Trippin': New York City - Misc Day 1

Kinokuniya Bookstore. I could spend all day in here looking at the different trinkets and t-shirts. Maybe one day I'll actually buy a book.

Violin player in the subway. Which also reminds me of the story where Joshua Bell, a popular virtuoso concert violinist took part in a social experiment conducted by a columnist for The Washington Post. For 45 minutes in a train station, Bell flawlessly played six of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth millions of dollars. Only seven people stopped to listen out of more than a thousand who walked by. Two days prior, Bell sold out a theater where seats averaged $100 each. With this in mind as I walked past this lady, there was no way I was gonna give her any money since she could possibly be pulling in $100/ticket. Joshua Bell, you have ruined it for the musicians of the subways. Hah! I'm really kidding. Really. I am.

Shopping on 34th Street. When traveling, I normally don't like to do any excessive shopping. It just doesn't make any sense to shop at stores that we already have in Houston. But that's basically what happened, a lot. Even though I was the last person to want to shop, I ended up buying the most.

Pinkberry.

Trippin': New York City - Mad For Chicken

314 5th Ave
New York, NY 10001

Mad For Chicken has the best Korean chicken wings I have ever had. It is one of the few places that I would have to go to every time I visit NYC or any other city that has a franchise. Somebody with cash flow, please open one in Houston. PLEASE! When we got here, the wait was about 45 minutes. Most of the people in our group were already extremely tired from the long day and weren't exactly thrilled about the wait time. I however, although also very tired, was set on staying and eating there, even if it meant some solo dining time. To distract our group, I got a carafe of lychee soju and began encouraging everyone to take shots together. It was a good idea cos by the time we killed it, our table was ready. Yay! The chicken didn't seem as good as the first time I had it, but it was still good enough that I wished we had ordered more since I wasn't completely full. The sacrifices one must make for dining in a big group. Argh. Plus, wolverine picked up the tab so it was a good thing I didn't rack up the bill by ordering more wings. The night before I left the city, I made sure to stop by and order some to take home to big poppa. The myth that the chicken wing stays crunchy and crispy when microwaved and eaten the next day simply did not ring true for us. Big poppa was severely disappointed. It was just a big tease. In reading their description of their highly addictive sauce, it says that their sauce is based primarily on soy sauce, garlic and various fruits. FRUITS? Really?!? OMGawd that is what was missing from my version when I tried to copy cat it at home. That and the fact that I don't know how to deep fry anything.

It's also always really nice to know that restaurants take great care in purchasing quality meats and ingredients to serve their clientele. I can only hope that it's 100% true but here are some facts about the chicken from Mad For Chicken:

1. all vegetable diet
2. raised without antibiotics
3. no animal by-products
4. no growth hormones
5. no hexane gas
6. no preservatives
7. no artificial flavorings
8. no fillers or extenders
9. no hydrogenated oils

Musik Mundi: The Temper Trap

The The Temper Trap is a great band from Australia that features good music and good rhythm. I move my shoulders just thinking about some of their songs. I feel like they're a better version of Maroon 5. But that's only cos I don't really like Maroon 5.

*photo courtesy of amazon.com*


The Temper Trap
Album: Conditions (2009)
Song: Sweet Disposition

Trippin': Austin - The Mighty Cone

1603 South Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78704

Our last meal in Austin was at The Mighty Cone, which is on the same block as Hey Cupcake so I could get my cupcakes and have my chicken cone too! The different types of cones you can choose from are chicken, avocado or shrimp that is coated with sesame seeds, almonds, arbol chili flakes, sea salt, sugar and corn flakes and then deep fried or 'deep sauteed'. YUMS! It's wrapped in a flour tortilla and served with some slaw. I thot it came with a little too much slaw and had to take some out so I could really enjoy the chicken. We got some chili-dusted fries and those were also really good. While there, we ended up running into two friends who we both knew individually who turned out to be brothers and sisters. How funny! And check out EmDee, the first recipient of the COVE shirt that I gifted to her for her bday.

Trippin': New York City - Times Square

Some of my Times Square fotos while walking around during the day. I still have yet to get what I want out of this place.