less than 1 day until I move.
It's the final night here in New York and I'm pretty much packed. I'm going to meet Eliot at the Telephone Bar in the east village as he couldn't make it (he forgot!!) last night. Last night was jolly good (note the britishism :-)) fun and we had a good turn out at Ulysses after work. Thanks to everyone who made it out to bid me farewell, it was great to see everyone out there. It was really funny as we had a big table in the back and I was literally sat right in the middle of two tables: to my right were my work colleagues (John, Matt, John, Paras and Purvesh) and to my left were my GSEEC buddies (for life dude!) and my NAPA friends that came out to see me off. It was a fun evening, lots of chatting and laughs and just all around good fun.
Man o man, definitely feeling the butterflies today and hoping everything comes together smoothly. I think I've prepared pretty well but my mind can't help but think of all the "what ifs" it's just trained to do that and I have no control over it.
Moving day comes tomorrow, a very packed morning with meetings until 11, then Steph and Andrew want to see me before I leave which is really sweet and kind of them to do, I feel very honoured that they want to see me off on my departure day. I'm going to miss those two and all of our eating adventures as well.
Well time to pack last minute things up and head off to meet Eliot. I'm hoping a little social activity will help distract me from worrying about tomorrow...
Tomorrow brings me to London. Unbelievable.
Showing newest posts with label friends. Show older posts
Showing newest posts with label friends. Show older posts
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Salt Lick Delivered!
4 Days to go!
Saturday afternoon was spent preparing loads of food at Andrew's place in Brooklyn. We had mashed potatoes, cole slaw, chips, fruit, collared greens, chocolate banana bread, macaroni and cheese, meatloaf and sweet tea. These were all sides though that were centered around the online ordering and delivery of Salt Lick way down in Driftwood Texas. It was a brilliant way to end my final weekend in NY and the U.S. although with celebrating Steph's birthday as well (Happy Birthday Steph!). We all had a great time preparing, chatting, eating and eating more. I was sooooooo stuffed and completely in a food coma by the end of the food-a-thon and the salt lick meat (sausage, brisket and ribs) turned out really well! It was really tasty. Now for some pictures of the Meat Feast of 2008:
Yummy sides
SALT LICK!
Group Photo
Food Coma Jones
Gabe. Out. (that chair was so comfy!)
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, so good. I must say though that after that feast my stomach was not very happy with me and woke up me throughout the night to remind me of the amount of BBQ i consumed. Nasty indigestion but totally worth it. :-)
Saturday afternoon was spent preparing loads of food at Andrew's place in Brooklyn. We had mashed potatoes, cole slaw, chips, fruit, collared greens, chocolate banana bread, macaroni and cheese, meatloaf and sweet tea. These were all sides though that were centered around the online ordering and delivery of Salt Lick way down in Driftwood Texas. It was a brilliant way to end my final weekend in NY and the U.S. although with celebrating Steph's birthday as well (Happy Birthday Steph!). We all had a great time preparing, chatting, eating and eating more. I was sooooooo stuffed and completely in a food coma by the end of the food-a-thon and the salt lick meat (sausage, brisket and ribs) turned out really well! It was really tasty. Now for some pictures of the Meat Feast of 2008:
Yummy sides
SALT LICK!
Group Photo
Food Coma Jones
Gabe. Out. (that chair was so comfy!)
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, so good. I must say though that after that feast my stomach was not very happy with me and woke up me throughout the night to remind me of the amount of BBQ i consumed. Nasty indigestion but totally worth it. :-)
Sunday, December 9, 2007
GSEEC Super Day!
This weekend certainly brought the adventurous spirit out of me. Friday was the exception, I worked a bit late due to a deployment and then relaxed the rest of the night sending a few pings here and there.
Saturday came and Steph, Andrew and I met up for an early lunch at Dumpling House in the lower east side. It was a basically a tiny counter with people cooking dumplings and other dim sum behind the counter. It is known for it's extremely cheap but tasty food. I ordered more than I could eat but it only set me back $4.
Afterwards, we headed over to Il Laboratio del Gelato feed one of my many addictions. It was a good early afternoon snack. I ordered a scoop of chocolate and another of macademia, both were very good. However, I still prefer Grom and will need to go back soon. Haven't tasted that rich, dark chocolate in awhile! Steph and Andrew wanted to get a few famous doughnuts from Doughnut Planet down the street so we walked a bit further and ordered two very tasty rounds. I only had a bite since I was still savouring my gelato.
Finally onto our main event, the Science Center. It was a beautiful, crisp day and we were all excited about walking. We strolled over to the WTC to catch the path train which is a good 30 minute walk. We caught the path to Jersey and then the light rail to Liberty park where the Science Museum is located. We arrived just in time for the IMAX on Mummies to begin. We were quite impressed with the dome IMAX but not the film. It didn't have enough adventure or exploring in it. There was too much focus on the people, drama and acting which is not what you expect from an IMAX movie at the science center.
We continued on, stuck around for a cool experiment with liquid nitrogen (awesome stuff!) and explored the museum for a few hours. They had some interesting stuff and we enjoyed our visit but it wasn't exactly what we were expecting. There wasn't enough hands-on, cool stuff like what I was used to from the San Diego science center so we left with a little disappointment. However, that was soon forgotten once the Soju arrived.
We took the transit back to manhattan and were debating whether to get some food or separate and rest up for the party later. After initial discussions, we decided to head into Korea Town for some korean fried chicken at Bon Chon. The fried chicken was very good and we all enjoyed it however it was the lychee Soju that stole the show. It was a lychee infused liquor that tasted incredible and had us all feeling it's effect shortly thereafter.
Following "dinner" Andrew and I were thirsty for a drink and what better place to go than an old favorite of mine, the Ginger Man. I ordered up a boddingtons and black and tan to quench my cravings while other friends met us at the pub. There were two aussie's that were friend's of andrew's friend James, visiting NY on a trip around the world. They were seven months into their adventure, 22 countries down and only a few more to go. AMAZING! I was incredible intrigued with their travels and stories. Wow, that would be a towtally awesome trip. So jealous and impressed!
Dinner was had at the famous Chipotle Mexican Grill (i ordered guac and chips since i don't really favor the burritos) but afterwards we made our way to Fat Cat, which is a lounge in the west village. This was quite a unique lounge as it had chess boards, scrabble boards, ping pong tables and foos ball tables all around! Hahaha, what a nerdy place, we all felt so at home. he he. Anyways, we found a seat in the back and played a game of scrabble and foos ball over a couple of PBR's. One thing lead to another and it was already 3am! Time to skedaddle.
Today I had an amazingly perfect lazy sunday thanks to a few good friends of mine including my jim jams and early grey and a few very special other ones. :-) Thanks guys, it's EXACTLY what I needed today!!!
Saturday came and Steph, Andrew and I met up for an early lunch at Dumpling House in the lower east side. It was a basically a tiny counter with people cooking dumplings and other dim sum behind the counter. It is known for it's extremely cheap but tasty food. I ordered more than I could eat but it only set me back $4.
Afterwards, we headed over to Il Laboratio del Gelato feed one of my many addictions. It was a good early afternoon snack. I ordered a scoop of chocolate and another of macademia, both were very good. However, I still prefer Grom and will need to go back soon. Haven't tasted that rich, dark chocolate in awhile! Steph and Andrew wanted to get a few famous doughnuts from Doughnut Planet down the street so we walked a bit further and ordered two very tasty rounds. I only had a bite since I was still savouring my gelato.
Finally onto our main event, the Science Center. It was a beautiful, crisp day and we were all excited about walking. We strolled over to the WTC to catch the path train which is a good 30 minute walk. We caught the path to Jersey and then the light rail to Liberty park where the Science Museum is located. We arrived just in time for the IMAX on Mummies to begin. We were quite impressed with the dome IMAX but not the film. It didn't have enough adventure or exploring in it. There was too much focus on the people, drama and acting which is not what you expect from an IMAX movie at the science center.
We continued on, stuck around for a cool experiment with liquid nitrogen (awesome stuff!) and explored the museum for a few hours. They had some interesting stuff and we enjoyed our visit but it wasn't exactly what we were expecting. There wasn't enough hands-on, cool stuff like what I was used to from the San Diego science center so we left with a little disappointment. However, that was soon forgotten once the Soju arrived.
We took the transit back to manhattan and were debating whether to get some food or separate and rest up for the party later. After initial discussions, we decided to head into Korea Town for some korean fried chicken at Bon Chon. The fried chicken was very good and we all enjoyed it however it was the lychee Soju that stole the show. It was a lychee infused liquor that tasted incredible and had us all feeling it's effect shortly thereafter.
Following "dinner" Andrew and I were thirsty for a drink and what better place to go than an old favorite of mine, the Ginger Man. I ordered up a boddingtons and black and tan to quench my cravings while other friends met us at the pub. There were two aussie's that were friend's of andrew's friend James, visiting NY on a trip around the world. They were seven months into their adventure, 22 countries down and only a few more to go. AMAZING! I was incredible intrigued with their travels and stories. Wow, that would be a towtally awesome trip. So jealous and impressed!
Dinner was had at the famous Chipotle Mexican Grill (i ordered guac and chips since i don't really favor the burritos) but afterwards we made our way to Fat Cat, which is a lounge in the west village. This was quite a unique lounge as it had chess boards, scrabble boards, ping pong tables and foos ball tables all around! Hahaha, what a nerdy place, we all felt so at home. he he. Anyways, we found a seat in the back and played a game of scrabble and foos ball over a couple of PBR's. One thing lead to another and it was already 3am! Time to skedaddle.
Today I had an amazingly perfect lazy sunday thanks to a few good friends of mine including my jim jams and early grey and a few very special other ones. :-) Thanks guys, it's EXACTLY what I needed today!!!
Monday, December 3, 2007
SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!
It was great having Michelle's parents here to visit. We did most of the things we planned on doing and most importantly went to the restaurants we planned on taking them to. NY is all about the food, well any city is about the food for me!
I don't mean to...ah, the words are NOT coming to my head and I can't figure out how to best put it. So forget that sentence, all I really want to say was IT SNOWED TODAY!!!! I woke up to a winter wonderland outside as a blanket of white powder covered the area outside the apartment. I quickly showered, had some yogurt, got dressed and put my boots on. Michelle asked "where are you going?" I didn't need to respond since the look on her face knew my response was going to be "I'm going to play in the snow!" I bundled up, grabbed my camera and headed out the door to find flakes fluttering through the air. The picked up speed and showered me with white flakes. I had a HUGE smile on my face as I walked around, cozy in my coat, scarf and sweater. I snapped a few photos of the wintery goodness but mostly I just walked around and let the snow piled up on me. I think this photo brings that description to light (it's blurry because the camera chose to focus on the background instead of yours truly).
More pictures of the snow! View the rest on my flickr page.
The city was absolutely beautiful today as we walked around. Snow covered every spot of the city: signs, doorways, rooftops, car windows, benches, christmas trees on the street. Ahhhhh, how lovely to see the city in the middle of the holiday season AND fully covered in snow. It was gorgeous!
Tonight we made use of the Bowbeer's rental car and drove to Jersey (i know, we're crazy but keep reading) to go to Bertucci's. It's the italian place with the AWESOME bread. Oh man, so so so good. I haven't had that since I went to Michelle's graduation in May.
Last night we went down to Rockfeller center to see the tree. We got there around 11pm and it was practically empty. Our strategy of going late seemed to pay off. I took a couple of photos (of course) and here are a few of them:
I don't mean to...ah, the words are NOT coming to my head and I can't figure out how to best put it. So forget that sentence, all I really want to say was IT SNOWED TODAY!!!! I woke up to a winter wonderland outside as a blanket of white powder covered the area outside the apartment. I quickly showered, had some yogurt, got dressed and put my boots on. Michelle asked "where are you going?" I didn't need to respond since the look on her face knew my response was going to be "I'm going to play in the snow!" I bundled up, grabbed my camera and headed out the door to find flakes fluttering through the air. The picked up speed and showered me with white flakes. I had a HUGE smile on my face as I walked around, cozy in my coat, scarf and sweater. I snapped a few photos of the wintery goodness but mostly I just walked around and let the snow piled up on me. I think this photo brings that description to light (it's blurry because the camera chose to focus on the background instead of yours truly).
More pictures of the snow! View the rest on my flickr page.
The city was absolutely beautiful today as we walked around. Snow covered every spot of the city: signs, doorways, rooftops, car windows, benches, christmas trees on the street. Ahhhhh, how lovely to see the city in the middle of the holiday season AND fully covered in snow. It was gorgeous!
Tonight we made use of the Bowbeer's rental car and drove to Jersey (i know, we're crazy but keep reading) to go to Bertucci's. It's the italian place with the AWESOME bread. Oh man, so so so good. I haven't had that since I went to Michelle's graduation in May.
Last night we went down to Rockfeller center to see the tree. We got there around 11pm and it was practically empty. Our strategy of going late seemed to pay off. I took a couple of photos (of course) and here are a few of them:
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Autumn Rain and Mexican Food in Queens
This morning I awoke to rain sprinkling down outside. It was about time to have a lazy, rainy day so I was very excited! I went out to quickly pick up milk and bacon and returned to make pancakes. Towards the afternoon, the rain let up so I went out with my camera to try and capture the essence of a fall rain. There wasn't much color, I was about the orangiest thing in the park but I still took a few decent shots.
So on to my adventure tonight. We went to this Mexican restaurant called Taqueria Coatzingo out in queens and it was authentic to say the least. We were just a TAD out of our element when walking in there but that's part of the adventure. We sat down and most of the waitresses only spoke Spanish. My brain had a rather large twinge trying to remember the 3 years of Spanish I took in college. I haven't kept up with it at all so I only know phrases here and there. I ordered an horchata (cinnamon, nutmeg, rice milk drink) a tamale and enchiladas. They were sooooooo good, that place was a gem! After dinner, we went across to the scorpion bar and ordered a few cervezas and soaked in the local scene... all in all a great night out.
I am now leaving queens with my belly full and a very content smile on my face.
So on to my adventure tonight. We went to this Mexican restaurant called Taqueria Coatzingo out in queens and it was authentic to say the least. We were just a TAD out of our element when walking in there but that's part of the adventure. We sat down and most of the waitresses only spoke Spanish. My brain had a rather large twinge trying to remember the 3 years of Spanish I took in college. I haven't kept up with it at all so I only know phrases here and there. I ordered an horchata (cinnamon, nutmeg, rice milk drink) a tamale and enchiladas. They were sooooooo good, that place was a gem! After dinner, we went across to the scorpion bar and ordered a few cervezas and soaked in the local scene... all in all a great night out.
I am now leaving queens with my belly full and a very content smile on my face.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Friends From Austin
| Listening to: Matt Nathanson - Car Crash |
Last week was GREAT fun! Giulio and Michael arrived on Monday and Jessica came on Wednesday. We did so many things that it's hard to list them all. I jotted them down to remember but to be perfectly honest, I don't feel like explaining everything on the whole list. Some highlights were visiting the Empire State Building, going to a rooftop club with panoramic views of the city, visiting a couple of pubs specially selected for their choice of brews and also going to a delicious pizza place in Brooklyn called Grimaldi's. That same night we also went down the street to an old fashioned ice cream shop called the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. We then walked back to Manhattan on the Brooklyn Bridge. That was an extraordinarily fun and adventurous night.
Things are back to normal now right as I felt like I had some new roommates. It was so great to see my good friends from back in Austin and I am so incredibly glad that they could make a trip out to visit. Speaking of visitors, I will have my fair sharing in the upcoming month. Michelle is coming in 6 days! Wow, that's really incredible since it seemed so far off for such a long time. I also have some family visitors coming in the beginning of September that I am excited to see. If anyone else wants to come to NY, let me know and we'll meet up. I would also like to extend an open invitation for anyone to stay with me. My apartment is definitely big enough to accommodate a couple of extra people.
I took quite a few photos in the past week but my flickr upload tool is not behaving so it might take a little time to get them published. Actually, I'm on my laptop so I might as well use it to upload the photos…
The photos have now been uploaded to my flickr page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gpod) so go check them out!
I'm in my 5th week of training and it's amazing to think that I only have a few weeks left. It's gone by so incredibly fast. Tomorrow (Thursday) we have a fun social activity for all the Tech Analysts which would be a good time. They're taking us out on a dinner cruise on the Hudson. Don't worry, I'll bring my camera. :)
I'm slowly adapting to the city and going to lots of new places. The best way for me to know where I'm going is to have been there before so I've really just been picking spots on the map I haven't been and then walking around in that area. It's exciting and adventurous!
It's getting late so I'm gonna sign off. I'll try to get another update up soon.
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