Prince Edward Island

This was the first time I had been to a maritime province and, of course, besides seafood, this island's most famous attraction is the Anne of Green Gables house. It was Thanksgiving weekend and the end of tourist season so many stores were closed. The house itself reminded me of one of the houses in Heritage Park in Calgary.

Anne parphernalia was everywhere in PEI - dolls, chocolates, books, movies, fridge magnets. Raspberry cordial and stuffed lobsters sat on every shelf.


It's really quiet here - quite a contrast to NYC as you can imagine. You don't even have to lock your door (in the suburbs of Charlottetown anyway.)






We visited an art gallery with a cafe and loads of sculptures from Bali. Kind of unexpected but a nice place. Also there are a lot of artisanal workshops here. I liked The Great Canadian Soap Co. You can feed oats to the goats in the yard!

Best of all was the lovely red sand beaches. A really unique landscape. I loved the grass covered sand dunes and searching for moon-snail shells. All the beaches were almost deserted. You can walk for miles at the edge of the Atlantic and take in the fresh air. I wouldn't recommend swimming in October - the water temperature is rather bracing to say the least.

 

Spa Castle

I lived in Korea for six month in 2005 / 2006 and one of my favourite things about living there was the jimjilbang or Korean style spa. I was excited to discover that there is a fantastic jimjilbang in NY.

It's a bit of a trek to get there. You have to take the number 7 train to the very last station - Flushing, Queens and from there you catch a shuttle to the spa.

If you go on a week day it's only $35 to enter. It's $45 on a weekend.



At the check in counter you are given a wristband that you scan to buy things and to open your locker. You put your shoes inside a shoe locker in the women's or men's change room and get your uniform from the check in counter.

As you can see it's a hot look. Everyone is wearing the same outfit in the co-ed sections of the spa. I usually start in the women's section of the spa. This is the tricky part for some people - you have to be naked in the pool area. No swimsuits. Nothing.
Before going in the tubs you have to shower, scrub, and shampoo throughly. They even give you a toothbrush. All the soap, shampoo and toothpaste is provided. You can buy face-masks and lotion if you want.
There are several hot tubs with different temperatures some with jets. There is also a cool pool and a freezing cold plunge pool, steam room, and sauna. You can get a salt scrub from a woman in black bra and panties for an extra $50. I have no idea what goes on in the men's room but I imagine it's more or less the same...



After this I usually go upstairs to the snack area. There is a Korean restaurant on the top floor where you can get your bibimbap on or you can go with the traditional hard boiled egg snack (delicious!)
























After I digest my lunch I try out the different kiln saunas. Each sauna has a different health benefit. Inside you can sit or lay on straw mats and take the heat.

After that I go up to the roof top pool area where there are two large pools with jets and a wooden Japanese style hot tub.



There are other services here that I haven't used, There is a gym, a day spa with massages and manicures, a hand and foot only massage and a relaxation room with loungers and a personal tv at each.

It's really easy to while away a day here. I always come out feeling great and completely rested. The only downside is the journey home afterwards.

www.nyspacastle.com

The Catskills!

O.K. so it wasn't the best time to go to the Catskills what with the mess left over from Hurricane Irene...

We stayed in Kingston (one of the few places that had affordable hotel rooms left on the labour day long weekend) and rented a car there too. F.Y.I - car rentals are MUCH cheaper outside of New York City.

I liked Woodstock. It's in a bit of a time warp - a lot of the residents still seem to be living in the 60's and have the tie-dye clothes to prove it.
Had a great brunch in Garden Cafe and checked out the flea market. Did a lot of window shopping in the boutiques and bought a souvenir pair of rainbow candles from Candlestock.








On Saturday we took a tour of Farm Sanctuary www.woodstocksanctuary.org where we met some of the residents:

Alfonzo the turkey

Miss Piggy

Louise the cow

On Sunday we visited a Tibetan Monastery
www.kagyu.org
The head of this Buddhist sect escaped Tibet from the Communist government of China in a similar way to the Dalai Lama.

Later, we hiked up Overlook mountain which normally has fantastic views from the top but was overcast and foggy on the day we were there. The fog did manage to make the ruins of a hotel on the hike very atmospheric and mysterious.

Fire Lookout

Kaaterskill Falls

Such a pretty area and a nice mini-break.

NY Fringe Fest

The Fringe Fest is on from August 12th to 28th and most of the venues are walking distance from my place. So much more convenient than driving to Edmonton and staying in a hostel.

Saw this show today. I was expecting a caberet of French songs and there was a little of that going on but it was also a stand up show as well.

http://fringenyc.org

July 24th, 2010

Saw a documentary at Village East Cinema called "Life in a Day." It's a montage of videos of day to day life of people from all over the world.
I was really intrigued by the story of a Korean man who has been biking all over the world for more than nine years now. There were funny segments: a man faints while filming his wife's c-section, depressing segments: Love Fest in Germany where several people were trampled to death, a cow being stunned and then bled to death in a slaughter house, and of course tender segments.

I have no idea what I did that day - I think I might have been at the Calgary Folk Fest. If that is the case, it was a good day for me...

Here's the trailer for the movie - see it if you get a chance

World Yoga Center

Went to my second class at this Upper West Side studio. They offer an Anusara based practice here - lot's of attention to detail and strength building poses.

If you want to learn more about Anusara yoga check out this website:

www.anusara.com

Modern Art for a Rainy Afternoon

The weather was decidedly uncooperative for a Sunday afternoon. I had planned to spend the day outside but thundershowers tend to make the outdoors less than pleasant.
I, along with every tourist in the city made my way down to MoMa to get my art appreciation on.

It was a little chaotic inside and I only took my time on the 5th floor.

Van Gogh!

Picasso!

There's a cafe on the second floor with Italian food. I had the soup and bruschetta special with a delicious chocolate chip cookie for dessert.