Saturday, November 8, 2014
HongKong!
It's been a while since I posted, mostly because I've only been visiting the same old same old locations. But now; now I've got some fun stuff to share ;-)
My flight was CMH to Newark, and then Newark direct to HongKong, which was nice because I had no connections overseas. It was 16hrs direct, which for me was no problem because I'm one of the lucky ones who takes this as a blessing to sleep- and I got 10 full hours of sleep! The flight went straight up out of newark, into Canada, and right over the top of the world- A first for me! I have never flown direct over the north pole, normally when I've been to Singapore or Dubai it just skirts the arctic circle, so that was cool to see on the maps.
I arrived Friday evening, and went right to the hotel, and to bed so that I'd be ready to Sight-see myself around the city on my free day Saturday. I always fly in a few days early to get myself on the time zone so I can be fresh and excited for my trainings. It's a good thing I did because it has been a killer this time. HK is 13 hrs ahead of Eastern Standard time, and my body has no idea what is going on. I wake up at 5am and my stomach is like "FEED ME" lol. And by 4pm I'm dizzy and need to lay down. Hoping that today will be better.
Since I was up before the sun, I got dressed and down to the harbor early- it was rainy and cloudy, but was so nice and quiet! Got some good pictures, and walked along what they call the avenue of the stars- kind of like a hollywood walk of stars for HK movie stars. Then I took the subway over to the financial center. That is where the super tall skyscraper is- which is, for all you batman fans like me, the tower where Batman (Dark Knight Rises) sky jumped onto the building and then "hooked" Lau out of the upper story building with the airplane to bring him back to Gotham city. So cool that I got to see the real building!
The financial district is where "THE" mall is- IFC. So of course I had to go check it out, and do a little shopping.
Then subway was crazy huge, and extremely busy for a Saturday morning. With this being one of the most populated places on the earth- they need efficient mass transit, and this was very impressive.
New starbucks mug is a must! and the shoe store was a design by a favorite- Zaha Hadid who did that big "tree" garden in Singapore. The picture of the market was just a random place that I was walking down the street and at first I was like "eww" but then I realized that this is what is TRUE Hong Kong so I went in and look around. It was soooo packed with people, shops selling everything from cheap plastic sunglasses, to snakes, to dim sum, it was wild.
Now today I head off to Macau! I'll be in Macau for the next 7 days, training, merchandising the new store, and then opening our first store in CHINA!!!!!!!!! SO super excited to experience this!
Thursday, June 26, 2014
My biggest adventure yet!
As I've traveled the world the past three years, I've seen amazing things, and met people that helped me along my way, and that I can't wait seeing again when I go back. Over those three years, I always had someone waiting for me back in Columbus, or in Amsterdam, or Venice, and even once- in Dubai (These were all one person by the way LOL). That was my boyfriend Daniel. After three years together- him putting up with all my work assignments, I asked him to marry me on July 4, 2013 on a hotel rooftop in NYC, under the fireworks on the Hudson.
This month, on June 7th, we went back to NYC with our family and friends, and were married in Central Park, Conservatory Garden. It was Beautiful. Our families all flew in, the hotel was great, and the weather was perfect. I can't really type out all the emotions of the day, but it was truly the happiest day of my life. To be there with the love of my life, and my family who always supported my moving around the US and then the world for work; who also supported me as a person, and loved me irregardless of how many birthdays I forgot, or how many holidays I wasn't at the table because I was overseas. And to have our friends there to share that moment with us, made the day complete.
For all my family that came in for the weekend, it was the best trip I've ever taken! I wish we could all be together like that in Istanbul, Vienna, or Signapore. But I'm so glad we were all able to come together for the weekend and sightsee, and eat in Hells' Kitchen, and see the city that Daniel and I love so much.
Because this blog is of my travels, and life experiences, this seems like a good place to post again, and share pictures of the biggest adventure I've just started, and am so lucky to get to take.
(And for those wanting real photos- we'll be sending an email this week on the photoshare site)
(And for those wanting real photos- we'll be sending an email this week on the photoshare site)
Sunday, February 9, 2014
wrapping up singapore...
So after 18 days, I'm sitting in the hotel lounge, typing out my last post from Singapore. The store is open, and doing amazing! I've seen so much of the city, and made so many new business colleagues and new friends, that I'm going to be sad to leave tomorrow morning.
We opened the store on Friday, and between the merchandising and the opening, then the follow up working in store the first few days, I've slowed down the sightseeing- but I did make it to China town at night for some dinner and shopping;
China town makes little India look like a... I don't know- it dwarfs little india in every way! There are rows of streets with shops and booths, all full of basically the same thing, but it's fun to shop around. It was a great night, and I found some great cheap souveniors, but also a STUNNING- stunning gift for Daniel that I found back in the far back corner booth that was just an old couple selling some stuff, much more real stuff, like estate sale esq. So that made my night :-)
We had some great sushi Friday night, but Thursday- we had the real deal: Chili Crab, Pepper Crab and other seafood at this place called Long Beach on Dempsey Hill. So Chili crab is THE thing to get here- a whole crab- they empty the shell, then stuff all the legs in it, so it looks like a flower arraingment, then smother it- and I mean SMOTHER it with either Chili's in a tomato sauce, or in the other, tons of pepper. It was the messiest meal I think I've ever eaten, but really so good! With the chili crab- they give you biscuts that you can dip in the remaining sauce, and it is sooo good. Then we also had these Oyesters that were oddly shaped- very long and narrow, with noodles on top. They were ok, but the best was definitely the crab.
Here's a picture of me and Sona with our Bib's on :-)
And the grand opening. It was great- lots of customers who had been waiting for the store to open, and customers who were just happy to find a great colorful, new, and fun store in the mall! This is such a great company to work for because it has such good recognition around the world, and it's such good products that everyone that shops is happy :-)
After we opened and did all the photos, the opening team went for Tea and scones at a place down the mall. Such a nice morning.
From left; Bill (architect), Me, Sona (Business Manager), Marc (Dir of Merch), Carl (architect), Matt (Marketing).
So on a funny note- as I re-read my posts for Singapore- I had a lot of "BIG EVENTS" here- but each thing I did was so different and surprising, that they all seemed like big events. The LBrands guys and I had drinks and dinner last night and as we were sitting there in a skyline bar overlooking the Marina we talked about our experience the past week(s). Although we all love Istanbul, the traffic is horrendous, but we still all rated it our #1 city. But as we all talked, we all came to the conclusion that this was the new #1. Gorgeous sites here, not historical, but contemporary and stunning. The city; so clean, no traffic, fast and efficient subways. And what really locked it down was it's proximity to everything asian pacific; Phuket, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Bali, or Bangkok- all from 1hr flight to 3 hour flight away. Who knows; if we get crazy busy over here and add 30-50 stores, we might end up having a lot of people asking for assignments :-)))
China town makes little India look like a... I don't know- it dwarfs little india in every way! There are rows of streets with shops and booths, all full of basically the same thing, but it's fun to shop around. It was a great night, and I found some great cheap souveniors, but also a STUNNING- stunning gift for Daniel that I found back in the far back corner booth that was just an old couple selling some stuff, much more real stuff, like estate sale esq. So that made my night :-)
We had some great sushi Friday night, but Thursday- we had the real deal: Chili Crab, Pepper Crab and other seafood at this place called Long Beach on Dempsey Hill. So Chili crab is THE thing to get here- a whole crab- they empty the shell, then stuff all the legs in it, so it looks like a flower arraingment, then smother it- and I mean SMOTHER it with either Chili's in a tomato sauce, or in the other, tons of pepper. It was the messiest meal I think I've ever eaten, but really so good! With the chili crab- they give you biscuts that you can dip in the remaining sauce, and it is sooo good. Then we also had these Oyesters that were oddly shaped- very long and narrow, with noodles on top. They were ok, but the best was definitely the crab.
Here's a picture of me and Sona with our Bib's on :-)
And the grand opening. It was great- lots of customers who had been waiting for the store to open, and customers who were just happy to find a great colorful, new, and fun store in the mall! This is such a great company to work for because it has such good recognition around the world, and it's such good products that everyone that shops is happy :-)
After we opened and did all the photos, the opening team went for Tea and scones at a place down the mall. Such a nice morning.
From left; Bill (architect), Me, Sona (Business Manager), Marc (Dir of Merch), Carl (architect), Matt (Marketing).
So on a funny note- as I re-read my posts for Singapore- I had a lot of "BIG EVENTS" here- but each thing I did was so different and surprising, that they all seemed like big events. The LBrands guys and I had drinks and dinner last night and as we were sitting there in a skyline bar overlooking the Marina we talked about our experience the past week(s). Although we all love Istanbul, the traffic is horrendous, but we still all rated it our #1 city. But as we all talked, we all came to the conclusion that this was the new #1. Gorgeous sites here, not historical, but contemporary and stunning. The city; so clean, no traffic, fast and efficient subways. And what really locked it down was it's proximity to everything asian pacific; Phuket, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Bali, or Bangkok- all from 1hr flight to 3 hour flight away. Who knows; if we get crazy busy over here and add 30-50 stores, we might end up having a lot of people asking for assignments :-)))
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Gardens by the Bay
So Saturday was a big day for me; I went to Little India in the morning, hung by the pool in the mid day, and then the big event; I went to the "Gardens by the bay" designed by an amazing, cutting edge architect named Zaha Hadid. I just happened to be in another of her buildings' two weekends ago when Daniel set us up a weekend in Cincinnati. So how cool is it that I saw two of her projects within 2 weeks of each other! Thank you Daniel for making that happen :-)
Little India was a little "off" for me when I first got there, mostly because when you get off the metro, it's a normal neighborhood, it's not like they have a sign that says "yo- tourists- cool stuff this way!" :-) So I had to walk around for a bit and walk down some alleys to find the "real" little India. But when I found it, I saw it everywhere! It was crowded covered walkways, filled with everything you could imagine. The whir of meat saws cutting the freshest meats, the smell of roses and marigolds from the hanging floral strands, and curries and incense everywhere. I wandered streets for 2 hrs. So many stores, so many jewelery stores! And the best part- it was real! These were Indian immigrants in these stalls selling goods, and the same buying them! This was not a display set up for the tourist trade. I hadn't seen anything like this in a very long time. So much of Dubai was just set up for Tourists, as is Vienna, and Istanbul. But this was real, and fun. After two good hrs of walking though the sun was getting really hot and I had enough, so headed to back to enjoy the infinity pool and get a nap before the big event.
So what was this big event??? Well;
These are the pictures from the bridge that gets you over to the "Gardens by the Bay". The bridge was soooo crowded with tourists as this was still Chinese Year year (going on till February 10), but I muscled my way towards the side of the bridge and got some pictures. Not that it was hard- I'm like a friggin giant compared to most of the people hear- they basically bounce off me then look up at me! lol
The gardens are free, but you have to pay 30SGD to get into the 2 conservatories; the Floral Dome, and the Cloud Forest. I had heard from the main server at the lounge that the Cloud Forest was "a must see! They have a waterfall!!" she said excitedly. So of course, I headed there.
So this was stunning. I know I keep saying "AMAZING" and stunning, but this city is so amazing! Lol It was such a shock to see such a mountain of greenery- litterally a mountain of greenery. I had pre-read that this was the worlds largest conservatory with no interior supports, and I believe it after seeing this mammoth green space! The waterfall was cool, but what was even more incredible was the lower space, where the waterfall flows into a lush green garden that looks just like Jurassic Park!
Finally, the sun was setting, and so I headed to the Trees...
The buildings, again, soooo cool! I can't believe I was able to view her architecture in living color and style!! They are so futuristic, and- I'm going to say it! STUNNING!
So the trees- they are solar power panels that help provide power to the park- so self-sustaining environment. They are also gigantic planters, with all sorts of plants growing on their trunks. At 7 and 8, they have a musical light show, and I was just in time for the show!
I got some pictures, and then some Iphone video, and the put them down. I realized that alot of moments lately are missed because we (i) and others are so focused on capturing the moment that we dont' really experience the moment. So Put them away, and just experienced it. And wow, it was so cool. The music was all symphony, new age, and the trees were lite up to the exact moments that build in the music. It was great, and again, another night in Singapore, like no other in the world. :-)
Little India was a little "off" for me when I first got there, mostly because when you get off the metro, it's a normal neighborhood, it's not like they have a sign that says "yo- tourists- cool stuff this way!" :-) So I had to walk around for a bit and walk down some alleys to find the "real" little India. But when I found it, I saw it everywhere! It was crowded covered walkways, filled with everything you could imagine. The whir of meat saws cutting the freshest meats, the smell of roses and marigolds from the hanging floral strands, and curries and incense everywhere. I wandered streets for 2 hrs. So many stores, so many jewelery stores! And the best part- it was real! These were Indian immigrants in these stalls selling goods, and the same buying them! This was not a display set up for the tourist trade. I hadn't seen anything like this in a very long time. So much of Dubai was just set up for Tourists, as is Vienna, and Istanbul. But this was real, and fun. After two good hrs of walking though the sun was getting really hot and I had enough, so headed to back to enjoy the infinity pool and get a nap before the big event.
So what was this big event??? Well;
These are the pictures from the bridge that gets you over to the "Gardens by the Bay". The bridge was soooo crowded with tourists as this was still Chinese Year year (going on till February 10), but I muscled my way towards the side of the bridge and got some pictures. Not that it was hard- I'm like a friggin giant compared to most of the people hear- they basically bounce off me then look up at me! lol
The gardens are free, but you have to pay 30SGD to get into the 2 conservatories; the Floral Dome, and the Cloud Forest. I had heard from the main server at the lounge that the Cloud Forest was "a must see! They have a waterfall!!" she said excitedly. So of course, I headed there.
So this was stunning. I know I keep saying "AMAZING" and stunning, but this city is so amazing! Lol It was such a shock to see such a mountain of greenery- litterally a mountain of greenery. I had pre-read that this was the worlds largest conservatory with no interior supports, and I believe it after seeing this mammoth green space! The waterfall was cool, but what was even more incredible was the lower space, where the waterfall flows into a lush green garden that looks just like Jurassic Park!
Finally, the sun was setting, and so I headed to the Trees...
The buildings, again, soooo cool! I can't believe I was able to view her architecture in living color and style!! They are so futuristic, and- I'm going to say it! STUNNING!
So the trees- they are solar power panels that help provide power to the park- so self-sustaining environment. They are also gigantic planters, with all sorts of plants growing on their trunks. At 7 and 8, they have a musical light show, and I was just in time for the show!
I got some pictures, and then some Iphone video, and the put them down. I realized that alot of moments lately are missed because we (i) and others are so focused on capturing the moment that we dont' really experience the moment. So Put them away, and just experienced it. And wow, it was so cool. The music was all symphony, new age, and the trees were lite up to the exact moments that build in the music. It was great, and again, another night in Singapore, like no other in the world. :-)
CNY!!
So Chinese New Year was Thursday night, so I had a 1/2 day work, and then wasn't sure what to expect. The architects suggested we go to 1Raffles Place, the tallest building in Singapore that has a rooftop bar. I was skeptical because it was 6 hrs before, and in NewYor or chicago that would have been impossible, but we went anyways, met up at 9pm. We paid the $30sgd entry fee, took the 2 elevators up to the roof, and voila- we were in! It was so NOT busy! I was shocked, and then I saw the views and was even more shocked! I know I just blogged photos from the top of MBS, but this was even higher, and better!
After getting our first round of drinks, I might have figured out why it was only 1/2 full; beers were $20 USD, and the one guy was drinking double Chivas, which was $35USD a glass! YIKES! But, it was a once in a lifetime experience; being on the tallest building in Singapore, on Chinese New Year, so, when in rome....
So either the fireworks were really low, or we were really that high- because we were actually looking down on them! And unfortunately, it got really busy right before midnight, and we didn't end up having "prime" viewing, but we still have a view.
The MBS Casino/Resort looked really cool- they had a light show at 11:30, where they lit up the roofs and had a big water show as well. All I can say is that it was awesome. Truely amazing, and the best night I've had in Singapore, and a great memory of this city, and this trip! :-)
After getting our first round of drinks, I might have figured out why it was only 1/2 full; beers were $20 USD, and the one guy was drinking double Chivas, which was $35USD a glass! YIKES! But, it was a once in a lifetime experience; being on the tallest building in Singapore, on Chinese New Year, so, when in rome....
So either the fireworks were really low, or we were really that high- because we were actually looking down on them! And unfortunately, it got really busy right before midnight, and we didn't end up having "prime" viewing, but we still have a view.
The MBS Casino/Resort looked really cool- they had a light show at 11:30, where they lit up the roofs and had a big water show as well. All I can say is that it was awesome. Truely amazing, and the best night I've had in Singapore, and a great memory of this city, and this trip! :-)
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