Australian Abroad Day Trip - New Brunswick

Once again through Megabus I was able to get a $2.50 round trip bus ticket to New Brunswick in New Jersey. New Brunswick is the home of New Jersey's State University, Rutgers University. It is very much a college town with lots of Frat houses and school buildings. I walked over to see their football stadium, High Point Solutions Stadium, which was surprisingly open when I was there. The University was opened in 1776 and has many of its original buildings still standing. The weather was amazing while I was there and I would definitely recommend it as a day trip from NYC. 

National Museum for Crime and Punishment

Around the corner from the American Art Museum is the National Museum for Crime and Punishment. The museum holds a wide variety of artifacts from America's crime history including Bonnie and Clyde's car and John Wayne Gacy's clothing. Tickets are $21.95 plus tax. I am not sure it was really worth it compared to the other free museums in Washington DC that are actually better. I would probably pass unless I was really interested in crime. 

Review of Gansevoort Park Avenue

I stayed at the Gramercy Park Avenue for two nights last weekend. We stayed in a superior king room. The room has a large bedroom with flat screen tv and wonderful mini bar. The bathroom features a oversized bath and wash basin. One of the highlights is the rooftop pool. It is great to relax by and have some cocktails and snacks. My tip is to arrive early so you can get a spot on the 29th St side so you have the sun on you for the longest time.

My Tripadvisor Review Has Been Published: Brooklyn Botanic Garden

A review of mine is now available on Tripadvisor. Feel free to take a look.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60827-d103900-r131322615-Brooklyn_Botanic_Garden-Brooklyn_New_York.html

Deyna's City Inn Grenada Tripadvisor Review

A review of mine is now available on Tripadvisor. Feel free to take a look.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g616291-d1045388-r130464463-Deyna_s_City_Inn-St_George_Grenada.html

Woodbury Common Shopping Outlet

RackedNY presents a summer guide to shopping at the wonderful Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York. The extremely popular shopping district has hundreds of stores including the premium designers Burberry, Chanel, Fendi, Gucci, Ralph Lauren and YSL.

My tip is to take a day trip out there as any shorter will leave you too rushed to visit all the stores. I would suggest looking through the list of stores and find out the key ones you want to hit first and arrive before they open. Normally Burberry, Gucci and Ralph Lauren are the busiest. Make sure you get the coupon book from the Information Centre as it has lots of additional discounts.

I personally travel by Coach USA to Woodbury, which leaves regularly from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Tickets are $42US and can be booked online here.

My Tripadvisor Review of Jean Georges Has Been Published

A review of mine is now available on Tripadvisor. Feel free to take a look.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d1657868-r130078657-Jean_Georges-New_York_City_New_York.html

Generator Hostel Dublin: My Tripadvisor Review

A review of mine is now available on Tripadvisor. Feel free to take a look.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g186605-d2153102-r129895430-Generator_Hostel_Dublin-Dublin_County_Dublin.html

Tips for the Best Brunch in NYC

EaterNY has a list of 15 hot new brunch spots in New York. Restaurants listed include Acme, and The Cannibal in Manhattan and The Good Fork in Brooklyn amongst others.

Some of my all time favourite brunch spots include the celebrity and model filled Cafe Mogador in the East Village, the bustling Peels on Bowery and the intimate 'ino in the West Village. Below are photos of the brunch dishes I tried at each location.

Cafe Mogador

Peels

'ino

My Tripadvisor Review Has Been Published: Edinburgh Castle

A review of mine is now available on Tripadvisor. Feel free to take a look.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g186525-d187653-r129895029-Edinburgh_Castle-Edinburgh_Scotland.html

Great NY Noodle Town

EaterNY discusses one of Chinatown's most famous restaurants the aptly named Great N.Y. Noodle Town. As the article mentioned, it is a favourite of the city's best chefs including Jean-Georges Vongerichten and David Chang.

It was from Anthony Bourdain's travel show The Layover that I first came to hear of the restaurant. I visited in February this year and, as shown below, enjoyed the roast duck, shrimp fried rice and roast beef. The restaurant is affordable and a must visit when in NYC's Chinatown.

Great NY Noodletown 

28 Bowery, New York, 

NY 10013  

Deal of the Day: Russian and Turkish Bath Admission

Save Local has a deal on today which gets you and a friend/partner one admission to the Russian and Turkish Baths in the East Village for only $35US. That's 50% off! The Baths have been around since 1892, and have served NYC as the place to experience an unexpected paradise. Their facilities include five saunas and steam rooms, a cold plunge pool, roof deck and a restaurant.

I have visited the baths many times myself and really enjoy detoxing and relaxing after a crazy week of sightseeing and indulging.

To find more about the Russian and Turkish Baths please visit their website.

My Tripadvisor Review Has Been Published: National Gallery London

A review of mine is now available on Tripadvisor. Feel free to take a look.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d188862-r129894777-National_Gallery-London_England.html

Tips for the Best Ramen in NYC

EaterNY has a great article on 7 of the best, all be it unknown, ramen restaurants in NYC.  The list includes the No Name Bar, Tsushima and the Brooklyn based Yuji Ramen.

From my experience in NYC I would also suggest trying Ramen Kuboya at 536 East 5th St between Avenue A and B and the always busy Ippudo NY at 65 4th Avenue between 9th and 10th St. Below are photos of the ramen dishes I tried at each location.

Ippudo NY                                                                                                 Ramen Kuboya

Have you had a wonderful ramen meal abroad?

YSL Sale Starting Now!

Racked NY has details on the YSL sale that is running from Tuesday, June 12 through Friday, June 15. Tues—Thurs 9am—6:30pm, Fri 9am—3pm. The sale features mens and women's jackets for $300, denim for $100 and pants for $150. The sale is at 317 West 33rd St between Eighth and Ninth Aves.

Happy Shopping!

My Tripadvisor Review Has Been Published

A review of mine is now available on Tripadvisor. Feel free to take a look.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d632551-r129675985-Hilton_Garden_Inn_New_York_Tribeca-New_York_City_New_York.html

Do Australians who Travel Abroad Live up to Their Stereotypes?

News.com.au Travel has an interesting report on what the rest of the world thinks of Australians who travel abroad. They have compiled a list of common Australian stereotypes including that Australians are:

• Dumb 
• Fat, loud and drunk
• Racist
• The world's worst tippers
• Easy-going and don't complain
• The world's greatest travellers

I would personally like to add one to the list:
Australians are the worst dressed travellers.

When heading back home to Australia from America, Europe or Asia, it is always easy to tell in the airport which are the Australians returning back home. They will be wearing thongs and board shorts for the guys and ugg boots and trackies for the girls. Why can't we wear blazers and comfortable chinos like the European men do? I understand it is a comfort issue, but come on, you left the beach four hours ago!

Summer Fun at the Brooklyn Crab

Opening this week is the massive Brooklyn Crab in Red Hook. The new complex has entertainment including bocce courts, real-deal shuffleboard, ping pong tables, cornhole sets, and most excitingly a full-on 18-hole mini golf course.
Their menu is obviously seafood themed with crabs, whole lobsters, fried calamari, oysters and clams available. Patrons can also enjoyed a long list of beers and spirits in either of the two bars.

Brooklyn Crab
24 Reed St, btwn Conover and Van Brunt St; Red Hook; 718.643.2722

Please visit Thrillist for more details.

Another Review of a NYC Attraction: Tenement Museum

Another review of mine is available on Tripadvisor. Feel free to take a look.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d104369-r129495069-Tenement_Museum-New_York_City_New_York.html

New exhibition at The Hole Gallery

The Hole Gallery on the Bowery has announced the upcoming opening of the exhibition “Portrait of a Generation” where over 100 artists who make up the art scene here will pair up and exchange portraits with each other. Opening this Thursday the 7th of June the exhibition will run until August 10th, 2012. The works will be hung salon-style on the walls of Gallery 1 and 2, and include painted, drawn and photographic portraits.

The works will feature not just artists but also designers, writers and musicians including André Saraiva, Cynthia Rowley, Fab Five Freddy, Glenn O'Brien, Terence Koh and Yoko Ono.

For more details on The Hole Gallery please visit their website.