The Dogs Of NYC

Right next to our favorite coffee place, Koffee Korner on 8th Ave and 17th Street, is a pet shop. It's really a puppy shop because that's all they have, puppies. You can choose any of them and play with it in a play pen, to 'bond' and see if that's your puppy.  It's impossible to not fall in love with them.


We nearly got a beagle two months ago but my oldest two kids were opposed to beagles.  All three however unanimously want a corgi which I think is cute but rather odd looking when grown.









I would've taken you home...










My favorite, a Chi-Schnauzer.


This Maltese was being prepared for her new owner.

The puppies were priced at USD1300 to 1700, less than half the price of the pedigrees we get here (no conversion of currency).

The Europeans love dogs too but I've not seen as many dogs as I have in NYC. In Europe, there's dog poo everywhere but not in the States because people have the civic sense to clean up their dogs' mess. After 9 days in NYC, I miss walking. There's not much walking here because of the heat and the unfriendly pavements. It occurred to me as I write this post that the dogs here are also deprived of walks.








When we first saw one of these, we had no idea what kind of dog it was. Then we saw more and more of these giant poodles and the owner of this dog told us that it's a "labradoodle", cross between an labrador and a poodle. Labradoodles are SO cute! They have that sad, blur, tame face and they look like they feel awkward about their unusual size.









(photo taken from igougo.com)


(photo taken from imaginepeace.com)

We missed the Strawberry Fields stop (the John Lennon memorial) and got off at the next and cut across Central Park one early morning. There were a couple of joggers and many dogs, walked by Hispanic maids.






I'd like to work as a dog walker in NYC.


The Guggenheim Museum is next to Central Park. We went in but didn't do the tour because it was our last day in NY and we needed to shop.




(for D, to prove that I did go into the Guggenheim)


These cuties were walked by their maid on the upper west side but the maid didn't do a good job. She let the dogs pee on the streets. That was really bad.


Look at his expression!

So NY

Empire State Building in the distance, taken on Fifth Ave (I think).












The Met




We totally lost our appetite for pretzels after eating one in San Francisco. The pretzels were so salty that it was like eating a mouthful of salt. Who eats them? Oh yes, tourists.


Hot dogs are so NY right? We tried many and they were all bad (the sausages were like dogfood) except for the one on 5th Ave and 53rd St.








The Apple Store on Fifth Avenue.


Inside the store, basement level.


Trump Tower


Not surprisingly, it was tacky inside Trump Tower.





Rockefeller Center, built in the 1930s, outshines many of the newer buildings.

Shopping In NYC 1

The next time I go to NYC again, I will spend more time shopping. We left shopping to the last two days because I thought that two days would be enough but shopping is a very time consuming and tiring event. I found shopping even more tiring than sight seeing. But yes, now that I've done all the sight seeing (almost) in NYC, I will shop till I drop the next time I'm there. And I will eat too. This trip was all about buildings and places.

NYC is like Hong Kong, all streets and shopping and restaurants. The stores close late, 9:30 pm (8 pm on Sundays), unlike in Australia where they close 5:30 pm except for late night shopping on Fridays and Saturdays (correct me). Hong Kong's the best, and China too, because shopping hours are 11 am to 11 pm.

I think that NYC is the best place to shop because it's so walkable. The subway is great (USD2.50 per ride for 2 hours, can be used on buses too), the bus is good too and Yellowcabs are everywhere, only USD3 when you get on, and usually USD8 will get you around. Tip is expected, usually a dollar or two.  Manhattan isn't that big and walking is better than anywhere I've been because the streets are laid out so properly. New Yorkers are very nice, helpful and friendly. Most people who haven't been to NYC think that it is dangerous but I've found it to be very safe, very clean, very pleasant. I didn't see a single street person in NYC but I saw many in San Francisco. It also occurred to me one day, when I heard a man say the F word, that even the language has cleaned up because the last time I was in NYC, I heard the F word everywhere I went--on the bus, on the subway, on the streets. This time, I was in the States for one month, and I only heard the F word once. It's unbelievable. I think they have grown up.


Somehow Zara is different in NYC.










Love her colors, love her jacket.


Love her colors, love how she brightens her outfit with the tip of her shoes. "They are Kate Spade, 20% off at Bloomingdale's". We went but the shoes were out of stock. Cork shoes are very in, so are bright pink and orange.


She was very fresh-faced, hardly had any makeup on. She was just breathtakingly beautiful. Very likely a model.


I'm not familiar with European brands, but I love this dress. It was out of my budget, unfortunately.