Category Archives: Food & Drink

New York Day: Dim Sum at Jing Fong, The Frick Collection, Staten Island Ferry, Di Palo’s and more cupcakes

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Sunday breakfast - Dim Sum at Jing Fong in Chinatown

Sunday breakfast – Dim Sum at Jing Fong in Chinatown

On Sunday, I had dim sum for the first time! To take advantage of Christina being off from work, we started the day with Dim Sum, followed by a visit to The Frick Collection, where on Sundays from 11 – 1PM you can pay what you wish to visit, and then a beautiful ferry ride from Battery Park to Staten Island (which passes Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and also happens to be free). When we arrived back in Battery Park, we went to Nathan’s for hotdogs and corndogs. Christina had to go back to work, but Koen and I enjoyed the view of the Statue of Liberty and the nice weather. My birthday was the following day, so we stopped by Di Palo for delicious Italian treats and wine. And of course, a birthday dinner isn’t complete without dessert, and we went for a walk to the Little Cupcake Bakeshop in Nolita for cupcakes.

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New York Day: Banh Mi, Nike, Chelsea Market, Markt, and the Guggenheim

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Koen and Christina in front of the best Vietnamese sandwich restaurant in Chinatown!

Koen and Christina in front of the best Vietnamese sandwich restaurant in Chinatown!

On Saturday, we planned our day around visiting the Guggenheim Museum. Because we were trying to save money, we visited the MOMA on Friday, because entrance is free between 4 – 8PM and the Guggenheim on Saturday between 5:45 – 7:45PM, because you are able to pay what you want. Christina was also off from work, so she took us to her favorite Banh Mi restaurant for lunch, then to a Nike exhibit she worked on in the Meatpacking District, followed by a tour of the Chelsea Market, and then to a Belgian restaurant for biertjes and frietjes.

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New York Day: Financial District, Shake Shack, Brooklyn Bridge, Molly’s Cupcakes

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Taking the Subway to Lower Manhattan, to the Financial District

Taking the Subway to Lower Manhattan, to the Financial District

Friday, Day 6, was a really fun day! Koen and I started with the Financial District, seeing Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange before having a delicious lunch at the Shake Shack. After our burgers, fries, and milkshakes, we walked off the calories along the Brooklyn Bridge enjoying the sun and clear skies. After walking to Brooklyn, we took the subway to Midtown because on Fridays from 4 to 8PM, the Moma is free! There is so much wonderful art at the Moma, and I could take photos, so there will be another post dedicated to the Museum of Modern Art. Afterwards, we headed back to Chinatown and induldged in cupcakes from Molly’s Cupcakes in Greenwich Village.

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New York Day: The Spotted Pig, Washington Square Park, Flat Iron District, Union Square

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Walking through Chinatown to Greenwich village - so NYC to me with the fire escapes

Walking through Chinatown to Greenwich village – so NYC to me with the fire escapes

Day 5 included a delicious lunch at The Spotted Pig, a picnic in Washington Square Park, and a walk through the Flat Iron District and Union Square. As you can see by the photos, we were really lucky with the warm, sunny weather!

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New York City: Bryant Park, New York Public Library, Lombardi Pizzeria, Greenwich Village

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Breakfast in Bryant Park

Breakfast in Bryant Park

This was my parents’ last day in New York. We had to part after breakfast, because they had tickets for the afternoon matches at the US Open. So we grabbed breakfast sandwiches from a street vendor to eat in Bryant Park. Afterwards we visited the New York Public Library, then met up with Christine and had lunch at the first pizzeria in America. Day 4 is also the day we transitioned from staying in Midtown with my parents to Chinatown with Christina!

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New York City Day: Central Park, Mood Fabrics, Nintendo World, Cocoron

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Breakfast of champions! Cupcakes and iced coffee..yum!

Breakfast of champions! Cupcakes and iced coffee..yum!

My parents didn’t buy tickets for the US Open on Day 3, so we rented bikes and explored Central Park – so much bigger than I thought with a lot of hills! After a quick lunch, we explored a few shops while making our way to Mood Fabrics. After buying new fabric, my parents left to get ready for Wicked while Koen and I went back to Nintendo World and then to Chinatown to have dinner with Christina.

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New York City: Ess-a-bagel, Grand Central Station, Bryant Park, Fashion Avenue/Garment District, The Highline, US Open

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Walking through Midtown, on our way to eat real New York bagels

Walking through Midtown, on our way to eat real New York bagels

Day 2 was a busy one! First bagels at Ess-a-bagel, and then exploring Grand Central Station, Bryant Park, Fashion Avenue, the Garment District, the Highline, and then the US Open – my birthday present from my parents!

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New York City: MidTown, Rockefeller Plaza, Burger Joint, Times Square, Magnolia Bakery

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Warwick Hotel on 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) in Midtown, our home for the first 4 days!

Warwick Hotel on 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) in Midtown, our home for the first 4 days!

Koen and I are back from our 14 day vacation in New York City! Day One includes seeing my parents and Christina, the 29th Annual Brazilian Day Festival, that happened to take place right next to our hotel, Rockefeller Plaza, Times Square, burgers, and cupcakes!

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Kofta b’siniyah

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Kofta b'siniyah

Kofta b’siniyah

Kofta b’siniyah is hands down one of my favorite new recipes I’ve tried this year! The flavor combinations are so new and interesting – nutmeg, cinnamon, pinenuts, chilli pepper, etc. This recipe was recommended by a colleague who has been trying out recipes from the cookbook Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. I had never had Israeli/Palestinian food before, but now I want to try more!  I will definitely make this dish again!

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Lombardia

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Lombardia

Lombardia

When my sister-in-law Barbara came to visit we had to decide where to lunch. I have a long (and growing) list of restaurants I’d like to try and Lombardia was on it! Lombardia serves organic, natural, eco-friendly food and drinks and is most known for it’s drink Ginger Love. The Wall Street Journal even listed the drink in its top 5 to-do list for Antwerp! Barbara and I enjoyed huge sandwiches loaded with vegetables and I of course ordered a Ginger Love!

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