The Big Apple...New York New York !

"The Big Apple"... that's what John J Fitz Gerald calls New York. NYC is one of the most popular city in the world and the most populated city in USA. After watching episodes of 'Sex and the City', 'Gossip Girls' and even a musical film, 'New York New York' - I knew I had to visit this city to check out the glitz, glamour and mystery lying in this gotham city.

Having covered some parts of the western side of USA, this trip which I took last X'mas covered some cities in the eastern side of USA & two other places in Canada.

NYC was the final city covered during the journey - last, but definitely not the least!

Millennium Hotel was where we stayed for the first few days, rather luxurious & in a great location

Magnificent building opposite the hotel

View from the hotel room - it was already past 1am but there was still a large crowd.
This city never sleeps!

Custom House

Remains found at Ground Zero which resembles a cross

Ground Zero where WTC used to be

Construction going on for the new WTC

A stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge can be very romantic!

Walked across to Brooklyn to eat ice cream at this shop - it was worth the walk!

And this extremely popular Italian restaurant over at Brooklyn
- we waited in the queue for more than half an hour !

View from underneath the bridge, on Brooklyn

NYC financial district buildings

View of the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park

Manhattan Bridge

Immigration Museum on Ellis Island

Inside the museum


Cruising around Manhattan, to view the Statue of Liberty and the skyline of NYC

Streets along Chinatown

Saw something really familiar in Chinatown - but didn't get to eat at this cafe as there were too many other great dim sum restaurants to try!

Arch in Washington Park - used in many movies

Numerous squirrels running all over Washington Park

Time Square - where all the glitz are, literally!

Macy's at Harold Square

Empire State Building that was near Macy's

Grand Central Terminal

Inside the Grand Central Terminal - appeared in many movies as well

Magnificant Chrysler Building, beautifully lighted up

Inside the New York Palace Hotel that was used several times in Season 1 of Gossip Girls

Gate of New York Palace Hotel

St Patrick Cathedral opposite the New York Palace Hotel

The famous Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center

Skating rink at the Rockefeller Center

This restaurant is famous for its lamb chop

The ceiling inside the restaurant is filled with old pipes that were left behind by their customers.

The famous Wall Street

New York Stock Exchange building

Inside Museum of the Trinity Church near Wall Street

View of the Brooklyn Bridge

NYPD officer on a horse in Times Square

Inside New York Public Library. This spot was used in the Sex and the City movie

View of the multi-colours lighted Empire State Building

French restaurant in NYC

Butternut squash was great

Pasta with duck meat...but I'll rather stick to Italian pasta

Steak frites with chips was quite tasty

View of the Chrysler Building in the day

Breath taking views from the top of Empire State Building

You can almost see the outline of Manhattan

View of Macy's from the top

Moved to On The Ave Hotel on the last day


Big nice and cosy room

Loved the bathroom!

View of the snow-covered streets from the hotel room

You probably would recognize The Magnolia Bakery if you remember
seeing their famous cup cakes on 'Sex and the City' and 'Devil Wears Prada' movies

Queue was forming outside the bakery and rationing required as per the sign board above

New Year's Eve dinner at the humble yet popular Five Points Restaurant
- great atmosphere, great food

A trip to New York must never fail to include
shopping spree at the Woodbury Common Fashion Outlets!



Beginning of the journey: Transiting at Narita Airport after a 5-hour flight from Singapore

I have yet to visit Japan but I've heard so much about the delicate packaging of their products.

Really beautiful...but pricey!

Waiting to board our flight to the first stop, Washington DC

Cafe near the waiting area

We rather eat at the food court - the Gyu Donburi's better than Yoshinoya!

After a 17-hours flight from Narita, finally reached Dulles Airport
in Washington DC where we were made to line up like swines in a
slaughter house to board the shuttle bus to the main terminal

Checking into The Madison Hotel in DC

Room comes with a massage chair which I used almost every night.

First lunch of the day at Five Guys. Burgers there are great!

Union Station

The US Capitol

Inside the US Capitol

Under the dome of the US Capitol

Old Supreme Court Chambers inside the US Capitol

Longworth food court near the Capitol Hill / National Mall area

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Supreme Court Building

Metro station

Breakfast at Teasim Restaurant - fusion food

This place's interior has a little Chinese and Japanese influence

Smithsonian Institution Building

Bunch of thrilled kids on a school excursion

Washington Monument

Ronald Reagan Building

Old Post Office

The White House

The front of the White House

Protesters in front of the White House

Shops and restaurants along Georgetown where we had dinner

Beautifully lighted gigantic X'mas tree in front of the White House

50+ smaller X'mas tress (each representing one US state) surrounding the gigantic tree

The Washington Monument (surrounded by flags) looking magnificent at night

Lincoln Memorial

The famous status of Abraham Lincoln

Image of the Washington Monument seen on the Reflecting Pool with the US Capitol behind the monument, all in a straight line

Vietnam War Memorial

Korean War Memorial

Washington National Cathedral

Next stop to Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, on the way to Loews Hotel
(previously the historial PSFS buidling)

The ground floor of this building was previously a bank.
The vault's still in tact!.

This restaurant is a must try!

One of the best shirmp dumpling

Masonic Temple

Inside the City Hall

Liberty Bell

Christ Church

Reading Terminal Market where there are alot of stalls selling good F&B

Philadelphia skyline

Pennsylvania University Grounds and its many historical buildings

Cat spotted in the university book shop

Chocolate shop near the university

Another great place for Chinese food

Reaching the customs of Canda, on the way to Ontario

Checking into the Embassy Hotel near the Niagara Falls

The artistic ceiling looks similar to the one at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas

Big and cosy hotel. But the view is the most facinating part of this hotel.

View from the hotel room

Breakfast with a view of the Niagara Falls

This close we can get near to the falls

This is responsible for the wonderful lightings on the falls

Checked into the Cambridge Suites Hotel in Toronto the next day

Seperate living room outside the bedroom

Ontario Parliament Building in Toronto

Inside Toronto University

Very old plant creeping up the university building

St James Anglican Cathedral

Delicious dim sum lunch at this restaurant

Inside BCE Place. Notice the conserved historical building in the left?

The famous CN Tower in Toronto

Union Station in Toronto

Toronto's shopping district - Yonge Street

Cabbagetown with lovely houses

Chinatown in Toronto

The Casa Loma Castle

Checking into Delta Hotel in Montreal

Breakfast on the Executive floor

St Patrick's Basilica

Inside the St Patrick's Basilica

Square Dochester

Cathedral Marie-Reine-du-Monde‎

Inside Cathedral Marie-Reine-du-Monde‎

Edifice Sun Life Building

Shoping areas of Montreal

Streets of Old Montreal

Subway station in Montreal

French restaurant in Montreal

City Hall in Montreal undergoing renovation

Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel in Old Montreal

Old Montreal

Notre-Dame Basilica in Old Montreal

Inside Notre-Dame Basilica, one of the most beautiful church I've ever seen

A chapel behind the Notre-Dame Basilica

A very hip restaurant, with hip looking serving staff and great food!

St Joseph Oratory

Snow storm on Mont Royal

Snow storm along Chinatown in Montreal

Never ending snow showers on the highway

Reached Boston, checking into Westin Hotel

Cosy sitting area near the fireplace inside the hotel

Prudential Tower

This restaurant serves the best clam chowder




Yummy clam chowder


Sumptuous crab cakes

Attended Christmas' Eve mass at this Trinity Church

Old South Church

Old State House preserved, right in the middle of the financial district

Quincy Market

Inside the market where great food can be found

Rows of shops outside the market

Fanueuil Market next to the Quincy Market

Harvard University

Statue of John Harvard

The university grounds

This was the building used in the Harry Porter movie

Boston Public Library

In the day where most of the snow has melted

Cheesecake Factory restaruant

Huge variety of cheesecakes. All looked so yummy, don't know which one to eat!

Same restaurant we had our Christmas' Eve dinner.
Every restaurant in town was closed except this!

A castle spotted in Boston

Boston skyline