Singapore .. then and now

Jackets off, belt off, shoes off : scene at the airport security before boarding flight to Detroit city. At Detroit airport, we were finger-printed and photographed, answered the routine questions and whisked through. Welcome to the land of the Bold and Free! The drive to Kalamazoo took slightly under 3 hours. Along the way, we stopped at Carver's for burgers and pop...the upmarket cousin of Mcdonald. This is a land of refillable drinks and giant portions.


The omnimous trucks; highway patrol;
generous 8 wheeler breakfast & short stack pancakes

It was nice to wakeup with the aroma of fresh coffee, fried bacon and eggs. Ray, the designated bacon fryer and chef-de-mission of our trip is also the best long distance driver, i've ever known.

Chicago - windy city; Jazz clubs ; Chicago theatre district

From Kalamazoo, we travelled to Chicago as i was keen to visit Chicago for its reknown jazz clubs. I booked an overnight stay at the Hampton Inn Majestic Theatre district, which turned out quite alright. This hotel has been rated top 2 on the TripAdvisor's website, after Sofitel Chicago. The theatre district with its historical buildings and gothic facade reminds me of Gotham city! It was a tough choice to choose which Jazz clubs to go to. It was a toss-up between Blue Chicago @ Ohio, Buddy Guy's Legends and Kingston Mines. We ended up at Blue Chicago to listen to Patricia Scott and the Charlie Love Blues band. It was wild! We had a very entertaining evening. Next day, it rained and rained. We lunched at Heaven on Seven for cajun and creole food. I had soft shelled crab and gumbo, which was excellent. Broadway theatres are worth going to in Chicago. Prices were definately friendlier than at London's West End!


George Washington; Smithsonian Air & Space Museum;

Great Cod!

Next stop, Washington D.C. The drive from Kalamazoo to D.C took us roughly 600 miles. We overnighted in Somerset, Pennsylvannia after driving about 400miles. Had dinner at a local family dinner and turned in early. We arrived into Washington bright and fresh and checked into the Washington Marriot hotel, on 22rd Street. Luckily for us, rooms were ready so we could refresh ourselves and get out for some grub.

Brick houses ; Ben & Jerry's

George Town was just a stroll from our hotel, with her pretty brick houses and manicured gardens. There were lots of restaurants, cafes to chose from and we ended up in an Italian restaurant, close by the C&O canal. We visited the banks of Potomac river and walked the length of M avenue. Shops and more shops! As a pick-me-up, we stopped at Ben & Jerry's - my favourite ice cream shop. In the evening, we walked to Lincoln memorial but we never really got there because of the rain. We took refuge at a souvenir kiosk and ended up buying t-shirts and baseball caps.

Greetings from WH ; Lincoln Memorial;

Capital Hill

Bright sunshine greeted us the next day and we decided to explore the sites by foot. Downtown Washington is very walkable, with its wide boulevards and easy navigation. It is quite a change from the crowded streets of Chicago and New York. We walked down Pensylvannia Avenue and ended up at the White House. From there, we moved off to the direction of the Smithsonian Institute Visitor Centre. Along the way, we enjoyed a views of Capitol Hill and Lincoln Memorial. We watched an IMAX movie of Underwater Giants at the Natural History Museum. We saw the Smithsonian Air and Space museum and watched another IMAX movie: Fighter Pilot. After a quick lunch at Mcdonald's in the Air and Space museum, which i believe is the biggest Macdo that i have seen, after Beijing's Wangfujing branch, we continued to Capitol Hill. Photo stops and more photo's at Lincoln Memorial. At the Vietnam Veteran Memorial, we found the name of Ray's friend who died in battle. At the end of the day, we were glad to be back at the hotel to rest our tired feet. In the evening, we went up to Dupont Circle and choose an Irish/Canadian pub for dinner. It was friendly, casual and relaxed, just what was needed.

Next day, we made our way to Boston, stopping at Bob Evans for breakfast. It wasn't the huge portions, but then again Bob Evans isn't known for that. The drive to Boston was long, made worse by the New York City area traffic jam. We got stuck for miles and miles. We arrived in Boston after 11 hours.. checked into Sheraton Hotel and got upgraded because the hotel was overbooked and being Starwood Preferred Guest cardholder... we didn't get bumped!


Boston baseball team; Whale watching at Cape Cod

Cape Cod fishing trip

BBQ summers; Windmills dotted countryside ;

Beach babes

We rented a beach cottage on Cape Cod, the summer hangout for Bostonians. Made famous by America's political families who own summer houses there like Kennedys. Once you get pass the snob factor omnipresent in this area, Cape Cod is nice. My only objection: Pay to enter the National Seashore a.k.a public beaches. And the entry price is hefty! Tip: Rent a villa with its own private beach or at least ask the owner for a beach pass. We went whale watching off Province Town, fishing off Cape Cod Bay and took part in a Blueberry Jam making festival and Arts and Crafts event. We also went to the Drive-In to watch two movies. We feasted on lobsters, lobster rolls, fish and chips. The are just so many lobster places to go eat in. In the evenings, we had BBQ on the patio. The best donut place is Hole-in-One! Ray, our donut expert, rated it a 9 out of 10. One week on the Cape is just about enough.. we were ready to go back to Boston city.

In Boston, we visited Harvard University and MIT. Just to say "I've been to Harvard.. hahaha" Stopped by Chinatown to eat Dim Sum at Hei La Moon on Beach Street. This is absolutedly the best place... you can tell by the number of Chinese folks eating in here. It's still done with the push-cart style. Well priced and delicious.

Chinatown, Boston;

Salem scenes

Outside of Boston, we visited Salem, famous for its Witch Trials. Apart from the witches, Salem itself is a charming town and very tourist friendly.


Witches of Salem; Bon Voyage...