NYC sights

Fritz Koenig's ''The Sphere' in Battery Park, a memorial for the victims of the 9/11 attacks


East Coast Memorial in Battery Park




Whaddaya lookin' at?

Waterfall #1 Brooklyn Bridge

Waterfall #2 Pier 35

Waterfall #3 Brooklyn Piers

Waterfall #4 Governors Island

Baked

I had a 'bake date' with my friends Liliane, Lu & Zendy recently. I can already hear Richard:'Oh so NOW you're baking huh?' ;) We made a chocolate raspberry & blueberry cake and 'Coffee & cream profiteroles', which are basically cream puffs. The cake looked alright, although it didn't quite turn out as the one in the cookbook. The recipe wasn't accurate (I swear!), but it was still pretty tasty. The profiteroles however, were a bit heavy and didn't have enough cream in it.

The chefs Zendy, me, Lil & Lu

Chocolate Raspberry Blueberry cake


Coffee & Cream profiteroles with white chocolate sauce

They kinda look like...

Shove it

Currently in heavy rotation on my iPod:

Santogold - Shove it
MGMT - Electric feel
Enur feat. Natasja - Calabria 2007
John Mayer - Free fallin' ("Where the light is" DVD)
Jason Mraz - I'm yours
Keane - The lovers are losing
Coldplay - Lost
Alain Clark - Blow me away

No more

No more:

- Coming home and being greeted by Homie and/or my roomies;
- Roaches, mice and rats (thank God);
- People hanging in front of my apartment building;
- Sleeping to the sound of sirens every night;
- Saying 'It's not that bad', after telling people I live in Harlem;

- Food Network (Iron Chef, Ace of cakes, Throwdown with Bobby Flay...)
- Commercials every 5 minutes;
- Really bad commercials, like this one (it's an older version, but just as stupid. Seriously: "I've got genital herpes." "And I don't!")

- Subways riding 24 hours a day and coming every 5 minutes (except late at night);
- Hearing 'Stand clear of the closing doors please', muffled through the intercom;
- Jaywalking;
- Running in Riverside Park;
- Stumbling upon great architecture/photogenic places while walking on the street;

- Trying to decide where to have dinner/go clubbing by looking on New York Magazine, Zagat and Menupages;
- Dessert Truck;
- Cream puffs;
- Fairway;
- $ 1,- Empanada's from around the corner;

- Hearing 'Hi how are you today??' in the stores;
- Waiting in line of the cashier with the exact amount in cash, but then realizing the price doesn't include tax (B*tches...);
- Converting dollars in euro's (Sweet!);

I miss New York...

10

Adidas Top Ten Hi Tanabata

Inspired by the Japanese Tanabata festival

Nine West pumps


These were two of the ten pairs of shoes (three pairs of sneakers, one pair of running shoes, three pumps/high heels, two flats and one pair of sandals) I had to stuff in my suitcases. A friend of mine already helped me carry two pairs of boots, that I brought along from NL, in his suitcase :P Yeah...
'My name is Jill and I'm a shoe addict'....

Back again

So I'm back in Amsterdam, back to reality again... On our last night in NY, Wing and I had dinner with Jeanette at Da Nico in Little Italy. Much, much later we went home and Wing, Shane & I met up with Jeremy & Ryan and two of their friends at Wine Bar, somewhere in LES. After that we went to Karl's place to chill/have some drinks. At some point Marcus, Karl's roommate, who was sleeping, woke up and decided to join us. ;)

Shane, Wing & me

With Wing & Ryan

Jeremy

The next day Wing & I still needed to buy a lot of stuff, e.g. another suitcase, so we went shopping last minute: powershopping. It was such a stressful day, our flight was leaving at 20.50 and we eventually got home at around 18.30. (Yeah, you're supposed to check in two hours before the flight...) I was glad to see Rich & Ryan were home, which meant they could help us carry four suitcases down the stairs... :P Then the drama started: I didn't have any cash left, but I figured it wouldn't be a problem since most yellow cabs accept creditcards. However, there were no yellow cabs in sight, only those 'unofficial' cabs (don't know what they're called). So I went to the ATM, but there was a long line because only one machine was working. Since we were already late, I didn't want to wait and I found $23,- in my wallet, so I went back to the guys. Wing had $27,- so I figured $50,- would be enough, since a ride to JFK in a yellow cab costs $45,- However, the driver told us it would cost $60,-!! &*%#*! I told the driver, that when we'd arrive at the airport I would just find an ATM. So we (hastily) said our last goodbye to the guys and got into the cab. The driver was afraid we wouldn't pay him or something, dropping me off an ATM around the corner. But the ATM didn't work, I got back in, told him it didn't work. Meanwhile he was driving sooooo slowly, making me very pissed/stressed. I told him he didn't have to worry, that he would get his money. But for now we were trying to make our flight, so if he could just step on it! Eventually I could pay with my creditcard (couldn't he frickin' say that earlier?!): he called his company, I had to repeat my creditcard number 10 times to the operator (it did cost me three bucks extra, but whatever, I was already about to throw his phone out the window by then), sign the receipt and finally he was driving a bit faster... We were too late to check in (got there around 19.45), although we had already checked in online (Wing:'Ow I thought we didn't have to be here two hours earlier, since we already checked in...'). The guy at the counter was really nice though, he even helped us move our suitcases to a nearby counter. Lesson for today: Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT try this at home (shopping on the day you leave, having not enough cash), I've never been so stressed out in my life ;)

Last view of New York

Bright lights, big city...

And so here my unforgettable journey ends... I'm incredibly thankful for having the opportunity (hmm this is going to sound a bit mushy, but still.) to experience this wonderful city (that really never sleeps), becoming a New Yorker (if even for a little bit) and making some great friends. It's mainly because of them that I had a real amazing time.
New York, I shall return...

Food 10

I've finally completed my mission to try everything on the menu of the Dessert Truck (except for the hot chocolate), before leaving New York ;)
Milk chocolate mousse

With a peanut butter cream center, topped with caramel popcorn

Goat cheese cheesecake

Vanilla crème brûlée

Slow-baked apples and cinnamon

Pumpkin custard

Verdict
Most delicious of them all: Chocolate bread pudding
Least favourite: Pumpkin custard

Yuck

Guess who disposed of the roach? *Cough*not Ryan*cough*... ;)

Food 9

Otafuku

Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki

My tuna steak don at Sobaya

Wing happy with her Kamo Seiro soba

Jellybean soldier in F.A.O. Schwartz