Linguini’s is a 2 part restaurant, basically it is a sports bar/sit down restaurant.  The lunch fare is reasonably price, and very tasty!  I ordered a Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo, which was served with a Shrimp & Rice soup.  The entree was not salty enough, and can be described as “bland” at first, but this enables the partaker to season the dish to taste.  After adding sufficient salt to the pasta and chicken, it was delicious.

Since we are on the subject of apologies, I would also like to take this time to apologize for the food photos…  Definitely not as nice as the photos that I took of the places I went last month.  :(

Anyway, on to the England Rose Garden.  I will admit that I’ve been to this restaurant a number of times before, but I thought that I would go ahead and post photos anyway.  Despite the fact that the name states “England”, this restaurant offers a variety food with a slight Asian flair in a ‘tea house’ type setting.  The dishes served ranges from steaks to baked rice dishes to cold plates.  The nice thing is that you can order a set meal that is usually served with soup (usually a corn soup), salad, garlic bread, main entree, ice cream, and a tea/juice.  The lights are kept dim to preserve a sort of quiet/private ambiance, and the patrons usually keep to themselves and talk quietly.  Quite a difference from a normal Chinese restaurant for sure!

I find myself ordering the German Pork Knuckle each time I come because it is so very delicious.  The outside crusty skin is nicely seasoned, and the meat inside is tender.  The only complaint I have about the dish is that the fatty layer can feel a bit “sticky”.  Make sure to remove it before eating the meat!!  The pork knuckle is served on top of sauerkraut and has some boiled baby carrots/broccoli on the side.  Not a whole lot accompanying the meat, but the side dishes aren’t why I order this.

The other dish that was ordered that particular day was the steak special.  I can’t exactly remember what it was called, but it wasn’t really worth it.  I would say, get the pork knuckle instead!  XD  The sauce in which the steak is sitting is a black pepper sauce.  For some reason, Chinese people really like black pepper sauces.

I WISH I was good enough to go to Julliard.  Maybe in another life time.

The most memorable thing about going to Central Park was the woman that we met right outside it.  This woman, who may have been mentally unstable, appeared to be a transient.  As I was readying my party for a photo, she went and stood a few feet from my uncle and proceeded to stare at him.  I, noticing her, stared at her and motioned for everyone to move a little farther so that I didn’t have to take a picture with her in it.  As they scooted away, she proceeded to follow my uncle and stare at him some more.  It was quite bizarre.  I, feeling a little irritated, was about to ask her to “please move so I could take a picture” when she suddenly walked away.  Bizarre.  Oh well.  Life goes on.  On a brighter note, the clouds were especially beautiful that day.  :D

While walking around the outside of Central Park, I did see a line of horse drawn carriages awaiting employment.  I could not help but feel sorry for the horses standing there looking so forlorn.  I was able to get a photo of one of them.  If you want a nice ride around the park, try getting one that doesn’t require the use of these poor horses that are hitched up day after day for the amusement of tourists.  There are plenty of little bicycle pulled carriages to transport you around the park.  You won’t find a shortage of them as the riders often come to the edge of the park and solicit their services to anyone who looks like a tourist.  Their ability to detect tourists is uncanny…  its almost as if they can smell us!  :O

Even though I was able to take photos, I feel as if the photos are inadequate, I wasn’t able to fully capture how bright this part of the city is at night.  Someday I’ll go back again.

If you want a good view of the Statue of Liberty, I definitely recommend the Circle Line Cruise as they take you directly in front of the statue for a nice view.

The city itself is beautiful and familiar, familiar even though I have no recollection of my first visit to the city when I was 3 years old.  Many of our movies were filmed in this landmark city, and I recognize the tall skyscraper buildings.  New Yorkers are friendly, more than once I received directions from a helpful Subway rider without actually asking for directions.  They seem to know when tourists need a hand and gladly point out which way we should be going.

The following pictures are taken from Herald Square, China Town, and various places throughout the city.  You’ll be able to see the famous Empire State Building, Policemen on horseback, the Confucius building, Staten Island ferry, Battery Park, a hot dog cart, and a very ragged looking pigeon.

The monuments and government buildings were nice, but some of the areas on the outskirts left much to be desired.  A lot of road work was being done (which is good), but the outskirts reminded me of cities like Oakland, CA.

The one place in DC that I really wanted to visit was the Lincoln Memorial.  It definitely is one of the biggest tourists attractions (as evidenced in my photos) as there were a massive amount of people littering the steps to this glorious building.  There were people sitting on the steps, eating, talking, and resting all over the monument.  It was even crowded inside the building as well.  There were even religious groups talking on the steps of the memorial, preaching to anyone within earshot.

Even though I didn’t get pictures, I also saw the FBI Building (X-Files immediately came to mind!), the IRS Building, and the USDA building.