The Cloisters Museum and Garden

The Cloisters, the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe, was assembled from architectural elements, both domestic and religious, that date from the twelfth through the fifteenth century. The building and its cloistered gardens—located in Fort Tryon Park in Northern Manhattan—are treasures in themselves, effectively part of the collection housed there. The Cloisters collection comprises approximately three thousand works of art from medieval Europe, dating from about the ninth to the sixteenth century.

Except from the Cloisters website http://www.metmuseum.org/cloisters/

Couldn't write it better myself :-)

I love the scenery leading up to the museum. My new friend Fanny, invited me over to her apartment for a quick breakfast before taking a leisurely walk up to the Cloisters. I'm glad that I took that walk instead of taking the bus or the subway. Look at these lovely sights! I only had the Cybershot with me :-( the colors are move vivid in real life.









Inside the museum was very nice too. There are a lot of interesting artifacts, tapestry and paintings. The museum is very serene and relaxing. It's been a pleasure wandering its corridors.











The museum also has several gardens which I absolutely love! :-)



Thanks, Fanny! :-)

Shake Shack - New York City

Shake Shake is da bomb! My first burger in NYC and Fanny took me :-) Thanks, Fanny!



When our order came, Shake Shack's patty is to die for. Not overly big, not too small, but oh so juicy!



I love their milkshakes too. Quite thick and creamy, probably because there's loads of ice cream there.

Shake Shack is L-O-V-E :-)

Big Nick's Pizza and Burger Joint

Big Nick's is a typical American Diner where burgers and fries reign supreme. Big Nicks' also offer other stuff on the menu, like mushrooms and grilled salmon. I think they have pastas too. They even have frozen yoghurt!





Fanny took hubby and me there for dinner one night. It's a popular hole in the wall diner where a lot of celebrities go to. You can tell by the autographed pictures plastered on the wall.



As with any American joint, the servings are quite big. The burgers, in my opinion are good for two people. I ended up eating the left overs over a period of two days!

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a must-stop if you are in New York. The MET, as it is often called, houses MOST of the world's greatest artifacts, pottery and paintings. It will take more than one day to fully appreciate the beauty of everything. I'm not an art conneisuer, but seeing thousands of beautiful things in one single place astounds me.



Paintings that I only see in books, I've seen up close at the MET. What surprises me the most is that the MET is not stuffy at all.
In fact, it was a pleasure roaming it's rooms and taking in the beauty of it. I saw quite a few people sitting in front of paintings and admiring them for hours. Van Gogh and Monet's painting evoke the most fans. I could stare at this painting the whole day.



Thanks Fanny for taking me :-) It was a very memorable experience.









Oh by the way, meet William. William is the MET's favorite unofficial mascot. He is made of faience, a glazed earthenware pottery from 1990 BC. William is usually placed in homes as a protective amulet or in tombs for protection for its owner in the journey to the afterlife.

Dallas BBQ - Times Square

I took hubby at Dallas BBQ on one of the nights that we went to Times Square. I saw that Dallas Barbecue was Zagat rated as the best barbecue restaurant in Times Square.

The ratings promised colossal servings. So hubby and I shared an order of Shrimp Caesar's Salad. It surely was big. Even their soda is huge.



Hubby ordered a small cup of chicken soup with vegetables which tasted like minestrone according to hubby.



We also shared an order of Baby Back Ribs with fries and cornbread. I love their sauce, it's a little sweet and a little tangy. Hubby didn't share the same sentiment though :-)



The rest of the stuff that went with the barbecue were huge, but that's it. I particularly didn't care for their cornbread.

Chocolate Fantasyland

It's so cool that Hershey's and M&Ms store are just across each other in Times Square.

The Hershey's Store has a lot of different kinds of chocolates, usually not found in a Manila. I love browsing there and looking at all the chocolates. If only they offer free tasting, he he he :-)





I couldn't resist! I bought these two because I have not seen them in Manila yet.



For the M&M's store. It is retail heaven! I love their items and their displays.





Multi-colored M&M's! All colors of the rainbow, and more! I was seriously tempted to buy a lot of the pink ones!

Me and Blue, we're buds :-)

Applebee's

I was walking around Times Square, looking for that iconic McDonald's store. As I was happily getting lost, I saw Applebee's, it was still quite early but I decided to have lunch anyway. To avoid the lines, if any. That's what I noticed here in NYC, most restaurants have lines during lunch and dinner time.

Applebee's is also an American icon in its own right. The food is slightly pricier than McDonald's but I'm always up for new American culinary adventures.



I ordered Steaks and Portobellos, flame grilled sirloin steak topped with sliced portobello mushrooms and a savory brown sauce, paired with steamed potatoes and broccoli. The good thing is, the whole shebang is only 399 calories!



The steak was so tender, despite it being medium well, and the brown sauce was good too.

I don't love Applebee's but I like it enough to eat there again someday.