Autumn in New York

IMG_0910

Growing up, I did not like Fall.  It signaled the end of summer and the start of a new school year.  It also signaled the end of warm weather and the start of snow and frost.  Even as an adult, I was not fond of this transitional season.  With daylight savings time in effect, the days get shorter and shorter, and before you know it, it’s dark out most of the time.  It’s not until I moved to New York that I learned to embrace Fall.  If you’ve ever visited the city in the summer, you know it’s a sweltering hot mess.  The humidity and the heat make most of New England almost unbearable, but in the city, it’s an incubator for all the horrible smells that just cling to you.  In August, when the smell of urine and garbage get to their most unpleasant point, you become happy to embrace the cold brisk air that ushers in the Fall season.

Continue reading

The Day I Shopped Again

I fell off the wagon.  On June first of this year I decided to forgo shopping in an attempt to curtail my materialistic urges.  I started out with the good intention as I abstained from buying anything except the bare essentials all throughout summer.  It was especially hard on my trip to Hong Kong, but I continued to hold out and determined to not be distracted by all the shiny things I see. When I finally gave in and bought a pair of shoes last week, I was disappointed in myself.

IMG_7480

Pretty shoes

Continue reading

Cheap Flight Alert: NYC to Hong Kong

IMG_1584

Overlooking Victoria harbor from Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong

It’s that time of year again when people are looking to do their mileage run to build up their status for the following year. We did this last year by flying to Japan and South Korea on the Thanksgiving weekend. When you are doing something like this, you want to look for long flights, preferably to Asia or Africa with low airfares. Basically getting the most miles for your money. Continue reading

Day Tripping to Cold Spring

IMG_20140830_080635518_HDR

View of the Hudson River from the train

This past weekend, once again finding ourselves in the city on a long weekend with nowhere to go, we decided to venture out of the city on a day trip. We’ve seen those posters in the subway that urge you to “get out of town” and see the all the natural beauty that New York has to offer. Lacking a car, we had to find a place that’s convenient and accessible by train. After a quick search, we came upon Cold Spring, a small historical village nestled in the Lower Hudson Valley right on the bank of the Hudson River. Continue reading