#NY #Athens

@ Union Square
Photo credit to chéri 

Summer has finally arrived in New York and so has the humidity! I used to live in Hong Kong, and for those who had been there know how humid it can get during summer. New York, on the other hand, has never been that extreme, but compared to few years ago, it definitely feels more humid nowadays during summer time!

Some of my whereabouts in June:

An interesting event that worth mentioning was the
Museum Mile Festival, where many museums in NYC
offered free admissions from 6pm to 9pm, including The
Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum!!

Above photo: the Guggenheim Museum during the event.
The queue to enter was almost 4 blocks long!!!
Luckily, it only took me 20 mins to get inside : )

I also went to a wedding of a lovely couple last weekend. The banquet venue was overlooking the Manhattan skyline, including the One World Trade Centre aka the Freedom Tower ... 

... the river view with the "tiny" Statue of Liberty (on the right) and...

... the view of the Empire State Building! Three NY iconic views can be seen from
one location ♡ Do let me know if you are interested in hosting a party here : )

Speaking of the Empire State Building, this is the tower lights tonight in honor of
New York City Pride Week ♡
Photo by ESB 

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Euro Trip: Part IV

Friends and I only had a short yet fun stay in Athens for one and a half days before returning to London. 

With the most famous landmark being the Parthenon in Athens,
many establishments downtown (hotels, lounges, dining locales) are
designed to have an unobstructed view to it. Above photo is our hotel.
Photo credit to Elvira W.Y. Cheung

Here is the downtown area with street vendors, again, with a clear Parthenon view.

Even a low-end department store in downtown Athens has the Parthenon view.
This department store food court on the top floor even offers a 360 view of Athens.

My friends and I happened upon this elegant bakery where we
stopped by for a quick bite. They also offer a small menu for
lunch and a dine in area on the second floor too!

Heading up there...

This is the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. It is a stone theatre structure that was used primarily as a venue for music concerts with a capacity of 5,000 prior to 267 AD.

Scaffolding was everywhere for regular maintenance on these ancient structures.  

These structures must have been stunning at the height of the Greek empire, as they are still breath-taking even today.
In photo: the Erechtheum, an ancient Greek temple.

A bird's eye view of Athens from the Parthenon.

Afterward, we toured around the neighborhood, which offers lots of
local small cafes, shops and art galleries!

Interesting street arts seen in Athens.

This Athens cab reminds me of yellow cab in NY except ours are not Mercedes... 

I love how buses in downtown Athens are powered by electric with overhead wires hanging above the streets.
It is environmentally friendly and reduces air pollution in a highly trafficked city!

Our dining location, once again, with the Parthenon view... 

So long Athens. It was nice meeting you.