The Roaming Minds

We have never anticipated living in Manhattan. However, due to my wife's obligation with the federal government in exchange for the full-ride doctorate scholarship she received, she ended up finding a job in the city. Since then, my family began living between the state of Maryland and The City of New York, which is composed of five boroughs (town or district): Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. We found the city very exciting and interesting. It has provided us with many opportunities and experiences that we would not have had if we were only tourists. So far, here are some of the perks we have experienced by living in the city that never sleeps. Moynihan Station Riding Amtrak weekly. Riding the Amtrak train is the most economical, convenient, and fastest way to get to the city. We can sleep, use our gadgets, finish work-related assignments, or simply enjoy the views outside the train while traversing through bridges, cities, neighborhoods, or the woods in the...

My children and I love home-cooked foods made by my wife. She is an expert who can cook multicultural foods, such as Filipino and a few Korean, Indian, Vietnamese, and Mexican cuisines. We were all dependent on her when it came to meals.  That situation changed when she started working out of state, and my daughter left for college. I've never learned from my wife how to cook. Now that she is not with us during weekdays, I must prepare meals for my teenage son and myself to survive. Thanks to video calls, the internet, and my fear of starvation, I learned to cook fried rice. Not a typical one because I can change the flavor by adding a different key ingredient. I can also enhance its nutritive value by adding more and different vegetables and spices. In this blog, I will share the recipe for  salmon-veggie fried rice . Ingredients 3 tablespoons butter, divided 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 medium-sized white or red onion, sliced salt and black pepper garlic powder 1 teaspoon sesam...

The Little Island in New York City is the newest attraction free to the public, thanks to the philanthropic efforts of a billionaire couple. It opened on May 21, 2021, and visitors started pouring in to experience what this man-made island has to offer. My wife and I visited the place in July 2021. Here are our takeaways. Historic location . Pier 54 was originally the place where the boats of the infamous Titanic tragedy survivors had docked. The British Lusitania ocean liner also departed from this pier, only to be sunk by a German submarine that killed more than a thousand passengers and crew during World War I. Time . The public space is open daily from 6:00 AM onwards, 365 days rain or shine unless there is a severe weather condition. You must register online if you are planning to visit starting at 12:00 PM and onwards. Registration is not required between 6:00 AM and 12:00 PM. There is no time limit to stay. If you want to avoid the crowd, go there in the morning. Don't forge...