Exploring The West Village On Foot

The best way to know a city is to travel by foot. Yesterday, I strolled through Chelsea, one of my favorite neighborhoods in Manhattan. 

The area was void of the usual Manhattan buzz. No blaring sirens and impatient honks, no random yelling, no crowds. It was so peaceful that I could actually hear the birds singing above me. Such a perfect Sunday morning. 

When brunch time rolled around, I met up with Jacqui and Erika at Tipsy Parson for one of the best brunches of my life. Jacqui had visited this restaurant a few months ago, and she kept talking about how awesome it was. And she was right, it was a great experience. Everything, from the quirky interior to the polite waitress to the delicious meal, was worth the try.

Fluffy Belgian waffle, lemon-cornmeal pancakes and a buttermilk biscuit... dee-licious! I sat down last night and blogged about my brunch, so feel free to read the review on my food blog :)

Erika

Jacqui and me

After a hearty meal, we walked a few blocks to the High Line (another one of my favorite spots in Manhattan). 

He sculpts fresh ice into popsicles and icees

Then we left the High Line and walked along Horatio St (still in the West Village) to look for Jacqui's favorite vintage boutique, Darling. After nearly 30 minutes of searching, checking Google Maps and pacing back and forth, we found it! 

I haven't visited a lot of vintage stores, but I like the non-mainstream sophistication that they emanate. Unfortunately, these clothes were pretty pricey even after a markdown. Most of them were previously owned, which summarizes the concept of vintage stores. One person's trash is another's treasure. 

Walked some more and passed Two Boots, the pizza parlor featured in one of the episodes of Sex and the City. 

Our next and last stop was Magnolia Bakery, an adorable cafe located on Bleecker & West 11th Street. I was so happy to see that the famous banana puddings were now available in mini cups, instead of the original big pints. Now I didn't feel so guilty.

Upon entering, we were greeted by the sweet aroma of cakes and and my heart literally melted at the sight of these freshly-baked cupcakes resting by the window. 

Situated across the street from Magnolia Bakery was Bookmarc, Marc Jacobs's bookstore. 

We bought banana pudding and ate at a park nearby, while being entertained by a jovial pianist with a strikingly good voice. 

Graced with a vintage appeal, the West Village is one of my favorite areas in New York. It was a joy exploring more of the neighborhood and discovering classic gems like Magnolia Bakery, Darling and Tipsy Parson with Erika and Jacqui! 

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

You call me out upon the waters

The great unknown, where feet may fail

And there I find You in the mystery

In oceans deep

My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours, and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed, and You won't start now

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

-Hillsong-

Relax, Take It Easy

I'm not a big Mika fan but that song is stuck in my head. It rained all day so I stayed in and edited photos from yesterday's photoshoot.

We found a row of abandoned chairs lined against a spray-painted wall and decided it'd be cool to shoot there. While photographing, an old Chinese woman came over and started asking a bunch of questions in Cantonese. Neither Stephen or Melwin could understand her, so I tried conversing with her for a little while despite my terrible Cantonese. I thought she owned the place, so I asked for her permission to photograph in that area. She didn't seem to understand me (and I didn't seem to really understand her either) because after several minutes of talking, I gathered that: 1) she didn't own the place, she was just a curious passer-by and 2) she thought I was asking to photograph her.

Okay, so Cantonese isn't my strongest language. Lol.

Minutes after she left, a random dude popped up and asked if he could join us for some photos. Talk about a very happening photoshoot! Definitely a photoshoot to remember.

For dinner, we dined at A Casa Fox. It was my first time sampling Latin American food, and I fell in love. The tapas were delicious. I'll have to write about this in my food blog... which needs serious updating. It's not dead, people. It's coming back to life in a few days. I promise.

Anyway, ever since Melwin and Stephen told me about The Doughnut Plant, I'd been obsessed. The donuts aren't ordinary donuts. They come in a variety of crazy flavors: creme brulee, vanilla bean, peanut butter & jelly, oatmeal, pistachio, you name it. The closest shop was closing at 8, and we left A Casa Fox at 7.36PM. I remember this because I glanced at the clock as we were racing out of the restaurant to get to the shop. We literally ran there and arrived just 6 minutes before it closed, and then sat outside and shared the donuts.

It was a nice end to my weekend. :)

DC Day 1.5: Dandelions and The Mall

(continuation from the last DC post)

After the Botanical Gardens, Christina and I took a cab to Chinatown for an early dinner. It was called Chinatown but the area looked nothing like it. When I hear Chinatown, I think of little shops packed together on narrow streets. You know, like New York's and San Francisco's Chinatowns.

DC's Chinatown was small and situated in a clean part of the city, where the buildings looked brand new. No massive throngs of people causing traffic on the sidewalk. No smell of fish. No elderly Chinese men standing outside their shops hollering at passers-by to check out their products. If Christina hadn't said this was Chinatown, I would've assumed it was just another ordinary slice of the city. We had dinner at Teaism, a corner restaurant specialized in teas. (I didn't try the tea. I got mango juice instead)

I ordered the Thai Curry Chicken, which turned out a little too sour for my liking. Was it day old's curry? Christina sampled it and the look on her face was enough to tell me she didn't like it either. Food that looks and smells good doesn't necessarily taste good. 

We took some photos after dinner. It was a couple hours before sunset, which was perfect for photos because the sun cast a rich golden glow.

 Caption this.

The rest of our evening was spent at the National Mall. I hadn't looked up DC attractions, so I was pretty much clueless about the places Christina had planned for us to visit. She suggested the National Mall and I was like, "Cool. So we're gonna shop?"

And she just cracked up so hard and said, "No no, it's not a mall. It's just where the iconic monumental stuff are. Like the Lincoln Memorial, the White House and the Kennedy Center."

Oh! Yeah, I knew that. I totally wasn't thinking of a massive, extravagant shopping complex. No, definitely not.

But what a misleading name.

No biggie, just leaning against the Washington Monument like a boss. :)

We were obsessed with dandelions. We'd see these cute little dandelions sitting among lush green grass, their furry white heads a perfect sphere, and we'd pluck them and try to blow at them until the cottony substance drifted with the wind.

I liked to think that dandelions resembled little candles. Each time I picked one up, I'd make a wish and exhale, then watch the breeze sweep my wish into the air. 

I was rather successful with my dandelions. Christina, on the other hand, didn't have a lot of luck with them. For the most part, I'd give her the perfect ones and she'd huff and puff at the dandelions but the white stuff wouldn't leave the stems. It was hilarious, like watching someone try to blow out a fake candle.

She finally succeeded, and that look on her face? That's relief. Minutes of labored huffing and puffing finally paid off.

The sun began to set, and the sky erupted into a blaze of vibrant hues. God's work never fails to amaze me.

The rest of the evening moved by quickly. It was getting dark and the temperature dropped about 20' in a few hours. We made quick stops at the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.

 World War II Memorial

 The Lincoln Memorial

Several helicopters hovered above the city throughout the night. A black limousine pulled up at the traffic light while I crossed the road. Later on, I learned that a slew of celebrities and VIPs were in town for the White House Correspondents Dinner. 

The Washington Monument from a distance.

DC is a city richly rooted in history. No doubt, all politics are contained in this capital.