New York

I finally got to visit New York last weekend. It is everything I expected it to be and more. It was nice to be in all these places and landmarks which until then I was only able to see in countless movies and television. I saw the grand statue of Liberty, the fall colors of scenic Central Park, and all the famous buildings - Empire State, Chrysler, and oddly-shaped Flatiron. Here are some pics.

This is Time Square where Tom Cruise ran at the beginning of Vanilla Sky.






This is the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center where Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack finally met at the movie Serendipity.



Here's the newly restored Grand Central station:




Here's Central Park:








This is what is left of World Trade Center. The message below is posted in the visitor center.




This is Battery Park where we boarded the ship for Liberty Island.




Here's the Statue of Liberty:








Here are some pics taken during the harbor cruise where in we pass by the Liberty Island and the Brooklyn bridge:








These were taken at the top of Empire State Building:




These ones are from the top of the Rock (short for Rockefeller building). The Rock is where the NBC studio is located.




Here are some pics taken during the freezing night tour where we rode this open deck bus for more than 2 hours!!!

Wax museum

Here are some pics taken from the incredibly good Madame Tassaud's wax museum. It was nice that they allow people to touch (and abuse!) the wax figures.

Las Vegas part 6

We went back to Vegas last Oct 27-28. It was my 6th time in Vegas, and still there were a lot of things I was able to see and do. Here is a list I posted last August:

1. watch 'The Producers' to be staged this fall at Monte Cristo hotel.
2. go up the Stratosphere and ride one of the rides at the top
3. gamble and leave Vegas richer.
4. rent a helicopter and go to Grand Canyon (after number 3).

Unfortunately, 'The Producers' will not be shown until January next year. But I was able to go up the Stratosphere tower found at the end of the strip which provides a good bird's eye view of the whole strip. In there, we rode Insanity the Ride which spins passengers over the edge of the tower which is more than 1000 feet from the ground! It was the best ride ever.

I also was able to accomplish number 3. Unfortunately, it was not enough to do number 4. I only won 16 USD in the slot machine. It was the first time I was able to control myself before ending up losing what I won.

We also went to see Madame Tassaud's wax museuem. Later at night, we went to the famous Studio 54 night club at New York, New York hotel. We were able to get in to both places for free because of a friend's connections. There was actually a looong line in the night club but we did not have to go through it. I felt like a VIP.

Here are some pics of the thrill rides and the strip.