Grand Lux Cafe @ Magnificent mile, Chicago

Grand Lux Cafe is a subsidiary of the Cheesecake Factory. The interior design is just like Cheese Cake factory restaurant. They have this weird system where they call you upstairs with a pager, then make you wait in a crowded hallway until your name is called. They have nice table overlooking Michigan Avenue. The fresh bread was good, hot sourdough. I heard their dessert is great as well but I don't have chance to order more as I already tummy full after having the steak.

Taste:9/10(Delicious. The Salisbury chopped steak is good and well done. Taste good and moist. The wine recommended by the waitress is great as well. I get what I want. Sweet wine).
Price:6/10(Moderate. The Salisbury chopped steak price at USD15.95 and a glass of Moscato at USD8.95).


Waiting for my turn. This restaurant is fully occupied. I am so hungry. Unfortunately, I have to wait.

Salisbury chopped steak.

A glass of Daughters Moscato. I like it. Found my favourite wine.

Very good warm sourdough.

Nice environment with paintings from 1900s.

Coordinate/GPS: 41.893005,-87.624391
Address: 600 N. Michigan Ave.(between Ohio St & Ontario St) Chicago, IL 60611.
Public transport: Grand metro station via red line.

Pig & Whistle @ Hollywood, Los Angeles

Pig & Whistle located at a strategic location on Hollywood boulevard. I think this is the only outlet serving American style food on the street. The food is not bad and it has a very beautiful ceiling. Initially I thought this outlet will serve only pork dishes but on the menu, it look like just a normal American style menu.

Taste:7/10(Moderate. The shepherd pie is not bad and tasty but its just normal mixture of potato and meat. This meal however is very filling. The burger is just normal as well).
Price:4/10(Expensive. The pig & whistle burger cost USD10 while the shepherds pie at USD15.00. I ordered a glass of white zinfandel wine cost USD8.00. I am expecting something sweet on the wine but its not sweet enough. The gratuity is added to the bill at USD6.00. The total bill plus tax for all the meal cost USD41.90).


Pig & Whistle burger with cheddar cheese.

Shepherds Pie.

The environment inside the restaurant.

The restaurant roof is an art by itself.

Coordinate/GPS: 34.101553,-118.336853
Address: 6714 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028

Shibuya crossing during rain - colourful umbrella pattern @ Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya Crossing, also referred to as Shibuya Scramble Crossing is the pedestrian crossing outside the Hachiko exit of Shibuya Station. It is referred to as a scramble crossing as the traffic is stopped in all directions, thus allowing pedestrians to walk in all directions through the intersection. Crossing such as Shibuya Crossing are also know as diagonal crossing or exclusive pedestrian crossings. Shibuya Crossing is one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in the world. Shibuya Station is the third busiest station in Tokyo and the Hachiko exit leads to the main Shibuya shopping area which is full of department stores and fashion boutiques.

Shibuya crossing is best be seen during raining time as you can see all the pedestrian open their umbrella and this is a unique sight on Shibuya crossing. Japanese is very discipline and they always carry an umbrella during raining season. I have an entry on the Shibuya crossing at night during my first visit to Tokyo.


Tsutaya in the background.

Pedestrian with their umbrella.

Long row of pedestrian.

Taken from overhead bridge to Ginza line subway.

109 Men's. They have open this since 109 for women is so successful.

Coordinate/GPS:35.659554,139.700436
Metro station: Shibuya.

Fung Wong wedding pastry @ Kuala Lumpur

Fung Wong Biscuits famous for wedding cakes advanced through a century of history, providing a genuine array of traditional Chinese pastries for loyal patrons of Kuala Lumpur. This shop is over 100 years old and how it is taken over by the third generation.

Taste:9/10(Delicious. Among the best red bean & lotus seed paste).
Price:7/10(Moderate. Price at RM9.00 per piece).


Two pieces of wedding pastry. Lo poh peng. One red bean and another is lotus seed paste. Both are good!

Well done pastry. No wonder they are famous.

Located near Petaling Street, this shop is quite old. This is the Jalan Hang Lekir shop.

Coordinate/GPS: 3.14441,101.697628
Address: No. 28, Jalan Hang Lekir,
50000 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.

Chicago river cruise on Wendella Sightseeing boat

It was my last day in Chicago. And the timing on my watch is 6.00pm local time. I want to have a walk on the Chicago riverwalk. At that time I were in North Michigan avenue and I saw this sightseeing boat when I walk toward the Chicago riverwalk. I know I don't have enough time to have an overview of Chicago skyline. So I take this opportunity by taking the 6.30pm cruise. The cruise lasted around 75 minutes and I enjoyed myself as it pass thru all the Chicago landmarks and the important buildings. The tour guide gives a good explanation on the major buildings pass by and she has good sense of humour too! Advantage of Wendella is that it is not so crowded as compared to First Lady cruise so you have a lot of room for movement to take great photos. The 6.30pm cruise timing is just good so that I can have day time, sunset and night time view :-) Chicago landscape is almost similar to New York with great view, museum, food, cultural and authentic urban American. Anyway, Chicago cruise is a must do and it worth the money spent!


Iconic Willis Tower (Sears Tower).

This is a huge building.

Trump Tower at night.

Condominiums of Chicago.

Chicago bridge at night. Old styled bridge.

North Michigan avenue near Water Tower place.

Chicago skyline during evening.

I can't believe that I have the opportunity to view this building which I just saw it in Monocle magazine.

Another Wills Tower view.

Price:USD26.00 plus tax is USD28.34.
Coordinate:41.889451,-87.624519
Address: 100 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 312-337-1446

SIlverado Lodge @ Park City, Utah

This is my third time staying in Silverado Lodge during my annual visit to Park City, Utah, USA for an airline conference. Silverado Lodge is quite new and therefore the facility in this hotel is still great. The beds are comfortable, spacious, with kitchen so that we can cook and he a nice toilet. The pictures below will tell you how great is this hotel. The front counter service is good and helpful. This time, we took the two bed room suite.

Rating:9/10(Great. Good hotel with all the required facilities located at in a nice ski resort. The only missing item is a restaurant).


Huge double queen size bed.

Kitchen.

Full kitchen set with all the required facilities.

Clean and nice toilet.

Leather sofa, LCD TV and fire place in the living room.

Another toilet/bathroom.

This is how the hotel look like from outside.

Silverado Lodge at the side.

Surroundings Silverado Lodge.

Coordinate/GPS: 40.684909,-111.553868
Address: 4000 Canyons Resort Drive
Park City, UT 84098, United States.
Website: http://www.canyonsresort.com/silverado_hotel.html

Giordano's stuffed pizza @ Chicago

Chicago-style pizza or pie typically refers to a deep-dish pizza style developed in Chicago, United States. Chicago-style pizza has a crust up to three inches tall at the edge, slightly higher than the ingredients, which include large amounts of cheese and chunky tomato sauce, acting as a large bowl. this is a must try dish when coming to Chicago.

I visited one of the Giordano pizza resturant to try their famous stuffed pizza. Stuffed pizzas are often even deeper than deep-dish pizzas, it can be hard to see the difference until it is cut into. A stuffed pizza generally has much deeper topping density than any other type of pizza. As with deep-dish pizza, a deep layer of dough forms a bowl in a high-sided pan and the toppings and cheese are added. Then, an additional layer of dough goes on top and is pressed to the sides of the crust.
At this stage, the thin dough top has a rounded, domed appearance.

The pizza took 45 minutes to cook and you need to have allow some time to enjoy it. As I were to eat it alone, I have to take away the rest and have it as supper and breakfast. Anyway, the pizza is good just that I feel that having too much cheese. Amazingly, Giordano also ships their pizza to whole America. They ship their 12 inch pizza and this is their tag line: "Your pizza will be made fresh to order, frozen overnight, and shipped the next day"!

Taste:8/10(Delicious. I ordered the pizza with artichokes and the artichokes taste good and fresh. The pizza has strong cheese taste.
Price:5/10(Moderate. Price for 10 inch pizza is USD13.50 and additional USD2.00 for extra toppings such as artichokes, brocolli, ham, spinach, mushroom or others.


My 10 inch pizza.

Thick crust pizza with artichokes. See, a lot of cheese inside. The cheese flowing out when cut!

Delicious. The crust is good but its quite filling. Eat it with some chili flakes and it will taste better.

Giordano's menu.

They got lunch menu which I missed it.

Take away for night supper.

This is how is the Giordano restaurant signboard look like.

Coordinate/GPS: 41.895841,-87.625657
Address:730 North Rush Street, Chicago, IL, United States
Metro Station:Chicago - Red line.
Website: http://www.giordanos.com/

The Getty Center @ Los Angeles

The $1.3 billion centre, which opened on December 16, 1997, is well known for its architecture, gardens, and views overlooking Los Angeles. A great museum that has a impressive collection by Van Gogh, Monet and Cezanne, along with the architectural triumph of its six buildings and gardens. The impressive part is that you need to take cable pulled tram up to the hill where the museum is located. You can get one of the best view of Los Angeles from here. The central garden is also impressive with its unique design garden.

This museum is a bit far from Downtown and Hollywood. Make sure you set aside at least 90 minutes of travelling time for one way via public transport. Its around 30-40km and the transport system in LA is not that good and there is a lot of stops/traffic lights in between.


Impressive looking building.

Nice view of the Getty Center.

One of the museum building in Getty Center.

Great design which fully optimize natural light.

One of the art on the display in Getty Center.

The Central garden.

This is where Singapore get the idea to build Marina Bay Super Trees.

Getty center open air cafe.

Nice walk way.

The view of Los Angeles.

Impressive 19th Century furniture set.


First time seeing art museum which need to take tram to reach. Located at the top of a hill in LA.

Me with the Getty Center.

Coordinate/GPS:34.077261,-118.473908
Address:1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049 (Central L.A, Wilshire).
Public transport: The Getty Center is served by Metro Rapid Line 761, which stops at the main gate on Sepulveda Boulevard. From Sunset Blvd., take Metro Rapid Bus 2 (direction PCH) to Hilgard Ave./Westholme Ave. at UCLA, (approximately 35 minutes). Cross to southeast corner and take Metro Rapid Bus 761 (direction Pacoima) to the Getty Center stop (approximately 12 minutes). Please visit here for more info.
Entrance fee: Free.
Hours: Mon Closed; Tue-Fri, Sun 10am–5:30pm; Sat 10am–9pm.