The Lab or the University?

Emily loves loves wild birds. She subscribes to a few birding websites and magazines such as the Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This place is the premier place for the study of birds.

Ornithology- the scientific study of birds

The Cornell Lab is in Ithaca: a 4 hour drive northwest from Manhattan. We figure that since we were this close we should visit it and Emily full-heartedly agreed!

Hummingbird exhibit  of all sizes and types

The grounds were so beautiful!!

And since we were here we might as well visit the university it was named after too.

Another campanile!

Cornell has a beautiful, spacious, and grand campus.

IM Pei's creation of this Museum of Art

Cornell has a highly regarded and prestigious School of Architecture, Art & Planning. Above is the new addition and expansion of the school.

New studio workstations on the whole floor.

CAL's studio pales in comparison to Cornell's.

But Emily was more impressed with the Lab!

The BEST Part

One of my very favorite parts of going on vacation besides the food, is to reconnect with friends and family.

Neil having boba milk tea for the FIRST time!

In New York we got to see one of Matthew's beloved high school friends, Neil. We don't get to see Neil very much since he does live all the way across the country from us BUT we do hear from him at least twice a year... in the form of a surprise gift! Neil graciously sends us a gift or flowers for our anniversary and Christmas. Sometimes, he sends gifts for each of the girls too.

Neil gave this to us for our anniversary earlier this year. All the flowers he sends always bloom and last a very long time!

He is extremely thoughtful and gracious and I hate the thought of him spending his hard-earned monies to send us not-very-cheap flowers. But when I do get them I am always so happily surprised that it makes my day! He will one day make a very very lucky girl extremely happy!

Also in NYC, we visited Matthew's cousin, Jason, his wife Maki, and their son Enzo. Jason is one of Matthew's Vancouver cousins, whom I all love dearly! Jason studied architecture at Cornell University; met Maki there; and together in 2001 they opened an architecture firm, Tang Kawasaki Studio, one year after graduating from Cornell.

Both are extremely talented, gifted, and humble. I first met Jason when he was a high schooler in Vancouver and to see him now as husband, father, architect and business owner makes me so proud!

They live in a quaint co-op apartment, and of course remodeled it to their specifications! I truly cannot and should not complain about how small my 1,600 square foot home is compared to their place!

In Manhattan, every inch is precious.. and expensive!

Their son Enzo is quite a character: extroverted, inquisitive, gifted, bright, talented and very entertaining!

Enzo with his cousins

You can check out their work at http://tangkawasaki.com/

NEXT POST: The Lab or University?

The Necessities

When I go on vacation I like to stay in places that are at the same comfort level or better than my own home. (Thus you never see me camping LOL!)

So in Washington DC I thought staying at an Airbnb would be the best option for our four families. But my experience staying at this home was not what I had expected. Granted it was a 19th century three-story brownstone with an in-law unit in the basement. So it is a very old home but supposedly fully upgraded and remodeled on the inside. The pictures shown on the website did not exactly match up to the real thing. Specifically, cleanliness was an issue, as well as organization of household items, and functionality of essential amenities such as the AC, WiFi, dishwasher, and airbeds.

A few of the airbeds had leaks so we had to sort through which ones the girls could use. Overall, I was disappointed with the home especially with the price we paid for it but the owners were gracious, understanding and definitely listened to my concerns. And it didn't take away the experience that we had outside of the house.

But I am wondering... to those of you who use Airbnbs.. what is your experience like? Am I expecting too much?

The whole gang in the living room of the Airbnb

After DC we drove down to Williamsburg (2.5 hr drive), stayed one night there, explored Colonial Williamsburg and caught a flight to NY.

In NY, we stayed at the hotel chosen by Matthew's company: Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Our view from our 34th floor room was the TKTS Booth and stairs. Everything was clean, the AC worked well and the elevator system was AMAZING! (but the wifi was slow)

Also when we go on vacation, I do not want to do anything that resembles home-life and that means no cooking nor cleaning. I can definitely say I am a foodie so I will hunt and travel for good food.  I must say we had many delicious meals, most of which we just found through Yelp. (I love YELP!)

Georgetown Cupcakes.. the line was truly out the door and up the street

Beef stew at Shield's Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg was authentic and so so good!

Reren Lamen in DC Chinatown

Mai Thai in Georgetown

Laduree Paris Macarons in Georgetown

Breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts in DC Chinatown

Momiji Japanese in DC Chinatown

Gordon Biersch in Penn Quarter, DC

Take out and free delivery from Beau Thai in Shaw District, DC

The eating didn't stop when we got into NYC.. in fact our 'must-try good eats' list was far longer for NY than it was for DC.

First stop after dropping off our luggage at the hotel, Shake Shack at 9:45pm.. completely packed and the burger, fries and vanilla shake were to die for!!

THE BEST chocolate chip cookies ever! Line out the door at Levain Bakery in Upper Westside NYC... took the subway just to get these cookies. I would pay someone to bring me back a walnut chocolate chip cookie!

THE FRESHEST noodles ever! They make it in front of your eyes and cooked it right away. Very Fresh Noodle in NYC's Chelsea Market

BIGGEST bowl of udon I ever saw from Tsurutontan Udon Brasserie in NYC's Union Square

Literally ate on the sidewalk while people walked by but the pasta was fresh and delish at Song E Napole in NYC's Little Italy

One of the rare places where the BBQing smell did NOT get on my clothing! The fan was right on the food at Kang Ho Dong Baekjeoung in NYC's Little Korea.

Nom Was Kuan, TeRen Ramen, and Boba Guys from Canal Street Market in NYC's Chinatown

Jiggly sponge cake from Keki Modern Cakes in NYC Chinatown

Lunch at Ellis Island Cafe

Tonkotsu ramen from Totto Ramen Next Door in NYC's Theater District. Apparently Totto Ramen has two restaurants: one served only chicken broth; the other one, Next Door, sold only pork and veggie broth.  This hole in the wall sat only 18 persons max.

Our biggest splurge was Brooklyn's Peter Luger, known for their HUGE steaks. And it's cash only!!

Ciao Wood-Fire Pizza and Pasta in Ithaca

Are you hungry yet? LOL!

NEXT POST:The BEST Part

The Big Apple? More Like A Ton of Applesauce!

The other half of our trip was in New York where Matthew had a work conference to attend. We were thankful to be able to join him for the first time on one of his business trips.

Our hotel was right on Times Square where it was alive 24/7.

We were there on Summer Solstice when there was a Yoga Fest all day for a few blocks on Broadway..

Matthew attended the annual AIA Conference.

The city that never sleeps.. REALLY!

Riding the train to Grand Central Station

As we explored the city with the rest of my family, Matthew explored it on his own through chosen  work-related tours checking out the beautiful architecture of this city.

One of his highlights was to visit B&H Photo store, one of the largest photography stores in the country.

Wall Street

Our hotel was next to the Hamilton theater. Unfortunately we didn't get to see this musical since it was way out of our price range.

But we did get a peek of a star after their show ended as we were getting back to our hotel after dinner. This is Michael Luwoye who plays Alexander Hamilton.

We did watch Wicked. It was good but not great enough for us to have the show tunes stuck in our heads for days.

Lady Liberty

We added a Behind-the-Scenes Hard Hat Tour at Ellis Island where we got to explore the hospital, infectious and contagious disease wards, autopsy room, laundry room and staff home.

This tour was fascinating and brought to life the reality of entering into Ellis Island at a time so difficult for so many who were retained at this expansive hospital.

The Oculus, a glass and steel structure designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.. a 'wow' to my architect-family members.. for me.. not so much.. just looked like a whale skeleton

NEXT POST: The Necessities