Christmas Adventure

Went on a mini adventure around Brooklyn and Queens today. I picked up Tiffany from Brooklyn and we went to Prospect Park and checked out the new ice rink. Pretty cool how it's two rinks, one covered and one not covered, connected, but it was way too cold to be strolling in the park. Then we went to Williamsburg and walked around Bedford Avenue and looked at random shops there. There were several toy shops that had pretty fun stuff, but slightly too immature for me... At night, we went to see the really decorated house in Whitestone. So many lights and so many people were there to see the house and take pictures as well! Stopped at Cafe de Cupping for a bit before heading back to Brooklyn. On the way back, we stopped by Dyker Heights to see the decorated houses there. There weren't any one house that was especially decorated, but all the houses in the neighborhood were really festive with lots and lots of lights. Pretty fun day doing all the festive stuff after Christmas.

Ice rink at Prospect Park.

Mini mall at Williamsburg

Cheese Shop!

Mario!

Really like the houses in Williamsburg

Festive house in Whitestone!

Snowman family!

So many people...

Wheeeee!

Ice Sculptures

Today I had an impromptu idea to go to the Ithaca Commons to check out the ice sculptures from the ice sculpting competition yesterday. It was cold, but I thought it was well worth the trip down there. A lot of the sculptures were really cool and they're so detailed. Ithaca isn't so bad in the winter, just pretty cold but there are stuff to do in the Commons and it's pretty there too.

Hunger games sculpture.

The Princess.

Sitting on the ice throne.

There is beauty in the frigid Ithaca winter.

Ice bar!

So many ice sculptures scatter around the Commons.

Pretty pretty.

9 day still Christmas!

First Snow

It's been surprisingly warm in Ithaca this winter. Today was the first snow, or the first time snow actually stuck to the ground. It snowed all day and coated the floor with several inches of snow before stopping in the evening. On my way home, I took a detour and went on a trail that loops around the gorges to take some photos. Feeling kind of black & white today.

Fluffy chairs and tables.

This tree looked like a Christmas tree.

I love the layer of the snow on top of different shapes.

More bikes outside Rhodes Hall.

Took a detour through the woods.

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ithaca Beer Company

Visited Ithaca Beer Company today for my friend's birthday today! The place is really nice and it's not too far from campus either. We got food in the Taproom first and I split a sausage pizza and mushroom swiss burger with someone and it was delicious. The weather also happened to be very nice today and warm enough for us to be sitting outside. The tour itself was alright. I didn't find it all that interested since it was just about how beer is made and the whole process, but the free beer sampling at the end of the tour was good. In the end we all bought these beer mugs as souvenirs.

Ithaca Beer Company.

Mushroom and Swiss Burger.

Not a big fan of IPAs.

Beeeeeeer.

True Ithacan suburban.

Beer on tap.

Beautiful day to be sitting outside.

Artsy.

New York City Fall Break

Last weekend I went back home to New York City for Fall Break. Stocked up on lots of good food and caught up on some much-needed sleep. I also got to hang out around Long Island City Piers and Brooklyn Bridge Park the night before I came back up to Ithaca. I never get tired of going to those two places because the view is just so pretty the environment there's great.

View of Midtown from Long Island City.

Colorful Empire State Building!

Sunset!

:)

Adventure Time

I had Sake Sushi in Brooklyn finally, after hearing about it from all the Brooklynites for so long. Lunch was alright I didn't think it was particularly amazing but it was not bad. I heard there's more selections for dinner and it's much better. Maybe next time. Afterwards, we went to Coney Island because it was so close and we walk around the boardwalk area. It was nice walking on the sand and the weather was beautiful yesterday, and Coney Island wasn't as dirty as I remembered! We played in the kiddy parks with sprinklers and everything. It was a nice relaxing day and a good end to the summer! :)

Don't know what this is..

Sorority squats!

Such nice weather yesterday!

Poor creature.

This was actually taken upside down.

Picture time!

I think I've only had it once..

Boardwalk.

Tada! 

Kayak on the Hudson

Finally kayaked on the Hudson River. I've wanted to do this for a while, but never got the chance to go. A few of us went to Downtown Boathouse by Pier 96 (it's not really downtown) and the line for kayaks was not long at all. We changed and waited only about 10 minutes for two 2-people kayaks and one 1-person kayak. Although we weren't allowed to go pass where the piers end, the area we were allowed to kayak in was more than enough. There were a lot of kayaks out at once but it didn't feel very crowded. We paddled out as far as we were allowed to the buoys and when the big boats went by we felt their wake. I brought my camera out on the kayak in two ziplock bags, and I took it out occasionally to take photos. After about 30 minutes or so we had enough fun kayaking and returned them to the docks. I would definitely go back again since it's so convenient and it's free.

Pier 96.

2-people kayak.

Reminds me of Despicable Me. 

Linked kayaks.

Passerbys. 

Just floating on the water.

City skyline. 

The gang.

Closing time. That's a lot of kayaks to put away...

Instructional session.

Some random photos here and there that I've been meaning to put up:

Presentation at work. 

Chloe screaming in her car seat.

Hide and seek!

Pretty Union Square houses steps.