Bethel Gospel Assembly - Harlem

Wasn't going to leave American soil without seeing a gospel choir in action .

Had a few places to pick from , but because of the timing , I finally decided to make my way towards the Bethel Gospel Assembly , a Pentecoastal church , located in Harlem .

Making my way here was a test in faith . On the map , it seemed fairly easy , when it wasn't that simple to locate .

 From the Grand Central Terminal , I managed to purchase a subway pass from the super unhelpful old Indian man behind the counter . 

When I asked two local cops for directions they told me this 

" there is a church around here ? "

Gosh . Move on gurl . Move on .

After asking yet another clueless passerby , a nice Latina lady showed me where she thought it most probably was ( after an underpass  )

A Mennonite reaction to muah at Bryant Park

Update 1.5.2017 : 

I'd like to thank blog reader Emi Girlcrafter for correcting me and bringing to my attention that these people are not Amish as I had earlier ignorantly presumed . They are Mennonites according to her . 

We learn something new everyday don't we ? 

_________

I whooped with joy when I chanced upon this group of Mennonite people singing hymns at Bryant Park . 

It's unbelievable ! 

I'm actually seeing them right in the middle of busy New York ! 

Famous Famiglia - 8th Avenue

 Had my first stromboli in this outlet and this is how it is served .

The tomato paste is placed in a small receptacle for you to dip the pizza in .

TMNT2 - a few NYC movie locations

When we watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Out of the Shadows last night I gasped in disbelief ! 

Already knew that NYC would feature heavily in the flick , but I least expected the movie to be mostly filmed right smack in the area , where I treaded up and down  daily during my short sojourn there .

Felt like I'd hit the jackpot !!!

In case you're wondering why we're seeing it first in Malaysia , simple , doing so beats piracy to a certain extent . 

Here are the iconic locations I recognised so far . 

1. Chrysler Building

Of all the towers  , I found that although dwarfed , The Chrysler stood out most and woah what an epic rush of a background it proved to be indeed !

Hope you notice the all important manhole in the foreground . 

Little Italy Pizza - near the Empire State Tower

Other than burgers and more burgers , I also attempted 3 New York style pizza places . 

One in the middle of Nevada called Villa , a franchise outlet from NYC ( a huge , awful , obviously deep frozen crusted , horribly salty pizza )  , 

Famous Famiglia for Strombolli ( show you later , meh only but you ought to see the famous clients they've catered to ) and 

last of all Little Italy Pizza .

It's rather easy to find this pizza place .

Just look for the Empire State Tower .

Five Guys - West 42nd Street , New York

Five Guys originates from Virginia and President Obama counts as one of their fans .

Yet somehow , there's always a lame joker who will repeat  this universal , cross border , reeeeally lameeeeeee joke 

" Where are the 5 guys ....I only see 3 guys ? "

especially when you simply snap a picture without counting the number of people in it .

* Rolls eyes *

Chick-fil-A - Burger Whisperer on the Avenue of the Americas

Seriously , I don't know why some people think fastfood joints are beneath them .

When you're in the USA don't skip this man . After all , you are in the cradle that brought fastfood civilization worldwide , so before you go book a swanky meal in Michelin star restaurant where it's so hard to breathe , do the good old American sloppy burgers first !

You know , the places where you eat holding it with your bare hands ?Instead of cutting it up daintily with a shiny silver knife , you know ?

KFC ( seems the Americans prefer Colonel Sanders to KFC but I didn't see none , KFC yes , Colonel Sanders nope ) and Mc D's are shockingly all passe but these 3 giants I've covered so far are all the rage ....

They are totally relevant and in demand today , Right Now .

So while Shake Shack has its roots in NYC and In-N-Out is firmly entrenched on the West Coast , Chick-fil-A was born in Atlanta . And yet it is so wildly popular , right smack in the middle of NYC , you'd never have guessed it !

( they're ranked the number 1 fastfood joint in America so errrr...you'd better believe it )

Shake Shack - 8th Avenue , New York

First time I saw a Shake Shack was in Vegas but I didn't go in because I wanted to try the Earl of Sandwich .

When I walked a little way off Times Square and saw this amazingly looooooong line , that did it....I was gonna give it a go .