Writings and Travels of Lina Em
The last I visited Paris was with a broken heart. I went to mend the last few strands of dignity I had left, figured out my goals, and renewed my purpose so that I wouldn’t ever be that silly, naive girl again.
Continue reading “Whirlwind Weekend Paris”
Groundhog Chuck (from Staten Island) said that it was going to be an early spring and I decided to leave hibernation mode and finally explore the world. Having started a new job and enjoying the cosiness of my warm apartment, I forgot what a real world was like. WIth my boyfriend, we went on our first date-ploration of the year, visiting a place I had on my checklist of places to visit in 2013.
Continue reading “Vinegar Hill & More”
After visiting Italy (mostly the north), I was very excited to find a class that offered focaccia making as part of the recipe. And the most exciting thing was that the class was next door to my work. Rustico Cooking is a small cooking class but over 30 people showed up for the class.
Upon arriving, they gave us tastings of gruyere crostini and frittata. Very yummy. There were 2 long tables to prepare us for the upcoming dinner.
Continue reading “Cooking Class: Italian Riviera”
I know I should be worrying about my weight and waist size but I can’t give up food. I just have to work out twice as hard so that I can try out all these awesome food eateries! It’s New York, a place where I can have Thai food for breakfast and pancakes for dinner.
These are listed in no particular order but just look at all the yummy food!
Continue reading “13 Places to Eat in 2013”
Because I’m saving money for a trip with my family to Cambodia, I know I won’t be traveling too far out of New York. But the good thing is, despite the city being small, there’s a lot of to do. Many of the tourist attractions I have gone through when I first moved to New York so now I’m going through as many hidden gems as possible.
These are places I’ve visited and want to return or brand new locations that I never thought to visit before. People helped gave me some ideas and direction so I’m excited to start out my adventure this year, rambling through New York.
Continue reading “13 Places to Visit in 2013”
Back in 2010, I took a couple of friends to a science lecture at Columbia University (Pupin Hall) where they offered astronomy viewing from their amazing telescopes on the roof top in upper Manhattan. That was my first encounter with an astrophysicist who was not only good looking but incredibly lean and built. Who knew nerds could be so hot? to this day, I think of that memory very fondly.
Continue reading “General Grant Memorial + Riverside Park”
Abandoned Trolleys in Red Hook
Before IKEA moved in and claimed Red Hook as a Swedish meatball landmark, Red Hook was an abandoned warehouse area much like most of the East River front walk from LIC, Greenpoint and down towards Brooklyn Navy Yard. When I first moved to the city, I never visited the area much but in the past five+ years, many of these abandoned waterfront were renovated with beautiful parks, walkways, warehouses converted into condominiums and/or art houses, and random restaurants popped up. It used to be an inconvenient place to travel to without a car but with increase population, the city added ferries and water taxis. Of course, with IKEA across the river, Manhattanites swarmed to IKEA in the droves.
Continue reading “Exploring Red Hook”
When I was in college, I worked as a computer lab assistant with my roommate and a few others. One of our bosses was this successful woman who was single and strong and brave. We thought to ourselves, will we be like that when we get to her age? It seems a lifetime ago. Through her, I heard about so many unique places locally. One of those places was Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden. To be exact, all she talked about was the Chinese Scholar’s Gardens. She showed us pictures and we were in awe that this was in New York.
Continue reading “Snug Harbor/Chinese Scholar’s Garden”
If you’re ever adventurous and have the energy and time, New York City offers the chance to go away to a different city for the day with very cheap fares. You can go as far north as Boston or as far south as DC. Even go on a cruise to the marshlands of Far Rockaway. Or as west as the Great Lakes. Of course, it’s a long day starting with an early morning and late night.
Continue reading “DC Cherry Blossom 2012”
Winter has been tamed, weather-wise, in New York City. If anything, spring arrived earlier than normal. So it was a great idea to take a getaway trip for the night outside the rushing city life.
Continue reading “Oheka Castle Getaway”