Black pepper crab

My colleague from HK, MW, who also came to Singapore for our internal meetings, brought me to a very "local" Chinese restaurant for dinner; we enjoyed a black pepper crab, not a typical red chili crab. We used our fingers and suck the crab's shell. It's really local and I don't think European people can enjoy it.

Margarita's at Dempsey Hill

My colleague in Sigapore, CW, brought us to this great Mexican restaurant for our team dinner. I enjoyed fajita with shrimps.

http://www.dempseyhill.com/tenants_Margarita.htm

Lei Garden and Bay Sands

I had a dinner in Lei Garden in CHIJMES with my associates. It serves traditional Chinese food like Beijing duck and some dim sums.

Then we headed for Marina Bay Sands; we just took a brief look at Casino there and went to the Sky Park; we enjoyed the night view from the observation deck.

http://www.marinabaysands.com/SandsSkypark/Sands_Sky_Park.aspx

Pagi Sore (Main Outlet)

My associate from HK office brought me to this great Indonesean Restaurant. It got crowded during the lunch time and I really like it!

Pagi Sore (Main Outlet)
88-90 Telok Ayer Street Far East Square Singapore 048470

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Night view of Marina Bay

My team leader AD, a colleague in Singapore MC, and I had drinks at the lobby of the Fullerton hotel. Then we went to the nearby Fullerton Bay Hotel (One Fullerton) to enjoy the night scene of Marina Bay.

http://www.fullertonbayhotel.com/gallery-en.html

Chiang Mai Palace

Thai restaurant. I went to there with my associates in Singapore office.

Chiang Mai Palace
Far East Square 133 Amoy Street #01-01 Singapore 049962

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Tumi: Alpha Expandable Organizer Computer Brief 26141

My previous Tumi's briefcase's zipper got out of order in Singapore, I had to buy the new one at Raffles City Shopping Center. My old one was too slim, so I just bought the most popular, and bigger one. It's good for daily use and enough for one night business trip.

Thai Village

My Japanese friends, Y family, kindly invited me to the dinner at this great restaurant. I enjoyed good conversation with them.

Due to F1 grand prix final, I could not come close to the Fullerton Hotel, I just got off the taxi near Swissôtel, bought Tumi 26141(*) at Ruffles Place, and walked back to the Fullerton hearing exhaust noise.


(*) TUMI Alpha Expandable Organizer Notebook Brief: SGD 670 - Tax to be refunded at Chiangi Airport(36.85 SGD)


Thai Village

Outlet: Goodwood Park
Address: 22 Scotts Road, Goodwood Park Hotel Singapore 228221
Contact Number: (65) 6440 8251


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The Fullerton Hotel

To Singapore

My flight, Singapore Airline's SQ637, was originally at 11:30AM. However, due to typhoon approaching Japan, their previous flights seemed to be delayed; so does my flight to 1:40PM. This is my first time for me to go to Singapore for business and use Singapore Air. I and my wife visited there on vacation. It is getting cooler in Japan, but it's hot (around 23-31 centigrade) and humid in Singapore.

I got a meal coupon for 2,500 yen from Singapore Air to compensate their delay. I felt like having a good Japanese food so I ate Sushi near gate 46.

Their airplane, A380-800 by Airbus is a two-story, big airplane. Business class is on the second floor(uppder deck); seats are wide and flat-beds. Their Japanese lunch was also great.

Free WiFI: ANA Lounge at Narita International Airport, Japan

You are required to register your e-mail address. Also, there is no WEP or other security for your Internet connection.

September 4, 2010@Manhattan

While my wife was meeting her old friend in NYC at a restaurant of Barney's New York at Madison Avenue, I walked around the Central Park with our baby girl in the stroller. When we arrived at the Central Park Zoo, my daughter started crying; so I went back to Hilton New York. We happened to come across my wife on our way hotel.

Then we went to my ex-colleague, HY's apartment near Broadway, 68th Street. He, his wife, and their around 1.5-year-old girl had us for their home-made delicious Italian lunch. His wife is going to finish her PhD dissertation next year at Yale and my friend is a PhD of Harvard. They met in Cambridge where Harvard is.

They are Korean Americans; I personally want our daughter to have a great education in the U.S. I'm sure we need to learn a lot from them and I am vert glad to have them as our friends.
It was fun. We appreciate their warm hospitality to us.

Free WiFi: British Airways Lounge at JFK International Airport

Network name: britishairways
Password: london

September 3, 2010@Manhattan

We took a subway A/C bound for Downtown/Brooklyn at 50th Street and got off the subway train at High Street, 1st station in Brooklyn. We climbed up stairs of High Street station and a kind man told us a way to Brooklyn Bridge; he is Chris Owens, who is a politician and a candidate for the election on Sep 14.

We walked on the Brooklyn Bridge toward Manhattan. It was less than 900 meters and pedestrian deck and bicycle lane were higher than car lanes; it's good since we don't need to care about car exhaust very much.


Then we went to South Street Seaport and had a Mexican Lunch at Red.

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I came to this restaurant before since previous company's NY office was near the the restaurant. It's my favorite and I wanted my wife to enjoy her favorite Mexican foods.

After the lunch, while my wife looked around the South Street Seaport, I bought several Ts and sweatpants at Abercrombie & Fitch.

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Then we got back to the Hilton New York from Fulton street; since the Metrocard vending machine was out of order for new ticket, a woman at the booth let us in for free. We should have taken 1, local train, but we somehow rode on 2/3, which was a express and skipped not only 50th Street but also Columbus Circle. We got off the train at 72nd Street. We just changed the platform and went back to 50th Street by Subway 1.

While my wife took a rest and our baby girl played on the bed, I went to Simply Fresh at 6th Ave to buy a smoothie, Aloha something, which contains strawberry, pineapple, and orange. It was $3.95 and my wife seemed to like it.

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After the break, my wife shopped around, SABON(soap shop) at 6th Ave and FAO Schwarz(toy store) at 5th Ave:

SABON at 6th Ave

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FAO Schwarz at 5th Ave

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I visited 5th floor of Hilton New York for fitness, which only provides mainly running and weight training equipment, but it seems I needed to prepare everything except for towels. Since I did not bring jogging shoes, I gave up it.

September 2, 2010@Manhattan

My wife shopped around along 5th Ave. I just followed her like a servant.

For lunch, we ate cheese burgers (Classic American, Cheddar cheese, respectively), Caesar salad, French fried potato at Burger Heaven. It was mediocre and expensive (~$34) considering its quality. We had better McDonald.

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Shopping is okay; but I would like to buy something if and only if I really want it and the product is worth paying for the amount of money.

I visited Abercrombie & Fitch(ANF) at 5th Avenue. ANF always reminds me of what I had been wanting; I had wanted to go global and work as a top-tier professional. Very little has changed since then.

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Free WiFi: Starbuck in front of Hilton New York

1330 Avenue of the Americas New York‎ NY United States

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September 1, 2010@Manhattan

I am already a member of the Hilton Grand Vacations Club; when I went to Hawaii, I bought timeshare resort of Grand Waikikian, 1 bed room, garden view, and platinum season. The annual Club Point given is 7,200(every year).

I was invited to join the 90 min tour for their resort in Manhattan with a continental breakfast with breads and fruits. Since we would like to stay in their resort here in Manhattan someday in the future, we accepted the offer and looked around the property.

West 57th Street by Hilton Club
102 West 57th Street, New York, New York, United States 10019
Tel: 1-212-379-0103   Fax: 1-212-379-0104

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After the breakfast, we were told about the property in West 57th Street. It turned out that although I am a timeshare owner of the Grand Waikikian Hawaii, I can book a room of West 57 Street from 45 days before. This is one of the special perks only for the West 57 Street owners. I was told that when we come to Manhattan, we should make a reservation at Hilton New York or Waldorf-Astoria and try West 57 Street before 45 days of the planned NYC trip; if we can make it, then we can cancel the reservation at a hotel.
They also have two-floor Hilton Club rooms in 37 and 38th floor of Hilton New York; these properties seemed to be sold out though.


Then we took a subway A/C at 59th Street Columbus Circle and headed for Uptown. We were supposed to get off the subway at 81ST Street - Museum of Natural History, but we somehow passed the station and got off at 86th Street and walked to the Museum. We could enter it for free since my company is a corporate member.

American Museum of Natural History
79 Street And Central Park West
New York, NY 10024
(212) 769-5100
Subway: 81ST Street - Museum of Natural History

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Based on my wife's request, we looked around ocean- and animals-related displays.

Then we went to Zabar's, historic grocery shop and bought our lunch, like tandoori chicken, spinach with garlic, and mixed salad for my wife. After that, we bought some bagels for our breakfast tomorrow at H&H Bagels, just across the W 80th Street.

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We walked across the Central Park and had a lunch at a bench. It was hot; we bought a diet coke at the stand. We arrived at Madison Avenue in Upper East Side and walked along the avenue. My wife wanted some clothes and watches for her and our baby girl.
We departed at Madison Avenue, 66th Street. Then I went to Merit Cleaners at Lexington Avenue to pick up some clothes for dry cleaning and laundry while my wife breast-fed our baby girl at Loews Regency. Then we got together, got back to Hilton New York, and went to Whole Foods Market at Columbus Circle to buy foods for our quick dinner and breakfast.

August 31, 2010@Manhattan

I, my wife, and our baby girl went to 50th Street station of Subway 1 and took a subway to South Ferry station. Then I bought two tickets for adults to ride on the ferry to the Liberty island. Actually, it was my first time to be there; when I was a student, I used the ferry to the Staten island for free. Its course was far from the Statue of Liberty.


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After the cruise to the liberty island, we saw the Statue of Liberty and got back to Manhattan. Then we took a taxi and went to Wolfgang's Steakhouse Tribeca.
409 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013

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We had:
- Beverly Hills chopped salad
- Prime NY sirloin steak
- Spinach (creamed)
- Assorted ice cream(vanilla and chocolate & chocolate chips)
These were enough for two adults. Steak was really nice!

After the nice lunch, we took a subway 1 at Franklyn station and went back to 50th Street station. We got off the subway at 50th Street and got back to the hotel.

While my wife and baby girl took a rest for 30 min, I checked e-mail and updated this blog at Rockefeller plaza. My wife and our sleeping baby girl joined me and we headed for Bath & Body Works at 44th Street & Lexington Ave where she bought some stuff for her. We also visited the Wordolf-Astoria Hotel and the New York Palace Hotel. Both were very gorgeous and historic. My wife said maybe we cannot afford to the accommodation, but at least she wants to have a tea in the courtyard. I strongly agreed with her.