"Invest in freehold land!" or "Invest in a house!". We've all heard this from our parents when we received our first paycheck as a working adult. Land is the only thing that never changes. It will forever hold its form and it's value will only increase over time. Land is the only thing worth living for, and worth dying for. Land is something we should never take for granted, just like the rising and the setting of the sun. Just like the constant pi. Just like gravity, at 9.8m/s^2. Land is immutable... Or so, we thought.
But with the recent melting of glaciers and the polar ice caps, the ocean level is rising. It is gnawing away the edges of our coasts, and sooner or later, acres upon acres will be chewed away and forever lost to the sea. Land is not as permanent as it was once thought to be.
When the Dutch West Indies Company began to arrive here, they named Manhattan New Amsterdam and began to transform the area into a powerful port. The new found land was a sure bet for the Amsterdammers, since their own city back home was below sea level. Then the British and French followed. Manhattan was transformed into the metropolis as we see today. But this did not come without a price. The indigenous people like the Mohicans were pushed out, that is only if one survived the diseases that the foreigners had brought with them.
On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy squarely struck New York City, creating catastrophic flooding in its streets and into the subway system. All 5 boroughs were affected. The NY Stock Exchange closed for 2 days. Many homes were destroyed by flood and fires. 43 people died. Thousands of homes and 250,000 vehicles were destroyed. The financial cost to New York state was estimated at around $32.8 billion.
In 2023, a NASA-led study concluded that New York City is sinking at varying rates due to human and natural factors. The collective weight of the high rise buildings (a total of 1,084,954) is exerting a weight of 7.64 X 10^11 kg distributed over a 778.2 km^2 area. In short, "the ground is going down, and the water level is coming up. At some point, those two levels will meet." Land, the only thing that was once deemed as constant and unchanging - the only thing that lasts - is for the first time shown to be demonstrably false.
Day 1 - Kailua-Kona to Honolulu to JFK
The last visit to NYC was in October 2022 and we had an enjoyable but tiring time. At the end of the trip we just weren't sure if we truly would fuhgeddaboudit, or be enticed to return. I guess two years later here we are raring for another visit of the Big Apple!
We flew business class with Hawaiian Airlines, which is now owned by Alaska Air. The 9.5-hour long flight had two meals catered by renown chefs based in Honolulu.
Dinner was quite an interesting concoction- chicken braised in lemon grass and coconut broth over a bed of Israeli couscous which is also known as Ben Gurion rice. The breakfast meal was also quite interesting - a quiche-like frittata made with Portuguese sausage, Velveeta cheese, tomato and spinach.
As the sun began to rise over New York, our flight approach took us south and then north over Long Island. Here we caught the sun drenched views of the many beachside homes on our way to Jamaica Bay.
By the time we touched down at JFK, the sun had risen, giving the entire city a golden glow.
After picking up our rental, we headed for our vacation home in Bayonne, which is situated overlooking Newark Bay and port. We like Bayonne. It's close enough to NYC, yet far enough to make the home base large by New York standards and not as hectic. After checking in we freshened up and headed back out to get our first course of Malaysian food. Of course it had to be Hainan Chicken Rice; and guess what... we found a place that's called Hainan Chicken House on 8th Avenue in Brooklyn's Chinatown! The food was authentic with the rice being very flavorful. The only improvement would be to make the chicken boneless - but that would make it less authentic.
After having our fill, we drove though the regular streets of Brooklyn, north to Bed-Stuy to visit a cultural icon that has been thriving on the side of a street hydrant. It is none other than the Bed-Stuy Aquarium. This is an interesting accidental street art cum pet tank.
Born from a leaking hydrant a pack of gold fish now thrive in its dripping water pond. It is now unbelievably famous online with many Tik Tokers, Instagramers, and YouTubers visiting the site. It even has its own webpage (https://www.bedstuyaquarium.com/). When we stopped to visit, there were a few folks sitting by the site who then made way for us to take a few photographs.
There certainly are some parts of Brooklyn that is very traditionally picturesque; with its brownstones and tree lined streets. This is the New York of old, and sometimes you can stumble upon it, despite the high rise glitz and curtain glass walls.
From here we drove up and into the Bronx. It's one of the boroughs that we visited the least. Back in the 80's this was largely drug turf and we never visited because of that. Today, its cleaned up quite nicely, with many sections of Harlem now thriving and the area around the Yankee's Stadium now housing some scenic walkways, tennis parks and the future home of the Hip Hop Museum.
We roamed around Manhattan for the rest of the late afternoon and stopped at Urban Hawker for some Penang Prawn Mee and Char Quay Teow. The traffic was horrendous! And we met many honk happy drivers. Finally, we made our way down to the Brooklyn Bridge. After making a few rounds around the start of the concourse on the Manhattan side, we found a parking spot. From here we made the walk up and across the bridge.
It was perfectly clear skies and bright lights. There is no doubt why the bridge is a great draw for tourists and locals alike. It has a certain presence...
Then just as we thought it was already magnificent, the Northern Lights showed up! This certainly made our first night back memorable!
See our video of our "Walk along the Brooklyn Bridge".
Day 2 - Driving to Catskillls Mountains
We slept in until close to noon time due to major jet lag and because we were on vacation!
Our main plan for the day was to catch the autumn colors up north around the Catskills. We had doubts that we would see any fall colors as the foliage around town is still green. On the way, we stopped at a very quaint Vietnamese restaurant (or should I say house turned into a restaurant) in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Yes, the owners converted a stand alone house into a food establishment. Quite unique I have to say.
The Bun Bo Hue and Bun Ca Gio were quite tasty and very authentic. In the course of about 40 minutes we had a police officer pick up his lunch, tourists from Korea and Connecticut, and local folks alike as guests to this establishment. It would seem that they are pretty popular or are the only Asian fare in town! This was truly a family run business as they had their own unique homemade chili sauce and pictures of their kid's football achievements.
As Halloween is drawing near, we are starting to see quite a few home and garden shops selling Halloween decors and pumpkins. The festive mood is definitely here. This particular one was interesting as it was fully decked out with fall and Halloween themes. It even came with a petting zoo! I think the Ewe was a little pensive about me...
Just before the Catskills, we stopped by the Saurgerties Lighthouse, built next to Hudson River back in the 19th century. Its a nice short walk along the banks to the lighthouse. At high tide some portions of the boardwalk may become flooded! That would certainly be interesting as you can rent a room or two at the lighthouse since it also operates as a Bed & Breakfast!
Curiously, there was art along the trail today. Apparently made of dissolving clay - so it is at least nature friendly. It was kinda' fun to see if we could find all the art pieces... though some were pretty creepy(!)
We then continued our drive along the country roads up and into the Catskills. It is simply breathtaking. If one would to take the shorter route via the state highway, you will miss out on all the beauty and quaint homes dotting the countryside. Previously, in our last trip to the Catskills, we did a hike to the Fire Watch Tower on Overlook Mountain. This time, we drove to the heart of the Catskills to admire the fall foliage.
Then out of no where we saw this incredibly huge skate board... Of course I had to take it for a spin up the barn roof!
You just never know what you'd find along the road. We actually saw a life size dinosaur with two people fishing below it too. Just couldn't get that shot(!) Within the Catskills, there are numerous hiking trails and holiday cottages nestled around the mountain - each beckoning visitors to spend the night to enjoy the pristine cool air and colorful scenic hills and valleys; not forgetting the many lakes and creeks deep in within the park.
We ended our drive at the Slide Mountain Trail Head. Here the trees were bright yellow and some already bare. The air was a crisp 50 degrees F, but still and clear. We've got to come back to hike...
As the sun set and twilight stretched on, we headed back to NYC. Along the way we had to stop at this curious shop called Fabulous Furniture. The owner has a really cool car...
But it is the art on the lawn that really captured our eye!
It certainly was a full day today. From the scenic drive with quaint buildings and views to the odd ball dinosaur, skate board, and UFOs! We had to end our day with a good Malaysian meal. So we stopped at the Mamak House for a scrumptious meal. We will definitely sleep well tonight!
Day 3 - We finally Made It to Montauk Point!
Our day began with trying out a new Malaysian/Singaporean/Thai restaurant that just opened not too long ago at Park Slope, Brooklyn. Park Slope is quite a trendy place, and this restaurant sits along 5th Avenue. I read somewhere that Hollywood celebs like Steve Buscemi & John Turturro lives nearby. Unfortunately, we didn't bump into them this time around! Curry Mee's menu is quite extensive. Since this is our first time here, we ordered the usual stuff that we like - Roti Canai, Prawn Noodle Soup and Fried Chicken Wings.
After wolfing down our meal, we headed for Montauk Point. The last time we tried going there, we ended up half way due to lack of daylight. The traffic today was quite heavy as well, with many out and about since it's Yom Kippur weekend and Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday. It took us about 3 hours to drive the ninety odd miles; most of which were at 30 miles per hour through the Hamptons small towns at the end. The town of Montauk was quite busy with an afternoon fair or market occupying the main round-bout in the middle of town. The parking lot at the Lighthouse was packed with cars and people.
We briefly stopped to capture at least a shot of the light house and decided to drive to a quieter side of town. This took us to Fort Point Bay and the Culloden Point Preserve. Here there were large stately homes up on the bluff overlooking the bay. We drove to a beach access and took a stroll on the beach. This was also the spot where the slave schooner Amistad first landed here in 1839. 53 people were captured from Sierra Leone to be brought to Cuba on this ship as workers for a sugar plantation. They managed to overpower their captives, and finally ended up in Montauk instead of home.
The air was quite chilly, and we could see as far out across Block Island Sound.
As the sun was setting, we were keeping our fingers crossed to catch a glimpse of the elusive Comet Atlas. No such luck for us tonight. We just had to settle for the beautiful sun setting.
Before we left Montauk, we had to try the famous Montauk's lobster roll. This has got to be the most expensive roll we've ever had - $50.00 for one lobster roll and french fries!
While driving out of East Hamptons, we noticed one of their iconic windmills was dressed in lights. So we had to stop to take a picture. It is now a museum and it accepts visitors during the day. The sight was welcoming as we started our long drive back to NYC.
Day 4 - Walking Around Financial District Of Manhattan
We continue our third day with more Malaysian food. Our quest took us into the heart of Brooklyn to a neighborhood called Homecrest. There we visited a restaurant called Makan House. "Makan" meaning to eat - so I guess it would translate to "Eating House"! It is also a fairly new business celebrating its Grand Opening. As a result, they provided several extras to try. This is primarily a Chinese Malaysian restaurant. We tried their Char Kuay Teow (KL style), the Roti Canai (with chicken curry), the Lobak (a deep fried Chinese pork sausage), Acar (cucumber pickle) and for desert - a cool green bean and barley soup. We also tried their Malaysian Teh Tarik (pulled milk tea). In all, the food was pretty good with fair portions.
After our hefty meal we decided to head into Manhattan to walk off the extra calories. We were thinking that the Financial District shouldn't be too busy as many who work there had the day off. However, to the contrary, it was full of tourists! Of course most of them were at the World Trade Center's 9/11 Memorial. I still remember sitting below the towering towers feeling a little dizzy from looking up. These are now gone with only their remaining bases turned into reflecting pools. A sad day it was...
Our walk took us from West and Murray Streets south to the World Trade Center and then east to the Piers. Then back south along the water way to Battery Park. We completed the loop heading back up north past the Bull and retraced our steps back to where we started.
It was a good walk with many sights and sounds. A total of just under 4 miles. See our video here. Along the way there were art pieces and murals, making the spaces they occupied into amazing places to relax and have fun.
To escape from the crowds we walked through St. Paul's Church. This is a quiet respite away from the hustle and bustle of the streets. Of course the tenants are all but gone; except for the remaining head stone markers that remain. Its amazing how a little green and solitude can rejuvenate the soul.
It is very different driving the streets versus walking the streets. One gets the opportunity to see more just because one is travelling slower. Here are a few things that caught the eye...
After the walk we went looking for some Malaysian delights from a quaint store called Kuih Cafe in the northern part of Chinatown. Here we got to try the Bien Chien Kuih and a variety of cakes (e.g., Kuih Talam, Kuih Binka). It was absolutely yummy!
Finally, to cap off the day, we drove through Chinatown to look for the Instagram/YouTube famous chicken restaurant called Gai Kitchen. The street in front of the restaurant was full of people - all looking for food to eat. So much for a quiet Sunday evening stroll!
The chicken rice from Gai Kitchen was OK. A bit overrated. The Hainan Chicken Rice from the Hainan Chicken House was much more authentic. Regardless it was a good dinner and a good way to bring the day to a close.
Day 5 - The High Line
The weather today was still sunny but the winds had certainly picked up. Outside our window we can see white caps across Newark Bay and we can hear the wind beating against the windows. So we were definitely in for a windy walking day. This time we wanted to skip lunch and go straight for a walk along the High Line. Being that it was Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day we expected that it shouldn't be too difficult to find parking and that it should not be too busy with the locals... But man... we were wrong!
We found a parking garage after trying several spots along the roads. Apparently this holiday is not considered a major holiday so a lot of the street parking restrictions were still in effect. Plus being a holiday, many street parking lots were filled. So the garage it was; leaving our pockets $30 lighter. It was strategically placed right at the north end of the High Line next to Hudson Yards.
There were a lot of tourists on the High Line and at the narrow spots it was a traffic jam! So this is why the locals don't use the High Line as it is too congested with tourists. If you can see past the crowds, the line is a very interesting walkway. It has a lot of weed flowers and grasses, along with several small trees.
With the winds blowing, we could see a few trees starting to lean and up-root. Hopefully none will fall over! Here is the video of our walk along the line and returning up West St piers. There were many things to see along the High Line. Besides the art pieces, the surrounding buildings itself lend artistry to the surroundings.
Then there are also the many art pieces along the walk way. Several framing the view or providing the avenue to see the streets of Manhattan from a different vantage point.
The High Line starts/ends at the south entrance next to the Whitney Museum. There is a high platform at the top of the museum, but we declined the visit with so many tourists already in line. From here we crossed the street to walk along the piers. In looking back at the Whitney we could see One World Trace Center along its skyline.
It is here along the piers that urbanization takes on new meaning. The many piers have now been repurposed to be soccer fields, parks, or market eateries. Literally the new is built on the old; and we can even see the old foundations still sticking out of the water!
It makes for an interesting walk along the Hudson River. It is also here along West Street that we see some amazing looking buildings as well. No wonder why this area has become much desired.
As we made our final return to where we started, we also caught a number of eye catching murals gracing the old blank walls of the older buildings yet to be demolished to make room for yet another glitzy glass building.
After our walk we had to look for more Malaysian food in the area. There are several Malaysian Restaurants, but several close between 3-5pm. So we found one that was open then and it certainly did not disappoint. This Malaysian owned restaurant is called Rasa, and it is located in the Village.
We tried their Penang Hokkien Mee noodle soup and the Nasi Kerabu with Fried Chicken. This was paired with Malaysian Teh Tarik. The food was very authentic and tasty! The restaurant was not big but well appointed and comfortable. It was so good, that we ordered more to go! Yet another great way to end the day.
Day 6 - Hiking To Bull Hill, Hudson Highlands State Park, Cold Spring
We woke up today to frost warnings for the highlands. The temperature was hovering around 45 F, and we weren't sure if it was a good idea to go for a hike in the Hudson valley side. There was also a Fire Hazard warning due to how dry it was with humidity in the low 30% and winds still gusting to 25 mph in some areas. Regardless, it was sunny out and the winds had died down at least for where we were and where we were going. It was also a chance to get out of the crazy city...
Before heading north we went to first fuel up at Thanh Huong with our customary Bun Bo Hue and Pho Bo. It was nice to get some soup down in this chilly weather. Its the simple things that count. Like how fresh the taugeh / bean sprouts are. It was a good start for the day.
The drive up to the Washburn Trailhead took us through the Garden State Parkway and pass Bear Mountain. It was beautiful, with the trees along the parkway. Not quite to its full fall colors but very pleasing to the eyes regardless.
Once at the trailhead, there were many available parking spots which was a good sign that they trail wasn't too busy. The start is a trail that is wide enough for vehicles to traverse at least up to the old quarry. Here some of the colors were already in full show.
This time around we were resolute in achieving our objective - that being to reach Bull Hill and to capture some great pictures at the top. The weather was just perfect. Not windy and with sunshine coming through the trees. The trail was dry and rocky, but nothing too difficult.
Bull Hill is not too steep, but the grade is continuous until you reach the top. Then it flattens out to another lookout. The views at the top were stunning, as we could see NYC in the far distance, the Mount Beacon Fire Tower, the Hudson River, West Point, Cold Spring and the surrounding hills.
In all there were three major spots for expansive views. The true top of Bull Hill allows for a skyline peak at NYC, while the other two allows for great views of the rolling hills and surrounding areas. In all, it was a good ~4 mile hike in and back out with about 1400 feet elevation in ~2 hours. Looks like we have to come back at the end of the week as the colors have not fully turned as yet! Here is a video of our hike.
Having worked up an appetite, we then went looking for more Malaysian food. This time on our way back we found a place called Lemak Malaysia in Scarsdale (about 30 minutes north of NYC). This was a quaint store with Chef Bala at the helm.
Unfortunately, the chef was not in, but the crew were very friendly and had learnt quite a bit about Malaysian food. We did a take out of their Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang, Roti Canai with Chicken Curry, and Curry Puffs. They provided a complimentary Bubur Cha Cha, and we also tried their Teh Tarik and Ice Longan drinks.
In all the food was delicious! Unfortunately, the roti was of the frozen kind but the curry was good. The beef rendang was also tender and tasty. Another good day ended with a great meal!
Day 7 - Checking Out New Places
We started out late today and therefore, headed out to Homecrest in Brooklyn for more Vietnamese food at a place called U Restaurant & Bar on Avenue U. The food was well presented and was pretty good. We tried their Bun Bo Hue and Bun Ca Gio. This was accompanied with Vietnamese Ice Coffee and a Lemonade Soda.
Having fueled up for the day, we then drove up to Astoria using the back roads. Here we came upon a small sculpture park called Socrates. It was more like a dog park! Along its side was a small beach with an entry point for kayaks; though the ducks and geese had taken over the area.
From here we back tracked to Long Island City and stopped a Hunter's Point. This area was recently gentrified and now boasts the latest developments in Queens. It has a nice long water's edge greenway where residents can enjoy a walk with great views of midtown Manhattan.
It is also here that you can sit back and watch the luxury helicopters land and take off from the Blade Helipads across the water on the Manhattan side. There were several Sikorsky helicopters; all of which kicked up a storm as they take off and land over the water!
Since today was a foody day, we then looked for our next Malaysian Restaurant but this time in Queens. We decided to try a place called Pulau Pinang in as it had the Malaysian Kun Loh Char Siew Wonton Mein! It certainly did not disappoint. This was truly authentic! We have to come back here again.
Now one of the interesting thing about driving around the back streets is that we get to see all kinds of things that you don't normally get to see. We drove through the best neighborhood in Brooklyn called Prospect Heights. The streets here were lined with nice brownstones and trees.
We also caught sight of a cool decked up Jeep, a super moon rising over the buildings, and some interesting buildings.
We also learnt that Roosevelt Avenue is a crazy street to drive on - with the loud over head trains, the busy side streets with goods spilling into the road, and the crazy honk happy drivers! Apparently there is a clean up underway to get rid of the drugs, illegal good sales, and prostitution in the area. This took us on to Flushing, where the amount of people on the road and walking alongside the road literally doubled. There are also these huge potholes that at times you don't get to see until you are literally in them!
Flushing was very busy and we could see many folks of Chinese decent in the area. There were many eateries and bubble tea shops too. If you are ever in the area, one should visit a Chinese market. They have everything, short of live chickens!
As the sun was setting we decided to see if we could catch sight of comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas. So we drove north and to the water's edge at College Point's McNeil Park. This is also a great place to do some plane spotting as they take off from LaGuardia Airport. So we are not 100% sure but it looks like these two shots may have caught the comet... what do you think?
Regardless, we caught a great sunset with a beautiful Manhattan skyline. Although it was super cold, we toughed it out so that we can see the Manhattan buildings light up against the twilight sky. And then it was done and it was time for us to make our way back.
Day 8 - Chasing Fall Colors
Today we decided to see if we could find more fall colors north of NYC. When we were at the Lemak Malaysia restaurant, the servers there recommended taking the scenic drive along Route 7 from Norwalk to Danbury in Connecticut. So we decided to drive up to the area to see if the recent frost warning days have managed to turn the green to red and yellow. As we headed out through Manhattan to Queens, we drove through the Lower East Side Manhattan. Here we had to stop to see the iconic Beastie Boys on Rivington Street.
We then made our way back to the Pulau Pinang restaurant in Elmhurst Queens for more Kun Loh Wonton Mein! This time we also tried their Char Kuey Teow and it was pretty spot on.
Having fueled up, we were now ready to chase some fall colors. The drive up and out of NYC was pretty busy; but that is to be expected. It was nice once we reach Stamford and headed into Norwalk. The roads became the more scenic two way lanes with trees hugging the road, and the houses were very spaced out amongst the greenery. Indeed the colors of fall have turned in Connecticut!
All along Route 7 were large mansions, churches and quaint shops. This is truly what New England is all about.
With this kind of color we had to find a park to stop at; and even better yet if it had a lake... So off Route 7 we found a place called Topstone Park. There was hardly anyone at the lake as the air was chilly with a breeze blowing through. So we stopped to walk around the lake called Steichens Ponds. It was just perfectly beautiful.
Having had our fill of the fall colors, we started to make our way back to NYC. We drove through North and South Salem - not to be confused with Salem, Massachusetts which is famous for its terrifying history called the Witch Trials. This town was pretty normal as we stopped for a Starbucks fill up. We then made our way to the Lyndhurst Mansion but it was closed due to a private function. So we had to settle for the sunset and twilight view at Irvington's waterfront.
There was even a Malaysian/Thai Restaurant here called Sambal. From here we could see Manhattan's skyline in the distance along with the colorful Governor Mario M. Coumo Bridge. Once the sun set, we then made our way back to New Jersey traversing along the waterfronts of Hoboken and Jersey City. This area is also very gentrified with now expensive waterfront homes lining the shoreline. Each of these have a fantastic views of the Manhattan skyline.
We were so full today that we just simply did a Burger King drive through for dinner to end the day. Reflecting on the day, it was nice to see the fall colors in full force today.
Day 9 - Walking Central Park
With all the good food we had been having everyday, we had to do some serious walking today! But our vacation was coming to an end soon and we then won't have access to Malaysian food... So we had to try another Malaysian Restaurant called Nyonya off Grand Street in SOHO.
We tried something different this time, as we ordered a fried curry fish with ocra, the sambal long beans with shrimp and the roti tissue with chicken curry. In the aftermath of our meal, all that was left was the bones!
With our bellies full, we then proceeded north to central park. Along the way it was busy as usual with the crazy happy and not so happy honkers. We drove up Park Avenue and went by several interesting art pieces sponsored by the Patrons of Park Avenue. There were also the many yellow cabs; a true signature of NYC.
We arrived at the lower west side of the park and found a spot to park. It was to be a fast walk through the park covering as much as we could in just 1.5 hours since that was the time allotted by our street side parking meter for our spot just off Broadway and Columbus Circle! We managed at least half the park, as shown below.
The park itself was not as busy, but busy enough in some spots. Our walk took us through Sheeps Meadow, Strawberry Fields, the Lake, Belvedere Castle overlooking Turtle Pond and the Great Lawn (which was being rehabilitated), then past the Temple of Dandur and on to the Metropolitan Museum. We then returned via the Conservatory Water, Summer Stage and Skate Circle - which led us back to Sheeps Meadow. The weather was warm and the wind light. A perfect day in the park.
Having completed our walk we then drove out of Manhattan to Brooklyn. We drove around a bit in Dyker Heights but there just weren't that many houses decorated for Halloween other than the usual suspects. We then made our way down to Coney Island to see the sunset along the Riegelmann Boardwalk. Still no sign of the comet! But nice views of Luna Park in the distance.
Of course we had to end the day with more Malaysian Food! Since we were already in Brooklyn, we decided to go back to Makan House on Avenue U in Homecrest. We ordered Roti Canai with chicken curry, Kajang Satay, and Prawn Mee. Yum!
Day 10 - A Scenic Driving Tour Around Buck County, Pennsylvania
On our last full day in NY and we decided to drive southwest to Buck County just outside of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania(!) I think we were a bit weary of the tight spaces, gritty streets and crowds. So much so that we wanted to be in the country to admire the fall colors and to view first hand the historical covered bridges of Buck County. Apparently, Pennsylvania has the most number of historically preserved covered bridges in the USA. The bridges were built to join communities and they were made covered so as to preserve the wooden structures. These were also called "kissing bridges" because boys would steal a kiss under the covers of the bridge. Today there are several non-profit organizations that support the preservation of its history and provides funding for the maintenance of these bridges. See its history here.
Before we headed out, we made a stop at a Vietnamese restaurant that we drove past in Fort Lee, Bergen County. There is an unusual number of Koreans in this area - accounting for 23.5% of the ethnic makeup for Fort Lee. Many arrived at the turn of the 21st century and its Korean descent population continues to grow. Hence, while we were ate at Saigon Bistro, all other customers were of Korean descent. Regardless, the food here was good and the prices reasonable. We even got a free Thai Iced Tea or the "orange drink" as described by one of the Korean customers.
Having had our brunch, we then made our way to Buck County. The first half of the drive was along i78, which was a huge highway with 8 lanes heading south. As we approached Trenton, the highway narrowed to two lane country roads. Here we could see large mansions and huge farms. There were many rolling hills, wide open newly cleared fields with beautiful fall colors.
Soon we approached our first covered bridge. This one was in the Tyler State Park, so we made a short walk to the bridge. The bridge is called the Schofield Ford Covered Bridge. Originally built in 1873, it burnt in 1991, and was historically rebuilt in 1997. Its a grand example of a typical covered bridge; with its cross trusses across the span.
We drove on to three other bridges before heading back. The second bridge being the Van Sandt, the third being the Loux Covered Bridge and lastly, the Moods covered bridge. These were along existing roads abutted to large mansions and/or farms. Loux had no space to stop so it is only captured in our video. While Moods was next to a park, so it had a nice parking spot next to it. Otherwise, you can't really stop as the road is narrow and there is no shoulder to pull up on.
The drive in Bucks County was wonderful. See our video here. Its hard to describe how beautiful the countryside is; with the rolling green hills and the fall colors in full display. Fall is just a wonderful time to visit as long as you get here exactly when the leaves turn and haven't yet fallen off the trees. Plus, we could not complain as we just had the best weather with clear skies, brisk nights, with full sunshine days.
On our way back we decided to stop at Liberty Park. The wind had started to kick back up and so it was cold! We did the quick walk around to take in the sunset but couldn't stay long in our shorts... It was yet another beautiful sunset.
This is the spot to take great city skyline shots of Manhattan, Liberty and Jersey City. It also frames the Verrazano Bridge and the Bayonne Bridge. A great spot for capturing the sunset colors.
By this time we were very hungry. So we decided to buy back some more Malaysian food from Mamak House. Its a great way to enjoy the food while also enjoying our very comfortable vacation rental in Bayonne.
The lettuce wrap was nice and crunchy, the Hainan Chicken Rice was just right, and the Malaysian Lo Mein was a bit oily but it tasted sublime! We know what we will be missing once we leave!
Day 11 - Travel Day Returning Home
Having packed the night before, we woke up at about 5am to drive to JFK, return the car, catch the air train from Terminal 7 to Terminal 4, get through TSA and on to our gate for a 9:15am boarding time. We left the house just after 6am and made good time to the airport. There was no traffic at all, except for a couple of slowdowns on the freeway due to road re-surfacing. By the time we got to the gates we had about 2 hours to kill. So we decided to have breakfast at the Palm Grill. It was a normal fare breakfast with eggs, sausages, hash, and pancakes. Hearty way to start a pretty long day. This meal was expensive though; coming in at about $70(!)
Since we had time to kill, we decided to do a walk around the terminal. There were many duty free stores since we were in Terminal 4 - which is normally reserved for international flights. Thankfully, it wasn't that busy. There weren't many spots to look out of the airport. In fact it is by design that terminals would not have any windows. This was to ensure your undivided attention to shopping or eating!
Additionally, there were also several commissioned art pieces and informational displays. We also stumbled upon a Lego store. The life sized statue of Liberty was a little creepy as it had a motion sensor that made it speak when folks went by. But there were also the usual fare of Star Wars packages and a nice display of a plane.
Soon it was time to board our plane... but it was through gate 18B which is a bus gate. That meant that we needed to be bused out onto the tarmac as our plane was sitting in a spot that did not have a retractable gate boom. The bus experience was interesting as we were squeezed in like sardines; so that they wouldn't have to make too many bus trips.
When we finally got on board it was good to have lie flat seats, as we would definitely need the snooze as we adjusted back to Hawaii time. Soon we were in the air. From here our flight path took us north and around Manhattan. This gave us a good birds eye view of the five boroughs.
This flight would take about just over ten hours. Its about 30 minutes slower due to the strong headwinds heading west. They served two meals and a multitude of snacks and drinks throughout the flight. It was also an opportunity to catch up on all the movies that we may have missed.
The flight was relatively smooth. There were a few bumpy spots but nothing unexpected. Having said that the approach to Honolulu International Airport was a little windy and even though there were lots to look at outside our windows, some of the folks in the cabin were cheering once we landed. We weren't sure if it was because of the windy ride down or that they were just so happy to be have arrived in Hawaii! Regardless, Hawaii is always fun to see on the way in. We did a quick stop in Honolulu and then caught our usual flight down to Kona.
There were two things that stood out for us when we were waiting for our flight back to Kona: 1) The carpets are now green!; and 2) it was a very clear day that we could see all of the Waianae Range. Great day for a hike.
It was the end of a pretty long travel day - 18.5 hours door to door.
Retrospective
Each time we visit NYC, we are very excited to arrive, but feel completely knackered by the time we leave. We now need a vacation from the vacation. So what did we learn this time?
There are many, and I mean many many happy honkers in NYC. But there are also many types of honking. From the more polite tap, tap, to the somewhat aggravated honk, to the angry ready to bawl you out loud and persistent hooonnnkkk! The worst kind is the road rage honker who will follow you around loudly honking at you because he/she feels that you didn't hear them the first time. So sad.
Jersey City or Jersey side is nicer than New York City. It is more open, less crowded and not so crazily expensive.
There are Malaysian restaurants everywhere! Mostly in Brooklyn and Queens, but we found one everywhere we went. In fact we could eat at a new Malaysian restaurant everyday for 30 days and not repeat visiting the same store.
Although there are many Malaysian Restaurants, many are Chinese Malaysian Restaurants. Few have real authentic Malay or Mamak food. Don't let the restaurant names deceive you!
Fall is just beautiful. Every tree has its own set of colors. From the yellows, to the browns, to the bright reds. Color is everywhere. And the parkways make for a great drive as the trees lean into the road, and driving during the golden hour lights up the trees in every shade. Its a great time to visit.
The weather at this time is unpredictable, but we were lucky again as we had the best weather with clear skies, few windy days, and sunny, even warm weather.
Too much Malaysian food all at one time may not be a good thing... Its pretty salty and has a lot of spices that the body isn't used to.
Bull Hill turned out to be a great hike. We should do more of these the next time around. The rock scrambling is quite fun and the views are tantalizing.
Eating out has gotten pretty expensive so much so that it was very noticeable at all the restaurants that we were at. Compared to the last time we were here, we noticed that although there were many visitors, not many frequented the restaurants. Most did burgers, or take out. The average meal for two was easily $40-$50, but in some cases even $100.
Driving the Mercedes GL350 was a lot of fun. Its a very comfortable car with a good pick-up that can get you out of trouble when needed.
In all, this was a good trip. We accomplished what we set out to do - have great Malaysian food, walk the High Line, hike to see the fall colors, and complete our drive to Montauk. Perhaps next time we can return to complete a visit to Summit One.
But to answer our original question... New York City is sinking under its own weight at about 0.3-1.15 inches a year. It is also drowning - metaphorically with people everywhere. Its a fun city to visit, but it will certainly change you if you choose to stay here.
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