Given the chance to travel, two main objectives come to mind: (1) to capture great memories of meaningful people, places, or things and (2) to visit all those people scattered around the globe who have made such an impact in my life.
I headed for Kansas City this time around to visit my high school chemistry teacher, Mrs. Ligon. It was already more than 8 years ago since I last saw her. Who would have thought I could fly over and visit the rest of her family? I used to think those just happened in the movies or in a dream. But hey, anything is possible huh? I was very excited to catch up on stories that were left untold over the years. When I landed in the Kansas City airport, the entire Ligon family was there to fetch me. I was very touched because of the amount of effort they exerted just to make me feel very welcome. Ate Sharon even kept saying: Shucks, Queen there's nothing to see here! Where will we bring you? But really, when I think about it, it was not about what I get to see but the company I’m privileged to be with! I got to ride their family car as we headed for Zona Rosa. We rested for a while in this cool lounge area and tried catching up with stories! There was an ongoing car exhibit of vintage cars outside which was cool knowing that those vehicles were born even before my grandparents! There was a band playing jazz music on the side to set the mood. We headed for some Ribs/BBQ at Smoke House BBQ for lunch since Kansas City was known for that. It was always nice to have a taste of whatever was the food highlight in a specific place. Then we headed for their lovely home. It was such a pretty and cozy place which made me feel so welcomed and at home. It's even more amazing to know that Kuya Rob was behind all those home improvement wood works to beautify the place. Home renovation is very popular in the US. Last week, my supervisor Dave just shared with me so many pictures of how he transformed his home into some place you would never expect. So we rested and watched a few Philippine TV shows since they had both ABS-CBN and GMA networks. We feasted on some good tasting chocolate cake. Rai was very kind enough to share with me her room! It was a pink room so it was easy to fall in love with it for any pinkaholic like myself haha :-) We headed to the Union Station in the afternoon and took some snapshots. I discovered how Kansas City was known as the city of fountains. You'll randomly find one after another as you go places! We headed for this mall, Crown Center where I found the world’s only Crayola Cafe. Thought that was pretty cool. Hallmark's headquarters was also situated in Kansas City. We also had good frozen custard which was the 2nd I’ve tasted next to Carmens at DC. I like the smooth consistency of frozen custard I don’t think anyone thought of it yet in Manila. Well, I may be wrong. Then we had sinigang for dinner. It was just about perfect timing after not having any Filipino dish for the past 2 weeks. Kuya Rob's a great cook even though he tries to be humble about it hehe. I played cards (Old Maid) and marbles with Rai during the evening. Having a little sister to hang out with reminds me of my brother, King who I greatly missed. Rai is such a sweetheart she would sometimes deliberately lose just so I get the chance to win as well. I love talking to her because of how witty and cute she is. I had a good sleep after not having enough sleep for quite some time. The jet lag was quite intense 2 weeks ago. My body clock was still in Cincinnati mode of course which allowed me to get up an hour before everyone else. It was a busy Sunday for us. We started the day with church. I loved the architecture! It was very much wedding material haha! Kuya Rob and Ate Sharon both even did the offertory. I found out that the school, Cristo Rey where Ate Sharon taught chemistry, biology, and forensic science (cool huh?) was connected to the church. There was a passage way. I felt happy to have gotten the chance to see what the high school classrooms were like in Kansas City. It was pretty cool. The lab was integrated with the lecture area all together. So it was the students moving around from 1 class to another. This surely reminded me of those chemistry days where we created little experiments which included: ice cream making, playing with co lored pigments, law of conservation of mass explosions. So anyways, we visited the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art afterwards. By the way, Kuya Rob's team did the construction for that. I love anything to do with arts so to be stuck in a museum is something I enjoy. We took photos of the famous shuttlecock pieces in the greens outside. It was a beautiful day with great weather. After going from contemporary to Renaissance to European to photography we realized we forgot about lunch! We had our late lunch at Winstead, a diner place since the 1940s. Onion rings were huge, chunky, and yummy. We went to the Country Club Plaza which I thought was interesting because I found so many famous restaurants I’ve been going to from Cheesecake Factory to PF Chang’s. The architecture was very distinct at the plaza. There was a unique blend of fountains, shops, architecture, and horse carriage going around the area. For dinner, we headed to a hotel and casino place called Harrah's. I got to meet their friends from there. The little boys were very hyper haha! The smoked prime rib was sooo good :-) When we got home, I played with Rai till 11PM! I was worried since she had classes the next day. We ended up sleeping together during my last night which was very nice. The next day I knew Ate Sharon and Rai had to go to class. It was sad since I was never a fan of goodbyes. I was lucky Kuya Rob could take me to the airport since he was on flex time. However, the plans changed. Rai couldn’t wake up because we slept so late. Even Ate Sharon called her school to say she couldn’t make it. She had to get rest too! I was deeply touched because I had an entire family send me off to the airport. I felt guilty at the same time causing a disruption to their schedules. We had a photo op at their very nice sala before we headed for the airport. As I flew out, I felt really blessed to have been given the chance to spend a weekend with them. I was obviously saddened to go. I will miss this family :-) I had such a great time with them. I am forever grateful for the memories that we can always look back to! :-) One day I hope I can go back and Reema will be there by then :-)
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Maggiano's very much reminds me of Italianni's here in Manila. I decided to head over Kenwood Mall to fight jetlag by feasting on some Italian Delight. We normally go for Cheesecake Factory but tonight I head for Maggiano's for a change. It didn't disappoint me. I was happy with the order. It was less than 20 bucks. Portion was large that I wasn't able to finish. I took home what was left and shared it with my cab driver back to the hotel. I must say I was successful in keeping myself awake for that night!
The trip to Chicago was one event friends of mine deemed not so feasible due to the 10 hours drive back and forth. In addition, there's that one hour time difference with Cincinnati. All those were quite a hassle so I started having second thoughts whether to push through with this adventure or otherwise. It seemed like no one was available given the tight hectic schedule. John was still up for the drive even though it was already going to be his 5th time back to Chicago. I suppose the decision was easy. I couldn't say NO to my first and longest road trip ever. Let the road trip begin! Just from the car, I already got to witness a beautiful Chicago Skyline. A place famous for tall skyscrapers and great architecture! Since we got there around lunch time, we started off with what Chicago was known for - Stuffed Pizza at Giordano's. We didn't mind getting all stuffed! :) When we saw the pizza oozing with mozzarella first hand, the word DIET all of a sudden became unfamiliar. We had all the excuses in the world at that point. I remember telling myself. I had to be ready for a long day of walking and picture taking! We ended up in several of Chicago's Highlights! From Navy Pier, Sears Tower, Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park, Crown Fountain, Cloud Gate Sculpture of AT&T, Lurie Garden, Wrigley (yes, the gum) Tower, Chicago River, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, so much more! When you hit Chicago, don't forget to check out the SkyDeck to get a 360 degrees view of the entire city! The last building is actually Oprah’s condominium!!! :) How cool is that? It was already around 3 in the morning when we got back to Cincinnati and it was then when I fully understood why one person could manage to keep going back to the same place several times. Chicago is definitely a city one could easily fall in love with. You should go see for yourself! Last night in Redmond. So happy I got to spend it with Twinkle :) We had dinner at COHO Cafe. Food was good but the best part was the great company & bonding!
We spotted this cute shop while walking along Pike Place. It's especially for all cheesecake lovers! It was very very good!
A Masterpiece! As early as months back when the audit schedule was released I found my birthday fall on the week of field week. It brought me to some thinking state whether to actually fly off and celebrate my birthday on the plane or fly the day after my birthday. It was quite challenging since my birthday usually landed during vacation time and flying on my birthday would mean no celebrations with family and friends back home. I finally decided to fly out because I didn't want to delay any work that could be done. I looked at it in a different light. Convincing myself to try out what it would be like to celebrate ones birthday twice given 2 time zones and across multiple parts of the globe starting off with Manila followed by Japan and then the US. Decision was made. I had a bit of regret at that point just because I realized I won't be receiving any birthday messages on my mobile because I was on air flying. I'm the type who would save them for memories. :) Because April 9 (Friday) was a Manila Holiday, and I was set to fly off on the 11th (Sunday), Allen and I had our unexpected early birthday lunch with GIA-IDS Manila folks. I suppose Liza knew of my love for Japanese food and so we ended up in Jipan. When we got back to the office we were busy preparing some birthday stints for Allen as he celebrates on the 10th. It was a good BEERday Surprise. While I was working, I had GIA Manila folks sing for me in advance with a super yum caramel cake having my name plus a crown on top. :) April 9 was a holiday so I watched How to Train your Dragon (which I loved!) I had an advance birthday treat for my family at Aubergine, great French food. This was timely since I was heading for the US in the next couple of days. This was followed off with my all time favourite, Omakase on April 10. Then I had to cram with all the packing (not a personal favourite). April 11 - Headed out of the house at 4am then off to the airport. I was at the check-in counter and found Marianne there. I could already sense that it was going to be fun with loads of people heading for Cincinnati. Jo and I were the official travel buddies for this flight. Yes, my dear office mates wanted the best birthday on the plane adventure for me. They had all the amazing ideas. PA system singing for me. Lights out. Sitting beside the pilot. HAHAHA Amazing how these people had all the best ideas. Joan and I had great wine and food. I did a lot of sleeping. Imagine, I only got to watch one movie, Sherlock Homes since I was very much updated with the movies! I stopped over Narita then Detroit. And finally after 20++ hours on the plane, destination reached. The stewardess greeted me upon landing. I heard it was your birthday today! Happy Birthday! :) Thanks to Joan for that sudden surprise! My phone ran out of battery while on the plane. I only got 3 b-day text messages when I arrived. Thanks for all those who texted. I apologize for not having the chance to respond. Cincinnati welcomed us with great weather and perfect blooms! When I landed it was another April 11 for me! It was my birthday once again. I reached the front desk of the Westin and the person in charge told me. You are to go to Cecilia's Room because there's a very important package. I figured that Ces wasn't in her room since no one was picking up the phone. Wonder where she was? Suddenly someone came knocking on the door - It was Ces! She was carrying 4 little bouquets of origami lilies!!! Truly one of a kind! It was touching to know how my GIA-IDS pals have been folding origami flowers as practice late at night after work! I didn't even notice! Thanks guys! Each flower was personally folded by Ces which contained letters from great people I love. I am extremely grateful guys! Thank you for taking the time to write! :) Ces was so sweet. She talked to the Westin people about wanting to go inside the room to set up the flowers on the bed. They didn't allow for privacy reasons haha! Just the thought alone was perfect. Wells and Ces planned the best place for dinner. Prima Vista which was located in Queen's Tower! (how ironic) It had such spectacular view! Wells was so sweet he brought me Lilacs! It was lovely! Cake from Keith I had another celebration with Keith on April 14. I was very touched. I honestly didn’t expect this birthday to keep going day after day. He got me a really good cake! It was fun spending bonding time with fellow GIA-ers. Just sit and chat all evening. On April 15, we had another great night at Bob's place. Amy had made me ice cream cake! It was super yum. I love these guys. They made me feel at home despite how far I was from it. Before Ces left on Friday, she gave me Obama as a present. :) I was very much overwhelmed with all the preparation done by these people. Planning began late March while I was in Guangzhou. Execution from Manila, on air, up to Cincinnati will always be a memory I'll forever cherish. Who said a birthday on the plane was boring or corny? I thought it was going to be. But I was wrong. I had the longest birthday ever across several countries. Truly was a birthday like no other. :) [ TRAVEL INFO ]
Primavista - Cincinnati's Premier Italian Restaurant is located at 810 Matson Place, Cincinnati, OH 45204 "Primavista was named "Best Italian" by Cincinnati Magazine's Reader's Choice, and continues each year to win numerous public popularity categories such as "Best Dining with a View," "Best Date Spot," "Most Romantic," and many more by CityBeat and CiN Weekly." http://pvista.com/menu.html Bootsy's by Jeff Ruby's
631 Walnut Street Cincinnati, OH 45202-2516 (513) 241-0707 http://www.jeffruby.com/index.php |
Welcome!All about the traveling Queen who wanted to share with the world the little and great discoveries that have brought her joy.
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