Best Buy Ever

The Photo Book

for US$9.50 at one of the souvenir stores in the Getty Museum. All I do is feel the book in my hands and I congratulate myself for nabbing one of the best deals ever.

Thank you, Phaidon!

Eavesdropping to Remember

We were at J. Paul Getty's Museum at the Getty Center when we chanced upon a grandfather explaining a watercolor painting to his granddaughter cradled in his arms. She must be around 4 yrs old.

Grandfather: Do you see the reflection of the trees on the lake?

Little Girl nods.

Grandfather: You know sometimes, the reflection of the trees on the lake is more beautiful than the trees themselves. Do you see it?

Little Girl replies no comment. Grandpa moves on to the next painting.

I wish I had such a grandfather (or anybody), who could help me see the subtle beauties and not the intricate technicalities of art.

***

By the way, the J. Paul Getty museum is an astoundingly remarkable feat of a human being's love for the Arts. Access to the museum is free, you only pay for parking ($15). And you really wonder why. You have to.

It's huge, it's gorgeous, it's got an amazing view of Santa Monica and other Santas in LA, it's got the original works of Van Gogh, Gaugin, Monet. One of the caretakers pointed out to us a painting that's worth 5 million dollars. Hoowaw. They've got other collections besides paintings. We made the mistake of allotting only 2 hours to it. Take away 30 minutes of the time they spent looking for me (Ooops, I got lost again!) so we actually spent only 1.5 hours of pleasure "studying" the works.

It's a must visit.

***

So yeah, I'm wondering how Getty could be privately-owned and be free for everyone while the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) is government-owned and taxes each visitor $20. I'm not complaining, I'm just wondering.

hahaha

One beautiful afternoon after a Japanese eat-all-you-can lunch, the Rodriguez family was trying to spot a parking space at the promenade across Huntington Beach, CA. It wasn't easy. Tingtong, the son, noticed the reserved parking spaces for the Handicapped.

Tingtong: Panch, how old do you need to be to park in the reserved lot for the Handicapped?

Pancho: Actually, you just have to be handicapped.

Tingtong: Ay, bitaw? Balian nalang nako si mama beh!

Between New York & Charlotte

My cousin Carla, upon stepping out of the Penn Station and into the busy 34th St, exclaimed out loud, "Now, this is America," which was pretty funny since Carla arrived in the US six months ago and has been living in Charlotte, North Carolina. "I think I'm going to cry," she continued. I think many would share the same sentiment. New York after all is the state that's most associated to America. It is the beacon of the American dream, and the setting to many well-loved films, series, and stories.

We are placestruck by it.

New York was in the itinerary of our first US trip ten years ago so I wasn't as excited as Carla was, but I was still looking forward to it. I looked forward to seeing the Ground Zero and to see how New York would seem to the dreamy 24 yr old me.

Would it still be about looking up at the Statue of Liberty and guessing where the MTV building is, like it was 10 years ago when I was 15? (Answer: Nope, I didn't mind at all that we only saw the Statue from the Staten Island Ferry port. And when Karen pointed out the MTV building for me at Times Square, I just went, "Oh yeah.")

Would New York be that tug in the heart, pumping it faster, producing a new inspiration? (Answer: Yep.) Would I get sucked into its fast-paced, always-on-the-go, dream-and-achieve-it-fast culture, wanting to be part of it? (Yep, though I want to make clear that the new inspiration doesn't draw me necessarily towards New York, but to any place with the self-employed "make it happen!" spirit)

I was not only placestruck by New York; I actually wanted to get to know it.

We were in Charlotte before taking the 13-hr train ride to New York. Our host tito Mike would joke, "You're going to New York after Charlotte. Oh boy, will you be culture shocked." Oh boy was he right. While Charlotte's roads and highways abound with trees in deep-autumn colors, glass and concrete practically mushroom in New York City. Not to mention, the crowds on the streets, the city's natural feel of hurry, the vicious drivers, the lights, the congestion. In the contrary, Charlotte looks and feels like it has all the time and space in the world. There's always a patch of trees, bushes, plants that separate one establishment from another, and so much air between people. To New York's feisty, Public School-grown blonde, Charlotte is like a reserved, boarding school-bred brunette. Though they sit close to each other in the American map, they are worlds apart.

While New York inspires the heart to get going, Charlotte convinces it that it is already home.

What I Owe You

1) Best of New York

2) What we ate in Vegas, stays in our hips

***

American Eagle: Live your life.

On the Road (Las Vegas to Los Angeles)

Waiting for the bus at the bus stop in downtown Vegas.

35-minute stop at Barstow for lunch.

Everything on our table was fried.

Railroad at Barstow.

Someone from our bus got left behind at this small town somewhere in between LV and LA. It happened like this.

Bus driver turned on the bus engine.

Girl at the back of the bus: Hey, we're missing somebody.

Bus driver: Do you know who?

Girl: I don't know.

Bus driver drives out of the parking lot.

And drives all the way to LA.

North Hollywood.

Or,

No Ho.

In memory of Polly (the dolly above) who Bien left behind at the North Hollywood bus station. Mother bought Polly for her just the other day.

***

I took these photos during the bus ride from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. The window on my side were painfully tainted w/ dried muck and I had the sun on the same side all throughout the trip. Sucks. But it was an enjoyable ride.

LAgain

Pardon for the silence in the past few days. We arrived back here in LA yesterday, after a 7-hr bus ride from Las Vegas. It was a fine ride. By fine, I mean to say I could read a book and sleep soundly, both I did alternatively and in equal amounts throughout the ride. But apparently, it wasn't enough rest. Upon arrival, I was a dead meat and I hit the bed immediately after dinner.

Earlier today didn't give me enough time to blog. We drove to the Universal Studios in the morning, the entrance to which is freaking overpriced. Seriously. We hurried to the Jurassic Park ride. Thankfully, it's off peak season so there's no lining-up involved. I faintly remember Daniel's accounts of the ride, which were pretty intense so I expected intense. And I got intense -- the 80 degree vertical drop. Oh my heart!

An official photo was taken of our expressions during the drop. Pop looked like he was having a grand time while fright was written all over Ting, Bien and mine's faces. Pop got the last laugh, of course.

Lunch was at the Jurassic cafeteria. It's all fried again, ladies and gentlemen. We had chicken tenders and fries. We obviously did not have enough of Popeye's yesterday during the 35-minute break the bus driver gave us, where we had fried crawfish, fried chicken wings, fried chicken thighs, fried chicken tenders, and fries.

I wanted to stay away from rides after the full meal, but The Mummy was right outside the cafeteria. Ting chickened out and pop did not think he would fit in the seat so I went alone. Whatta blessing, I found myself seated to a girl who's been on it 20x so she was knowledgeable about when the speed starts, when the quick curves were, when it stops, what happens next. It was a fun ride and I convinced Ting to get on it with me for a second round.

After the ride, we watched The Special Effects show. It was funny and very entertaining, all thanks to the gay hosts. The show was THEIRS. We speed-walked to 5 flights of escalators to catch the Studios Tour on time. The guide was slacking on his job. Thankfully, what he was showing to us was very interesting stuff.

From the beginning of the tour, he was telling us that we would pass by the lane where Desperate Housewives is currently filming. And he added, "We might just get lucky and catch one of the housewives." Yeah, right. When we (did) get there, there were only the crew men and their trucks parked on the lane.

The Water World show was up next. So what they did to the set of the doomed film was use it for a show, gathering a cast of Kevin Costner look-a-like and an actress who can swing from one post to another, hundreds of feet high. Tarzan's Jane, is that you? It was a big production, I give them that.

Ting and I hurried to squeeze in The House of Horror and The Simpsons Ride before the Shrek 4D show at 5 but suddenly, a crowd appeared from the thick afternoon air and we had to line up so we skipped both and watched with shades on Shrek saving his ogre princess.

There goes our Universal tour.

Really, I thought they robbed us off our dollars. Doll-arse.

Let me be quick and end this.

A new ring at a shop that sell fancy jewelry from Arizona at ridiculous prices (at least for my pocket). The shop was manned by two kindly Filipinas who gave me a discount. Made my day.

A scoop each of Whirled Peace and Chocolate flavors at Ben and Jerry's. Made my day.

Vietnamese food at Pho 999. Made my day.

James, the son of Meia, at Pancho and Maica's home. Made my day.

My day is made.

The Clarinet Player II

So I noticed that the photo I took of the clarinet player at New York's Subway Station is beautifuller by every gaze and study. I feel it deserves a place on the right-side section of this travel blog.

Let me know if you see the same way.

A Story of 2 New Yorks

Somehow, I'm more impressed by this New York

than by this.

1) NYC Chinatown

2) Wall Street

***

So many stories to tell and lists to make, but I've got to sleep first.

All About Leaving

I loved Billy Elliot, the movie. I'm certain the Broadway show is as GREAT.

There's something amiss about leaving New York without having seen a single Broadway show. Even more that I was in Times Square twice in the past 3 days.

This hit me most strongly this morning before taking the train from Ronkonkoma, Long Island to the Penn Station in Manhattan.

Reception lady: Oh, so you're going to Ground Zero today?

Me: Yeah. At least, that's in the plan.

Reception lady: Tell me about it. I've never been there.

Me: Seriously?

Reception lady: I don't go to the city a lot. I only do to watch a show.

*Jealous*

The reception lady proceeded.

Reception lady: If you do plan to watch a show today, get your tickets at the booth behind the red stairs in Times Square. They sell tickets mostly at half the price.

*Mouth watering*

Reception lady: You should watch.

*I said goodbye and left*

We were supposed to watch The Lion King during this New York trip but our Saturday and Sunday schedules at the city were SO tight and there was no show today, a Monday, leaving us w/ zero chance to see it at all. Aside from The Lion King, I wanted OHSOMUCH to watch Billy Elliot and Hair.

Going. Going. Gone.

We're flying to Las Vegas tomorrow and will stay until Thursday. Then we take the bus to Los Angeles for the last leg of our trip. Our flight back to the Philippines is on Wednesday next week.

Left and Found

Somebody left his or her copy of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, and Love on a bench at the Staten Island Ferry park. Who leaves a copy of a very good book at a public bench? I want to assume the owner intentionally did so to pass this goodness on to another booklover's hands. I would have picked it up if I don't already have a copy.

Thank you, stranger.

Charlotte Diaries: October 29, 2009, 11:06 pm

We are leaving Charlotte tomorrow and will be taking the train to New York. I must say I’m not so happy saying goodbye to North Carolina. This place has revealed to me a beauty I’ve never seen, experienced, and enjoyed before. This morning, we woke up at tito Mike and tita Tammy’s log cabin on a mountain ridge in a small town called Todd that’s around 3-4 hours drive from Charlotte.

Their cabin overlooks a valley that at this time of the year, is congested w/ trees that are bald but for their heads – a bunch of leaves in different shades of brown hanging on to the top branches. In small patches all over the valley are the Evergreen trees, which literally take to its name and have stayed a deep green despite the season of autumn. I’m sure I’ve seen such scenery before, in a dream or in a painting. I never thought I could gush so much just by looking at trees.

I woke up at 5am. Scared to fall back to sleep, oversleep, and miss the glorious sunrise that tito Mike and tita Tam promised, I finished Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love and launched on to Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Among the weirdest discoveries we made here in Charlotte is that at autumn, the sun rises past 8am. My cousins Chris and Katie go to school at 7, in total darkness. This Saturday, they start daylight savings and move their clock an hour forward (Hmmm wait, as I write this, I’m calculating whether it’s forward or backward). This is how it goes thru spring next year.

Ting, Tita Mae and I went out of the house past 7 in a cold so severe I thought my fingers would break and my hand would scar like a 90-year-old woman’s hands forever. But I resisted getting back under the sheets. The sun was early up there in the mountains. It heralded its coming with a deep sheet of orange across the horizon. A thick fog hummed in silence through a maze of hilltops. It was a beauty that’s almost a surprise since we did not so much as feel we were in the midst of such natural splendor when we arrived late the previous night.

I took a powernap after that short romantic episode w/ the sunrise and woke up for breakfast of toasted croissants, strawberry jam, blueberry muffins, and hot chocolate. I have to mention that tita Tam is an excellent host.

On our arrival night, she prepared a feast on her own. I remember tita Elena, upon seeing the buffet, exclaiming, “Tam, this is a feast!” There were two kinds of chicken – one roasted, one steamed w/ mushroom – and shrimp that looked, smelled, and tasted like it was sautéed w/ garlic and oil. Everything was delish! But the cherry on top of the icing on top of the cake was def the dessert. We all thought it was the canned fruit salad in the big bowl on the buffet; so imagine our surprise when Tita Tam took out of the freezer a glass container w/ iced cake and microwaved a bottle of homemade choco caramel syrup. She calls it Iced Toffee dessert; I remember it as crazy yummy dessert. It was wickedly good I had two slices and a half.

Our schedule the next morning was very lax. Tita Tam used the many free time to bake a potato dish w/ beef and melted cheese. It was, again, excellent. Tita Tam is an excellent host. She feeds us well.

After breakfast at the cabin, we had a long drive through scenic fields of good-looking farm houses, Christmas tree farms (trivia: President Obama picked his Christmas tree last year in one of the farms we passed by today!), sweet little chapels, and like in all of the North Carolina we’ve seen, trees in gorgeous autumn colors.

I doze off and woke up in Blowing Rock, a charming resort town almost two hours away from Charlotte. It reminded me of Bowral, a resort town 4 hours-drive away from Sydney that Carlo and Phuong showed me just a few days before I left back for the Philippines. While Bieni played at the Children’s Park, I sat on one of the benches and continued reading Kerouac. I felt like I’m in the setting of the movie, Wicker Park.

After the park, Bieni and I hopped from one store to another to look for mama and tita Mae. The shops had a lot of gorgeous stuff (Oh, my heart, the rings!) but they were ridiculously priced – well, at least for me. I asked tita Tam why they didn’t want to move in since Blowing Rocks is closer to tito Mike’s work than Charlotte is. Tita Tam said property there was more expensive than in Charlotte since it is after all a resort town. It is in majority occupied by rich retirees.

True enough, when Bien and I lined up for ice cream at the famed Kilwin’s, the other people on the line were white-haired and a little bent on the back. It was the longest line I’ve ever seen before an ice cream counter. I got a scoop each of Peppermint Crunch (Oh, heavens) and Pistachio Nut. They serve the biggest scoop in the world (my own surmise) and my small cup looked defenseless against the delish that I was about to consume. I got stares from the old people who picked only one flavor. Heck, I’m not even sure if I’ll ever find myself in Blowing Rocks again.

Do not cry it’s over; be glad it happened. (a rephrase from a Dr. Seuss original)

Thank you, North Carolina.