My Disney World Trip VOP Project - VOC Rides and Shows (Part 4 of 4)

VOC or Voice of the Customer is the term used to describe the stated and unstated needs or requirements of the customer.  The objectives of a project depend on what the customers requirements are.  In this case the customer are my kids, my main stakeholder and project sponsor is my husband.  All of their “voices” need to be heard. Before the trip, I asked my children what rides they wanted to do, shows they wanted to see or even characters to meet.  Since they are all in tweens and teens, their memory of the Disney Channel days is dim so we had to watch the Disney movies again so they will be familiar with the stories and characters.   Our trip went well, based on the three constraints (cost, time, energy) although not 100% in the scope were done.  

Liked Best

It took a while before I can complete this post (this is part 4 – previous parts link above)

because my kids just handed me their feedback today, 2 weeks after the trip.  Well, they said it was hard to choose their favorite rides, attractions and shows from all the 4 parks. I only asked 5 from each park and rank per level of likeness (ranked by all 5). Here is the verdict:

Magic Kingdom

1. RANK #3 Splash Mountain - they remembered that 50-ft drop
2. Space Mountain – the dark rollercoaster ride that really scared me
3. Big Thunder Mountain – the drops and fast turns were exciting
4. Pirates of Caribbean – they liked all the animatronics rides but this one stood out
5. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – the kids were not thrilled anymore after experiencing all the mountains, but they all liked it anyway
6. Astro Blasters – shooting is our favorite
7. Monsters – “we were already laughing but Mom is still staring at the screen” (slow or couldn’t get the joke, or just needs to be ready to be focused on camera LOL)

Hollywood Studios

1. Fantasmic Show – because this is included in a dining package at Hollywood and Vine, we were in a good spot and walked in a VIP lane
2. Star Tours
3. Toy Story Mania
4. Indiana Jones
5. RANK #4 Jedi Training and meeting all the Star Wars Characters

EPCOT

1. RANK #2 Soarin
2. RANK #5 Mission Space
3. Test Track
4. Frozen – only Mom liked it. This is where Alexus asked, “How come this is called Fastpass lane when the line is slow?” he was so loud that the cast members heard it to say this is a popular ride and new.

Animal Kingdom

1. RANK #1 Avatar’s Flight of Passage
2. Kali Rapids
3. Festival of Lion King

I used Fastpass to book most of these rides and shows but for some of them we rope drop or line up as soon as we arrive.  Definitely, FOP, Slinky Dog, Soarin, Test Track and all roller coasters for me are worth the fastpasses.  Shows and meet and greets, you can rope drop or wait for  low wait times.  I’ve observed that during lunch time and when there is a parade, the wait times are shorter so check MDE app often.

Liked least

In as much as I liked meeting the characters up close and have a photo with them, the kids didn’t like it.  We lined up for Cinderella and Elena meet n greet near the Castle because it says on the My Disney app that it only takes 10 minutes to wait but it ended up 60 minutes. Of course, my Alexus complained. “Why are we lining up this long?” “Can we not use a Fastpass for this?” “Who is this character we are meeting?”  Meeting Star Wars characters was a different story.  The kids didn’t mind waiting and the area where we are standing in queue are all decorated with Star War’s elements and Storm troopers are walking around so I think it kept them interested.

What would you do better or try next time?

The following are the rides that we really liked but were not able to go to. We either missed it during our FP schedule (we are only given a 1-hour window), we didn’t get a FP reservation (all schedules were taken) or it broke down while we were already lining up:

1. Slinky Dog – Hollywood Studios
2. Rock n Roller starring Aerosmith – Hollywood Studios
3. Everest – Animal Kingdom
4. Navi River – Animal Kingdom
5. Mission Space (Mars) – EPCOT
6. Tower of Terror – Hollywood Studios
7. Beauty and the Beast live – Hollywood Studios
8. Dinosaur – Animal Kingdom
9. Illuminations – EPCOT
10. Watch the March of the First Order in full – Hollywood Studios

Notice we missed rides and attractions at Holllywood Studios because of too much time waiting in line to meet and greet Kylo Ren, BB-8 and Chewbacca.  This means that there is a need to go back after the Star Wars Land is completed and more rides are available.  I hope the Project Sponsor /CFO will agree to the Phase 2 of the Project LOL!

Meet and Greets to do

Because the kids didn’t like to wait in line for the meet and greets, the next time will need to include character breakfasts or dinners to meet them and get more personal interaction.  Dining plan is a must in the next trip because each character dining will make you fall off your chair after seeing the bill. This is something for the CFO to consider.  

1. Winnie the Pooh and Friends – Crystal Palace
2. Cinderella’s 2 sisters – Back of the Castle
3. Princess Jasmine and Aladdin – Morocco
4. Mulan - China
5. Belle and Beast – book dinner at Be our Guest
6. Rapunzel and Flynn Rider – Trattoria Al Forno
7. Ariel and Prince Eric – Trattoria Al Forno
8. Or dinner at Akershus to meet all Princesses – I hope he agrees because he liked the encounter with Cinderella– kinikilig pa nga eh hahaha
9. 
   

   

Overall, I would say since the kids enjoyed and were happy, we are all happy – project was successful.  Our experience was not the same as how younger kids would describe it. Yes, we can call it fantasy land but we have a more mature outlook now that the kids have grown. There is a certain experience that I couldn’t put in words but earns my respect and admiration for Disney.  All the theming, processes, planning, communication geared towards ultimate customer satisfaction.  Service was impeccable – every cast member is knowledgeable, helpful and ensured that we are safe, informed, satisfied, served right.  One of my sons who has an entrepreneurial spirit told me that “Disney is very good Mom, all the shops are in the right locations – after each popular ride to keep the guests buying stuff. I wonder how much Disney earns daily.” The Disneyworld experience is an eye opener for us. I know we already tried our best to make it memorable and maximized our investments, but we gained more. The Innovations stirred our creative minds, new plans and upcoming attractions we saw opened our eyes to how vast and endless possibilities there are.  Disney gave us insights more than the fantasy.  Magical if you would say, yes, we had a Magical Disney Experience.

We thank the Lord for this answered prayer.

My Disney World Trip VOP Project - FASTPASS (Part 2 of 4)

Before I continue the part 2 of my Disney World Travel Story,  I will share some of the Lean terminologies and how I was able to apply these to the project. The word "value" is familiar to you, you want to get the most value for the money you spend, the time and effort you exerted. We live by these principles and my kids know that whatever we do, we get something of "value" out of it. VOP or Value Optimization Project is a term we use in the workplace for all the Lean Six Sigma projects we are doing. Going to Disney is a VOP that is why in my first blog post, the title included Project.  I don't think this will end up completing the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control ) cycle but you will get the picture when in one way or another you will see the phases in each scenario.  The intent is for you to understand that not only in this trip but in any situation, you can do process analysis, continuously improve and achieve results.  

2. TIME CONSTRAINT

Today, I'm going to talk about FASTPASS, some ride description and what to do (and not to do) at the parks to save time.

Wastes and how to prevent them

I hope you are already familiar with the 7 types of wastes .  The types of wastes we encountered the most in our trip were: Inventory, Motion and Waiting.  

Inventory (COST) - the food servings are huge. On our first night,  our dinner orders came with fries and for the leftovers from all the 3 children combined, I think there was a big platter of fries. To think, they were fries eaters. We couldn't finish them because Lito and I ordered adult entrees which we couldn't finish either.  Maybe we are really small eaters but I think the food leftovers are a huge waste.  It could have fed more children with those fries. Sayang talaga.  So in the following days, either I ordered a kids meal for myself or Lito and I shared an adult entree.  

Motion (TIME, ENERGY) - before we go to each park, I make it a point to study the map and review the plan for the rides or attractions we are going to do. We don't want to end up doing a Spaghetti Diagram (right picture) as there will be lots of Motion waste. 

One of the perks of staying inside the Disney World hotel is the FASTPASS reservation for popular rides 60 days before the trip.  If you are staying outside WDW, you are also given a fastpass opportunity but only 30 days before.  Imagine I already have made plans for the parks and the rides we are going to 60 days before.  The timing, duration and wait times on the Fastpass ride and the next rides need to be considered.  

Fastpass Tip #1 - Make your last day the Animal Kingdom Park day, and Second to last day is Hollywood Studios Park day.  Why?  Because the most popular and difficult to reserve (if you are on wrong timing) rides are from these parks.  Avatar's Flight of Passage (FOP) in Animal Kingdom and Toy Story Slinky Dog in Hollywood Studios are too popular (and probably still new) that even if they don't have a Fastpass reservation, people will still line up for it (yes, we saw people on stand by lines with wait times of 160 minutes)  I will discuss other rides worth your Fastpasses in another paragraph but for now I will focus on these 2.

When your Fastpass Day arrives, you should have a list of the rides in each park and the timing (AM or PM) handy.  There will be more chances of you getting the Fastpass if you start on your last day then backwards because not all reserving for Fastpasses will even have that park in that day in their list.  Example:  We went to 5 parks during our trip (November 12-16).  My Fastpass day was September 13. On that day, I was to reserve for all the days during my trip. People usually think that they need to start Fastpass reservation on their first park day when in reality they can start with any day. I am saying to focus on the last day because not all have that day in their plan. Some people will only have 3 park days, some 2 and so on and so forth.  So start with your last day and choose Avatar's Flight of Passage right away.  If you have small children, you need to consider height restrictions (should be 44 inches tall) because this is a single ride or choose among you who will watch over the kids while you are taking this ride which is a must by the way :) This is highly recommended and our family's favourite, one of my kids even said, "This ride beats them all". I hope you take my word for it.  Do the same with Toy Story Slinky Dog.  We didn't get a FP for this ride because there was nothing available on our Fastpass day and we can only choose 1 FP from Toy Story land.  We waited in Stand By line but the wait time was 90 minutes but eventually we did not get the chance because the ride broke down. Have a back up plan when ride breakdowns happen.

Fastpass Tip #2 - Choose between Rides, Shows or Character Meet and Greets.  Because our family already agreed that we will all do roller coaster rides, my Fastpass list consisted all the Mountain Rides at Magic Kingdom, and all other roller coaster rides from other parks.  Character Meet and Greets also take up most of your time and getting good seats in shows like Fantasmic merit a FastPass for those who are not into thrill rides.     

Fastpass Tip #3 - Choose all the morning fastpass schedule, if you can, select the rides that are close to each other so you can prevent spaghetti diagram, finish right away and you can add more Fastpass after you finish all 3.  You are only given 3 FP in a day but if you finish them all, you can get another one after you entered in the last one, then you can get another one again and so on.  Example: Magic Kingdom - We had our Big Thunder Mountain Roller Coaster Fast Pass ride after Splash Mountain which are both located in the same area - Frontierland and were able to finish right away, had more time to find a good spot in watching the parade between Frontierland and Adventureland. At Epcot - Fastpass at Mission Space and Test Track, Magic Kingdom Day 2 - choose Space Mountain and Tomorrowland Speedway.  These are only examples, you can choose based on what your family prefers.

After you completed all your Fastpass reservations, the next thing you should plan is where are you going next after each Fastpass ride.  Look at the Magic Kingdom map below:

Depending on where your Fastpass ride is, you should focus on that area. Example; Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is at Fantasyland where you want to go next is probably the next attraction with the least wait time in that area (use the My Disney Experience app for this). To prevent Spaghetti diagram, just go One Direction - remember the boy band? LOL.  Our last stop at Fantasyland was the Barnstormer roller coaster ride which was near the Train Station (see arrow). We took the train going to Frontierland which was on the other side. This saved us time and restored our energy while resting our feet from walking.

You can find other touring plans on the internet, on Pinterest, and from other Disney frequent visitors.  I actually checked them out but I created my own because I really want to save on energy and time (remember our Time and Energy constraint?). Below was our touring plan for the Magic Kingdom park Days.  The arrows indicate which way we are supposed to go to reach our destination. The check and cross marks are based on priority or if it was a Must-do or can-be-skipped activity:

 

In the next blog post, I will discuss some waiting game strategies and how we tried our best to avoid waiting (there is always waiting in line at Walt Disney World).  More on the ENERGY / EFFORT Constraint. Stay Tuned. Meanwhile, @ Animal Kingdom

A child's view of Manhattan New York

It's our first time to visit Manhattan with the kids in tow. It was a walking tour because taking a car is complicated - high parking fees, attractions are scattered everywhere and the subway is more challenging. Lito and I already did this 3 years ago with Irvin and Faye but this walking tour considering what would be interesting for our children ages 10, 6 and 3 is another adventure. This blog post can also be called "What to do in Manhattan, NYC with kids" but it's more of seeing the city from a child's perspective that I opted to use the title above. It's also a Toy Tour as we visited toy stores in the city. Our first stop was Rockefeller Center. We ended up exiting from the 5th Avenue coming from the subway and it was pure luck that the first store we saw in the Rockefeller Plaza was the LEGO store. The kids had a great time looking at the different toys formed out of Lego blocks from their favorite Disney Cars, Star Wars and Harry Potter. The replica of the Rockefeller Center was amazing that when it was time for them to see the real thing just outside the building, they can identify the parts from the miniature Lego creation. My kids were playing "Guess the flag" and took turns in identifying as many flags as they can around the center. Of course, they didn't miss the US, Philippine and Canada flags. Kyle even asked me why is the US flag in the center, LOL! Next destination is the Apple Store so we walked towards north in 5th Avenue. The Rockefeller Center is at 50th St. and our destination is at 58th St. so we had to walk 8 blocks to get there. The kids had fun seeing the busy street with people, some with shopping bags, some in business suits and mostly tourists like us but in groups and with a guide. There were food carts and those selling I Heart New York souvenir items in some corners. What attracted them are the tall buildings some shaped differently with American flags everywhere. Most of the time, I saw them looking up and staring at these buildings. I remember telling them about the Chrysler building and the Trump Tower. Aloysius said "I want to have my own building named after me." Hahaha, parang ang dali lang bumili ng building ano? So maybe in the future when you see a building called ALOYSIUS, it's probably his. hahaha. My wish! When we get near the Apple Store, they already recognized it because I already told Aloysius that it is an all-glass building. He was telling me, it's not a building because there's nothing in it. His comment is valid but when he saw where the people were going and all the Apple products on the floor, he said, Now I get it. Kyle and Lex were overwhelmed at the all-glass elevator and stairs. There were lots of people at the time we entered and there were also some people lining up for the next day's sale of the new IPad. We just stayed at the IPad station and the kids automatically got hold of a demo unit and played to their hearts desire. Even my youngest was shouting, they have Angry Birds here too Mom! One lady customer looked at them one by one as if saying, "Ang babata pa nito, mga addict na sa IPad!" After the encounter with the glass building, we went to the store next door - FAO Schwarz. This toy store is the oldest in the US founded in 1862. This part of the trip was a treat to our children. This store looked small on the outside but upon entering, a vast array of toys await the kids, grouped and displayed in a different way that attracted tourists like me. By the door stood a man dressed in an English Royal Guard attire and greeted my kids in a fancy manner, sending them to giggles. On the mezzanine, Spiderman and Captain America are waiting for customers who wanted their pictures taken. We had stolen a shot when Spiderman came near Lex because we didn't want to pay, hahaha, cheap talaga! We lingered in my boys favorites spots: Star Wars Station, Thomas the train area and the LEGO area (again, they couldn't get enough haha). The Big Piano experience made an impact to my kids because when I asked them the Top 3 memorable in this trip, this was one of them. Central Park was one of our stops but we opted not to go anymore because it was cold and they can see the mouth of the park from the Apple Store (59th Street). The horse-driven carriages that will tour you around the area make a nice photo opp but the kids couldn't stand the smell of the horses so we just proceeded east to Lexington Ave to take the No. 6 train that will bring us to our next destination. Grand Central Terminal is a popular NY attraction because it is always featured in Hollywood movies even in animation. For the kids, they remember this place as where the Madagascar animals went and broke the clock. By the time we got to the Grand Central Terminal, it was alreay past 5 and we experienced Rush hour. We were carried away by the surge of passengers getting in and out of the trains. When we reached the Main lobby, we had a picnic in the middle just in front of the clock. While nibbling on cookies and chips, we were looking at the ceiling to watch the constellation of the stars. After that, we went to the East Balcony where most part become the Apple Store. After posing, we tried the Macbook Air and the kids tried the IMac. Whispering Gallery - I discovered this in another blog and it was amazing after truly experiencing it. The arch just outside the Oyster Bar is an area where you can hear the whisper of another person from the other end of the arch. The kids enjoyed this but Aloysius just listened to his dad and never whispered. Kyle on the other hand heard the whispers of a couple from the other end asking for his name, he replied once but after that, asked us to go na. It was truly awesome. My pictures are not clear but you can see the arch on the background and maybe try it on your next visit to the Grand Central because not too many people know about this. Grand Central and Times Square are both on 42nd St. so we just walked towards west to get to our next destination - Times Square. On the way there, we already see people coming out of the buildings and walking past and fast - the New York Rush. I think we reached our destination early because we were walking in the same pace as the New Yorkers hahaha. The main reason why we had this trip to Manhattan is because Aloysius wanted to have a picture taken at the street in New York where all the buildings have big TVs. That is how he described the place when he asked me if it's in New York and if we can go on our next visit. We chose to make this our last stop so the kids can appreciate the lights more at night and we were right. The moment we turned right from 42nd street to Broadway, they were awestruck. Our pictures show that they were looking everywhere because of the flashing lights in the buildings. The kids had an opportunity to have a picture taken with NY Police Officers and with a police car, but Lex was not too interested, he just wanted to check out the buildings. hahaha. Aloysius' request was granted. He had pictures with the billboards. My six year old Kyle's description of the place was a street with big TVs, people walking in the middle of the street, carrying a camera and taking a picture of the buildings. Lex who is 3yrs old described Times Square as Big TVs with Spiderman, Iron Man and M&Ms. On the street, there are mascots everywhere, Elmo, Mickey Mouse, Woody and Iron Man. Later did we realize that there's a big Toys R Us store along Broadway and guess what we did next - we went inside for more Toy visits. In this store, there's a big ferris wheel inside with the different character in each wagon. As usual for the kids, a toy store trip is not complete without going to Star Wars, Lego and Disney Cars areas, but the Transformers and Angry Birds got their attention that they had a photo taken there. It was tiring but a fruitful trip to Manhattan knowing that the kids enjoyed it. Here are the Top 3 Manhattan Trip Favorites of my kids: Aloysius (Age 10): 1. Rockefeller 2. Times Square 3. Whispering Gallery - Grand Central Ceiling Kyle (Age 6): 1. The Big Piano 2. The Glass Building 3. The Street with many lights and our video in one of them (My favorite too) Lex (Age 3): 1. The Big Piano 2. Toy Store with man in red (FAO Schwarz) 3. Lego (Star Wars and Iron Man) My favorites: 1. Whispering Gallery 2. FAO Schwarz 3. Times Square (our own billboard hehehe) Here's the picture and video taken while we are being shown in one of the billboards in Times Square. Kyle's and my most memorable and favorite Manhattan experience:

My First Blurb Book

What is Blurb?

Blurb is a company and a community that believes passionately in the joy of books – reading them, making them, sharing them, and selling them.

Holding a finished book with your name on the cover is a truly amazing feeling; it’s one of those experiences everyone should have.

I started browsing and contemplating on using Blurb in the middle of the year but it's only now that I was able to finish a whole book. Well, it's taking me so long to conceptualize my kids album so I took a different approach and made my trip to the US my first Blurb project and would you believe I was able to finish it in 2 days. I realized that all the pictures in the Sony T7 camera were set in low-resolution (good for web use only) so I was disappointed that I was not able to use the full bleed/ full spread templates for my book. Good thing, Blurb has other options. I was able to use the collage and smaller squares templates and it only took 46 pages for all my pictures from the US trip.

Thanks for Noreen and Mylene from N@W who introduced me to Blurb and answered all my queries. I even got discount coupon codes from the site Mylene gave and took advantage of $10 off my whole book (10 x 8 landscape, hardbound with imagewrap) which costs $40.22 plus shipping within US. I'm so excited to receive the actual book.

Check this out - the preview of my Blurb Photobook

I'm back to my homeland

I will not forget the highlights of my US trip and so at the same time I'm reminiscing now, I'm listing them down here:

1. My First Texas Giant rollercoaster ride
2. The NBA Mavericks vs. Lakers game
3. Niagara Falls
4. The cold weather and warm people of Deposit, New York
5. The many attractions of New York City
6. lastly, my almost CNN interview at the airport for the victims of American Airlines's flight cancellations...

I'm glad to be back home, with my kids and family. Kahit magulo, madumi, mainit, iba pa rin ang Plipinas....

The streets of San Francisco

I've only got 4-6 hours to explore San Francisco bacause of that cancelled flight, so I was able to see the streets of San Francisco in a flash. It was a busy and sunny afternoon, the weather is great. I had the opportunity to see the Golden Gate, explored Financial District, see the Fisherman's Wharf, the crookedest street and the Alcatraz from afar. I didnt get the chance to ride the Cable car but I have taken a picture of it. We also had a chance to take pictures at a museum with a blown glass structure (awesome!)

Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

I realized that this country is so nationalistic, patriotic and it is evident in the manner they show off, preserve and protect their nation's symbols. I now wonder how many flags can be seen along Ayala Avenue because it is not as many as what I've seen here. OH maybe during Independence Day celebration, but here I think it's all year-round and the flags as too big or too many you can't miss them.

Statue of Liberty was a gift from France. Bartholdi, the creator, with the help of Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel Tower planned and executed the existence of this great monument. After September 11 incident, the US government made extra effort to protect Liberty, their symbol of freedom. I remember one description from the museum inside the statue - "a door to new hope, welcoming those who are ready to accept new challenges". I was amazed how Liberty came to being. The museum explained how it was planned, gave the details of each material used and how it was built. I just suddenly became interested with history. Anyway, we enjoy the photo shoot with Liberty, we were jumping and laughing hard to capture Liberty's moment. Ellis Island was also interedting but since I know I don't have ancestors who may have been one of the first immigrants who passed through Ellis Island, we skipped the tour.








Inside the Liberty Monument - The Face

A day at the Museum, Central Park, Chinatown, WTC, City Hall

Have you seen the movie "Night at the Museum" starring Ben Stiller? We went to American Museum of Natural History in 79th street where this movie was taken and I was amazed how the museum looked like. It was like I'm also starring in the movie. The first thing that you will see is the lobby with the 3 big skeleton of Dinosaurs (T-rex, Brontosaurus and another one). Aloysius would have loved to see this because this is what he is looking for when they went to a museum in Manila. The diorama of mammals were lifelike. When you look at the animals, it seems that they are looking back at you too (ready to attack you hahaha, wild imagination). I learned so much about the animals and the different places the humans came from. Too bad we only had 1 hour to explore the whole place so we didnt get to see the oceanarium and the dinosaurs in the upper floors.

What struck me is what I read in the four tablets of citations by Theodore Roosevelt, Regarding NATURE = "THE NATION BEHAVES WELL IF IT TREATS THE NATURAL RESOURCES AS ASSETS WHICH IT MUST TURN OVER TO THE NEXT GENERATION INCREASED AND NOT IMPAIRED IN VALUE."

"CONSERVATION MEANS DEVELOPMENT AS MUCH AS IT DOES PROTECTION."

On MANHOOD = "A MAN’S USEFULNESS DEPENDS UPON HIS LIVING UP TO HIS IDEALS IN SO FAR AS HE CAN."

"IT IS HARD TO FAIL, BUT IT IS WORSE NEVER TO HAVE TRIED TO SUCCEED."

For the Youth ="BE PRACTICAL AS WELL AS GENEROUS IN YOUR IDEALS. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE STARS, BUT REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND.

and for the Nation (the US) = "A GREAT DEMOCRACY HAS GOT TO BE PROGRESSIVE OR IT WILL SOON CEASE TO BE GREAT OR A DEMOCRACY. "

"IF I MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE I CHOOSE RIGHTEOUSNESS."

Words like these are double-edged sword, the first part is true to our country. It just hurts, well the truth is.

Going to the museum, we had explored a part of the Central Park and we had many photo ops there. Then, I finally got a chance to taste the great american hotdog sold along the streets, hehehe, I was able to eat 2.

After the Museum, we headed to Chinatown for the authenthic Chinese meal. We bought Siopao and Siomai in Mei Lah Wah (in tagalog, parang me laway) and then went to Wonton Garden for a hot Beef Stew noodle and Rice meals. Our dessert was Chinese Ice Cream sarap!. We were so cold by the time we reach the subway going to Brooklyn Bridge. We just had taken pictures by the City hall and decided to return tomorrow for the Brooklyn bridge adventure.

While on our way to Subway, we stopped at the World Trade Center Site where some construction is being done. A new World Trade Center is being started. Seeing the pictures of the aftermath and the names of all victims send shivers down my spine.

Finally, we were home by 10:00 pm. Had a chance to talk to the kids on the phone.

Rockefeller Center, 5th Ave, Times Square, Empire State, Madison Square Garden, Grand Central

Today is a busy day. We visited New York's top tourist attractions by foot (and subway hahaha) Indeed, New York is a bustling city. I can't believe that I'm actually here, realizing one of my dreams (well, working here is also one of them). I like to watch all kinds of people walking past, the busy streets, lights and buildings. When we were on the Observatory deck of Empire State Building, it was awesome. I'm amazed how this city looks like from above. I also loved the Time Square experience. We were surrounded by buildings with electronic billboards and lights and colors all over. Galing! We had late lunch at Olive Garden in the middle of this. What struck me is an almost naked cowboy with his guitar in the middle of the Times Square. Imagine, it was only 40 degrees fahrenheit and this man with only his brief on walking around. Faye and I couldn't help but have a picture taken, hahaha. I also remember the uniqueness of the Apple store (Mac) where it was all clear glass all over. Final stop for the day was at Grand Central station where most of the hollywood movies had a scene i.e. X-men, the Wild.

New York City..here I come!

After 3 and a half hours drive from Binghamton to New York City, I finally arrived and met Lito, Irvin and Faye. Thanks to Haishui and wife for driving me to NYC and treating me to a hearty authentic Chinese meal at Flushing. I'm so happy to finally meet my husband, kulang na lang yung mga kids and complete na ang family. I get to rest for the day but later in the afternoon, we went to the shopping areas in Queens. I got to ride the Subway for the first time. The transpo system here is really that effective although medyo old na siya. I'm so excited to see the city tomorrow.

Breathtaking Niagara Falls!

Today is a special day because this is the Niagara Falls Day. It was a long drive from where we came from and it's been raining since last night so expect colder weather. I'm glad I brought my winter clothes with me. We arrived at Niagara town at 1:00 pm and took a late lunch at an Italian restaurant. As usual, I didn't get to finish my meal because the servings are big and I get full immediately. Anyway, the long wait is over and finally we were at the New York State American Falls Park (this is the US side of the Niagara Falls) and we were speechless at the sight of the raging waters. The place is awesome, I've always dreamt of going to this place each time I see the old Tarzan tv show where Tarzan would shout at the top of this falls and I can't believe my dream is happening. What's amazing still is that, the place is misty and there is snow everywhere. Too bad, bacause of the mist we cannot see the whole Horseshoe Falls. There were only a few tourists around the area and I'm glad I wore my raincoat because the mist makes you wet especially when we went down the mountain and see the falls from below (Cave of the Wind Tour). This is where the thick snow is very visible and looks like ice cream from afar. I enjoyed all the sceneries here. If it weren't for the cold weather, I want to stay here forever. Once more, I get to appreciate one of God's greatest creations. Here are some of the breathtaking views of the Great Niagara Falls.