First Day of 2014
January 1, 2014
New York City, NY
In the Philippines, we observe a special tradition on the day launching the new year. How your next 364 days will unravel greatly depends on what you do (or not do) on the 1st of January. To attract good blessings, everything that has speakers is put on full volume, pots and pans are banged, and cars are driven around the village while horns are on full blast. Doors, even sink cabinet doors, and windows are kept open for a few minutes to allow good blessings to come and settle in. Kids jump as high as they can or hang on to the tallest post in the house in hopes of getting the extra vertical advantage. People refrain from lending or spending money on January 1st lest they want to have bad finances the whole year.
How did Paul and I spend the dawn of 2014?
We woke up very, very, very late. Like 3 PM late.
How our 2014 went? Go figure. Why is this post very late? Again, go figure.
Nevertheless, we spent the first day of the year in a new place, taking in new sights, filling ourselves with good food, and just enjoying each other's company. We also took the time to thank the Almighty for the year that was and the year that will be. It was a wonderful day to be thankful, hopeful, and enjoy New York, as pedestrian traffic was not as bad as the other days, and the weather was not harsh.
Just a few blocks from where we were staying is the famous Flat Iron Building. We never even realized that our train stops right under it until we passed through the park across the block. We took a moment to gaze at the iconic building, then hurriedly set out on foot to catch the train to Chinatown for some serious shopping.
Manhattan's Chinatown was quite busy for the new year. Probably because the establishments were about to close when we got there and people were still hurriedly going from store to store in search for the best price for the merchandise that they were looking for. Haggling is key when you are in Chinatown, in any Chinatown for that matter. A $20 souvenir shirt can cost as low as $10 or even $7 if you know how to work your charms. So we worked it, and worked it we did.
While walking up and down the streets of Chinatown, Paul and I felt very nostalgic. What with the open fruit stalls, fish markets lining up the busy streets, and pop-up stalls of knick-knacks and what have you, Chinatown reminded us of the places we grew up in.
After our little adventure, we headed north to the historical St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Avenue and between 50th and 51st streets to hear our first mass of the year. The church was quite a long subway ride from Chinatown, so we used the chance to rest our fresh-from-the-NYE-balldrop feet.
Upon alighting the bus, we were instantly awed by the intricate albeit archaic facade of the church. The tall spires and stained glass windows drew a huge contrast with the modern high-rise buildings in the surrounding blocks.
The church was undergoing a major makeover as part of its five-year renovation plan, so we had to go through a mini maze to get into the building. The whole place looked absolutely majestic even with the scaffolding obstructing some of the walls. We took the opportunity to look around and became even more impressed with how beautiful the inner structure is.
After admiring the cathedral, we proceeded to the pickup location of our New York Passes near Times Square. The three-day passes with hop-on hop-off option gave us easy access to all major restaurants and tourist attractions (tourist traps, as what Paul usually refers them to). It was a good buy considering the money and time we were able to save, especially with the rate at which the attractions were getting filled up by eager tourists like us.
Next on our agenda was to have dinner at the Pies 'n' Thighs in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was a good 30-minute train ride from Times Square but we just had to check the place out. Why? Because this hole in the wall was featured in Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives show on the Food Network. Their food looked so good on that show that we did not mind traveling the long distance and braving the cold just to have a taste.
We were quite surprised at how small the place looked from the outside. It literally looked like a hole in the wall. The place was also packed and that discouraged us quite a bit. But there were no nearby restaurants that were open on new year's day and we were already dead tired from the previous day's adventure. After much debate, we went in and found out that most of the people were just getting to-go orders and that Pies 'n' Thighs has a back door leading to another room that could likely fit 30 people. <insert BIG smiley faces here>
I was hoping to try their butter pecan doughnut, the one thing that got me listing this place down while watching Guy Fieri chomp that 3-pound creation. But we got there quite late and they already ran out. So we had to order whatever was left in the menu.
I had their Fried Chicken Box with the Tarheel pie as dessert, while Paul got the Carolina Pulled Pork Box and Sour Cherry and Pear Pie. The place did not disappoint. Everything was delectable and made the trip down to Brooklyn so worth the trouble. Judging by the ear-to-ear smile on my plump face, I was excited to devour everything on my plate.
The day was long yet absolutely fulfilling. We got to eat, pray, love.. travel, AND shop (hehe). We may have had a few missteps on the first day of the year, which probably set off a chaotic butterfly effect in the superstitious belief realm. But it was a day full of profound realizations, renewed energies, and memory banks filled to the brim. It definitely set us off in the right direction for 2014.
- Dai
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