Bangkok Broils Under Red Shirt Protest

Posted on 9 April 2010 by christao408

Those of you who follow the news from Thailand know that for almost the past week, the center of the shopping district – the Ratchaprasong intersection – has been taken over by “red shirt” protesters. An estimated 100,000 were sitting in the street and plaza outside Central World shopping center this weekend and while the numbers have diminished significantly, the area is still paralyzed.

And as the Kingdom bakes under warmer than normal temperatures during what is already the usual peak of our hot season, tensions are rising on the political front. I went down to the area yesterday to take a look around and snap some photos.

I’ve updated my initial entry with some more pictures, explanation, and responses to your questions and comments.

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Looking west towards the Ratchaprasong intersection from the walkway that leads to Gaysorn Plaza, which is to the right of this picture.

Who are the Red Shirts?

The “Red Shirts” are a coalition of interested parties under the banner of the National United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD). They are mainly supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister who was ousted in a September 2006 coup and subsequently convicted in absentia to two years in prison and the seizure of about $1.3 billion in assets on charges of corruption. The UDD also represents some other interests, including those who aren’t supportive of Thaksin but who are against the coup and what they see as subsequent interference with the democratic process by a military/judicial elite.

A map of the area around Ratchaprasong intersection that is affected by the protests.

Affected Area

While there are scattered protests in other areas of the city, especially in the “Old City” where the government ministries are, the area that is attracting the most attention at the moment is the Ratchaprasong intersection. This is where Rama I Road (what turns into Sukhumvit as it heads southeast) and Rajadamri Road meet at the heart of the shopping district.

Is it paralyzing the city?

Vivek asks about the effect it is having on everyday life in Bangkok. Central World Plaza, Gaysorn Plaza, and Erawan shopping centers are all located right at the intersection. It is also the site of the popular Erawan Shrine, often mistakenly called the Four-Face Buddha by tourists. Siam Square with the Paragon, Siam Center, and Siam Discovery shopping centers is only a block away. These six major shopping centers have a combined floor space of more than four times the Mall of America’s and have been closed for almost a week now causing an estimated 200-300 million baht ($6-9 million) in losses per day.

View from the bridge connecting BTS Chidlom station to Central Chidlom department store, looking west towards Ratchaprasong.

UDD guards have set up barricades and are limiting traffic on the affected streets to only local traffic. For example, the Intercontinental, Holiday Inn Ploenjit, and Renaissance hotels are all in the affected area. Taxis and private vehicles going to and from these hotels are allowed to enter. Notice that in the picture above there are no police offers – they seem to be keeping their distance and letting protesters handle things.

Other businesses in the area are shut down or are operating on a very limited basis. Hotel bookings in the area are down significantly and bookings and tourist arrivals are off about 30% from normal for this time of year, particularly bookings from elsewhere in Asia. The Stock Exchange of Thailand dropped about 3.5% Thursday on news of the latest emergency decree and anticipation of a worsening political environment.

As for those of us who live here, it is kind of like having the middle of your living room be a no-go zone. You can still live in your house and get around, but you have to avoid one of the main areas that you would regularly travel to for work or entertainment. It is inconvenient but not impossible. Thankfully, this is the slow season for tourism and it is also summer break for students, so there is already less traffic than normal.

Looking south at the Ratchaprasong intersection. The Erawan shrine beyond the stage and to the left. Central World Plaza is back over your shoulder to the right in this picture.

At the main intersection, a stage is set up beneath the BTS Skytrain tracks. There is a bit of irony in the placement of the stage beneath the metropolitan government’s “Bangkok – City of Life” advertising.

Turning around 180 degrees and looking north along Rajadamri Road, Central World Plaza is on the left. There is a second pedestrian walkway in the distance. Over the weekend the entire street stretching beyond that second walkway was filled with protesters. At noon on a Thursday the crowds had dwindled and most were seeking refuge in whatever thin stretches of shade they could find.

Protesters camp out in the median strip foliage under the Skytrain tracks. Based on the number of plastic bags and other bits of rubbish strewn about, the UDD isn’t doing a very good job caring for its environment.

Are they compensated?

Rob asked whether protesters are there of their own volition or whether they have been paid to be there. There is no doubt that in a country where the vast majority of people earn less than $150 a month that there has been some compensation in addition to assistance transporting them to the capital. These protests have gone on for more than four weeks in different parts of the city. There are reports that protesters have received up to 2000 baht – about $60 – to come to the city. Most of the supporters are from the Issan region, northeast Thailand, a very poor and relatively dry area in comparison to the rest of the country.

The banner reads “Welcome to Thailand – We just want democracy”

Is it safe for you to be there?

Jason asked after the safety of me going to the protest area and several other people raised their concerns about my safety in general. Thanks to everyone for your concern. In deciding to visit, I evaluated the situation carefully, first viewing it from the passing Skytrain to see what the crowd looked like, and then approaching it on foot from a half-kilometer away.

As I walked from the Rajadamri BTS station back towards the Ratchaprasong intersection, my senses were on heightened alert and being one of the only foreigners on the street, I was very cognizant of what was going on around me. Had there been any signs of aggression or any direct conflict between protesters and security forces, I would not have entered the area. As it was, the police have stayed well to the fringes of the protest and other than scuffles at other locations – the protesters stormed the Parliament building briefly yesterday, for example – there has been a notable lack of confrontation between the protesters and security forces.

These plastic clappers have become symbolic of the UDD, who use them to cheer speakers and signify their protest. The ones in the shape of a foot have special meaning because the foot is considered the lowest and dirtiest part of the body. By raising your foot against whomever (authorities, military, the PM, etc.) you are insulting them.

Why is the government taking a hands-off approach?

Gary commented about the low-conflict approach that the government has taken so far against the protesters. Among some Thais and almost all foreigners, the question has been why the police and military aren’t moving in and arresting and/or dispersing protesters who are in clear violation of the law.

The answer is complex and there are some areas of speculation I won’t get into here. The larger, safer answer is that the military does not want to provoke a situation that could escalate into violence, much like what happened in April 2009, when police moved aggressively against protesters who responded with Molotov cocktails, bombs, and other violence. For all their image of being peaceful people, Thais’ tempers can be as easily triggered as anyone else’s and the history of such confrontations in Thailand politics (1973, 1976, 1992) have led to the conventional wisdom that such conflicts are not resolved until blood is shed, an outcome nobody wants.

There’s always money to be made as vendors sell color-appropriate supplies in front of the Louis Vuitton store at Gaysorn Plaza. At some point, you have to wonder which of the vendors (the foot masseuses, the ice cream vendors?) are there for capitalistic purposes rather than because of their political beliefs.

What’s going to happen next?

Meg commented that she had heard that martial law has been enacted. While it isn’t exactly martial law, the “Internal Security Act” has been invoked, giving the government and the military more powers to intervene in affairs of safety and security. Specifically, gatherings of more than five people for political purposes is not allowed. Additionally, the cable TV and radio stations supporting the UDD have been shut down because they are “spreading misinformation” and “destabilizing the peace”. The Internal Security Act applies to Bangkok and parts of surrounding provinces.

The protests show no signs of abating and while some people expect the crowds to diminish during the three-day Songkran (Thai new year) holiday next week, you can be certain that the situation will continue to simmer. We were lucky last year to be out of the country when things boiled over and with a trip to Macao and Hong Kong scheduled for next week, perhaps we will be lucky again.

Without turning this into a news blog or a political blog, I will share any significant developments with you. In the meantime, I have more food porn to post!

For more information: You may find this article in the Economist helpful in explaining some of the context and background of the current political situation, about which I will not write in this blog because of Thailand’s strict lese majeste laws.

Food in the US – Shake Shack and Ōttō

Posted on 6 April 2010 by christao408

Wednesday evening in New York, Tawn decided to attend a yoga class led by a particular instructor about whom he had read. This resulted in a late dinner, so our friend Biing suggested we try Ōttō, Mario Batali’s family-style wine bar (is that an oxymoron?) and pizzeria on Fifth Avenue a block away from Washington Square Park.

The challenge was Biing and I had several hours to kill before meeting Tawn for dinner and we were hungry. Working our way over to the Madison Square Park area near the yoga studio, we decided to split a burger and fries at Shake Shack by way of an appetizer.

On this pleasantly not-frigid evening, there as quite a crowd gathered around Shake Shack, which is nicely nestled in the midst of the park. The Empire State Building looms to the north (visible on the left of the picture). Lights strung across to the still leafless trees reminded me of a line from the Les Miserables song “On My Own” and the tables closest to the heaters were still popular, a reminder that Spring had not quite yet sprung.

Opened by New York restauranteur Danny Meyer, whose restaurants include Grammercy Tavern and the Union Square Cafe, the Shake Shack is Meyer’s attempt to tackle the classic American treat, the hamburger. Considered by many to be the best burgers in the Big Apple, I found the burger to be good but not great. There are a lot of relatively expensive, good quality burgers out there these days. To that end, I might as well just eat one of those relatively inexpensive, good quality burgers that are also available.

Not that there was anything wrong with the burger – there wasn’t – but I just don’t see the fuss. As for the fries, they reminded me of Ore-Ida fries taken from the freezer, devoid of fresh potato flavor. We didn’t try the nameshake – excuse me, namesake – shakes as the weather was still a bit chilly.

Arriving at the building where we were to meet Tawn, Biing and I had to ride in what is the narrowest lift I’ve ever seen. The camera is being held in the upper corner of the car. Thank goodness for wide angle lenses. After picking up Tawn we walked down to Ōttō, building up his appetite and burning off our burger.

Ōttō’s design conceit is that of the Italian train station. Names of guests waiting for a table are displayed on a signboard that looks like an arrivals and departures board. It is a pretty space, a little loud, and definitely made for socializing. This is Mario Batali’s “low end” restaurant, the one that is most accessible to the masses, and it is known for its antipasti, pizzas, and pasta.

Service was friendly and pretty attentive, given how busy the restaurant was this late in the evening. A small package of brown butcher paper was set on our table, which we unwrapped to discover some fantastic bread along with imported breadsticks. I’m not sure I understand why breadsticks need to be imported, but they were light and crispy and enjoyable, so why ask questions?

We ordered a trio of verdure – greens – for $4 each. Our selection was the Funghi Misti (mixed mushrooms), Asparagus and Pecorino cheese, and Roasted Peppers and Capers, front left. This was a tasty combination to snack on with the peppers being my favorite. The saltiness of the Pecorino cheese didn’t seem to rub off on the asparagus, which was barely cooked and not seasoned. The mushrooms were nice although they also seemed a little under-seasoned.

We also ordered a plate of Salumi for $9, a really tasty sausage with hunks of lard mixed in with the meat. I was reminded of a meat appetizer dish I had on my first night in Italy back in 2001, after which I spent the next day drinking copious amounts of water trying to rehydrate myself from all the sodium.

According to Biing, pastas are the weak point on the menu at Ōttō. We ordered a Linguine Puttanesca, a classic sauce made of anchovies, capers, olives, chilies, and roasted tomato. It was tasty but wasn’t very distinctive. For $9, though, it was a reasonably priced bowl of pasta.

The pizzas are supposedly the big deal. Some say the best in New York but of course everyone has an opinion when it comes to that matter. We ordered a Margherita DOP, with nothing more than tomato, Bufala Mozzarella cheese, and basil – perhaps the best combination with which to compare the qualities of a pizza. Interestingly, Ōttō’s pies are cooked on a griddle. This results in the crispest crust I’ve ever had on a pizza, one that remained crispy throughout the whole eating, down to the final piece.

The sauce, however, was a let-down. It tasted like a tin of tomato paste with no added seasoning. That was the flavor: flat tomato and nothing more. And it was spread rather thickly on the pizza so it soon became the overwhelming flavor on the tongue. They say it is the sauce that can make or break a pizza and in this case, I’d agree.

For dessert, we enjoyed the homemade gelato, which offers some very unconventional flavors. Last August I stopped by here while Biing and Tawn were shopping for an afternoon pick-me-up of olive oil gelato.

This evening, I had the trio of dark chocolate, Guinness, and salty peanut gelati topped with coffee bourbon sauce and chocolate crumble. It was very tasty. The Guinness gelato tastes just like Guinness beer.

Tawn had the Olive Oil Coppetta, a mixture of olive oil gelato, candied clementines and kumquats, lime curd, tangerine sorbet, and fennel brittle. It was also very nice although the mouth feel of olive oil gelato remains a bit heavy for me.

My only concern about the gelati is that they are very soft when they arrive and they, of course, quickly become softer as you try and take pictures, even if you hurry!

So the overall review? Ōttō is an enjoyable place for a group meal with good service and decent prices for what you get. The food is good, not great, and the pizza is on my to-avoid list. For a drink and some appetizers, though, this is definitely a good choice.

Repost: Real Love and Real Friendship on Xanga

Posted on 5 April 2010 by christao408

While I often recommend entries that I think others might enjoy, I cannot remember a recent time when I’ve read an entry that so effectively articulated my own thoughts about friends on Xanga versus friends in real life (IRL) that I was compelled to repost it.

Michael (arenadi) wrote just such an entry on Monday. It had 100 recommendations by the time I read it and I encourage you to read it, too. Here’s a teaser:

Have you ever had a conversation with someone IRL about an “Online Friend”?

Most of us have had our IRL friends and family tell us that our online friends aren’t real friends.

They discount that there are real people out there behind the online personalities we interact with. And that the people “out there on the internet” can’t possibly love or care as IRL friends can; nor can online friends know us as well as real-life friends can. They tell us building relationships, regardless of whether platonic or romantic, is impossible via the online world.

I have always disagreed with that. And as many of you witnessed here on Xanga this past Friday night, my point was proven in practice.

Read the rest of the entry here.

Food in the US – ‘ino

Posted on 4 April 2010 by christao408

A grilled cheese sandwich. One of the most perfect foods to eat, especially if we’re talking about a grilled cheese done in the form of an Italian panino. (Plural: panini) Last August I wrote about this little Italian panini shop and wine bar in Greenwich Village called ‘ino. Opened by Jason and Jennifer Denton, protégées of Mario Batali, this is the cutest place and, though I didn’t know it beforehand, kind of a ‘big deal” in the New York Italian restaurant scene.

The place is tiny – perhaps ten two-seater tables plus a half-dozen stools at the wine bar. With a brick wall on one side and a bar on the other, it is cozy and welcoming, a place that you just want to stop by on your way home to have a drink, snack on a few tasty bites of something, and catch up on the neighborhood gossip. It is what I think a “third place” should look like.

The kitchen is thirty square feet, no larger than enough room for two people, two panini grills, and a toaster oven. It is enough to make me stop complaining about my kitchen and instead think about adding some more shelves.

Tawn’s school friend Rosrin and her husband Sean recently moved to Manhattan from Boston, and had their first child, Quinn. Being equally big foodies as Tawn and me, we met Rosrin (along with her father and her son) for an early lunch one morning.

Back at home, we regularly make panini as a weeknight dinner. Cut from a fresh loaf of homemade whole grain bread, two grilled slices with some meat, cheese, and something tangy inside make for a healthy and wholesome meal. Serve it up with a side of mixed greens and it transforms the ordinary sandwich into something really special.

While eating, I discovered that ‘ino sells their cookbook, Simple Italian Sandwiches: Recipes from America’s Favorite Panini Bar. Needless to say, I now have a copy. Now, why do I need a recipe book for something that is, at its most basic, a grilled cheese sandwich? Because I realize that my panini, while satisfying, are pretty plain. I’m not getting the most out of them. The panini I eat at ‘ino have another level of flavor complexity that elevates them to a whole other plane of existence.

For Tawn, there was one objective in mind, besides visiting with Rosrin: to have a slice of ‘ino’s truffled egg toast. This thick-cut white bread is toasted, hollowed out, filled with egg yolks, and topped with fontina cheese. After a few minutes of broiling, a healthy dash of truffle oil is poured on top and some sautéed asparagus is served alongside. Available morning, noon, and night, the egg toast is the highlight of the menu.

Now that I have the cookbook, I’ve discovered the not-so-secret secret to making their egg toast. When I tried this at home after our last trip, I put a whole egg into the middle of the toast, which was too much egg and overflowed. Now I realize that the trick is to use two yolks and no whites.

I’ve also learned about several spreads and sauces I can make to help spice up my panini at home: roasted peppers, olive tapenade, an balsamic roasted garlic, to name a few. Watch for some future entries resulting from the purchase of this cookbook.

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Above: Panino with pepperonata (roasted bell peppers), fresh mozzarella cheese, and basil pesto.

The panini are really exquisite at ‘ino. Another lesson I learned is that instead of cutting slices from a loaf of bread, they use ciabatta rolls with the top sliced off. This ensures that every bite has some crust from the bottom side. I’ve tried doing this but so far my homemade ciabatta have so many large bubbles that fillings form the panini spill through the bread. I’ll have to keep practicing and see if I can create (and then consistently reproduce) a ciabatta that compares to the ones made at the Blue Ribbon Bakery, the next door bread supplier for ‘ino.

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Above: Scrambled egg, cheese, and sweet onions. How’s that for a breakfast treat?

We returned for breakfast the day before we left, one last chance to enjoy one of the most fun little restaurants we’ve been to, a gem that we would love to recreate here in Krungthep.

Could you imagine this somewhere along Soi Thong Lor? Not with people dressed like this, I think.

Thai Parody about Farang

Posted on 2 April 2010 by christao408

This is a very funny three-minute parody about farang (foreigners) in Thailand. It mimics educational videos from a popular Thai TV program.

I hope you learned something!

Food in the US – Mama’s Food Shop New York

Posted on 31 March 2010 by christao408

You always knew that Mama wanted you to take care of yourself and eat well. At this hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the East Village of Manhattan, you can get a healthy serving of good food prepared just the way your mother would want it to be. This may sound like an advertising claim but it is actually an accurate description of what you find at Mama’s Food Shop.

Located on 3rd Street between Avenues A and B, Mama’s was a recommendation from our friend Biing during our visit to New York last summer. Biing’s list of recommendations was too long to complete on our last visit, so we used this trip to check a few more items off it.

Arriving to our midtown hotel, the Affinia Dumont on 34th Street, on a rainy and cool Monday evening, we needed somewhere easy for dinner but didn’t want to take a chance on the unknown restaurants in the Murray Hill neighborhood that surrounds the hotel. We hopped a taxi down to Alphabet City.

The funky decor is shabby-chic with Christmas lights on one wall and portraits of mothers on the other.

The floor is wooden, the seating eclectic and unassigned (table sharing is common), and the smell of frying chicken permeates the space and your clothing.

The efficient kitchen turns out five mains each at $12 a plate with one side: fried chicken, roast chicken, roast pork shoulder, meatloaf, and pan-seared tilapia. The sides include simple yet satisfying dishes such as mac and cheese, roasted beets, broccoli and garlic, mashed potatoes, and cole slaw. Additional sides are $1 for an extra serving or you can buy them to-go in half-pint and pint quantities.

So a main with two sides works out to $13 – not overly expensive but not quite a bargain, either, until you consider the quantity and quality.

My plate of roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and beets was huge – three pieces of chicken and a week’s worth of beets.

Tawn’s tilapia (they also do a veggie plate composed of three sides for $11) included two large fillets to go with the roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli. Flavors were consistently good although the sides were not piping hot – possibly due to my picture taking.

All in all, Mama’s does right by their customers, including a 10% dinner discount for students. The food is simple, healthy, and generous. Next time I think we’ll skip on the extra sides and maybe even share a plate.

Food in the US – Lidia’s Kansas City

Posted on 30 March 2010 by christao408

While I don’t have a lot more pictures to share of things we did in the US, I will share a series of entries about some of the food we ate. I’m a big believer in the value that a good meal adds to your life. Not only quality food and careful preparation but also good company, all of which are necessary to really eat well. This first entry is about Lidia’s Kansas City, the first location of several restaurants opened by Italian grandmother and public broadcasting celebrity Lidia Bastianich.

Andy already wrote about this meal, so if you read his blog as well, you’re in for a rerun especially as his camera is better than mine. Nonetheless, humor me with this entry.

Lidia’s was the location of our wedding reception last August. It is a charming space in a converted freight warehouse adjacent to the rail yards across from Union Station. Service is great and the food is prepared with a lot of attention and love. Just the kind of place to celebrate our union. In fact, the waitress who served us on our most recent visit turned out to be one of the waitresses who had worked our reception. She was very excited to see us back and took good care of us during our meal – a good reminder of why it is always a good idea to treat servers very well.

Andy and Sugi made the drive down from Omaha to visit us and spend the night in KC. While I grouse in my entries about the feeling of having to make lots of appointments and visits with people while we’re in the US, that really doesn’t apply quite as much when we’re in Kansas City, where most of the people we know are family. Andy and Sugi feel just like part of the family and seeing them was one of the highlights of our trip, and a reminder of how much we miss close friends while we live overseas.

A Friday evening, it seemed appropriate to begin with drinks before moving on to a really nice bottle of wine. I’ve recently decided that Campari and soda is my new apéritif of the moment – the bitters are nicely refreshing.

Lidia’s features a nice selection of homemade bread, including some of the lightest breadsticks I’ve ever enjoyed. The menu includes seasonal selections with an emphasis on locally grown produce and meat. There is a three-course fixed price menu for $32 which is a good value given the quality of the food.

Choosing from three “primi” or first-course offerings, I enjoyed the Montasio Cheese Frico. Kind of like a quesadilla made without the tortilla, the frico has potato, leek, and in this case lump crab fried with melted cheese until crisp. It is then topped with a light salad. Very refreshing and flavorful start to the meal.

For my “secondi” I chose the Battutina of Veal. As the name implies, it is a battered (pounded) veal steak that is fried and served with broccoli, prosciutto, and a Taleggio sage-tomato sauce. Despite its tenderizing, the veal wasn’t all that tender. It was very flavorful, though. In hindsight, I should have enjoyed the risotto with Gorgonzola and pear instead.

Andy enjoyed a wild boar ravioli. Lidia’s gets bonus points for all of their pasta being homemade. An excellent touch that makes all the difference in terms of taste and texture.

Another option on the menu is the bottomless tasting of a trio of pastas, the selection of which changes daily. Servers bring pans around, refilling as long as you’d like more pasta. Of course, no obligation to take seconds, but if you want just a few more bites of your favorite, of course that’s okay!

Today’s trio included a spinach linguini with shrimp and tomato sauce, a rigatoni with butter and herbs, and a wild mushroom ravioli. All were very nice – my favorite was the mushroom ravioli.

Why is it important to treat your servers well? Because when you come back next time they treat you well in return. After we ordered dessert, our waitress brought us a plate of homemade cookies, candied orange peel, and vanilla gelato. Yummy.

We split two desserts including this very good tiramisu.

We also had this Torta del Mascarpone, a Mascarpone cheesecake with pistachio crust, vanilla rhubarb, and salted pistachio brittle. I’m a sucker for anything with rhubarb in it. Beebop-a-reebop rhubarb pie, if you know that reference.

After dinner Tawn, Sugi, Andy, and I posed for a picture against the original brick wall of the freight warehouse. Interesting artwork on the wall, eh?

It was a wonderful dinner with wonderful company, followed up by some more wine and conversation at the Trio Cafe on the Country Club Plaza. As we called it a night, the freezing rain was coming down. By the time Andy and Sugi dropped us off at my sister’s house, the first flakes of snow were falling.

Recap of the Trip to the US

Posted on 29 March 2010 by christao408

After twenty days abroad, I am nearly home, sitting in the Taipei airport awaiting my flight back to Krungthep. Every trip back to the US and return to Thailand provokes similarly moody thoughts: an awareness that the US doesn’t feel like home anymore and an equal awareness that as much as I like living in Thailand, that doesn’t quite feel like home, either.

Each trip back also produces a similar feeling of exhaustion, of trying to pack too much into the trip, trying to see too many people along the way and not even succeeding in that. I could explore that issue more deeply but won’t get into it now. I need, however, to take a trip to somewhere I don’t know anyone.

Thankfully, I did conclude the trip with this stop in Taipei, two nights and a day to wander around, explore the city, eat good food, and other than dinner with an old friend from San Francisco, have no commitments. With the beautiful springlike weather, it was a much-needed relaxing end to the trip.

Instead of trying to recount my trip in detail, I’m going to share some highlight pictures. I will, however, do some separate entries in the next few days about some of the meals we ate.

After a day of springlike weather in Kansas City, we were greeted on our second morning there with snow. The accumulation ended up at eight inches – quite a hefty amount!

The snow gave me the opportunity to shovel a few driveways as well as an awareness that I really don’t want to live somewhere that receives snow. It was pretty for taking pictures, though.

As the weather returned to Spring later in our trip, my youngest niece Ava had the opportunity to pedal around the garage and show off her bicycle riding skills. We really enjoyed spending lots of time with both nieces and it is interesting to watch them grow so quickly. I realize it won’t be too many more years before they are so wrapped up in their own lives that they won’t really want to spend a lot of time with their uncles.

The primary reason to be there was to celebrate the nieces’ birthdays, one at the start of the month and the other at the end. We split the difference and visited in the middle. The cake is a strawberry confetti cake that I made.

Perhaps the greater reason to visit, though, was to see our grandparents. My grandmother turned 90 this past week and my grandfather will turn 90 in July, when we return for a family reunion. As busy and active as they are, you could easily mistake them for people in their late 70s.

The next stop was New York City – Center of the Universe. As the line goes in the musical Rent, “it’s a comfort to know, when you’re singing the hit-the-road blues, that anywhere else you can possibly go after New York… is a pleasure cruise.” Tawn recreates the dance sequence from the movie version of Rent when they sing the song “Santa Fe”.

New York is a city that we both like very much, perhaps a place we could live for a few years in the future. We both have our own agendas while in New York, agendas that overlap on only one subject: food.

I found a charming shop that imports handmade pottery and clayware from France in Greenwich Village. Ended up buying a cute pitcher – small pitchers are something I enjoy and would probably collect them if it wasn’t for my awareness that there’s no need to have more than a few pitchers.

Had an opportunity to look for interesting things to photograph. There turns out to be no shortage of them, some of which may more interesting to visitors than to locals.

Tested out the new camera and the 18mm wide angle lens attachment while wandering through Times Square. It works very nicely!

Went to see “Wicked” at the Gershwin Theatre. A fun show and very enjoyable, although we were frustrated by what seem to be a poor sound system. Despite good seats, it was often difficult to understand the lyrics.

While Tawn went shopping, our friend Biing and I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, something I had never done before. It is an impressive span and there’s a nice view of the city from Brooklyn.

We stayed at the Afinia Dumont Hotel on 34th Street between Third and Lexington, a perfect midtown location. While the neighborhood isn’t very charming, it is safe and very convenient. Here’s a view looking up the street – the hotel is in the middle of the block on the other side of the street – towards the Empire State Building just after sunset. The hotel is a very good value for the money with large rooms and a friendly staff.

Perhaps a bit touristy and pricey to boot, but Tawn and I went to the Top of the Rock – the observation deck that occupies what was once the Rainbow Room at the top of the GE Building in Rockefeller Center. It was a windy day and there was a very good view of the entire city.

Arriving in Los Angeles about noon on the 26th, I managed to snap this pretty amazing picture. From where I was sitting I could see that the American B777 was rolling down the parallel runway for take-off. It was just a matter of timing the picture so I would get the plane in the field of view. Tawn had a few hours layover before connecting to his nonstop flight home. I spent the night in LA and visited San Diego the next morning before flying to Taipei.

Heading Home

Posted on 27 March 2010 by christao408

Heading home. That’s what I’m doing. After sixteen days in the United States, I’m sitting in the lounge at Los Angeles International Airport waiting to board my flight in twenty minutes. I’ve taken more than 1,000 pictures during this trip, have eaten many memorable meals, and have lots of stories to share. I’ll get back to that in a few days.

For the moment, though, I’ll just leave you this picture I took shortly after checking in. My plane is the one on the right. It is taking me to Taipei (in business class thanks to an upgrade!) where I’ll spend two nights before continuing to Bangkok.

I hope you’re all well.

Nasty Flight Attendant

Posted on 23 March 2010 by christao408

Here in New York, arriving Monday after a annoyingly long delay at Chicago O’Hare, explained by the ill-defined reason, “air traffic control.” There were rain showers in New York and JFK Airport’s longest runway is closed for a four-month reconstruction, so this may have caused the delay – even though we were flying into LaGuardia.

The worst of it, though, was the terrible attitude of our United flight attendants. This was their final flight to their home base so I imagine they were as eager as the rest of us to get on the flight and depart, but never have I been talked to in so martial a tone as on this flight. They were barking at passengers about bag storage, boarding procedures, etc.

Tawn put his larger bag in the overhead bin and folded his trench coat to place it next to the bag. “On top of the bag, sir! Put your coat on top of your bag!” shouted a flight attendant from several rows away, ignoring the fact that Tawn’s bag filled the bin to its ceiling. Finally, he just put the coat in his lap rather than receive any more verbal abuse.

Eventually the overhead bins filled and bags needed to be gate checked. Nothing unusual about this and, I would imagine, an unsurprising consequence of the airline’s policy to charge for checked baggage. But what shocked me was the announcement another flight attendant made:

Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the need to gate check bags. Despite out repeated announcements, other passengers did not store their bags in the overhead bins properly so there was not room to accommodate your bags…

I cannot believe he said that. Is there any question as to why United no longer gets my paying business? In all my years of flying I have never heard a flight attendant use an announcement to blame passengers.

Anyhow, we’re in New York. It was rainy last night but we had a tasty dinner at Mama’s Food Shop. I have some pictures of this place in the East Village but they are still on the camera. You’ll have to wait for ’em.

Cheers!

christao408

The adventures of an expat American who moved to Bangkok for his husband.

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