Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 43

Sights to See: Flatiron District , NYC

FLATIRON DISTRICT  

Flatiron Building  175 Fifth Ave./23rd St.  This early 21-story skyscraper was designed with a wedge shape by architect Daniel Burnham because the building needed to fill a triangular space created by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway.  Built in 1902, it is actually covered with limestone and terra-cotta, not iron, and at its narrowest end measures only 6 feet across.  It was originally named the Fuller Building, then became known as "Burnham's Folly" because people were sure it would fall down, and now is named for its resemblance to the handheld clothing appliance. 



Free walking tours are scheduled every Sunday at 11 a.m.  Meet at the southwest corner of Madison Square Park (23rd Street and Broadway).  In addition to viewing the famous Flatiron Building, this 90-minute tour includes other notable landmarks--the New York Life Insurance Building, the MetLife Clock Tower, the Appellate Courthouse.  You can also download a free self-guided walking tour. 

23rd Street Subway Station  Pop down here if you can to take whimsical selfies under a crown or hat painted onto the tiles. 





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images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Hundred Acres, NYC

Hundred Acres   38 Macdougal St., SoHo, (212) 475-7500. 

Diners here might be seated in any of three rooms, each with a different atmosphere.  I think each has its bliss, so it isn’t worth waiting if you don’t have to.  The front room has a bank of windows that open to the street and is particularly nice on warm days.

The bright back room is an enclosed patio, where hard surfaces can cause it to get quite loud.

In between is a darker room with no windows and that is where my group sat.  We were quite comfortable with the banquette seating.

From the inventive brunch menu we selected cinnamon rolls and a pot of jalapeno grits as shared starters.  May husband’s main was roasted country ham hash with fried eggs on top.

My soft scrambled eggs were cooked just right and with a generous amount of asparagus, but disappointingly the gruyere cheese was barely detectable.  I really liked the accompanying cornbread, which was long and shaped like madeleine cookies, but I had to ask for honey butter, which took its flavor over the top.

I had my eye on my son-in-law’s griddled pimento white-cheddar-cheese sandwich and will try it next time.

But the queen’s dish here seems to be the super-tasty goat cheese-sage bread pudding topped with poached eggs—the house version of eggs Benedict.

Though cocktails are available—an assortment of bloody marys and the usual mimosa, bellini, and more—we stuck to coffee.  The cold-brewed on ice was particularly nice on a warm day.  The menu changes regularly.


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images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Magnolia Bakery, NYC

Magnolia Bakery   401 Bleecker St./11th St., West Village, (212) 462-2572.  This small spot is the original location of the boomingly popular cupcake shop put on the map by the TV show “Sex & the City.”  It is certified Kosher and now has franchises around the world.  My favorite cupcake is the vanilla with thick pastel frosting—I selected one here with aqua frosting on my recent birthday--but delicious chocolate and red velvet versions are also available.  The banana bread pudding dessert is also a don’t-miss, and the cookies and ice cream sandwiches are well priced and tasty.



this image c2015 Suzie Flores
my birthday cupcake at Magnolia Bakery in NYC
Since there is nowhere to sit inside, eat it on the run or take it away to linger over at little Bleecker Playground park located diagonally across the street. 






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Travel Articles: Best Souvenirs of China

It’s always a good idea to have a few souvenir ideas in mind before any trip.  That way you can do a little research in advance and, if you’re lucky, make a bee-line for what you want.  If you’re taking a guided tour of China, this is a particularly good idea because often you are taken to visit well-priced government stores that are so big it made my head spin.  It was difficult to know which way to go first.  More . . .

These silk pillowcases are my  favorite souvenir from China.
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image ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
 

Misc.: travel insurance for jewelry and valuables

About two years ago, in an Atlantic City casino, I lost a big, beautiful, color-changing, synthetic/manmade Alexandrite stone from a gold ring setting.  I was traveling self-insured, as I often do, so considered it just one of those things.  Fortunately, it wasn’t a diamond and was not valuable beyond sentiment (though real Alexandrite stones are usually more costly than a diamond of equal size).  But it did have sentiment aplenty, because I always wore it (it was subbed in as an engagement ring on my first wedding anniversary) and enjoyed watching the color changes as I traveled (it changed in different light and at different latitudes from a deep purple to a deep blue-green, and to a light purple or light blue-green).  A while after I returned home, it occurred to me that the ring might be covered on my homeowner’s policy and, indeed, it was.  So I was able to make a claim and discovered I was covered from dollar one up to $500.  The insurance company arranged to replace it for me.  But ultimately this process took too long and I had too many unanswered questions about how it would be done, so I opted for a cash settlement.  Unfortunately, my vintage Alexandrite from the 1930s is not an easy stone to replace, so I finally replaced it with a slightly smaller, less beautiful contemporary stone in a silver setting from England that I purchased on Amazon for $99!  I am happy with it.  So keep in mind that if an item is lost or stolen while you are traveling, check with your home insurance as soon as you return.  Always document such an incident as best you can—collect information from any witnesses, etc.  And if you travel with a precious piece of jewelry, always keep it with you (never check it in your baggage), take a picture of it, and check settings for possible damage.  If it is valuable above $500 or whatever your homeowner policy covers, secure a rider on it for full value (this is something to do even if you don’t take it on trips).  Bottom line:  love your gems while you have them and enjoy wearing them, but be aware of their value and the need for insurance. 

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images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Sights to See Old City/Bazaar Shanghai, Shanghai, China

Old City/Bazaar Shanghai  South of The Bund, by Shanghai Old Street/Shanghai Lao Jie.  The city’s original core, this warren of narrow pedestrian-only lanes is lined with large reconstructed Ming and Qing dynasty buildings featuring ornate rooftops.  Many now hold food and souvenir stalls.  Farther from the core are tenements with laundry hanging over railings to dry, backstreet businesses, and a few temples.  At the western end of the street at Henan Lu, you can catch a taxi back to your hotel.






Sights
Yu Yuan/Yuyuan Garden  132. Anren St., in the heart of Old City.  Daily 8:30am-4:30pm.  Dating back 400 years to the Ming Dynasty, this famous garden was built in 1559 by Pan Yunduan as a private garden for his parents.  It is said to be the most beautiful classical garden in China--more beautiful even than those in Suzhou.  "Yu" translates as "peace and health," and this garden is indeed a place of peace and comfort in the heart of busy Shanghai.  It is a large walled complex of tranquil gardens and traditional Chinese houses, with rock gardens, ponds, bridges, and pavilions, and, of course, it attracts plenty of tourists.  Fat golden Chinese carp and Japanese koi fish swim in a pond.  Try your luck at the wishing waterfall, where, after you find the four stone dragons hidden among the stones, the tradition is to throw a coin out onto them.  If your coin stays on the stone, your wish is granted; if it falls in the water, you’re out of luck. 
     Just outside the garden to the north, The Bridge of Nine Turnings/Jiu Qu Qiao Bridge/Zigzag Bridge leads over a pond to the Huxinting Teahouse/Huxinting Chashe/Yeshi Tea House, a classic mid-lake pavilion that is the perfect place to stop for tea.  Service is inexpensive, but costs about twice as much upstairs as it does downstairs because of the view and more serene atmosphere. 




Shops
Tea Garden   158 0091 3143.  This shop is loaded with tea in tins.  I especially like these tins because the tops twist off and can be reused.  The tea is displayed so you can touch and smell samples, and clerks are helpful.  I also liked that teas are packaged in small containers that allow you to sample several kinds.  I selected Lapsangsouchong black tea and Big Red Robe oolong tea for my souvenirs. 


Restaurants
Xinxiang steamed bun restaurant  This is the town’s most famous place for Shanghai’s famous xiaolongbao steamed dumplings with crab meat.  I hear there is always a long line of people waiting to buy dumplings from the first-floor stall (they then eat them on the street just like we would a hot dog).  If you want to sit down, go upstairs where you will pay a cashier twice as much for the privilege and you will also have to hover to secure your own seats.  When you are finally seated, a server delivers the goods and picks up your chit and check.  We waited on the second floor for about 20 minutes before some kind, already-seated Chinese people offered us two empty chairs at their table (like in Germany at a beer garden, it is customary to share tables here).  We then engaged in pleasant conversation via sign language.  For more menu choices, table service, and a view, head to the third floor where everything costs three times as much.  By the way, I didn’t detect the taste of crab meat in the buns. 





Yu Garden Tea House  133 YuYuan Old Street, in first block outside Yu Garden exit gate, 021-63264514.  I knew we had to stop here for refreshment when I saw from the street below the second-floor table for two set out in the open on a tiny sheltered balcony.  I longed to sit there for a while and observe the activity below, which I was currently amid.  Once seated, I realized it was pretty much only hot tea that was on the menu, and since it was also a hot day I preferred to drink cold beer.  The solo beer choice was on the menu was the equivalent of US$8, which is outrageous in these parts.  Times two that was US$16.  We got up to abandon ship, but were convinced to stay by an offer of two beers for US$8.  Still a ridiculous price, we decided to take it and did not regret this atmospheric break.  I learned that people generally come here for extensive tea tastings.  Instead of what we did, I would advise you to plan to drink beer elsewhere and come here for some tea tasting and tea purchasing because it is fairly-priced for that.  When you depart, ask for directions to the nearby Zigzag Bridge. 


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Taking an organized tour to China.
 
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images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Great Sleeps: Renaissance Pudong Hotel, Shanghai, China

Renaissance Pudong Hotel   100 Changliu Rd., Pudong District, +86-21-38714888.  Pool; fitness center.  This new hotel is remote from established tourist areas, which is fine if the night you’re here isn’t the night you have on your own.  In spite of this obstacle, people from my tour group ventured out fearlessly in taxis and even used the subway.  A few shops and restaurants are across the street if you aren’t as energetic.  The breakfast buffet included really good French pastries, unusual fresh fruit juices (watermelon, cucumber), and several dedicated stations preparing omelettes and noodles. 








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Taking an organized tour to China.
 
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images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 
 

Things to Do: ride the Maglev Train/Transrapid, Shanghai, China

Maglev Train/Transrapid   This train is the first commercially operated high-speed magnetic levitation line in the world.  Built by German technicians for the Olympics, it cost US$1.2 billion to build and began service in 2004.  With a top speed of 431 kmh/268 mph, this train rides 2 inches above the rails and takes only 8 minutes to travel 19 miles to the airport.  It is very loud outside the train, but very quiet inside, and the train accelerates from zero to 431 kilometers in 3 minutes (it operates at full acceleration only from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.).  This train connects Shanghai Pudong International Airport and the outskirts of central Pudong, but at $25/person round-trip it isn’t inexpensive.  Access to the new Disneyland opening in 2016 is coming on another track at the station.



 


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Taking an organized tour to China.
 
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images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Sights to See: Huangpu River tour, Shanghai, China

Huangpu River tour  The Huangpu River winds north from its source at Dingshan Lake for about 70 miles to Wusong Kou, where it meets the Yangtze River.  It passes through Shanghai in the middle for about 24 miles.  Though narrow and shallow, the river is important to China's international trade, city water supplies, and fishing.  It’s also a popular route for tourist boats to view the skyscrapers of Pudong and the buildings of the Bund, which are especially stunning when they are lit up in the evening. 






More things to do in Shanghai. 

More things to do in China.  

Taking an organized tour to China.
 
More China items. 

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.

images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Sights to See: Shanghai, China + Bund/Waitan

Shanghai is China’s most westernized city.  It was very fashionable in the 1930s.  I’ve heard it described as filthy and polluted but didn’t find it so.  It has the world’s longest subway system, and cabs are cheap.  The best weather is in August, but cool, comfortable weather occurs in April.

Bund/Waitan waterfront  Everyone comes here to stroll along the mile-long semi-circular promenade along the Huangpu river and view Shanghai’s famous and stunning skyline, sometimes referred to as a “museum of international architecture.”  Stark modern skyscrapers are across the river on one side, and older British colonial buildings are across the street on the other.  The Chinese “Big Ben” rings out the hour.  While we strolled, we saw two brides in traditional fluffy deep-red wedding gowns posing with their grooms for their wedding pictures.  I also enjoyed just sitting on steps in an open gallery and people watching. 









More things to do in Shanghai. 

More things to do in China.  

Taking an organized tour to China.
 
More China items. 

Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.

images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers