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Things to do and Attractions in New York!

The Statue of Liberty as seen from the Ferry

There are so many things to do in New York! Here are the top things that you should do right here in New York!

New York Attractions and Things to do

1. Times Square New York

You know when they talk about “a city that never sleeps”? Times Square in New York City is exactly that place to feel the pulse of the city. You can really feel the live of the city even at 2am in the morning! The city is just full of live and raring to go!

Hey, if you’re lucky enough (and have Bieber Fever), you might even catch one of the stars such as Justin Bieber at the Ruby Red Stairs of Times Square!

2. Statue of Liberty – Liberty Island

How can you say that you have visited New York, in that case USA, if you have not visited the most iconic symbol of freedom – the Statue of Liberty! It is really surreal when you finally lay your eyes on her as you have heard so much about her and seen so many of her image in the movies and US shows. This is especially so after contending with the throngs of tourists at the ticketing office and the queue up the ferry to Liberty Island!

Long Queues for Ferry to the Statue of Liberty

3. Visit to the Rockefeller Center’s Top of the Rock

Dont believe them when they say that you must visit the Empire State Building for the best views of New York! Instead, head a few blocks down to Rockfeller Center’s Top of the Rock! In addition to the splendid views of New York City, you can also have ESB (Empire State Building) in your pictures as well! Imagine going up ESB and not being able to have ESB in your photos…

View of Empire State Building from Top of the Rock

4. Visit actual scenes from Hollywood Movies!

In New York, you will be able to visit MANY actual sites of scenes taken out of the movies! Remember Serendipity Cafe in the movie of the same name? How about Tom Hanks in the movie “BIG” playing chopsticks on the Big Piano @ F.A.O Schwarz , 5th Avenue? You can reminiscence many a movies right here in New York!

Actual Big Piano from the movie "Big" that starred Tom Hanks — Actual Big Piano from the movie “Big” that starred Tom Hanks

5. Breath Taking Niagara Falls

Approaching Horseshoe Falls Niagara Falls via Maid of the Mist Ferry

Need we say more?

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There are indeed so many things to do and attractions in New York! Do take your time to enjoy these attractions and unforgettable photo moments the next time you visit these attractions in New York!

Updated on February 6, 2021November 27, 2011attractions Buffalo holiday New York Niagara Falls Places of Interest Singapore Travel Blog Travel Travel Blog Travel Tips USA vacation

2 Different Experiences at the Niagara Falls!

“Yay! The motel we are going to stay is super near the airport! We can walk there and save money!”

To our horror, we arrived at the “wrong” airport at Niagara Falls, NY! (I blame the auto-complete function on most websites these days). Our trips have usually been well-planned and without hiccups, but this time round, we got to experience the mistake possibly many travellers made when they choose to fly to visit Niagara Falls.

I knew Niagara Falls was in Buffalo…so when I had to select the flight from Las Vegas and did not know which airport to go, I typed in “Buffalo”, and the auto-complete function “told” me that I will land in Buffalo Airport. We arrived there and was looking forwards to the walk to our motel when we discovered that we are more than 70km away from it!!!

The nice old man at the information counter produced a map and gave us our bearings. We were supposed to fly into Niagara Falls International Airport, not Buffalo Airport!!! He then told us there was a bus that comes every 45mins and it would cost us about USD20 per ticket to get to Niagara Falls State Park. We panicked as we happened to miss the last bus (and it was already 4pm). So we did some calculations and we decided to rent a car instead.

But it wasn’t easy either. Tom had to go from counter to counter to check what were the available cars left for the day. Thank the Lord there was a economy car at Hertz going for USD50/day! It was the only small car left at the airport. Phew~

We quickly loaded our luggage and relied on the GPS to get to our accommodation for the night – Swiss Cottage Inns. We drove across this bridge…

before we arrived at our motel…

Swiss Cottage Inns enroute to Niagara Falls

The motel “boasted” of an outdoor swimming pool, a microwave in the room (that is how we heated up our leftover buffalo wings; see Original Buffalo Wings post), and provided pastries for breakfast.

Decent bed with microwave and fridge @ Swiss Cottage Inns

Outdoor Swimming pool @ Swiss Cottage Inns

The friendly owner told us about the fireworks on Fri/Sat nights during the summer months. As we arrived on a Friday and we rented a car, we were excited to catch the fireworks!

We parked at Seneca Casino, hoping to enjoy the buffet dinner but we were denied entry because we left our passports in the motel. Tom was totally devastated and we made our way to the State Park. We managed to grab a bite at the food court.

Seneca Casino @ Niagara Falls (USA side)

With a full stomach, we leisurely strolled down to the Falls. We could hear the loud roar and we enjoyed the cool breeze and mist as we approached it. The rapids looked amazing and mystical with the special lightings. Finally, we reached the Falls, and hurried to get a good spot for the fireworks. What a great way to end our first night at Niagara Falls! 🙂

Illuminated American Falls (Niagara Falls at Night)

Niagara Falls Lights Up with Fireworks!

Day 2 @ Niagara Falls

We were planning to take a ride on the Maid of the Mist, and as “kiasu” (scared of losing out) Singaporeans, we woke up early to ensure that we were the first few at the ticketing counter. The ticket costs USD13.50 for each adult ticket. We thoroughly enjoyed our ride even though it left us cold and wet. The Falls was truly majestic and we felt energized as we left the boat.

Maid of the Mist (USA side of Niagara Falls)

Tourists @ Maid of the Mist (Niagara Falls USA)

Awesome American Falls (Niagara Falls as seen from Maid of the Mist)

We then spend the morning lazing on the grass, having a small picnic (ice cream and chips!) and challenging each other in a round of word game that cannot be named. We even managed to catch a pretty rainbow! (where is my pot of gold? :P) Visiting the Niagara Falls in the day and in the night indeed allowed us to experience two unique and wonderful aspects of the majestic Niagara Falls!

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Pretty Rainbow across Niagara Falls

Disappointing Buffalo Wings from Anchor Bar (Home of the Original Buffalo Wings)

Updated on February 6, 2021November 21, 2011attractions Buffalo holiday Places of Interest The Original Buffalo Wings at Anchor Bar The Original Buffalo Wings at Anchor Bar Travel Travel Blog Travel Tips USA vacation

The Origin of the Original Buffalo Wings – Anchor Bar Buffalo New York

Ever wondered what is the origin of the world famous buffalo wings?

On our trip to the Niagara Falls, Kate and I thought that since we’re so close to Buffalo city, perhaps we could taste the world renowned buffalo wings?

So a quick check on google led us to Anchor Bar on Main Street…

Mdm Teressa Bellissimo credited to have created the buffalo wings (Original Buffalo Wings Anchor Bar)

Legend has it that one day the son of Mdm Teressa Bellissimo (who created the world renowned buffalo wings) returned one day with his friends. In order to feed her hungry guests, she deep fried some wings (in those days, in the 60s, wings were meant for the broth of soups) and covered them in a special sauce and served them with a cheese dip. Voila! The buffalo wings was born!

Legend of the buffalo wings below Mdm Teressa's statue (Original Buffalo Wings Anchor Bar) — Legend of the buffalo wings below Mdm Teressa’s statue (Original Buffalo Wings Anchor Bar)

Kate and I keyed in the address into our GPS and headed over to Anchor Bar. We were there earlier than our usual dinner time in order to avoid the peak hour crowd. However, there was already a queue for dinner at about 6pm!

Inside Anchor Bar (Home of the Original Buffalo Wings)

We parked our car (glad we came early, when we left, there were no lots left!) and took some time to look at the menu and placed our order. It took us about 20 minutes before we could get in!

We ordered the buffalo wings and seafood supreme with a couple of drinks. By the time we were seated down, it did not take that long for the food to arrive.

Yummy Seafood Supreme Pasta $17 USD (Anchor Bar Buffalo)

You know we always give our honest to goodness reviews to our readers so that they get the most informative source right from 2bearbear.com.

However, this time, we have got to say that the buffalo wings were a let down. The wings were overly fried and completely lost its moisture. The meat was tough and to be honest, this was one of the worst wings that we’ve tasted. The steep price (almost $1.20USD per mid wing) did not help as well. The sauce and dip did help somewhat but the meat itself was beyond salvage.

Over-fried Crabcakes Anchor Bar (Home of the Original Buffalo Wings)

2 things came to rescue our night though;

1. The Seafood Supreme pasta was surprisingly good! The creamy sauce left one craving for more. The shrimp was also a highlight of this dish. It was really fresh and succulent! Although the serving was a huge one, Kate and I wiped it clean to the bowl!

2. There was live jazz music that set the mood for the evening. We remembered a young musician joining the team for the first time that evening and he played mightily well. Everyone in the audience cheered him on and that made the night really memorable.

We think that the buffalo wings must have been good before, perhaps given the crowd, the wings were fried in bulk and in advance. Hence, the poor texture.

When you’re in buffalo, give it a try though. If you experienced the lousier version, at least you could boast and say that you have tasted the original buffalo wings at Anchor Bar, Buffalo, New York!

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Updated on January 31, 2021September 17, 2011attractions holiday New York Places of Interest Travel Travel Blog Travel Tips USA vacation Woodbury Common Premium Outlet Central Valley

Woodbury Common Premium Outlet Central Valley – Shop Till You Drop!

From Kate’s extensive research, Woodbury Common Premium Outlet is the “must-go” when you are in New York. It boasts of iconic brands and labels from all over the world. Girls go crazy there.

So we set off really early in the morning (at 3:15am, 15 mins behind schedule) as it was a long drive (7 hours). Something I’ve got to do to please the other bearbear. So Kate as usual gave me my shoulder massages and fed me as we drove…

Setting off at Dawn to Woodbury Common Premium Outlet New York

We also got to catch the sunrise!

Sunrise on route to Woodbury Common Premium Outlet

Along the way, there were hefty tolls (amounting to $44.30 to and fro!) but there were also nice bridges to look at…

Bridges along the way to Woodbury Common Premium Outlet

Finally, after hours of driving and getting my butt all achy, we reached our destination!

Signboard of Woodbury Common Premium Outlet

By the time we got there, it was 10am. I was dead beat while Kate was raring to go at the shops! The whole area looked like a little village nestled in a Valley (literally – Central Valley). Look at the hills at the background of these pictures…

Valley of Woodbury Common Premium Outlet

Carpark of Woodbury Common Premium Outlet New York

We soon realised that items here were really cheap compared to back home in Singapore. This is especially so for USA goods such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Levis, DKNY, Kate Spade and Coach. I bought 2 pairs of jeans (Levi’s at $20USD while DKNY at $15 USD – 70% off!) and a Polo Ralph Polo T-shirt at $30USD.

Kate bought so many bags from Coach and Kate Spade that I really lost count. But after taking a look around in the stores (especially Coach Store) I realised that Kate was actually quite sane. There were many ladies who were screaming, talking at the top of their voices saying how cheap things were, really turning the Coach store into a market place!

All this while I was psychoing Kate to buy whatever she likes since we were unlikely to travel back here again (all the way from Singapore?), or in my own words “buy lah,buy lah, since we’re never coming back here again, just buy lah, so cheap right?”.

The Chinese Tourists were buying the bags in truckloads. They even paid up in cash and we were able to see stacks of US dollars as they queued to pay up. It was fun to see the eyes of the ladies light up as they entered these bag stores…

Many Shoppers at Woodbury Common Premium Outlet

In the end, we bought so much stuff that I became paranoid about whether we would get robbed and lose all the stuff that we bought. So I waited in the car with the goods (under the hot sun) while Kate continued to shop hands free.

Soon, we had to say goodbye. However, this trip taught us (or at least me) a few things

1. Never buy branded USA goods in Singapore. They are so overpriced in Singapore! We bought most of the bags , jeans and tops at more than 50% off Singapore prices!

2. Bags and Shoes are a girl’s best friends. You know they’ve always been saying that bags and shoes are a girl’s best friends. It is especially true if you had seen how their eyes glimmered with brightness as they laid their eyes upon their favourite bags, now with an additional 20% off!

3. Do something for the girl you love. Sacrifices are necessary. Kate knows how much I had to endure driving to and fro for more than 12 hours. But it’s nice to see the look on her face as she got the stuff that she wanted (also knowing that it is at a good price).

So…if you ever pass by New York and will be in the vicinity in the future, do drop by Woodbury Common Premium Outlet and experience the trill of how you can really shop till you drop!

P.S. The drive back was 9 hours because Tom was dead beat and had to drive in the dead of night.

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