Food Trip in the USA

Every traveler has their own reasons to travel. Business or pleasure, one will ask. No matter what the reason, wherever you are, you will have an interest in food. And it's not like you have a choice anyway. A person does kind of have to eat.

Gaining weight is hard to avoid especially if you're here, in the USA. But there are special circumstances here in New York City(NYC). NY's laws require most, if not all, restaurants or food chains to display exactly how much calories there are in the food, on the menu. This is a plus for me, to watch how many I am taking in.

View from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade

Just last Monday, I had just arrived and I decided to walk around the Brooklyn neighborhood. I did so, to know if I still know my way around, from the last time I was here. And the first place I went was to a park, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. There you can see the Manhattan skyline, as well as views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge.

Small Yogurt with 3 toppings

After walking around the promenade, I decided to walk around again. A few minutes have only just gone by and I saw a familiar sight, Red Mango. Coming from the Philippines, I was well unaware that the franchise was from here. I had just thought that it was the Yogurt craze of my home country. Well, I know now that it originate here in the US. So, I ordered it take-out and finished it while walking back to the apartment.



Earlier in the day, my cousin and I had planned to meet up to eat some Popeye's. Popeye's chicken was a thing between my cousin, my sister and I. It was because that our cousin had not been able to eat Popeye's before, at the time. And with the apartment so close to a branch, my sister and I could just walk for about a minute or two to get there. And now with our cousin living closer to where she used to, she could go there as well. We both ordered a 2-piece chicken with our own side dish. I had a mashed potato, and my cousin ordered rice as a side. The whole meal was all-in-all about 1100 worth of calories. The only thing missing from this reunion was my sister who is still in the Philippines.

I chowed down on the meal and somehow regretted ordering it, but decided not to think much of it. It was not all the time I would be eating it, and these reunions don't happen as much. We stayed awhile and chat. After the meal, we part ways and I went back home to the apartment. I got home, fell asleep for about an hour or so, then went to the gym.

Our Olive Garden Dessert

On Wednesday night, we went to the infamous Olive Garden. I had heard much about it, mostly because I watch Conan and he cracks up jokes about the place. I ate a five cheese ziti al forno. And that was about 1000 calories also. But I consumed only half, and opted to bring it home and have it for lunch the next day. They ordered dessert, a chocolate cake. I had forgotten what the exact name was. I took a bite and stopped there. No one finished the cake, my grandmother(technically. She is not that old. ) took it home with her.

Times Square from the Red Steps

Looking outside from where we were seated, I thought the outside was still day. It was already about seven in the evening. Having that sorta thing here is not that unusual, I was only unaccustomed to it. But when I got outside, I had been proven wrong. It was not daytime at all, it was just the bright lights of Times Square.

Every store there had something to prove. They went all out in their presentation. And we went to the Disney store and Toys 'R Us.


Earlier today, I decided to go to Chinatown to eat in a restaurant my sister and I use to go. We would order a beef tendon noodle soup there. But when I got there, it was closed. I was a little disappointed, but moved on. I ate at Wo Hop. The restaurant was kind of hidden, you had to go down a flight of stairs. Although it was that way, the restaurant was well known.

37 Spring St., NYC

After my little adventure in Chinatown, I went to the other side, to Little Italy. Little Italy was kind of in the middle of Chinatown, and when you pass through to go there, you can quickly distinguish that you were not in Chinatown anymore. The only reason I went to Little Italy was to get to a little place called Rice to Riches. They offered rice pudding in a variety of flavors like Sex, Drugs, and Rocky Road, Chocolate Chip Flirt, and many more. I ordered the two and went on my way back home.


I have eaten a lot of food, here in NYC. And this was just my first week. I have to keep control and not let food take over me. I hope. Roughly three more weeks to go.

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It means what it means. Taken from the front door of Rice to Riches.