New York City

I haven't been keeping this blog in the best of shape as of late. Things changed rather drastically come October last year. I've been coming to terms with changes happening around me and am aware that such changes will continue to happen regardless how bad I feel.

Hence, I've decided to continue blogging. It may be a little late in the year for a 2008 entry but this is my first so I'm going to make the best of it.

Earlier this month I was in New York City for an event hosted by Pixar (Yes, that Pixar. The ones who made Toy Story, Bugs Life, Monsters Inc. Etc). I pretty much enjoyed the one day I had to walk around New York City, I saw lots of different sights and sounds that I've seen so often in movies.

Typical New York City traffic

New York is a really colourful and vibrant place with lots of different kinds of people walking the streets.

I stayed at the Essex Hotel at Central Park South. I didn't get a nice view of the park as my room was facing the back alley. I did however get the opportunity to walk through Central Park on at least three occasions while I was there.

Not a great shot, but this is the outside of my hotel, The Essex House

New York has often been associated to be a crime ridden city as depicted in so many movies. I did not find it so. The city was relatively clean though I must say, I did witness a crime in progress as I walked out of my hotel lobby on the first day.

A bunch of Latinos were carrying a huge Sony LCD TV from the back of a truck, fine I thought pretty normal to see delivery guys. Then the oddest thing happen, one guy walking away from the scene said something in Spanish something like 'Vamos' and the two guys holding the TV dropped it rather hard and scrammed behind the cover of the truck and ran away.

Soon after that a doorman from the hotel ran over to the TV and said "What the F@#$? Who were those guys?". I pretty much came to the conclusion that I just witnessed my first New York crime.

New York isn't all doom and gloom though, down the street from that unfortunate mishap is the Plaza Hotel, a hotel I remember vividly in the movie Home Alone 2.

The Apple Store on 5th Avenue

I payed a visit to the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. Nothing too amazing aside from the dramatic glass stair case that seems to be a prominent fixture in most Apple Stores in the US. It is definitely a comfortable place to relax and get away from the cold.

A glass staircase. Every Apple store needs one.

I also paid a very short visit to Trump Tower. Apparently it has been there for a long time, my grandfather even mention seeing on his last trip there which was close to 20 over years ago. I guess the only reason it is so famous now is because of Donald Trump's reality TV show The Apprentice. No I didn't see any weeping contestants walk out of the building. It was much too early in the day for that.

Trump Tower stands tall