It was my first time to visit the Getty Center, and I must say, the experience was extremely euphoric. My eyes ravenously feasted on the breathtaking views, both outside and inside the museum walls.

Richard Meier is one of my favorite architects. His designs have inspired me since college, and to be standing in one of his buildings was very surreal for me. But as if the architecture and the mountain-top views of L.A. were not enough, the museum collections spoke loudly to me, as well. The paintings begged me to spend a day with them, sketching and studying the style of the masters. The photography exhibit urged me to take out my camera and explore the environment. I was so pumped, I was excited to go back to my studio and ‘create’. I wasn’t even this moved when I visited the Louvre. Of course, being at the Louvre is like shopping at the mall in the Philippines on Christmas day – you’re just a nose away from the next person.

Of all the exhibits, the illuminated manuscripts were my favorite. To see those hand-drawn, gold-leafed books of the late Middle Ages was very inspiring. I imagined the art journals of today will be the illuminated manuscripts of the future. I couldn’t wait to work on mine.

The girls got soaking wet from a big wave in Newport Beach, so I had to buy them new clothes at a nearby surf shop. (Yeah, I didn’t bring any change of clothes for them that day either. Thought we were just going on a picnic by the beach. Didn’t get the memo.)

Thanks to my Uncle Manny for a great day!

We stayed at Great Wolf Lodge, which had a woodland theme and which we found to be one of the most children-friendly places in the area. Three times a day, they have an animated clock tower show here in the lobby. And every night, children in their pajamas gather here for storytime.

Our room, which sleeps 7 people, had a children’s cabin with a bunkbed that Mica and Rinoa went gaga over (shown behind Mica in the picture). I’m also showing Troy who went nuts with a glow stick that Mica and Rinoa won at the arcade.

Our room included free passes to the waterparks for the length of our stay. The hotel had three themed waterparks. It’s surprising to see Rinoa so fearless. She went down a 5-storey water slide about 8 times – the one that made Troy purple when he tried it once.

Mica had the most fun at Magiquest, a live interactive pixie/dragon adventure game. It was quite interesting. You purchase a wand and go on quests throughout this 4-storey building. It took Mica two days to complete all her adventures/quests.

To make the most of our stay at the lodge, we purchased a Paw Pass for each of the girls. The pass included the following:

• Magiquest wand and adventure game
• wand decorating workshop (well, where you get to decorate your wand)
• stuffed animal (similar to Build-a-Bear)
• 50 arcade tokens
• souvenir sipper cup
• coupon book for the nearby outlet mall (which I was able to use)

The Paw Pass was $40 or $50 each. (I don’t remember exactly). But it was just $5 or $10 more than simply purchasing a wand and a game, so we went for it.

We also went to the Wisconsin Deer Park, which is located downtown. Mica and Rinoa were thrilled to be up close and personal with the deer.

And this is for my good friend, Rhea. Troy and I thought the sign was hilarious. =)

To conclude my trip (at least for this year), I would like to share 5 things I love about New York:

1. I love that streets are always bustling with activity, like an endless pool of people. Makes me feel like I’ve never left the Philippines. I love being in a moderate crowd (not the choking-I-can’t-breathe kind of crowd) because it makes me feel part of the world. I also love observing people – in a non-nosey kind of way.

These two pictures were taken in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan.

Here we are lined up to enter the Magnolia Bakery in Bleecker Street. How exciting is that? – lining up just to buy cupcakes! Very much reminiscent of my college days (again!) when I had to fall in line for hours just to register for classes. Of course, I understand how crowds can be a bad thing – too much of this and I’d be wishing to go back to a quiet, peaceful neighborhood.

But it’s not simply the density of people. I love the diversity of cultures. When I was lining up to buy tickets in Guggenheim, I could hear at least 5 different languages spoken at the same time in that one place. It was music to my ears – weird, I know!

2. I love the boutique-lined streets in Manhattan, especially in SoHo and Greenwich Village (since we went there 3 or 4 times). They are so full of personality that I’m left bursting with inspiration and ready to create. Beats the monotonous, big box stores in my neighborhood.

Here we are about to enter this cute shop in SoHo that Mica found interesting because it’s name is Meeka Meeko.

I love books, so you can imagine how I drooled at the site of this book shop in West Village.

I wasn’t able to take a shot, but another eye candy shop for me is the Purl in Soho – a small yarn and fabric store that’s just overflowing with character.

3. I love how New York seems to be the mecca of food. No more wondering what to eat for dinner – there’s so much to explore. Here are some of my new finds for this year:

• Minado Japanese Seafood Buffet Restaurant in Long Island
• Mamoun’s Falafel in Greenwich Village – Satisfying and inexpensive, what more can I ask?
• Food Fight Mini Burgers in Greenwich Village – Their portabella mushroom burger is delish.
• Red Mango Frozen Yogurt in Greenwich Village – I can’t get enough of their promegranate yogurt and wildberry hibiscus tea.
• Magnolia Bakery in West Village – Forget the cupcakes, their banana pudding is the superstar.

And here’s my pomegranate yogurt from Red Mango. I must say, even the donuts from the street vendor outside my brother’s apartment were yummy – definitely better than Dunkin Donuts.

4. No tax on clothes! Who won’t love that?? :)

5. And lastly, I love that my brother lives in New York, so I can come visit anytime! Mwahahaha!

And just like that, our vacation was over. I had a wonderful time. Thanks so much to Jay, Ivy, Jessi, and my mom for making it very memorable.

As we were leaving for the airport, my mom gave Mica and Rinoa some money for ice cream to distract them from being sad that we’re leaving. So these are for my mom so she can see how the two girls enjoyed their ice cream at the airport:

I’ve been mentioning that this series of posts is about my trip to New York, but so far, it would seem that I was barely in New York. Rest assured, in between our out-of-state travels, I did manage to roam the streets of Manhattan and visit a few places that I haven’t been to before.

American Museum of Natural History
Mica’s interest in this museum was more because of this movie than anything else. Nevertheless, we all thought it was a delightful place! It’s like the museum version of the tv series Planet Earth. I was even more amazed at Rinoa’s sustained curiosity. She paid close attention to the exhibits, even asking intelligent questions here and there, while Mica just breezed through most of the displays with barely a spark of interest.

Here’s a short video of Rinoa talking to her dad on the phone that night after our trip to the museum (and back at my brother’s house). She was so animated, talking about all the things she saw – especially the scary octopus and the giant squid – that I decided to video her so Troy can see later.

Guggenheim Museum
It was the perfect time to visit Guggenheim since it was the last day of the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit. Like all buildings done by great architects that I’ve visited, simply seeing Guggenheim makes me nostalgic of college days when I had to learn such masterpieces. And then roaming the floors is like the culmination of those studies – and I realize (like I do in any great building) that no amount of reading can give you the same spatial experience of actually being there. On the down side, I doubt the museum will be as popular based on the merits of the collection alone. There were a couple of great works but as a whole, it left a lot to be desired – considering entrance is not free.

Coney Island
Ask Rinoa what her favorite experience is in New York this summer and she’ll answer without hesitation “the rides in Coney Island” – yep, that old, shabby amusement park by the bay. What can I say, kids will be kids. Just look at the big smiles on their faces.

Come back tomorrow as I wrap-up my trip to New York. If you want to read the previous posts in this series, here they are:

1. NY 2009, Part 1: Jessi’s Christening
2. NY 2009, Part 2: A Family Reunion
3. NY 2009, Part 3: Girl’s Night Out and a Celebration
4. Cape Cod, Part 1: Hello Provincetown
5. Cape Cod, Part 2: Exploring the Tip of the Peninsula
6. Cape Cod, Part 3: Race Point Beach and Whale Watching
7. From Cape Cod to Mystic, Connecticut
8. A Day in Philly, Pennsylvania

After a 3-night stay in Cape Cod, my brother’s family, being the gracious hosts that they are, decided to take us to a one-day trip to Philadelphia, just two days after we got back in New York. What I love about the East Coast is that the states are smaller and close together that you drive for one hour, and bam! – you’re in a different state – lol!

The first thing we did when we arrived in Philly was visit the Mutter Museum – not surprising given that we were being guided by two doctors. It was actually very interesting – seeing all these medical anomalies. The display I found most disturbing was a collection of books bound in human leather (not actually a medical anomaly). Apparently, in the 1800s, human leather was not uncommon. I felt like giving up leather altogether after that showcase.

We had lunch at La Scala’s, an Italian-American restaurant, which we discovered by accident. We were walking from 12th Street to 6th Street towards the Historic District from the new City Hall and by the time we reached 6th Street, we were starving. La Scala’s was the only appetizing restaurant in the block so we went in. I’m glad we tried it out because I thought their food was really delicious. I especially loved their cheese steak stromboli (You can’t be in Philly and not eat some form of cheese steak, right?) and cheese tortellinis in cream sauce with prosciutto and sweet peas. Yum!

After we ate, we headed towards Liberty Bell and Independence Hall which was just a block from La Scala’s.

The bell was constantly surrounded by tourists so it was a challenge to take this shot where there are no extra heads poking in the picture.

Here we are in front of Independence Hall, with Jay taking the picture. We had to wait in a long line to go inside Independence Hall and unfortunately it was after 5:00, so we got the “rush” tour – which meant we only saw the first floor of the building. Oh well, maybe next time we’ll get to go upstairs. BTW, it’s free to see the Liberty Bell and go inside Independence Hall.

In the lower right picture, it says “Abraham Lincoln stood here.” I thought that was cool. But that’s really all we had time for. I know there were a lot more sites/places we weren’t able to visit; nevertheless, I had a wonderful time. I would definitely love to come back and explore more of the city – maybe after Mica’s lesson on U.S. colonization and independence.

Come back tomorrow as I share more about our trip to New York. If you want to read the previous posts in this series, here they are:

1. NY 2009, Part 1: Jessi’s Christening
2. NY 2009, Part 2: A Family Reunion
3. NY 2009, Part 3: Girl’s Night Out and a Celebration
4. Cape Cod, Part 1: Hello Provincetown
5. Cape Cod, Part 2: Exploring the Tip of the Peninsula
6. Cape Cod, Part 3: Race Point Beach and Whale Watching
7. From Cape Cod to Mystic, Connecticut

On our fourth day in Cape Cod, we decided to leave after breakfast and spend the day in Mystic, a quaint little town in Connecticut, which was on the way back to New York.

My brother Jay suggested we try the legendary Mystic Pizza, made famous by the 80’s Julia Roberts movie of the same name. I’m not sure if I was just really hungry (we had to wait for 45 minutes to be seated) but I enjoyed the pizzas – definitely worth coming back to, if ever I’m in the area again. We ordered the House Special (pepperoni, meatball, sausage, green peppers, onions, and mushrooms), the Mediterranean Delight (artichoke hearts, spinach, tomatoes, garlic, and roasted red peppers), and of course, the Hawaiian Pizza with ham and pineapple – that’s the only pizza my mom eats. I personally liked the Mediterranean Delight because I love artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers.

When we were done eating, we strolled down Mystic’s Main Street, enjoying the lakeside views and checking out the boutique stores.

Love this picture. In a group shot where everybody is smiling, Rinoa had to be different and show some personality.

Here we are getting ready to leave and head back “home” to New York. It was a fun day. Would have wanted to explore more of the area, seems like there’s more to be discovered – maybe next time.

Tomorrow will be about our trip to Philadelphia. If you want to read the previous posts in this series, here they are:

1. NY 2009, Part 1: Jessi’s Christening
2. NY 2009, Part 2: A Family Reunion
3. NY 2009, Part 3: Girl’s Night Out and a Celebration
4. Cape Cod, Part 1: Hello Provincetown
5. Cape Cod, Part 2: Exploring the Tip of the Peninsula
6. Cape Cod, Part 3: Race Point Beach and Whale Watching

Enjoying the Atlantic coast at Race Point Beach on our third day in Provincetown …

This is the view when you look inland from the beach. I’m in love with it – swaying grassland, rolling sand dunes, lone building. It’s like a cheery version of “Wuthering Heights”.

Here’s Jay, Ivy, Mica, and Rinoa ready to test out the water. They didn’t really swim, they just waded because the water was too cold.

Here’s my mom with Rinoa and Baby Jessi on our picnic setup.

Two things I realized while I was at Race Point Beach:

1. This trip to Cape Cod is my first “Atlantic” beach experience. I also learned that the Atlantic water is saltier and colder than Pacific water, given the same weather temperature – interesting.
2. Beach umbrellas are hard to keep staked in the sand. I can’t tell you how many times our beach umbrella tried to blow away – actually, it did blow away once or twice.

So we were at the beach for most of the morning until it started drizzling and we had to pack up and go. Incidentally, when we got home (like back home in Illinois), Troy asked Rinoa if she swam in the beach. Rinoa replied, “I didn’t really swim. I couldn’t open my eyes under water because the water was salty. Why is the water salty, Daddy?” (Hehe, I thought that was cute.)

Anyways, back to that day in Cape Cod, we decided to go whale watching in the afternoon – taking the last trip out to Stellwagen Bank at 5:30.

My brother took this remarkable pictures of a whale dive. (I was holding the videocam, whose battery died on me halfway during the trip – tough luck, right?)

One thing about whale watching, it’s exciting for the first hour or so – but after a dozen whales, it kinda gets redundant. This trip we had though was a double whammy. We saw several whales and we were able to enjoy the sunset on our way back to the harbor.

Provincetown is spectacular at night. I feel like I’m in a “Pirates of the Caribbean” scene – without the stinky pirates.

I know – my hair is all puffy and wind-blown from that ship ride. What can a girl do? =)

And here we are, back on the streets of Provincetown – enjoying a buzzling evening.

We stopped by the Purple Feather for some treats before heading back to our hotel. Their gelatos and red velvet cake with cream cheese are to die for.

Check out tomorrow as I share my day in Mystic, Connecticut. If you want to read the previous posts in this series, here they are:

1. NY 2009, Part 1: Jessi’s Christening
2. NY 2009, Part 2: A Family Reunion
3. NY 2009, Part 3: Girl’s Night Out and a Celebration
4. Cape Cod, Part 1: Hello Provincetown
5. Cape Cod, Part 2: Exploring the Tip of the Peninsula

There’s something serene about waking up in the early morning with the clear, unobstructed, blue sky and gentle lapping waves just outside your window. It’s also interesting to observe sea life at this time – when the shoreline is still peaceful and there are no people yet to scare away the seagulls.

This fish was whole when it was washed ashore – and this is what was left after several voracious seagulls picked on it for breakfast. (Ok, you may find it gross, I found it interesting.)

Here’s Mica and Baby Jessi out on a morning beach stroll – just soaking up some healthy sun.

This was our second day at the peninsula. When the whole family was up and ready, we headed to the hotel lounge to fuel up – the hotel offered free breakfast.

Here’s my mom making us some waffles. The waffle maker is actually pretty cool. You just pour batter from a dispenser, turn the waffle maker upside down, and after two minutes on the timer – voila – you have nice crisp waffles. The challenge, I think, is doing this 6 times without getting bored. Uhh, that’s one for each of us – not all for my mom – lol!

Nothing fancy. Just good ol’ waffles.

Here’s Rinoa with her bagel – this is after eating her waffles.

Here’s Rinoa again with a grapefruit. She thought it was an orange. Imagine her surprise when she bit into that bitter citrus!

And here’s Mica, just being happy. I don’t know why.

After breakfast, we decided to explore downtown Provincetown – which was a mile walk from our hotel.

Here’s Mica, Rinoa, and my mom taking a rest. (Mental note: teach Mica proper posture, especially in public!)

Here’s Rinoa, Ivy, and Mica on another rest stop.

I’ve learned that Provincetown is a haven for visual artists. Lots of creative minds flock to this small town. And I’m not surprised – lots of inspiration to be drawn from this place …

Found this fish on a bench in the harbor.

How awesome is this gate? Found this beside the Provincetown Public Library.

I thought the pilgrims first landed in Plymouth, MA. Apparently, the pilgrims first landed here in Provincetown – then moved to Plymouth. So the Pilgrim Monument, built between 1907 and 1910, is a tribute to this first landing of the pilgrims – although the structure bears no relevance to what it commemorates.

The Pilgrim Monument is the tallest all-granite structure in the US. And in Provincetown, it really stands out. Here, it is the tallest structure – period.

We found this Mayflower Compact bas-relief on our way to the Pilgrim Monument. Of course, we had to pose – hot scorching sun and all. My brother Jay set his camera on a tripod so all of us can be in the picture. Unfortunately, the camera was too far for the wireless remote to work. He tried to trigger the timer manually then run back to us before the shutter release. Obviously, he didn’t make it the first time – nor the second time. The third time, well, we just walked away.

You bet I climbed that 252-ft tower with 116 steps and 60 ramps. Well, actually, I didn’t want to – but what the heck, I was already there! Anyways, I almost died – well, ok, I almost fainted. Really! I felt my blood leave the upper part of my body – not even halfway up the tower. (For those who don’t know, I have the worst acrophobia ever! – But I am willing to challenge myself to overcome it.)

This is the scene from up the tower. I didn’t take this picture. Obviously. (My brother did.) I didn’t even look out at the view. I just stayed by the door that led out to the view deck, clutching the granite wall for dear life until Jay and Ivy were done enjoying the views and taking pictures.

So why you ask did I really climb up the tower? To get one of these stickers that my mom, Jessi, and Rinoa have now posted on their shirts. Really. – It says “I made it to the top of the Pilgrim Monument.” – lol!

It was exciting to try out some of the local restaurants, especially because there is an abundance of fresh seafood – something I crave back in the midwest. Thanks to my mom for treating us to every lunch we had at Cape Cod.

So this is us (well minus Jay who took the picture) after we had lunch at the restaurant behind us. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the restaurant. (I know I have to pay more attention. Should just ask my mom – she writes down everything.) I do remember we had a delectable lobster salad and a mixed seafood platter. We didn’t try their Boston cream pie, even though the group behind us recommended it. We were saving room for dessert elsewhere.

No idea who that tall, bald guy is. Sorry.

Check out on Monday as I share more of Cape Cod. If you want to read the previous posts in this series, here they are:

1. NY 2009, Part 1: Jessi’s Christening
2. NY 2009, Part 2: A Family Reunion
3. NY 2009, Part 3: Girl’s Night Out and a Celebration
4. Cape Cod, Part 1: Hello Provincetown

During our visit to New York – and after my sister, aunts, and cousin left – my brother treated us to a 3-night stay in Cape Cod which was a 5-hour drive from New York.

We headed towards Provincetown, which was at the tip of the Cape Cod peninsula. When we got to Commercial Street in Provincetown, I started feeling like I was at the Hobbits’ Shire (from Lord of the Rings) because the one-way street was just lined with lovely cottages framed by colorful, full-blooming gardens. I knew I was drooling. These cottages were just teasing passersby to explore their warm, cozy interiors. (Of course, I don’t think the owners would appreciate it if I just invited myself in.)

Didn’t quite capture it, but this tree here with its outstretched branch has a 2-seater wooden swing hanging on it.

We finally arrived at our destination – the Surfside Hotel and Suites – where my brother reserved us a suite with an ocean view.

The first thing that caught my eye were these colorful lounge chairs.

They couldn’t resist striking a pose even though the sun was blazing hot.

Here’s our suite, which is literally steps away from the sandy shore.

The suite had a king bed, a sofa bed, a kitchenette, and a Jacuzzi tub.

This is what greets us before we walk in our suite.

And this is what awaits us when we walk out the back patio.

As soon as we got settled in our suite, I started exploring the beachside. It’s been a long time since I smelled the salty air – I was excited!

Mica and Rinoa jumped at the chance to make sand sculptures.

And Jessi had her first taste of playing in the pool.

When evening came, Jay, Ivy, Mica, and my mom tried to go downtown on foot. (I was left to watch Jessi and Rinoa.) And I said tried because they weren’t able to go very far – they were scared off by huge mosquitoes – lol! So we all decided to postpone exploration until the following day.

Check out tomorrow as I share more of Cape Cod. If you want to read the previous posts in this series, here they are:

1. NY 2009, Part 1: Jessi’s Christening
2. NY 2009, Part 2: A Family Reunion
3. NY 2009, Part 3: Girl’s Night Out and a Celebration