Our last whole day of our New York escapade was spent with more walking and sightseeing. Our first agenda was to find the original Halal Guys. Since I don't eat lamb, I opted for the Chicken. I can say it is definitely way better than the first one I tried in Times Square. After our Halal lunch, we walked around Rockefeller then spent a little time to rest in Central Park. We then hopped to Grand Central Station and finally did a little shopping around Bryant Park. Quite tiring but fun indeed. Thanks New York!
Another travel opportunity for my little family came knocking and this time the destination was New York. I'm really glad that I finally got the chance to visit the big apple, now I can scratch it off of my list of places that I would like to go.
Of course, our itinerary consisted of visits to the famous tourist spots in NYC. With a baby in tow, I highly suggest skipping subways and just opt for a taxi or Uber. Yes, it definitely cost more but it's a whole lot easier, with all the bags and stroller, to roam around New York. With the Fall weather being so perfect during our stay, I can say I really enjoyed walking around and sightseeing with my family.
What to do on your first day when visiting New York? I say, visit the Statue of Liberty. Although, it takes a while to finally get into the Island, (Long lines, super tight airport-like security, and Ferry Ride) it was definitely worth it. Then, we stopped at Battery park to watch some street performers then headed on to see the infamous charging bull. Our second to the last stop was a visit to the World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. In all honesty, I felt emotional upon entering especially when I heard a voicemail (better to hear it yourself, I promise you that!) I say it is a MUST to go here when you're in NYC. After walking away with a heavy heart from the museum, we went to Times Square to do some walking around and a little shopping for our last stop for the day.
It's been quite a while since my last post, it's just the past weeks have been really hectic. Say, New york visit last week (which I will post soon) and then this week I have to tend to my sick baby, good thing she's doing fine now. Anyway, to make up for lost time let me share one special post, my Leia's first birthday Photo shoot.
With very busy itinerary in the Philippines, I made sure to squeeze in a photo shoot for my baby. Since her theme was Pink Spring, I decided to transform Leia into a very cute Pink fairy baby. Here are few of my favorite photos out of tons of frames.
When we found out that I was pregnant, I made sure to have maternity photos taken. I was about 29 weeks when we had the shoot. I thought it was the perfect time because at least I still haven't gained so much weight and my face and feet weren't swollen yet from water retention.
For inspiration, I looked at maternity photo ideas on Pinterest (my main go to site). As expected, there were tons of cute ideas so I had to go through all of them and picked my favorites. We didn't hire professional photographer, instead, we asked for my ever reliable brother-in-law, Kuya Radnee, to take our photos.
Here are some of my favorite shots from the shoot.
It's that time of the year again! Our third big event attendance. Ran, my husband is a total gear-head. He is a Subaru enthusiast and believe me when I say he knows just about everything about a car (which compensates for my lack of knowledge about them). I am to Fashion and Travel as he is to Cars and Sports. It's almost too cute whenever he gives me these little quizzes about car parts and I answer him correctly, his face lights up and he looks so proud of me like I am his favorite student. Anyway, back to the event, we started attending three years ago. Since then, the first or second saturday of October every year is blocked off for the event.
Bicol is one of my favorite places ever! It was where my mom grew up and she made sure to make it a part of our lives by bringing us there every year on school vacations. It has been twelve years since the last time I've visited and I was so excited that I was able to go back to visit my grandparents. Also, I am ecstatic that my daughter, Leia, was able to finally meet her great grandparents. Seeing this place again brought back so many wonderful childhood memories. It definitely has a special place in my heart.
The plan for Day 4, which is basically our last day to enjoy Osaka (our flight on day 5 was at noon so we really didn't have time to do anything except get ready and go to the airport) was to go to Osaka Castle and do some last minute shopping. It was really nice to know about the history behind the castle. Inside was an actual museum for tourists to better understand its significance. We went straight to Dotonbori to finish up our shopping list after.
All in all, I had so much fun and was very appreciative that I got to experience different culture besides my own. This is one part of travelling that I love, it allows you to know the world outside the one that you live in.
Day 3: We started our day a bit early because our destination was a little far from the apartment, KOBE. They say it is known for its signature marbled beef and that's exactly why we came there for. It was lunch time when we arrived and we settled at this little place called NEIRO. Since I am not really a big fan of Steak, I opted out of the ¥8,000 per 100 grams Kobe Beef. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get it the next time I visit.
I was going through tons of albums in my Laptop and I thought that it would be a waste if I don't get to share them. Now that I started blogging again after a two year hiatus, I thought it would be nice to do throwback blog so I can still share my old adventures. Everything before Leia was born will be posted in the throwback section. First up, our family visit to Dallas.
Second stop of our month long vacation, OSAKA! It was my first time in Japan and I am glad I got to experience it with my family. The very first thing I was excited about this trip is the FOOD, particularly RAMEN and Japan didn't disappoint! I was also hoping that I'd get to experience being surrounded by beautiful blooming cherry blossom trees but we came at the wrong time of the year. Well at least I still have a reason to visit next time.
I guess I have to split this post in two because I don't want to give you Photo Diarrhea! Yep, 5 days equals tons of photos. Maybe we can start on Day 1 & 2.
I can't think of a better FIRST post on this blog but our first family travel EVER. Last June, Ran (the hubby) and I, together with our beautiful baby LEIA decided to go back to Philippines for the Baby to finally meet all our relatives. Also, we decided to celebrate her 1st birthday there but we'll share that one on another post. Let's start with Boracay, our first destination.
