Asia - Day 3, October 10, 2015

We really crashed the night before and we were well on our way to catching up on our sleep when, at 3:21am, the phone rang with question about a customer’s bill for our latest event.   The problem was that after the call, it was impossible to go back to sleep so we were up much too early.

 First thing in the morning, the Asst Manager took us to the highest library in the world on the 59^th floor and then thru a “secret” door out onto the roof – what a neat sight from up there.

Then I spent sometime in the Executive Lounge with the Manager trying to find a way to get tour blog.  It seems that going into web design for our blog is blocked because it is part of Google, which is blocked here.  Also blocked is Facebook and Twitter!!

 We met our guide and driver at 9:30am and off we went.  One of the amazing things about this city, which is the largest in the word, 3 times the size of New York and 10 times Chicago is its lack of traffic.  They have great wide main streets but hardly any automobiles.  It is so neat to go out on the streets at 9am and no hear traffic.

 We first went to the Shanghai Museum, the Jade Buhhda Temple, and a silk factory and then it was time for lunch.  At the Museum, we saw amazing works of porcelain from 13 bc as well as bronze works from as early as 6^th century bc – what a great museum.  The Jade Buhhda Temple is one of the most famous Buddha religious temples in Shanghai.  At the silk factory, we saw how silk is actually made into materials.  Their biggest product that they were displaying were comforters for beds and of course they wanted us to buy one – we didn’t.

We then had a traditional Chinese lunch at a nice restaurant before going to an area call The French Concession.   This is an area made up of old streets with a lot of shops and restaurants.  Then it was onto the YuYun Gardens were 400 years ago a very wealthy politician built these amazing gardens for himself. 

After that we went to the YuYan Tourist Mart which is a huge market that serves over 37 million Chinese and overseas visitors each year.  Basically, there are lost places to eat and lots and lots of places to shop!!  We spent a couple of hours there, ate dinner and then met out guide and driver to go on a night-time river cruise.

 It was perfect weather for a boat cruise and it was a lot of fun.  This is an amazing city and everything along the waterfront is lit up at night – it makes quite a sight.

 The costs of items is very interesting.  There is not a lot of tipping – nothing to cab drivers and restaurant workers.  Also, food is very cheap.  Our dinner tonight cost about $5.00.  But then other things are very expensive.  Our driver and guide were excited when they say my new iPhone 6 the first day.  Today, they announced pre-sales in China and a new iPhone 6 will cost $1,124  - and they are made here!  I only paid $299 plus received a $200 trade-in. 

This is such an interesting brand new city that we are seeing.  Most of the major sections were built after 1990.  Our guide said that Shanghai has all of the money and Beijing has all of the power so it will be interesting visiting both of them.

After the cruise, we were taken back to the hotel where we went up the Executive Lounge for snacks and then back to the room where we went to sleep -this time making it up until 9:0pm.

 

 

 

Lunch was good

 

Buddas

A great lunch

The Gardens

Skyline from the river cruise

 

 

 

Asia - Days 1 & 2, October 8 & 9, 2015

The day started by boarding an American Airlines flight from Bloomington to Chicago.   A good flight and then after a couple of hours wait, we boarded the American 777, a huge plane for the trip to Shanghai, China.

We had splurged and used to points to upgrade to the front of the plane and WOW was that an amazing experience.  Instead of seats that are $1,500 in coach – these seats were $5,500 - each!  The first thing that we noticed was the control panel for the seats.  Then we had a separate control for the entertainment system.   A full size pillow and a very large blanket, slippers, an amenities kit and other “stuff” rounded out the items that came with the seat.  Plus a very attentative set of flight attendants.

After we took off, they immediately started serving us drinks and snacks as we read from the menu as what choices we would have for the flight.

We were in huge seats and they were basically pods of two seats together and the person behind you could not even touch your seat.   When you put the seat in sleet mode, we still had room at the end where we had stuff stored on the floor, in front of the bed – what fun!!

Our first course started in about an hour from when we took off and it was seared Tuna – wow was it good.  Ed had never had it before and the taste was amazing.   One of the things that we were expecting was to try a lot of new food items in Asia and this was the start.  After that came the main course and Barb had a pasta dish and Ed had a filet and they were both really good.  Then Barb had a cheese and crackers tray and Ed had a big ice cream Sunday!

When we were about 5 hours away, they served us a snack and we both had sandwiches. 

About an hour away, they served brunch and Ed order a Din-Sun which was boiled dough with meat inside with noodles – very good.

Arrival was right on time and our guide was waiting outside customs and he took us to the van with his waiting driver.  The ride from the airport took about an hour and a half and then we arrived at the JW Marriott at Tomorrow Square.    We learned along the way that about 80% of Shanghai is new since the 90’s and it is the most advanced city in mainland China.  From what we saw coming in, everything is big, new and bold!!

With 23 million people, an interesting fact is that they limit the number of license plates that are available each year by holding a lottery.  If you win a plate, the cost is $12,000 just for the privilege and then you have to buy the car.  It looks right away there is a huge difference between classes of people here.  We found out that jobs are very hard to come by and the wages are very low.  It is going to be interesting.

The lobby for the Marriott is on the 38^th floor and they upgraded us to a corner room on the 54^th floor – wow what a view!!  Our guide then left us and will return tomorrow. 

We unpacked, looked around the hotel and then went out onto the street.  We are right in the heart of the city and it is huge.  We took a little tram from the start of a major pedestrian friendly street to the other end, and then took the tram back.  Lots and lots of young people out having fun walking up and down this major shopping area with parts looking like a big city back home with the same brands, Nike, Apple, etc.  Of course they are selling local products!!

We went into a multiple story food market and on the top floor they had a food cooking areas with absolutely no information as to what we were looking at.  We pointed at a bowl of food that looked good and ordered it.  It was a bowl of cooked some kind of meat with noodles and other things in it.  We sat and shared it and then walked back to the hotel.

At the hotel, we went up to the Executive Lounge and they had great snacks so we finished our dinner there.  At that point, it was 8:00pm and we simply crashed into bed and slept until 4:00am.  We are now both up, watching the city wake up.  Hopefully after today, we will better adjust to the time change.  Ed forgot to turn his phone off and a call came in at 4 – it will be off in future evenings!

The time between here and the US is hard to think about.  Right now, it is 6:00am on Friday and it is 5:00pm yesterday in Bloomington!!!

Our first impression is that while this is a Communist country, it is certainly different than our trip to Russia.  This is big, bold and commercial and looks like any big city of 23 million in new buildings.  Russia was not – It was big but cold.

At 9:30am this morning, our guide will pick us up and we will start our journey in Shanghai.

What a great start to an adventure we have been looking forward to for a long time.



A major shopping street

Lunch was???

The lunch restraurant

Ready for the trip

Way too many controls

Grilled Tuna for a snack and it was really good!!

Trolly down the main walking street








 

 

October - 2015 Trip to Asia

Oct 8 - Bloomington to Chicago, Chicago to Shanghai
Oct 9 - Arrive in Shanghai.  Check into the JW Marriott
Oct 10 - Shanghai
Oct 11 - Shanghai
Oct 12 - Board the Celebrity Millennium
Oct 13 - At Sea
Oct 14 - At Sea
Oct 15 - Beijing - Stay at Beijing Marriott
Oct 16 - Beijing
Oct 17 - Beijing - Return to Celebrity Millennium
Oct 18 - At Sea
Oct 19 - Soul
Oct 20 - At Sea
Oct 21  Jeju Island, Korea
Oct 22 - Kobe, Japan
Oct 23 - Kobe, Japan
Oct 24 - Mt. Fuji
Oct 25 - Tokyo
Oct 26 - Tokyo - Marriott
Oct 27 - Tokyo - Marriott
Oct 28 - Leave Japan - arrive Bloomington - 10:05pm

July 4 2014 Day 7

This was travel day.  We left in Vera's convertible and you can see how much extra space we had!!

A quick flight to Detroit and then on to Bloomington and we were home in the later afternoon.

It is hard without Watson and we will forever remember him.

Bye from this July 2014 trip - a great trip and some wonderful memories.

Our Bedroom

 

Barb cleaning out the pool for Jeff

 

Lots of room!!

 

 

July 4 2014 – Day 6

What a beautiful day it was when we got up late at 8:00am.  We were the only ones up in the house until Jeff came down at 8:45am for a swim and then he got ready for work and left at 9:30am.

It is so beautiful sitting around their pool in the morning listening to the birds and just relaxing.  A little later Vera came out and joined us.  They wake up a lot later than we do and of course their life style is very different also.

We left at noon and headed for Jeff’s office which is on the top floor of a beautiful office complex, saw Jeff’s office and said hi to him – then it was on to lunch.

For lunch we went to their Country Club, the Pine Hollow Country Club.  The grounds and club house were once owned by one of the Vanderbilt’s and it was spectacular!  After lunch, we toured the grounds and saw the very large pool, the tennis courts and some of the golf course.

Then we drove around the East Norwich area looking at huge houses before heading back to Vera’s house and some afternoon time in and by the pool.

At 7:00pm, Jeff got home from work and we took off for Brooklyn to their favorite Pizza restaurant called L & B Spumoni Gardens.  The place was jammed when we got there at 8:00pm after driving by Coney Island and the Boardwalk but they had called ahead and we got right in.  The service and the pizza were wonderful. 
 

After dinner, Jeff drove us about an hour to the base of the Brooklyn Bridge to go to a famous ice cream shop.  The problem was that we got there at 10:05, 5 minutes after they closed!

So by then it was time to go back to their house and since we all had to get up early the next morning, we all went to our rooms.

Tomorrow is our last day on this trip as we leave for home in the morning and Vera will drive us to the airport to say goodbye for now.

This has been a wonderful trip, first to Philadelphia and then to Jeff and Vera’s for some relaxation, fun and laughter and we did it all.  Jeff and Vera are very special people and we enjoyed their company and friends very much.  Of course it is special to have a live-in maid – it was like living in a resort.  And then there was the opportunity to spend time with their friends, Barbara and David and also with Jeff’s mom.  All-in-all a very special trip that we will remember always.

We will see them next on our February 28th cruise from San Juan.

Night from New York – see you in Merna!!

Barb leaving our bedroom

Jeff's office is on the top floor - right building

 

Pine Hollow Country Club, East Norwich, NY

 

Dinner - and yes we are happy!!

 

 

 

July 4 2014 - Day 5

Well the goal was to relax, enjoy and laugh with Jeff and Vera and that certainly was our day.

Ed was the first one up in the house and sitting outside by the pool, drinking tea and reading the paper when Jeff got up and went for a morning swim.  Then Barb got up, followed by the rest of the house.

We sat by the side of the pool after Jeff left for work and just talked until it was time to go for a drive with Vera.  She took us down to the ocean side and we drove from one end of Long Island to the other, stopping in the middle to walk on the new boardwalk.

Before we left, Vera introduced us to their line-in housekeeper, who seemed quite nice.  She has worked for them for over 20 years.

You could still see houses being re-built after the hurricane but the island has been 95% restored so it looked good.  Vera said that after Jeff retires or slows down, they would like to buy a place on the ocean and sell their regular home on Long Island – what a nice place to retire to.  The beach is very wide and in some sections, if you don’t live in the community, you cannot go on the beach.  This obviously keeps it from being overcrowded.

Then we went to lunch at a place called Jordan’s which is a restaurant but more importantly, a fish market, specializing in lobster.  Wow – what a place.

Next we went to the market for fresh produce and then to a Kosher bakery for bread and sweets.

After helping Vera put everything, we sat by and in their pool for the rest of the afternoon.

Jeff got home at 7:00pm and then at 7:30pm, we were joined by Barb and David Schlachter, another couple that we had met on a cruise and then cruised with again a couple of times.  We will also be with them on a cruise in March in 2015.  Fun people - and David also plays very good blackjack with us.

The meal was a combination of regular and kosher meals so we learned a little about Jewish food and meals.

Dinner started at 7:30pm and we finally finished at 10:30pm!  I don’t know how many courses that we had, but they were all Jewish based and delicious.  The housekeeper was still working cleaning up when we finally all went up to bed at 11:00pm and she never stopped during the entire meal service.

What a wonderful day we had with some special friends.

The beach and boardwalk

On the boardwalk

Ordering lunch

A 10lb live lobster

 

By the pool

 

 

Getting ready for dinner

 

Dinner

 

 

 

 

July 4, 2014 – Day 4

Our last day in Philadelphia started early and we were off to see the largest Catholic Church in town, the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul.  It was between Masses so we were able to walk around the entire beautiful church.

Then we took a bus to the Eastern State Penitentiary which was the first true Penitentiary in the country.  It was a prison where you were sent to do penance.  In other words, you were kept in a cell alone without any human contact for 24 hours a day.  It stopped being used as a Federal prison in 1971.  It was an interesting tour.

Next we took a bus to the historical section of the city to the City Tavern.  This restaurant was re-created on the site of the original City Tavern.  We split a pork chop that probably was the best that I had ever had – very thick and very tender.

We walked around to see a couple of old churches that we had missed, but they were closed when we got there and by then it was time to go back to the hotel and pack to leave for New York.

Our train to New York left right on time and Jeff and Vera were in the lobby of Penn station when we arrived. We had wanted to visit them ever since they had first invited us so this is a very special trip.

We first took Jeff’s car to their new city apartment.  WOW – was it really something.  It is on the East side, looking over the East River on the 4^th floor of this lovely building.  They totally gutted the apartment when they bought it and it is fantastic.

We took their car to a restaurant that they frequent, right in the heart of the entertainment district called Tony's.  A family Italian restaurant since 1957 that was wonderful.  Jeff and Vera knew the managers and the ownership so it was great fun.  We had a huge meal, drank some wine and just laughed and enjoyed each other’s company.

We then drove out to their lovely home on Long Island, met Jeff’s mother and their dog whose name is Puppy, sat around for a little bit and then everyone said good night.

We are looking forward to living their life with them over the next couple of days before heading home.

Night from New York and the home of Jeff and Vera – our two very gracious hosts.

the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul

 

Eastern State Prison

Inside a cell block

Jeff and Vera's apartment

A seafood platter being served family style

What's for dessert?