Day 9 – NYC (12/29)

Masyado naman yata kami nakampanteng may kotse, nagkatamaran na kaming kumilos since no train to catch & no long stretch to walk. Ayan tuloy, tanghali na kami naka-lamyerda. We also came home past 1 AM & did our laundry pa, so we got to sleep at around 3 na.

As always, dahil hindi sila mapakali sa bahay habang kaming mga ninja turles (aka slowpokes) ay nag-gagayak pa, Kap & Ate ran off to Levain Bakery to buy cookies which served as our very light breakfast (very light talaga kasi ISA lang ang binili nila ok! Hati pa sa lima! @_@).

—

Levain Bakery is a retail bakery that opened in 1995 and is located at 167 West 74th Street, on the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It began with a simple mission between 2 great friends: create the world’s greatest chocolate chip cookie. The rest is history & baked fresh daily. Can I tell you? One teeny tiny bite & I could tell it really is the best chocolate chip cookie in the whole wide world! I made Ate promise that we will go back to buy more, but unfortunately, we just didn’t have time to make that promise a reality, ahuhu. </3 Either the store was closed coz it was still too early in the following days, or the store was already closed when we got back from our jaunts at night. Boo! Missed opportunity.

—

On our agenda today is just the Public Library & Saks 5th Avenue which we missed visiting a while back. But before that, Harlem Chicken Battle lunch at where else.. Harlem!

For the Harlem Chicken Battle, Ate chose 2 restaurants which is located right across each other: the hip & stylish comfort food eatery with creative cooking from celeb chef Marcus Samuelsson, Red Rooster Harlem ; and the more classic, old-fashioned Sylvia’s Restaurant – Harlem’s beloved landmark.

—

Red Rooster Harlem

—

Unlike Sylvia’s which defines soul food (African-American dishes) to a T, Red Rooster Harlem (merely a block away, actually tatawid nga lang) strays away from just the traditional southern food cooking. Here, owner Marcus Samuelsson introduced an elevated American comfort food by whipping up a diverse menu & cheerful vibe enjoyed by the much younger crowd.

To see a list of Red Rooster Harlem’s delectable menu, CLICK HERE. We super enjoyed everything on the table: Cornbread (MUST ORDER!), Miss B’s Biscuits & Gravy, Hot Honey Yardbird Chicken, Yep Chicken & Waffle, and Mac & Greens. Mapapa-indak ka talaga sa sarap,no kidding. Simot!

Red Rooster Harlem has such a happy & positive vibe -from the music to the jolly servers, you can’t help but leave with happy smiles & a joyful heart (add a bulging tummy!).

—

Sylvia’s Restaurant

—

Sylvia’s Restaurant (hailed the #1 Black Restaurant) is a Harlem landmark that serves generous helpings of Southern comfort food since 1962.

Maybe if we ate here first, we would have loved the classic & old fashion dishes. But since we were exposed to the more flavorful & definitely fancier chicken dishes at Red Rooster, we fell head over heels with our first bite & Sylvia’s didn’t stand a chance. Ayan oh, may mga take home. Meaning lackluster.. a.k.a. we didn’t enjoy the food so much. Na-overshadow sya sobra ni Red Rooster. (And also maybe coz the servers here were older & more serious kaya hindi namin sya masyado na-enjoy. Sa kabila kasi todamax kaming hinarot at chinika haha). To see Sylvia’s southern menu, CLICK HERE.

—

Btw, ang ganda ng panahon ngayon ha. We didn’t need our heavy jackets around late morning. Again, grateful for our car na ginawa din naming locker hehe. Imagine the 5 days na bitbit namin yung mga heavy jakets at tubig. Ngayon, iniiwan lang namin sa kotse lahat at hands free kaming gumala. Ang saya-saya! \m/

Lunch took longer than expected. Wasted almost 2 hours (at Sylvia’s kaya yata nakadagdag ng inis at bad vibes) lining up & waiting for our food to arrive that it was almost closing time by the time we got to the New York Public Library. Buti nalang nakahabol pa kami with some time to spare so we were able to go around & see the place, and also get library cards as souvenir! Aba, kung ganyan ba naman kaganda lahat ng public libraries, I’m sure a lot of people would be encouraged to read.

—

The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, it is the second largest public library in the United States and the third largest in the world. It is a private, non-governmental, independently managed, nonprofit corporation operating with both private and public financing.

The New York Public Library is easily recognizable by its lion statues named Patience and Fortitude that sit either side of the entrance. This was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, and designated a New York City Landmark in 1967. Even Kap who doesn’t like to read anything except the menu, was captivated by the Library’s magnificence. Ayan oh, kumuha pa sya ng Library Card!

—

My Bey has been looking all over the net for Dior tennis shoes. Lahat online ubos ang stocks, so when we chanced upon a pair in her size at Saks 5th, hindi na namin pinakawalan.

—

When travelling, Kap & I always give the kids pocket money to budget on their own kesa nag-aabot kami maya’t maya. But they also get a wildcard – one gift of their choice. This was our baby’s wildcard purchase. Matalinong bata hehe. WALK’N’DIOR LOW-TOP SNEAKER IN WHITE CANVAS $850 – Lowtop Sneaker in white canvas with “Christian Dior J’Adior” laces; leather inserts and metallic accessories with “Antique Gold” finish, rubber sole with logo.

—

Would have loved to stay a bit longer at Saks Fifth, but the kids had a Post Malone concert to catch that night so we left right away after getting hold of the precious pair of shoes. Good thing Barclays Center was also in Brooklyn, super close to home, so Kap & I were able to rest a bit before picking up the kids. My poor Honey was feeling under the weather so he took a leisurely nap (ibig sabihin walang honeymoon na kaganapan ok!).

—

Barclays Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The arena is part of a $4.9 billion future business and residential complex now known as Pacific Park. Barclays Center is also home to two New York City sports team: the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and the NHL’s New York Islanders. The center also hosts other sports events, concerts, and conventions.

23 YO Austin Richard Post, known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Post Malone has gained recognition for blending various musical genres for his introspective songwriting, and his vocal style. Tickets for this particular concert cost us a whopping 18k php EACH huhu, super tagos sa buto! </3 But it seemed to make them happy kaya tulad nila jan sa peechur na yan, pikit-mata nalang din kami sa UBE (ultimate bonding experience) ng magkakapatid.

—

The weather suddenly turned from nice to frightful by early evening, so the warmth of our apartment was much welcomed by these 2 arthritic old farts, lol.

Bought some take out from a chinese resto near our bnb after dropping off the kids, then waited for their to call to pick up & head back home.

—

A block away from our BNB & right beside the exit of our subway station is New People Kitchen which offers Chinese take-out & closes late. We always see it lit up when we get home at night. Decided to give it a try today. Not that good, but not that bad either. Pwede na pang-bawas pagod kesa kung saan-saan pa kami mapadpad kakahanap ng makakainan.