Kansas City, MO

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to Kansas City for a conference. I had been there before but it was only for 24hours and it didn't count. This time I was there for three days and I was able to see a bit more of the city. The weather while I was there was absolutely beautiful. Similar to NYC at the time, it was 56 degrees and dry. It made walking around very comfortable with just a sweat shirt and long jeans on.

The first day, I was able to go inside the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and it was absolutely amazing. Unfortunately I only had 10 minutes to spend there so I took as many pictures as I could inside. The volunteer staff was telling us the story of the architecture but we really had to leave. I felt so bad for cutting her short since she seemed very excited to talk to someone that day haha. I tried going again the next day to take more pictures but since there was an event, they told me I needed a ticket. I just stuck to exterior shots at that point.

The second day, I had a bit more time after the conference so I walked to Union station to take some photos of the interior of the building. The walk was around 40 minutes. I was walking around when the security guard noticed me and said "You can also go up to that balcony over there". He then pointed me towards the second floor which had a nice overlook into the main hall. I was surprised and was originally afraid he was going to tell me that I was taking too many pictures or something.

The last day I was there I decided to head over to the City Market that was located in the River district which was a 15 minute walk from my hotel. The night before I looked up what was around the area and saw that there is a flea market along with a Japanese good store, and I knew I had to go. The food around the area was cheap and it was a beautiful day to just go out and shop and take it slow before I hopped onto a train.

More pictures below!

Throwback Thursday: Sydney, Australia 2013

I went to Sydney, Australia last year as part of my honeymoon and it was a long flight but the city is beautiful! Looking back, it feels amazing to know that I was able to see the Opera house in person, both inside and out!

The city is pretty small and we only spent two days there so we walked around as much as we could before leaving for New Zealand. The first day there we had beautiful sunny weather but unfortunately my husband wasn't feel so well so we called it a night early. The second day we were there, we had torrential downpours in the early part of the day but we made do with what we had and went on a tour of the Opera house. NO REGRETS!

Thankfully the rain cleared up by night time and we were able to capture a night time shot of the Opera house and the harbour bridge at night.

NYC: 6 FREE Things to Do this Summer!

(originally posted on Collectivelifestyle.com here)

Summer is less than a month away and there are so many things to do during the summer in NYC. Whether or you are visiting or living here, this list should help give some ideas.

1. Summer Streets

For three consecutive Saturdays in a row, NYC opens up its streets for people to walk and bike. It is nearly seven miles of streets open with no cars and events placed along the way. Events range from yoga, art exhibits, and best of all, it’s FREE! Summer streets takes place on Park Avenue between Central Park and Brooklyn Bridge, allowing people to see this part of Manhattan that is usually filled with cars. Check out the website here!

2. Bryant Park Summer Film Festival 

(Photo credit: Bryant Park Corporation)

Every year Bryant Park hosts a summer film festival which shows every Monday at the park at 5pm. For a full list of movies this year, check out their website!

3. Summerstage 

The City Parks foundation here in NYC hosts free concerts rain or shine to different communities in the city. Artists are from a variety of genres and cultures and perform outdoors during the summer months. The concerts take place at Rumsey playfield in Central Park. Their schedule is available now so check it out to plan ahead!

4. Governor’s Island

This year the park is open to the public starting May 24th and will close on Sept 28th. There is a ferry that will take you across the water from downtown Manhattan or Brooklyn Bridge Park. The fee is $2 round trip for adults in the afternoon but if you happen to catch the 10am or 11am morning ferry, its free! This year, the park has opened up 30 new acres for people to explore. For a schedule of events, check out their calendar!

5. Flea Markets!

There are several flea markets that take place in NYC and it’s the best places to find great food, furniture, gifts etc for yourself! Okay, yes if you buy anything at these flea markets its technically not free but there is nothing to stop you from window shopping!

Markets available this year (not limited to this list):

• Brooklyn Flea - Depending on the day, they are in different locations! The flea market will have both food and goods and Smorgasburg will have only food. Check out their website before heading out.
• Hester Street Fair  - Opening May 31st 2014, they will be open every Saturday and Sunday until Sept 6th. It’s smaller than the Brooklyn flea but they are expanding this year due to demand!
• Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market  - This market is actually year around every Saturday and Sunday from 9am – 5pm. It was actually named Top Ten Shopping Streets in the World by NatGeo! Here you would find tons of antiques, so if that floats your boat go check them out!

6. Beaches!

There are 14 miles of beaches in NYC and this year, take the time to visit one! All of them are open between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Life guards are on duty daily between the hours of 10am to 6pm. Swim with caution!

Beaches to visit: ALL FREE!

• Brighton Beach
• Coney Island Beach
• Jacob Riis Park Beach
• Rockaway Beach
• Orchard Beach

New York City: 5 must go places for photographers!

(This blog was also published on Cityella.com : here!)

NYC is a large place and there is no way a person would be able to see everything this city has to offer. From the flashy lights of Times Square to beautiful views of the Manhattan Skyline, there are many lookout points for people who are just visiting and live here alike.

1. Times Square

“Oh no” you might say, but the fact of the matter is, Times Square is one of the fascinating places in NYC albeit crowded. No matter what kind of weather, people file into this area to see what it is all about. A DAILY average of 330,000 people walks past this area which includes tourists and those who work/live in the area.

Tip: I would suggest going at night to view the “Midnight Moment” where art is displayed on all of the billboards and newspaper kiosks around Times Square. For the most up to date showing, visit: http://www.timessquarenyc.org/times-square-arts/moment/index.aspx

2.  Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklyn Bridge Park is an 85 acre park along the East river with views of the lower Manhattan skyline. From there, you are able to see the Brooklyn Bridge as well as the Manhattan Bridge. In 2010, the park was expanded and included a playground for kids and a picnic area for those who wished to sit and watch the sun set over Manhattan.

Tip: Spend a few hours here with some friends or a loved one. Grab a bite to eat at the restaurants around the area (Grimaldi’s is nearby!) or some ice cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream factory! There are plenty of people who take pictures of the skyline from here but there is more than enough space for you to bring a tripod for pictures.

3. Gantry State Park

This is actually one of my usual haunts in the city. Located in Long Island City Queens, this is another place for beautiful views of the Manhattan Skyline. This location is currently lesser known than Brooklyn Bridge Park so if you do not want to be disturbed, this is the place to be. Here you will see the Midtown Manhattan Skyline which includes the Empire State Building, UN Building, and the Ed Koch Queensboro bridge.

Tip: As mentioned before, there are less people who come here to photograph the skyline! The famous Pepsi Cola sign is also found here in this park.

4. Central Park

Located right in the middle of Manhattan, it is hard to miss the most visited park in NYC. This 778 acre park will take you the entire day to walk through but there are plenty of things for you to do! During the summer, it hosts free concerts for those who are interested and during the winter there is ice skating at the rink.

Tip: For views of the park, go to the highest viewpoint which is Belvedere Castle. From there you can see the reservoir to the north and the ramble to the south. The park does tend to get crowded, even during the winter. Be prepared to walk fast and stand out of the way! 

5. Views from up top

(View from Rockefeller Center)

(View from Empire State Building)

This isn’t exactly a place but there are two observatories that people can choose from. The Empire State Building and the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. Both locations are very close in price but the Empire State building allows you to go higher.

Tip: I recommend the Top of the Rock if you want views of the Empire State Building!

Throwback Thursday: Mont Tremblant, 2011

During the winter months, there isn't much to do except to SNOWBOARD! A bunch of my friends and I had taken a road trip to Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada during Martin Luther King weekend. I only snowboarded one out of the two days there but it was so much fun!

We had multiple cars but the one I was in had 5 of us packed into a Camry. We all had snowboards and it was amazing how we all got it to fit! Tetris helps little kids!!!

The drive was long and very cold. As we started to hit the colder parts of Canada, the heat in the car couldn't keep up and we had to put layers on. Thinking about it now, it would've been really scary to have the car break down at that point. Our windows were icing up and the air coming out of the vents started to become colder. After a 7-8 hour drive, we reached our destination.

The first day snowboarding, we also had snow coming down on us the entire day with an average temperature of 11°F with a windchill of at least 5°F. How do we know this? While sitting on one of the lifts up towards the mountain, the wind was hitting us really hard at some parts and some of us had wind burn on our faces by the end of the day.

The second day it was sunny and clear enough to take photos from the top of the mountain. Our day was cut short due to some injuries but we are all healthy and fine now! At the end of the night, we ended up drinking clamato (which is awesome) and snow tubing over and over again before dinner.

Jamaican Jerk Hut : Philadelphia, PA!

We came here after watching Diners Drive-ins and Drives on the food channel and it did not disappoint! We went there at 6pm and had a reservation since we had 12 people but there weren't any other customers at that time.

Originally when we got there, we were worried that the food would not meet our expectations but we decided to stay and order what was highly recommended from the show. Our waitress was extremely helpful and nice since some of us has never been to a Jamaican restaurant before. She explained what was on the menu and was patient with us when we weren't sure what to order.

We ordered the jerk chicken and oxtail curry off of their menu. Our orders did take awhile to come out but the food did not disappoint. all of the dishes came with rice & peas, Jamaican cabbage, and fried plantains. I really enjoyed the rice which had a coconut milk aroma to it but I can't be sure. The fried plantains were also sweet and were delicious. So far any place that I have seen on food network did NOT disappoint!

Jerk Chicken - Breast - The chicken was moist and the jerk sauce had a good amount of spice.

Oxtail curry - My first time eating oxtail, EVER! It was interesting and it reminded me of pigs feet because of the cartilage. 

Sabrina's cafe & Spencer's too

On a day trip to Philly, we decided to stop by Sabrina's cafe & Spencer's too for brunch. We arrived at 11am and there was quite a few people waiting outside. We did have 10 people so it took us awhile to sit down, and even then we were split up into two tables.

In the middle of the menu, there were the specials and if you are a Game of Thrones fan, you would find it funny! All of the specials were named after different events/people from the show and we had to order it. We ordered the Red Wedding feast special platter and Daenerys dragon egg white omelette.

The portions are large and the food is tasty! If you are planning on stopping by this location, make sure you get there early or have time to wait.

Red Wedding Marriage Feast Special

Daenerys Egg White Omelette 

French Toast

Throwback Thursday : Capitol Hill, Washington DC 2012

You know what is the one thing you can do with friends that is super fun? ROADTRIPS! In 2012, several of us took a nice weekend trip down to DC to walk around and to eat. Honestly, it was mainly meant for food. Before we headed to DC, I found out that you can visit Capitol Hill for free as long as you book tickets in advance for your group.

It was the first time going in and if you are in the area or planning a visit to Washington DC, go and check it out! ITS FREE!

Onya restaurant - Midtown Manhattan

What's the best kind of food one could have when it is raining cats and dogs outside? RAMEN NOODLES! I really have to repeat myself on this but I absolutely love ramen and a coworker had brought me to a new place for lunch during one of the rainy days last week.

Onya is located on 47th street between Lexington ave and Third ave in Manhattan. It is tucked away in between a few other Japanese restaurants and if it wasn't for the line out the door, I wouldn't have noticed it. This place is cafeteria style and it has seating upstairs and in the back. Even in the rain, people still lined up for this and I was pretty excited.

Their menu is pretty simple and they have add-ons that you are can put into your noodles. I ended up with the sukiyaki beef ramen noodles. The broth was made from a salty fish and even though it was tasty, it was on the salty side for me. The noodles were also udon, which is awesome and it was cooked perfectly.

I only recommend this if you like salty ramen broth, and if it is a very cold/rainy day outside.

Throwback Thursday: Philly 2009

The reason why I am posting Philly for this weeks throwback is that I'm actually going on a day trip there this weekend with friends! My first trip there with friends was back in 2009 where we visited a college friend of ours who had moved there for school. Just a bit of a warning, this is about 10 months after I bought a DSLR and I was really into HDR at this point.

Ever since I started taking pictures in 2008, I have only had one photo stolen and it was the following photo of the Comcast Center. Crazy to think that if I never go into HDR, I would never had done the processing people liked in this photo.

Would I do this kind of processing now? It's kind of hard to say, most likely no haha. I'm not sure I am into HDR at all anymore and it was a phase for me.

Grand Central Terminal, NYC

Randomly at lunch, I like to walk around and pretend like I am a tourist in my own city. These pictures were taken in March, but it's not like Grand Central has changed much since last month. I walked around for about 45 minutes trying to find things to photograph that aren't the usual pictures you would find.

I must admit it was hard and I probably didn't do a good job at finding new things in one of the most photographed buildings in NYC in that time frame anyway. I still got to do what I love during my lunch hour though!

Just in case you are wondering, these pictures were taken back in March so the people in the photos were wearing very thick coats.