". Inside was huge, my husband who grew-up in New York, said once he almost got lost in there.
- St. Patrick Cathedral. 460 Madison Ave between 50 and 51st Streets. Madison Ave is parallel to 5th Ave. This is the largest gothic-style Catholic Cathedral in the United States. I always stop there when I walk on 5th Ave.
Rockefeller Center. This landmark stretches from 5th Ave to 7th Ave, and from 47th to 51st Streets. Lots of restaurants ans shops around. The lower level of the center is a outdoor cafe during Spring to Fall, then turns into an outdoor ice-skating ring in Winter.
Some of my favorite shops and attractions right around Rockefeller Center:
- Kinokuniya Bookstore 紀伊國書店 . Ten West 49th Street.
- Minamoto Kitchoan. 源吉兆庵 日式和菓子店 608 5th Ave. Traditional Japanese confectioneries. If I am around this area, I always go in to pick up a few (may be half a dozen or so and all go into my stomach) pastries and sweets. They use the freshest in seaon ingredients to make those beautifully decorated tea snacks.
- NBC Studios. "Live from New York, its Saturday Night Live!". Yes this is the studios that makes this hottest live show, home of the "Saturday Night Live" and "Today Show". The store is located at the corner of Rockefeller Plaza and West 49th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues), where the Studios Tour begins.
- Radio City Music Hall . 1260 6th Ave. "Godfather II" had a scene outside of it.
- Teuscher Chocolates. 620 5th Ave. The finest chocolates made in Switzerland and flown to US each week.
Continues along 5th Ave.
- Trump Tower. 712 5th Ave. Donald Trump's penthhouse , The Apprentice "Boardroom" where the contestants stayed during the contest. The interior of the tower is in bronze, there is also a tall waterfall inside.
There are two pecialty stores I always go:
Henry Bendel. 712 5th Ave. This store represents youthful New York glamour from its fashion accessories. The store has illustrator Izak's smoky eyes, long legs girls on the wall.
Shanghai Tang 上海灘. 714 Madison Avenue, between 63rd & 64th Street. Going east of 5th Ave. The interior is a colorful Shanghai style little house. The store offers contemporary clothing with traditional Chinese details. Although the items might be expensive but sometimes the store has great sales.
East of 5th Ave:
Grand Central Terminal, "秋天的童話" 其中一場景. Its Oyster Bar is a must have dining experience. No trip to New York without having at least one lunch or dinner at this landmark restaurant.
Chrysler Building. 405 Lexington Ave and 42nd Street. Adore this Beautiful Art Deco style skyscraper. After the destruction of the World Trade Center, it is the second tallest building in New York City.
United Nations 聯合國. 42nd Street on First Avenue. It is right by the East River. If you look over the river, there is Queens on the other side. I strongly suggest to stock-up souvenirs from the stores in the basement level. Because shopping in United Nations does not need to pay sales tax.
West of 5th Ave:
- Broadway & Times Square 百老匯與時間廣場. The blog title picture was taken in June 1998, before 7 am. Below picture taken in 2003 in the afternoon. What a big difference between early morning and afternoon! Glad that I took the Fashion Study Tour so that I had the chance to discover the quiet side of Broadway. It was light a Blue jazz in the morning. Along Broadway are many theatres and cinemas, chain restaurants and flagship and souvenir stores. Don't miss the Toys "R" Us store (flagship??), it has a giant ferry wheel ride inside this store.
This side of Times Square is the Theater District. Catch a Broadway musical. Also there are lots of hotels around here: Marriot, Sheraton, Park Central, Crowne....
Central Park 中央公園: From 59th Street all the way to 110 Street, between 5th and 8th Ave. It is the lung of the city. The design of the park makes you feel like you are not in the city once you step inside.
Centrl Park East on 5th Ave side:
- Central Park Zoo in front of 63th Street.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street. My personal highlights of the museum are the Egyptian temple and costume history exhibition at the Costume Institute. If you plan to see all the exhibits, you need at least a whole day. When you are there, don't miss the Roof Garden Café at the rooftop, it is a great stop for a coffee break with a breathtaken panoramic views of Manhattan.
Through the Central Park:
- The Loeb Boathouse. The boathouse itself is a famous icon of Central Park. Its restaurant has the most romantic setting.
- Bethesda Terrace. The richly-ornamented terrace traditionally is the 'Heart of the Park' Bethesda Terrace is one of the best places in the Park for people-watching.
- Belvedere Castle. Sitting high atop Vista Rock, it provides a panoramic view of the park and the city in almost every direction.
Central Park west on 8th Ave side:
- Tavern on the Green. This restaurant is like a fairy tale in the city, Alice's tea party.
American Museum of Natural History. 79th Street and 8th Ave. Most recent movie "Night At The Museum" . The museum has the real dinosour fossils. Tour the museum will also takes a whole day in order to get most of the exhibits.
There are more attractions inside the park. Check out the Central Park official site for their locations and look for them while you are in the park. http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions.html
Well, 4 days actualy cannot cover the whole Manhattan. So enjoy your stay in NYC and please visit again! June 07 Unforgettable Paris Trip 難忘的巴黎旅行Even it has been over six months since my trip to Paris, I am still having the "Paris Fever"巴黎高燒.
Ahh Paris....was charming just as I was expecting. The language barrier might be challenging but it added all the fun. I managed to communicate with the Parisians with mostly English (of course), very simple French (mostly single words) and gestures, and smile.
"Smile is a universal language, so wear a smile wherever you go" 「微笑是國際語言，這樣無論你去何處,帶著微笑」, my Junior High teacher wrote that on my going away autograph book.
When I gathered all the pictures, found the one architecture showed up the most was the Eiffel Tower 艾菲爾鐵塔. It was the tallest building in the heart of Paris, although its location was not quite the center of it but I could see it from everywhere inside the city and on the outter ring of the city while driving on the freeway (well, my husband did the driving).
  One of my co-workers saw all the Sony Image albums I put together from the Paris trip, she thought I liked the Eiffel Tower very much therefore she gave me a little Eiffel Tower ornament on my birthday.
So did my trip go well as planned? Almost! Let's recall what I have planned:
Day 1- Day 2 - In Champagne, sipping wine, staying at one of those family run bed and breakfast inns - Checked
  Day 3 - Arriving Paris. Check-in hotel on Rue Cler, river tour on Seine, climb up the Eiffel Tower in the evening. Be sure to purchase the 3 days museum pass this day by day 5 - We strolled Rue Cler and toured on Seine, back to Rue Cler and had dinner at the corner café restaurant.
  Day 4 - Free admission at Lourve. Because the museum closes at 6pm, therefore the day will be a Paris historic walk in the old city. Morning walk on Ile de la Cite, stroll the Latin Quarter. Arrive Lourve by 2pm the latest and stay there until close at 6pm - We visited Lourve then strolled on Ile de la Cite and Ile de Louie, dinner on Island Louie.
  Day 5 - Disneyland Paris. Disneyland Park 10:00 - 19:00. Disney Studios Parks 10:00 - 18:00 - Checked, and had dinner outside of Disneyland park.
  Day 6 - Montmartre, visit Sacre'-Coeur, the artist plaza (Sandy reminded me it is actually behind the church, not in front of it). Then to see Opera Garnier where the Phantom was haunting the place, afterwards shopping at Galleries Lafayette which closes at 19:00. The landmark department store next to Opera House is the grandest one among all the Galleries Lafayette stores in other area of Paris.
Seafood platter dinner at Le Grand Café in the Opera area - Did not see Opera Garnier because it required admission fee not covered by the museum pass.
  Day 7 - Varsailles, this is taking a whole day already since the palace is located outside of Paris. Late dinner in Paris
Day 8 - Musee Dorsay closes late this day at 21:45, therefore will go there in the late afternoon. First to Notre Dame early in the morning, then to Arc de Triomphe which opens at 10:00, the museum pass covers the entrance to the Arc. Stroll down Champs Elysees, by the mid or late afternoon arriving Musee Dorsay and spend the rest of the day there.
- Day 7 and Day 8 activities switched because there was a problem wit the RER train track. The operator at the Metra ticket booth told us in English with strong French accent, "eet ees not a good idea" then explained to us the cause. So we changed the plan as follows:
Day 7 - Visited Notre Dame in the late morning after we found out the bad news of the train track. We went to Musee Dorsay in the afternoon. Since I understood that "There is No Way I will be looking at EVERY SINGLE THING in Paris", therefore we set a priority of "must see" items in the museum and made sure we saw them. In the early evening, we climbed the Arc de Triomphe, strolled Champs-Elysées.
Dinner at the same corner café restaurant on Rue Cler.
  Day 8 - Whole day in Varsailles, then back to Paris in the late afternoon, took lots of pictures on the Left Bank with beautiful Eiffel Tower in the background. Dinner inside our hotel room, then strolled Champs-Elysées again.
  Day 9 - Last day in Paris, and only have a few hours to spend so would slow down, relax on Rue Cler to visit all those little shops, and try to mingle with the locals. Or visit Eiffel Tower again - Only we did not have time to visit Eiffel Tower.
  I Am Back!Don't know how, but I were thinking of checking this site and all of a sudden I were able to set it back to "Public" setting, and the photos were able to display.
I have been using Yahoo 360 lately, however I still think Live Space gives me more flexibility and I can post more items.
So glad that I am back, I almost gave up this space.... October 27 Off to New York!Can't believe our flight has a two hours delay! Now the new depart time is 15:30.
Finished packing, I am bringing three pairs of shoes: Dark brown color long boots, black ankle boots and a pair of nice sturdy and comfortable flats in black; a pair of dark blue jeans, black slim pants (the Audrey pants from Gap), leggings (which I am wearing now for the flight), a zip front black tunic can be wear alone or paring, two sweaters (light and med brown color), two paper weight short sleeves t-shirts and one long sleeves t-shirts for layering, a printed skirt, little black knit dress, a full length dress. Think I am doing a little better than Sandy on packing the clothes. She told me she took 13 tops, then her sweetheart suggested to eliminate some of them, and she took out ONE piece.
Hing packed three pairs of pants: black corduroy, blue denim jeans and a Dockers casual. Three tops (dress shirts and sweaters), and couple of long sleeves and short sleeves for layering. His photography equipment.
Three different travel books of Paris: about the city, about the wine regions and a language book, couple of maps.
I also packed a travel journal with me. Inside I got a one Euro from Sandy as a good luck charm, a little printed picture of one of the bridges from Sandy, it was the bridge where she took a picture at. Prints out of some good advices from Sandy and Andy. I got good advices from the two of them: Sandy got me a list of the places she and Ted highly recommended from their last trips, including a chocolate/pastry store Gerard Mulot on the LEft Bank. Andy advised to bring a bottle of wine to the Eiffel on a Friday evening (why Friday?), and sit in the park next to it to watch when they turn the lights on.
Victoria told me about a underground store sell clothes in bargain prices, I am going to look for it.
Even our flight is delayed, but it is not going to bother me. I am ready for France!
 October 22 Paris Travel Plan BVisited the latest Paris Musee Pass web site, afraid there aren't three days museum passes available, so I have made the 2nd plan just in case. We don't want to purchase a 4 days pass, want to balance our trip between the museums and the city walk. The plan will has to purchase the 2 days pass then take the advantage of free admission on the first Sunday of the month for Louvre and Musee d'Orsay. I chose to visit Louvre on Sunday, because Musee d'Orsay closes late on every Thursday till 9:45 pm. Also I made couple of reservations to the restaurants those have seafood platter as their specialties, as I knew those are quite popular and just want to make sure the tables will be available when we get there.
Also I switched the museum tours in the late afternoon, due to the winter daylight is short. I want to make sure we have enough sunlight for the photography.
Day 1- Day 2 - In Champagne, sipping wine, staying at one of those family run bed and breakfast inns.
Day 3 - Arriving Paris. Check-in hotel on Rue Cler, river tour on Seine, climb up the Eiffel Tower in the evening. Be sure to purchase the 3 days museum pass this day by day 5.
Day 4 - Free admission at Lourve. Because the museum closes at 6pm, therefore the day will be a Paris historic walk in the old city. Morning walk on Ile de la Cite, stroll the Latin Quarter. Arrive Lourve by 2pm the latest and stay there until close at 6pm.
Day 5 - Disneyland Paris. Disneyland Park 10:00 - 19:00. Disney Studios Parks 10:00 - 18:00
Day 6 - Montmartre, visit Sacre'-Coeur, the artist plaza (Sandy reminded me it is actually behind the church, not in front of it). Then to see Opera Garnier where the Phantom was haunting the place, afterwards shopping at Galleries Lafayette which closes at 19:00. The landmark department store next to Opera House is the grandest one among all the Galleries Lafayette stores in other area of Paris.
Seafood platter dinner at Le Grand Café in the Opera area.
Day 7 - Varsailles, this is taking a whole day already since the palace is located outside of Paris. Late dinner in Paris.
Day 8 - Musee Dorsay closes late this day at 21:45, therefore will go there in the late afternoon. First to Notre Dame early in the morning, then to Arc de Triomphe which opens at 10:00, the museum pass covers the entrance to the Arc. Stroll down Champs Elysees, by the mid or late afternoon arriving Musee Dorsay and spend the rest of the day there.
Day 9 - Last day in Paris, and only have a few hours to spend so would slow down, relax on Rue Cler to visit all those little shops, and try to mingle with the locals. Or visit Eiffel Tower again.
October 21 Paris Travel PlanThe picture attached is taken outside of Paris Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Next month, I can present pictures taken in the REAL Paris.
Here is the layout for Paris country/city tour in eight nights nine days:
Day 1- Day 2 - In Champagne, sipping wine, staying at one of those family run bed and breakfast inns.
Day 3 - Arriving Paris. Check-in hotel on Rue Cler, river tour on Seine, climb up the Eiffel Tower in the evening. Be sure to purchase the 3 days museum pass this day by day 5.
Day 4 - It is Sunday, since most places would be crowded, some street markets closed, and Disneyland Paris closes late, will spend the day in Disney Paris. Dinner in the Magic Kingdom or late night dinner in Paris.
Day 5 - Montmartre, visit Sacre'-Coeur, the artist plaza (Sandy reminded me it is actually behind the church, not in front of it). Then to see Opera Garnier where the Phantom was haunting the place, afterwards shopping at Galleries Lafayette which closes at 19:00. The landmark department store next to Opera House is the grandest one among all the Galleries Lafayette stores in other area of Paris. Make sure to have the museum pass on hand for the next three days.
Day 6 - While Lourve closes, will go to Varsailles, this is taking a whole day already since the palace is located outside of Paris. Late dinner in Paris. I will make sure to put on a pair of flats, heels will damage those hundreds years old wooden floor.
Day 7 - Lourve, some wings close late at 21:45, by taking the advantages of the museum pass, I can go back in anytime of the day. Spend the afternoon on Ile de la Cite, climb up Notre Dame to get closer look at Gargoyle, take a stroll in the Latin Quarter. This day is intensive walking.
Day 8 - Musee Dorsay closes late this day at 21:45, therefore will go to Eiffel Tower again to take some morning pictures, then to Arc de Triomphe which opens at 10:00, the museum pass covers the entrance to the Arc. Stroll down Champs Elysees, by the mid afternoon or early afternoon arriving Musee Dorsay and spend the rest of the day there.
Day 9 - Last day in Paris, and only have a few hours to spend so would slow down, relax on Rue Cler to visit all those little shops, and try to mingle with the locals.
What about shopping? Oh, I can manage by making some shop stops here and there. I understand that I can NEVER buy everything I see. A good memory from the trip and the pictures worth whole lot more.
My Life is Back to Normal...My first day back to work was a surprise! I walked into the meeting room for the weekly staff meeting and saw a small vase of bouquet awaited me. It was a surprise because I knew it was Victoria's birthday surprise and there would be something awaited her but they also had a bouquet for me. So Victoria got a small vase of violet and puple bouquet while I got a mixture of colors, our dear colleagues and managers also got delicious pastries to share. Oh yes, it was good to be back.
First thing I took back my works from Tracy's shoulder, I was truely thankful to her taken in my part of works upon all she had to do for Girls line. It was not easy to follow-up with multiple lines and consumer groups. The new manager Jennifer was amazed to find how soon I caught up with Fall 07 Vision. Brett was very please to see me back and took care of many things. I was so proud of myself. October 09 This weekend of the Chinese's Mid Autumn Festival 中秋節Went to Tilden Park with Hing today, he wanted to check around the wedding site where he would be doing the photo shoots next week. It was the Brazilian Building, on Wildcat Canyon at the intersection of Shasta Road. I love seeing weddings taken places in this kind of facility rather than just in the restaurants, in the hotel... For those who don't have the luxuries to host the weddings in their back yards, a wedding hall would be a good choice. Like my cousin's wedding was at the La Venta Inn, where the facility was for weddings only. The place was beautiful and romantic setting.
There was a street fair in North Berkeley - Spice of Life, held by the North Berkeley Association. It was like another Solano Stroll, but it seemed to be bigger. The street fair stretched out on Shattuck Avenue from Virginia Street all the way to Rose Street. There were live music stages, cooking demonstration stage, lectures, wine tastings, lots of arts and crafts vendors and lots more gourmet food vendors. There was a playland for the children and a petting zoo. Wondering why Downtown Berkeley isn't doing this kind of street fair, that would attract more visitors over to heat up that place. The North side here known by the name of Gourmet Ghetto became busier and more popular; more shops opened and more developments have been going on. Next to Cesar was a new place called Epicurious Garden filled with food and drink shops from soup to gelato to sushi to wine, even a Chinese tea parlor.
Besides the already famous UC Campus and the Telegraph Ave, there are three hot spots in Berkeley: Solano Ave, Gourmet Ghetto on Shattuck Ave, Fourth Street. All great for hang out, to stroll, to dine and to shop. That's why the University Ave is always busy on the weekends.
September 30 Bloomies is BackThe most upscaled, fashion trend setter, the high-end department store from the East Coast - Bloomingdale's finally opened in the San Francisco Westfield Center. I have been waiting for it. This legendary department store most referred to "Bloomie's" is located in the historic building, was once housed the Emporium on Market Street in Downtown San Francisco.
The grand opening day was Sept 28, and the special events for the opening last until this Saturday Sept 30. I picked up the October issue of "Paper City", there was a booklet inside featured the Westfield grand opening of the new wing, the history of the Emporium building and an introduction of the many shoppings, dinings and entertainments under the dome. The booklet was also available at the Westfield Mall.
The Friday afternoon, Lan treated me lunch at the King of Thai behind Macy's. Then we went to DSW, I was there for some new shoes for the upcoming New York and Paris trips. I found a pair of Calvin Klein's leather ankle boots, great for this season's leggings and short skirts; Also found a pair of very comfortable Hush Puppy leather flats looked as the ones Audrey wore in the movie "Funny Face", they were great to wear with the slim pants and leggings as well. These two pairs both were fashionable enough for Paris and New York and sturdy enough for the walkings in the cities.
I got the handy A-List guide to Fall from DSW, think I got what I needed for this season: black patent (my Old Navy flats), ankle boots (Calvin Klein's), layered leggings, great pair of flats (and I got two new ones, and couple of nice old ones), sexy high boots (the brown suede ones from last year still look great), power pumps (I do have a pair of Anne Klein), platforms (well, my brown suede and the wedge from Targets were platforms)...think what I need to get is just a sensible oversized handbag to go with all my outfits.
Stopped by Gap to get myself a pair of slim black pants inspired by Audrey Hupburn in the musical "Funny Face" when Audrey was dancing in the bar of Paris in these great looking, simple slim black pants.
The next stop - Westfield's new wing, and I skipped all the designers and brands boutiques and straight to Bloomie's. Everyone, well almost everyone was carrying the plastic, yellow Bloomie's shopping bags, not the usual brown bags. The saleslady at the hosiery department explained the bags were special gifts for customers with purchases during the grand opening days. I did not go through all five stories though, just toured the concourse level where had a beautiful kids deparement, kitchen and home funishing. Toured the street level housed the cosmetic, fine jewery, costume jewery, designer bags and shoes, accessories. I got myself some tights from the hosiery department, then to the third floor for a mini skirt and leggings, two departments got me two "Bloomie's bags" for souvenirs. The shopping bags were only given to the Bloomie's customers who made any purchase. Even they were complementary, but they were nicely made with the zipper.
The basement housed the food court and gourmet market "Bristol Farms". The place was very crowded. Attached picture showing the new Calvin boots and the Bloomie's shoppping bags.
September 23 Levi Strauss Signature® Grand Opening Day The big day I have been waiting for, even when I was on sick leave resting at home.
Today I was supposed to leave home early to avoid the weekend traffic but I changed my mind and waited until past 1pm.
Forget the Yahoo Driving Direction which it never provided the direct route. The fastest way get to the store from the East Bay was as follows:
I-80 towards San Francisco
I-80 will become 101 South
Merge to I-280 South to Daly City
Exit Serramonte Blvd
Keep left after exited Serramonte Blvd (instead of going uphill to the right, go downhill on your left)
Turn left on Junipero Serra Blvd
Turn right on Colma Blvd
Levi Strauss Signature® is located on the left side outside of the shopping mall.
A rack and two tables of special sale items were placed outside of the store. A clown was hired to give out free face painting to the kids, Signature® gifts and game cards were giving out to the customers. The cashier counter near the front door with friendly salemens greeted the customers. A tall display rack in the center separated the store into three sections: right side for mens, left side for womens, the back area for kids and the dressing rooms. The store layout was like a big T.
 The Levi Strauss Signature® clothes received the same attention on the quality as well as Levi's clothes, but with more afforadable prices.
I wanted to get the mini skirt (picture of the outfit behind the window) but my size has run out, but I got some very cute tops (see picture of the tee shirt and tank together) for myself, for Hing and my sisters. And of course, as a Levi's employee, I received 30% off employee discount.
 I was glad I went there late so that I got to see my merchandisers there: Julie, Elizabeth, Jenifer. Everyone asked if Scott La Porta has arrived, as he was expected to be seen there on the grand opening day.
 September 18 Levi Strauss Signature® Grand OpeningGot the confirmed date of the grand opening of LSS store. It is going to be on this Saturday the 23rd in Colma.
280 Metro Center, 51 Colma Blvd.
There will be fun entertainment for the whole family including prizes and giveaways.
Please see attached picture for the mini skirt and corp jacket, they are some of the merchandises in the store; they are great to pair with this Fall 06 hot trend - the leggings. September 17 Arts Receptions  I went to Cathy's group art reception at Fig Tree the past Saturday Sept 9th, Two of Cathy's artworks featured in my photo list here in Spaces Live: "Cathy's Gallery" were at Fig Tree Gallery. I got to see Cathy's César friends in the gallery and met some of the artists.
Live Band in a Sushi BarThis tiny sushi restaurant has been in Berkeley for quite many years. Hing often mentioned it whenever we passed by, then finally this past Friday we went for a dinner.
It was about six-thirty when we walked in, saw the interior was small; there were a couple sitting at the sushi bar, three old ladies sat by the window, then only a few small empty tables. A man was playing guitar near the door. We were wondering why the restaurant had live music was not packed on a Friday night. Hing ordered himself a beer and a dinner set with two choices of deep fried items, a salad, miso soup and bowl of rice, and an order of California roll. I had Sushi dinner B: 2 pieces of tuna nigiri, 1 piece each of mackerel, crab cake, salmon, halibut in nigiri, 6 pieces of California maki. We both shared yakitori, two pieces of uni (sea urchin)nigiri and unagi (eel) nigiri. It was my first time tasted the sea urchin. It was very fresh, with the natural sweetness and a bit of sea water taste in it. Actually I quite liked it.
When we were almost finished our meal, noticed more people were coming in and they seemed to know each other, looked as they were some regulars. Then another man came in with a strange string instrument, and one more man came in with another guitar. The live band was about to begin, then we realized why people rather going to this restaurant late.
It was Sushi California on 2033 Martin Luther King Jr Way. Now I have found a nice place to go with friends on Friday night.
September 02 Art is Life & Life is ArtThe Fig Tree Gallery is having a group exhibition in September, featuring 19 artists: Suzuki, Fracchia, Haskell, RIo, Monroe, Heyneker, Thomas, Hartwell, Schultz, Clayton, Greif, Ruiz, Kelley, Romo, Haxton, Carter, Soejima, Selsor and my sister Cathy.
There will be a reception on September 9 in the evening from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Address of The Fig Tree Gallery:
927 Parker Streets in Brekeley, between 7th and 8th Street
Open Saturdays and Sundays from 11 to 5 pm & by Appointment
Tel: (510) 540-7843
email: caroline@calrainarts.com
Driving Direction:
From Sacramento
HWY 580 to San Francisco
Exit University Ave going towards UC Berkeley
Turn right on 6th Street
Continue on Dwight Cres
Turn right on 7th Street
Turn left on Parker Street
Arriving 927 Parker Street at Cal Rain Art & Antiques
From Oakland/San Francisco
HWY 80 to Sacramento
Exit Ashby Ave.
Turn left on 7th Street
Turn right on Parker Street
Arriving 927 Parker Street at Cal Rain Art & Antiques August 25 New York City 24 Hours 紐約市 24小時Saw this web site from My Yahoo has a 5 1/2 minutes video showing some highlights of New York, called "24 Hours in...New York City". Quite interesting.
|
|
|
