Hello October!

There's a cheerful nip in the air,

The sun's rays no longer glare;

The greens are bidding their loving adieus,

And the leaves turning into bright fiesty hues;

There is summer walking away,

And winter approaches the doorway;

Pumpkins or apples, ice creams or lattes, frappes or hot chai,

This is the time you can enjoy everything with a pie.

It's not hot, it's not cold, it's just right,

And that is October's delight!

NYC: Up, Close, and Personal

A red eye flight from Phoenix ensured we woke up in the morning to the city that never sleeps – Wading through the jam-packed gates of JFK, and trying to steal a keen look at the price list for boot polishing (10 USD for a deluxe one, just in case you are interested), we hopped onto the air train and reached the local subway station.

While we were buying our metro cards, I thought I was transported back to a local UP roadways bus adda (bust station) in India – a very old, cheesy bollywood number was playing in one of the trillion small shops owned by Indians in NYC (I even noted down the lyrics, click here for the song :P)

The ride in the local metro to our hotel in downtown Manhattan was as we had been forewarned – At 6:30 AM, people were out there already in commute - as we approached our destination we were crammed to a one-leg room space – so it was actually delightful to ascend the stinky and dirty subway pass and “arise” to the heart of the big apple. Yes, New York sub way stations, streets and roads are not only always crowded but very very filthy. Another thing, I must warn you – be it the airport or any tourist attraction – NYC is the city with the dirtiest toilets. Sorry, for the gory details, but you need to know this, don’t you?

And then commenced, what my husband quite endearingly (;)) refers to as tourist hell. Armed with a long laundry list of must-do’s, New York City Passes and a hop on – hop off bus tour package, I dragged Vish mercilessly for three days around the city from 7:30 AM to 11:00 PM, till, according to him, we ran out of all the hell holes). Aah, the satisfaction of having EVERYTHING on my list checked off! What all was on my list? Just search for Things to Do in NYC, and pretty much everything that pops up in the results was there – tadaah :D!!!

Here are the highlights of our NYC experience…

The Manhattan skyline is gorgeous from any view – you don’t have to go to Empire State and Rockefeller - we did both and did not find it worth the money, the long queues and the airport-like security). Instead, you HAVE to walk down the Brooklyn Bridge and get the most awesome views of the Manhattan Bridge and the skyline – this along with a night tour of Brooklyn via the Manhattan Bridge is a MUST.

The Statue of Liberty is a must-do. Many will tell you it’s overrated but you have to take the ferry around the island and see this French gift first-hand – and up-close.

The neon and the glamour of Times Square is quite a disappointment - apparently the most visited place in the world is just an overly crowded space with skyscrapers all around you – take a walk around – the Broadway theater district is so culturally rich – catch a musical there. The Bryant Park with its beer garden, small shops and a lot of food options is a much more enjoyable and cozy place to relax and soak the city in. 

The financial district, complete with the raging bull, NYSE and the Occupy Wall Street protests was an interesting experience too. 

All those top honchos in tuxedos walking out at lunch time and eating from the zillions of street food stalls gives you a fascinating insight into the life of a New Yorker – Being vegetarians we could not indulge wholeheartedly in the street food revelry all around us – however, we did binge on the so many kinds of pretzels, falafels – and American pizzas! 

The gourmet scene is the best ever – what with all the little worlds that have come together – little India, little Italy, little China, little Korea, little Africa – this is NYC for you – a potpourri of countries, cultures, peoples and even religions. 

Apparently, every religion in this world is practiced in New York City – you have hindu temples, gurudwaras, mosques, synagogues, churches, Buddhist temples among many others.

What you definitely need to do in the city is, leave the concrete, wax and the up-scale snobbish neighborhoods behind, and head straight to Central Park – a man-made park but a wonder in every right – This two and a half mile majestic garden in the heart of the city cannot disappoint you. We spent a few hours every single day that we were in New York strolling here. With the fall colors thrown in, this was the most enjoyable and breathtaking part of our trip.

I could go on and on, but would rather stop on this scenic note, BUT the next time you are planning a trip to NYC, you know who to contact :D.

Sleepless (:D) in Seattle

(P.S. Don't snicker at the done to death, highly 'filmy' title - humor me pls :))

Spent a weekend at the emerald city of Seattle. A very welcomed change from the tough, arid topography of Arizona. As the plane descended over Seattle, the sight of green pines and cedars across the low lying hills made a picturesque sight.

In keeping with its notorious reputation of being cold and wet, we were greeted by light rains at 9 degrees (C). All through the two days, the clouds bullied the sun into submission, every time it peeked in, daring to play hide and seek. It is no surprise then that the Twilight series is set in the state of Washington (Forks). Though Forks did not form a part of our short itinerary, I was constantly in the look out for speeding (good looking) vampires and the likes, much to my disappointment...

We did the standard touristy stuff - the famous Space Needle, Seattle Center, Downtown, Pike Market, Experience Music Project (Paul Allen's museum), the waterfront, and ofcourse the tourists-must-do duck ride - which takes you on land and on water, with the guide giving you a lot of information on the history and geography of the place. 

The Lake Union boasts of a number of boat houses and floating houses that could cost you anything above a million dollars, if you wished to buy. Any one leaving an inheritance behind, please remember me and this wish of mine. Would love to have a beautifully done up boathouse, with elegant furniture - wake up in the morning to the gentle lapping of the water - bliss! One of my dream holiday homes :P.

A non-caffeine person like me showed little delight at the first ever Starbucks. Infact, I find it embarrassing to enter a Starbucks - not a person to enjoy coffees or teas or lattes, I end up ordering a hot chocolate, which shows up on their kids' menu :(. But if you are a coffee person, Seattle would be heaven for you - there's a Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee and Tully's outlet almost everywhere!

What made our trip even more scenic and memorable was the changing color of leaves thanks to the onset of fall (my love for the fall eulogized here).

Here are some pics from the city...

Aerial view of Seattle downtown 

Seattle harbor 

At the Experience Music Project (the image is 90 degrees inverted) 

The Space Needle

The Pike Market

The lovely autumn hues

The boathouses you would want to buy me

Fremont bridge as viewed from the Seattle waterfront 

Autumn Hues...

I am simply in love with the changing colors of leaves in the fall. The exquisite beauty of the chromes, auburns, oranges, yellows, deep-reds leave me wonder struck. The charm of nature never stops seizing my heart so much so that a simple drive to the local grocery store during this time of the year amazes me.

I have spent many moments, consciously and unconsciously, trying to understand this unique phenomenon of nature. Not that I don't love spring; spring's supposed to be splendid, but the magnificence of the autumn hues mystifies me.

In my mind and heart, I associate the fall to the necessary decline and end of life to make way for new life. It's the rhythmic cycle of life; what is born must grow and reach its zenith, and then humbly take a bow on the stage of life. New life is born again. Thus, the trance of life and death continues, extending into each other, as if one was a part of the other. The exuberance of the leaves just before they become one with the ground they grew on is a miracle that I think teaches us a very important lesson. Exactly how the last song of the swan is the sweetest and how a flame burns the brightest just before extinguishing, you should live life to the fullest and not be scared of the end; live your prime always - spring, summer, autumn, because the winter is a necessary phase of the cycle followed by spring again. Let not your mind or heart fear of entering the winter of your life.

Each season of life brings with it renewed hope and belief. Effervescent spring gives way to cheerful summer that leads to the wonderful fall that brings the chilling winters and finally takes us to the elixir of spring again.