Category Archives: USA

Alone in The Bay – San Francisco

April 26, 2015 The Hidden Thimble Team Leave a comment

The last entry in my solo trip before heading to Hawaii to meet my sister for my birthday. My time in SF was cut short to only two days and I only wished I had found a local’s guide to the slope hills of The Bay like Soothing Sista’s awesome list to better navigate myself. For the city that was the backdrop to my favourites Mrs Doubtfire and freakin Charmed, I found the city that everyone seemed to gush over was just not AS exciting as I thought it would be. I dunno for some reason I could not figure out where to go and what to do on my own. Like I was on Valencia and just didn’t know what to do with myself… The Mission = Boring? That would be seriously whack in any local’s mind I bet!

There were 3 thoughts that ran though my mind when observing the scene in San Francisco:

First, is this animal or human shit/piss I’m seeing/smelling on the streets?

Second, why are there so many homeless/hustlers in the city area?

Lastly, why are the shops closed at 7pm and train station closed until 9am on the weekends?

Nevertheless, I was able to enjoy a couple of sights, eating spots and lots and I mean lots of walking (like from the beginning of the Financial District to the Golden Gate Bridge along The Embarcadero and Marina by foot – you do the math) to explore the major parts of the city.

By pure coincidence I happened to land on Fleet Day so everything along The Embarcadero was in full military and navy celebration with plane shows and military personnel in uniform, as well as lots of food stalls. Damn them BBQ turkey legs were huge and smelt good! But I wanted something a little more than just grilled protein while I was there.

Since I wasn’t able to make it to the South, there was no way I could not stop at Brenda’s French Soul Food to try my first taste of Southern food. Beating the crowd I was lucky to get the bar table since I was a solo diner but was worried they might have sold out on all the goods. Lucky for me that wasn’t the case! Gumbo and signature beignets mmm, the breakfast for a hungry traveler.

And how could I pass up on the chance to eat seafood! Though everyone says that you need to eat seafood at Fisherman’s Wharf, looking online I found Swan Oyster Depot on Polk St and it was the best experience of eating seafood I have ever had so far! The staff were super friendly and prepared everything so nicely and the selection was so fresh you just wanted to eat everything – sashimi style of course unless it’s the chowder. There were some things that I wasn’t able to find on the menu that was available like the sea urchin so being friendly with your waiter is the trick to see what they can whip up for you if you want something fancy.

If you can only stay in San Francisco like me for a couple of days, definitely check out the Walt Disney Family Museum near the Presidio area to appreciate the work and life of the man behind the mouse. If you are an animator, art student or just a very devoted Disney fan there is nothing that beats seeing the painted cell drawings in person or enjoy reading Disney’s personal menu and miniature toy collection. I can’t describe the feeling of seeing these drawings on display, especially since I took my Film major seriously when I was in university as I wanted to be an animator but it was exciting to be able to be up close to see the paint work of each line and the sketch scratches on each draft of a character’s face. For me that was a really exciting moment while being there.

I think I would give San Francisco another chance in the future. Perhaps on a bike, with a friend and another beignet on the go.

Until next time!

Siree

Travel, USA

Alone in The Big Apple – New York

January 29, 2015 Siree Leave a comment

When I told M I wasn’t planning to put New York on my itinerary for my solo trip to the United States, she gently gave me a “WTF are you kidding me?!” kind of you-can’t-be-serious look on her face.

What fashion blogger hasn’t been to New York City?

I was corrected to rethink my travel plans again under this wisdom of unwritten assumed knowledge and I got to say, I’m glad I did.

New York was indeed the city that every aspiring fashion blogger needs to visit. Living by example, Sex and the City did teach me 2 important things about Carrie’s NYC. First, writing and being unapologetically fashionable go hand-in-hand and second, you should always invest time in your girl sisterhood.

Indeed I did feel New York was that kind of destination you just have to bring your best girl pals to and really enjoy some close knit bonding over a trendy hole-in-the-wall brunch, casual Soho shopping and the delights of this metropolis sheltered under its Art Deco mixed English Baroque architecture.

Manhattan is surely the largest city I have ever experienced!

In my 4 days I have completed, discovered and missed some very crucial hot spots on my hit list just simply because The Big Apple is just that – big. It overwhelms me to think what would the city be like without its iconic Central Park occupying most of the upper half in the concrete jungle. I spent a good 2 hours trying to see every inch of this park and still left the West part untouched!

My overall vibe of New York’s style guide is the city of branded handbags paired with trouser pants with the colour of winter showing its arrival to the streets and the shoe of choice was a decision to go either heels or trainers on the hard cobblestone to tile pavement. As an early birthday present (gifted by me to myself) after dropping by the major stores in Bloomingdales and 5th Avenue, I finally settled on an Alexander McQueen in their Lexington store. Tote styles I found make shorties like me feel out of proportion to their length but the Heroine Open Tote was a nice shape without joining the entourage trendiness of Prada Saffiano’s, I love it! I gave up on my heeled boots on my first day and spend the rest in my trainers. Ah sweet relief!

I reached my peak of loneliness after getting stuck on a packed train behind another traveller not knowing where he was getting off, taking me two stops later arriving at Grand Central with no underground internet or underground line map to figure the way back. Note to self – must hard copy a subway map. In my despair of a rough and long day, I spontaneously cut my fringe a bit too short and became micro – Oops.

Lucky for me, it turned out surprisingly good! :D

At this point of my trip, I’m not sure how I would live life not knowing Trader Joe’s existed but it has certainly made me join the health food craze. This well-summed up photo essay by Buzzfeed gets an A for my appreciation because, their foodstuff is just too damn tasty. A grocery shop that embraces pumpkin season with pumpkin-on-pumpkin-on-top-of-pumpkin noms has my money.

Here’s the TL;DR of my NYC:

Manhattan Highlights

∇ The Mac Conner: A New York Life Exhibition at The Museum of the City of New York

∇ Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity 3

∇ Shopping down Soho Area and Bedford Ave, Brooklyn

∇ Fav NY Shops: In God We Trust, Catbird NYC, Opening Ceremony, The LEGO Store

∇ Aladdin and Avenue Q Musicals at Broadway

∇ Swedish food at FIKA

∇ Milk Bar by Momofuku

∇ Mac N Cheese at MacBar on Prince St

∇ Reuben Sanga at Katz Delicatessen

Until next time!

Siree

Travel, USA

Alone in Angel City – Los Angeles

December 22, 2014 Siree 2 Comments

Ahoy! Ahead is sort of a partial diary page in my self-guide to traveling solo in your 20s, I guess.

If you have never ever considered the idea of traveling solo, I ask, may you reconsider the idea again?

I must admit that the lack of selfies and menu choices for the singular experience can leave you missing the shared fun of doing things in sets of twos (or more), but if Bear Grylls has taught me anything about slowly awakening the more instinctual and open minded side of adventure, it’s about being resourceful. And sometimes, that can only be found when you are on your own.

Although I have been by now on a couple of travels plane hopping without a companion to call ‘friend’ for a good portion of a trip, my second time traveling solo was indeed a true solitary experience. Across four cities in two weeks. Destination: United States. And now that I am looking at this from the other end, from being 24 to now 25, it’s not all about being mentally tough and letting the complete selfish act of only thinking about your besties (Me, Myself and I) take over your every day without compromise. There will be a point when you just feel too damn alone to be happy by yourself for these occasions (an experience I felt in New York which I will share on a later date). Still, I think it’s something you can’t avoid. Accept it, embrace it, and then move on. It’s not all sugarcoated freedom as it might sound at the start but once you get over it, I found I was able to lighten up at the small joys of the treasure find. Whether it was finding a good spot for a much needed break from pounding pavement or better time management to fully conquer my to-do list, the adventure was like a Survivor guide to evaluating and strategizing fun in the absence of company, without having to deal with that tribal outplay drama cos, you know – no tiki torches.

Admittedly, coming from Australia I would say venturing to the Land of the Free (and the Home of Pumpkin Spice, my newly discovered favourite) would be considered a stranger kind of familiar than foreign. So of course I would naturally end up first on the West side to discover our long lost distant cousin who would make me want to stamp every experience with that distinctive Cali-vibe I heard so much of from the lyrics by a certain Californian Girl.

Los Angeles this early October was a mixture of familiar short-shorts and tee’s in the unusually hot weather in the Autumn season and I am convinced that the space this city land mass has occupied could shame a tetris labyrinth – sandwiched between beachy coast and arid desert. Crazy Winter pattern aside, LA seemed to share many aspects of Sydney’s lifestyle, the casual dress code, the urban beach scene is a interesting mix of Manly and Bondi eccentrics and body shapes and how public transportation is a bio~tch. Lucky, public transport was no longer my sole method to get across the ridiculously long roads of Angel City in the form of a most gracious acquaintance from a dear friend (I realized early that no one uses their legs for more than a few blocks) but I heard Uber was a nice alternative to hack the vast maze blocks that make up LA in no time for those with no wheels.

If you are only traveling for a few days in LA, here is my hit list of must does which I found enjoyable:

Until next time!

Siree

Run by two travel and lifestyle bloggers, The Hidden Thimble focus’ on creating truthful and in-depth travel guides, food & beauty reviews. Enjoy drool-worthy photography from around the world!