Had a really fun trip to Niseko in Hokkaido with Todd and Jessica for a little snowboarding. I was little worried how the trip was going to work out because of a small mishap at Haneda airport on the way to our flights gate. While walking down one of the flat people movers my ticket fell out of my hand directly into the little crack between the moving floor and the frame holding the whole thing together.
Unlike Bagels, Pizza and Taco Bell, this item was not on my list of things to eat in NY. But when I saw Kangaroo on the specials menu at the Crooked Knife I knew this was something I am not likely to find in Japan (or anywhere else) so I had to order it. It was rather good and a nice surprise added to my NY food list.
One food that I had been craving for my trip back to Ny was the Lobster roll at Mary’s Fish Camp. Like Momofuku this item also has a rediculous price tag ($30). But the Lobster Roll didn’t disapoint one bit, glad I made the trip downtown for this one.
While living in NY Natsuko and I had visited nearly every Japanese restaurant that served Ramen trying to find the best. Through all our visits I always thought that Momofuku’s Ramen was tops though Natsuko always insisted it wasn’t very good and really was not “Ramen”. Now that I have been living in Japan for over a year I have consumed quite a bit of “real” Ramen and I was eager to go back to my old favorite for a comparison test. Unfortunately I was very disappointed with the results and now understand why Natsuko never had any love for Momofuku’s ramen. And to makes matters worse the severely ridiculous price tag of $16 makes it all the more disappointing.
After landing in New York I needed to stay awake to fight the jet lag so I headed downtown to check out the Canstruction show at the world financial center. While down there it was also nice to see that real work has started at the World Trade Center site which I was afraid was gonna remain empty forever due to bureaucratic bull sh$t.
After landing in New York for my Thanksgiving trip back home the thing that really let me know i was back in the good old U.S of A was this car mat in my Taxi ride from the airport.
While waiting for my flight to NY at Narita airport this Airbus A380 was parked at the gate next to mine. Was my first time seeing one of these and it is absolutely huge. The photo really doesn’t do the side justice. The plane seemed like a local celebrity, the terminal was filled with dorks like me taking pictures of it.
Thanks Charlie for the correction, I originally had this posted as an A320
I finally got around to editing my 1000+ photos from Egypt to a somewhat more digestible 248. It was a great trip but a bit more difficult than anticipated. Unfortunately some food or water we ate did something evil to our stomachs. But we managed to move through it surviving the intense sun, sand, and endless stream of people asking for tips. In the end we got to see some incredible sights which not even pictures could ever do them justice.
Click here to check out the slide show
Ok so its been like a month and a half since my last post… Why? I headed off to New York for almost the entire month of July for a much needed break from Japan life to see my friends and family and eat a few foods that I have been missing. One thing I did learn while in NY, I don’t miss it as much as I thought I would.
Everything Bagel with Lox and Cream Cheese from Ess-a-Bagel (Best Bagels in the world)
Franks Pizza on 23rd St.
Bacon Egg and Cheese Sandwich on a Bagel… mmmmm greasy.
Patsy’s Piza
Brooklyn Lager, still my favorite Beer
Poker, I miss Poker games most of all.
Teddy’s Williamsburg Bloody Mary, sadly these have lost a little of the kick they used to have
Teddy’s Williamsburg Poblano Omelet, still as good as ever.
My first birthday in japan wasn’t in Japan at all. Natsuko and I happen to have the same birthday which is also our wedding anniversary (pretty convenient, eh?). This year we celebrated in Bangkok. It was a short but nice rip which also included by far the nicest hotel we have ever stayed at. Here are a few pics, for the whole set check out my set on Flickr.
