Emily and Linda’s Travel Blog

Our first day in HCMC/Saigon was pretty laid back at the beginning.  We opted out of the War Museum ( dedicated to the American War) as they call it here). We were in desperate need of sleep and a shower and had been to the museum on our first trip (it's well worth a visit to see just how dreadful that war was for the Vietnamese). We rested up and then headed downtown to wander around a little.  A sudden shower caused us to shelter under an overhang of the local Starbucks (Vietnamese coffee is extraordinarily good, but as in Italy good coffee does not shield you from the ubiquitous Starbucks phenomenon). There are a few more cars than on our last visit 7 years ago, but the motorscooter is still queen of the road. 

HCMC residents are fearless on these things, riding them in pouring rain wearing nothing but flip flops, high heels, or barefoot.  Some ponchos have a special clear window so the bike can be covered, but the headlight can still shine through.  Others have double hoods so the passenger can be shielded too.  Our guide tells us that the maximum people allowed on a single bike is 5 (down from 8). Most we saw was 4 on one bike.  More helmet use, thank God, than last time we were here, but still a lot of kids without them.  

The stop lights etc. are observed in an inconsistent way.  When crossing the street y u have to summon up your courage a plunge in, keeping your pace as consistent as possible. And pray.  The last step is essential.  Turning it over is the only option.  Mostly it works. Wedid see one wipeout though( more on that in next post).  

In the beautiful Hong Kong airport after a 16 hour flight from NYC. Waiting to take off for Ho Chi Minh City. Much of the pain of the trip avoided by splurging for business class this time. Loving the pods with full recline and the airport lounges

On our last day, our friends Chris and Marg took the ferry over from Orient to spend some time with us. First we had to get everyone into the proper relaxed mood:

Coco got the hang of it immediately 

Next we had a stroll around the nearby town of Guilford which had a fabulous toy store and a pretty sweet bookstore where Chris had to pose with an item from the display window

Next lunch by the marina

And then back to our deck for more lounging and water gazing, accompanied by wine and conversation. Nice to have someone to take a picture of the two of us together

Friday back home to gear up for re-entry. 

Wednesday morning was spent just hanging out with our view. We did venture out for lunch at the Diner/Vegetarian Enclave we spotted the day before. Turned out to be a pretty interesting mix of typical Greek Diner with solid vegan entrees section. Also baked on the premises gluten free bread. And they sold me a (humongous) loaf to take home!

Newly fortified, we went back to our deck only to discover they were setting up for a rock band concert immediately below!

Time for plan B. So we went into town to check out the local Vietnamese restaurant. Not up to NYC standards, but a nice light  dinner option. Checked out the sweet little art house cinema to see Menashe, a quirky film about a recently widowed father in the Hasidic community of Borough Park (can't escape Brooklyn). 

On our return, the concert was over and we could sip our wine and listen to the waves under a starry sky

One of the great pleasures in being right on the water is just to sit and watch the light change

Two of Linda's requirements for a good stateside vacation are a decent breakfast (the no. 2 special in most diners) and a high quality cinnamon bun. Check and check. Breakfast at Nick's Place - your basic formica tabletop establishment with excellent and friendly service (and a bonus - gluten free toast for me!). Then explored Meriano's Bakery which had all the Italian essentials and a lot more. 

On the way back we noted this establishment- to be explored in the future

Next we had a slow stroll through Madison's downtown, the highlight of which was an amazing bookstore, the likes of which you rarely see anymore. Great selection of books, sweet little cafe, and my favorite feature was that all the shelves have little notes detailing people's favorite recommendations. And the place was packed at 11:30 on a Tuesday morning!  There is hope!

Next in our action-packed day was a few hours on our balcony with our bookstore purchases followed by hot stone massages and dinner at the hotel restaurant

Finally one more round of lounging on our balcony, watching the sun set and the lights cone on over the Sound. Good day of not very much. 

Kind of a hectic time at work so we opted for a short break in a nearby location. Landed on Madison Beach Hotel in Connecticut. There are things to do around here, but we may spend our time just perfecting our signature lounging by the Sound. 

Beautiful day yesterday which we had the pleasure of spending with our friends Christine and Tina at the new Brooklyn Historical Society Dumbo at 55 Water St.  It's a small gallery showing some interesting potos of industrial Brooklyn and Coney Island. The building is worth the visit it has a deck up top (5th floor) with buikt in benches and spectacular views of the river. Cafes on the ground floor. And check out the offices in the building- imagine going to work with that view every day! 

Of course Linda was most taken with the glass elevator's reflections. 

Yesterday we met up with Maxine in Manhattan. We needed to find a new sofa for Linda's mom so that we can have a place for her new home aide to sleep. Of course first we had to have brunch at Linda and Ma ie's favorite spot, Bubby's.  While waiting, we hung out on the bench and showed off my Science March T-shirt.  We noticed a nearby store had put out a bowl of bisquits for passing pooches, but a different sort of New Yorker was sampling the wares. We also watched as teams of kids checked into a Pokemon stop on a scavenger hunt (next stop was the Ghostbusters firehouse 2 blocks away). 

Next stop was a search of our own. The new sofa had to be small enough to fit through a narrow NYC apt. door, comfortable and easy enough to sleep on every night, and deliverable within 2 weeks. Not an easy task, but our salesperson, Antwane at Room and Board was able to help us accomplish it (I was forced to lie down on the job and check out the various options

We also made the acquaintance of a King Charles Cavalier spaniel testing out a chaise long. We were surprised at first that the pup was welcome in the store. But according to his human companion, he had already sold two sofas and was being courted to help out at the store in the future. 

There are 8 million stories in this city.......