The quest for Kobe Beef

I first heard of the term "Kobe Beef" in 2011, when unpretentiously discussing random things with a work colleague of mine while in Germany. The legend was that Kobe Beef was a kind of beef sold in Japan, United States and other countries derived from cows which had been through very careful and special treatment, such as being fed only the best alfafa, being massaged by humans as to cause the fat to get into the cow's tissues, and even played music to. The most remarkable thing about them was supposedly their unique and distinguished flavor and being very expensive. It was an interesting and funny conversation, and upon hearing that they were massaged and played music to, I couldn't help it but laugh on my colleague's comments. 

Amused, I put it on my "Things to do before dying" list, but it wasn't until I returned to Brazil in 2013 that I felt that it was time to cross that item off the list. I invited a dear friend over for dinner in a respectable Japanese restaurant in Sao Paulo and ordered their Kobe Beef. It was all but an underwhelming experience: their beef was hard, chewy and by no means it resembled what I had heard from my colleague two years earlier. The only characteristic it indeed had in common with what we had discussed was that it was VERY expensive.

I was still curious and wanted to try the real thing, but I concluded that if I wanted to get the real deal, I would probably have to look elsewhere, maybe in another country (perhaps only in Japan!). In the meantime, some professional changes required me to move to the United States, where the hopes of getting the real Kobe Beef were re-ignited in 2013. I consulted with locals who had supposedly tried it in America and went to two or three restaurants in California that advertised selling Kobe Beef on their websites. In all occasions, what I ate was indeed better than what I had gotten in Brazil, but when doing some basic online research I found out that the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) actually did not allow the importation of the real Japanese Kobe Beef into the United States. What a bummer!

Clearly, there was blatant lack of knowledge on the topic on my part, and I decided that there were two things that needed to be done in order to get Kobe Beef off of my "Things to do before dying" list:

a) study a lot more about the topic as to be able to properly identify if what I am being served is the real Kobe Beef or some other similar product;

b) go to Kobe, in Japan, to try to find the real Kobe Beef there.

After some research on the Internet, I learned a lot about what Kobe Beef really is, how to identify it, where to get it and the truth about how the cows are actually bred and raised.

What is Kobe Beef?

Answer: Kobe Beef is a trademark owned by the "Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association" and is used to classify cows that meet very strict criteria.

What does it take for a cow to be certified as "Kobe Beef"?

Answer: a cow only receives the "Kobe Beef" certification (the trademarked brand) if it meets *ALL* of the following criteria:

• It is derived from a pure lineage of Tajima-gyu cattle and born in breeding farms within the Hyogo Prefecture, Japan;
• It is fed within feeding farms within the Hyogo Prefecture, Japan;
• It is slaughtered in slaughter houses within the Hyogo Prefecture, Japan;
• It is a bullock or virgin Tajima-gyu cow;
• It has a marbling index (BMS) of 6 or higher (see classification below);
• It has a meat quality score of 4 or 5 (see classification below);
• Gross carcass weight of 470kg or less.

The marbling index (BMS) and meat quality score are defined by the "Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association" as shown below:

Figure 1 - Meat Quality Score and BMS requirements for a Tajima cow to be considered "Kobe Beef"
(source: http://www.kobe-niku.jp/english/contents/pu/pu_a.html)

The official definition of Kobe Beef:

Figure 2 - Official Kobe Beef definition
(source: http://www.kobe-niku.jp/english/contents/pu/pu_b.html)

When a cow meets all the requirements outlined earlier, it receives the "Kobe Beef" (or "Kobe Meat") certification, and the certified cow parts are stamped with the official Kobe Beef logo:

Figure 3 - Kobe Beef logo stamped on certified cow parts

Having learned precisely what Kobe Beef is, how to identify it and what grades of it exist, the next (and hardest step) was to actually go to Kobe, in Japan, to finally get the real deal.

It fit perfectly in a family trip we had planned to Japan for 2014, which was primarily aimed at sightseeing and visiting some uncles, aunts and cousins who immigrated from Brazil to Japan in the mid-90's. I made sure that Kobe would be one of the places in our itinerary.

Finally on May/19th/2014 the day to put an end to the quest for Kobe Beef came to being. We were based in Osaka and took a local train to Kobe in the morning. Arriving at Sannomiya train station, we found some tourist information offices and were told where to go to get the certified Kobe Beef. The options were plenty, and they gave us a brochure with several locations of where to get it, all at walking distance from Sannomiya.

Figure 4 - Official Kobe Beef restaurant guide available at the tourist information office at Sannomiya, Kobe,  provided by the "Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association"

Figure 5 - Some of the restaurants that served the real Kobe Beef

About 100 meters from Sannomiya Station we found this advertisement about a local restaurant which supposedly served the real Kobe Beef:

Figure 6 - Ads on the streets promoting local restaurants that serve the certified Kobe Beef

The ad worked as intended: we Googled the address of the place and rushed there. On the way, we found Kobe Beef on display in other restaurants:

Figure 7 - Neatly packed certified Kobe Beef (the Japanese chrysanthemum label denounces it)

Figure 8 - Price for 100g of certified Kobe Beef: around US$ 20 (USD 100 per pound)

A few minutes later we finally arrived at the restaurant, hidden in one of the narrow alleys that are part of every Japanese city.

Figure 9 - Arriving at RValentino Restaurant

Inside the restaurant, it was clear that we were in a place that served the real deal. They had several of the Kobe Beef pedigree certificates affixed all over the walls:

Figure 10 - Kobe Beef lineage certificate, which includes information such as the cow's birth date, its name, its parents and grandparents' names, a tongue print, its slaughter date and its unique 10-digit identification number (sort of the cow's SSN in the US or CPF in Brazil. With this number one can go on the internet and find all about the cow) 

Figure 11 - The restaurant explains in detail how the Tajima-gyu lineage is formed

For our big group of 9 people, the restaurant arranged a private room with 2 professional chefs who came to prepare the Kobe dishes and, most importantly, to ensure that all appropriate cooking techniques were strictly followed.

Figure 12 - Our family got a private dining room in the restaurant where everyone had a seat by the table!

Figure 13 - Two chefs carefully orchestrated the preparation of all vegetable and Kobe dishes

Figure 14 - Kobe Beef to the left, Kobe hamburgers to the right

Figure 15 - The placement of all vegetables on the cooking plate is part of the show

Figure 16 - All pieces were carefully arranged and grilled to perfection

Figure 17 - Kobe hamburgers being prepared by the skillful chefs

Figure 18 - Kobe Beef and its noticeable marbled texture

Figure 19 - Chef sprinkles the Kobe Beef bits with salt and pepper

Figure 20 - Perfect assortment of vegetables and Kobe Beef

The preparation of the Kobe dishes by the master chef was a spectacle in itself. A lot of knowledge and technique for sure was employed in the process in order to make the overall experience an unforgettable one. After quite a while, it was finally the time to try the real Kobe Beef, the certified and trademarked one, cooked by trained chefs to perfection and ceremoniously prepared and laid out before us. Slowly we begun to enjoy each of the Kobe bits, for a delightful and pleasant experience: the marbled texture gives the beef as a whole a mix of unsaturated fat layers and meat, which translates into a very soft and tender texture that almost made it melt in our mouths. It also had a unique taste that was definitely different from all the other beefs I had eaten until then. Once finished, I asked the restaurant staff which BMS grade the meat we had just eaten was. We were informed that the Kobe Beef we were served was a grade 10 on the scale, so two grades below the very best beef, but nonetheless Kobe Beef certified!

Now, is it the best cow meet that there is in the world? Well, that is certainly more a matter of personal taste than it is of tradition and facts, so it is really up to oneself to judge that. But without trying the real certified Kobe Beef, ideally somewhere in Japan where the chances of getting the original thing are higher, there is really no way to make that determination.

Overall, the quest for the real Kobe Beef was an interesting 3-years journey that had its failed attempts in Brazil and in the US, but which came to a conclusion in the best of scenarios: in a family trip to an absolutely amazing country where tradition and modernity seem to have found a fragile balance and which allowed us to experience this delicacy that Kobe Beef is right in the heart where its fame and tradition came to being in the first place.

Further information:

http://www.kobe-niku.jp/englishtop.html?key=flavor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_beef

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/09/28/kobe-beef-is-back-new-rules-allow-some-japanese-beef-in-u-s/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2014/01/07/the-new-truth-about-kobe-beef-2/

Travel tips - part I (getting local money)

One of the topics most travelers have in mind when going abroad is how to get the local money of the country they are traveling to. Over the past 7 years on the road, I have learned (by actually losing a lot of money in exchange operations) how to do it and, especially, how NOT to do it.

So, being a topic of constant doubts and cause of insecurity for many friends and acquaintances, I'd like to share some hard-learned lessons with whom it may concern.

Whenever possible, always bring with you in an international trip:

I) 2 or more debit cards with the Cirrus and/or Plus flags from 2 different banks. Some ATMs may give you problems with one card, so it is always safe to have additional ones, especially if getting local cash in ATMs will be the primary way of funding your trip;

II) 2 or 3 credit cards, preferably a mix of Visa, MasterCard and AmericanExpress. Some ATMs, hotels and shops' systems may refuse one card or another (nothing to do with the store's willingness to process the transaction, but the machines that do it may simply deny the operation without further explanation). So if using credit cards for paying for hotels and car rentals (usually higher amounts), it is safe to have a bunch of options to try in case some cards are denied;

III) an amount in cash, preferably in US$ or Euros. (See explanation below on how to optimize dealing with paper cash in international trips)

Additionally:

- Do not forget to unblock the debit and credit cards in advance (before you travel) for both international purchases and cash withdraws in ATMs. Many places (stores, restaurants, etc) around the world take international debit and credit cards, so it is very convenient to use these instead of local paper cash. This avoids having to stash loads of paper money in embarrassing parts of one's body;

- Always carry with you an amount in the local currency which is at least enough to cover for a taxi back to where you are sleeping, 2 meals and some spare. In the United States or anywhere in Europe, for example, I usually carry around US$ 150 or EUR 150 with me at all times. (See explanation below on how to optimize dealing with paper cash in international trips)

So, getting the currency of the country you're traveling to is usually confusing and one can lose a lot of money in the process of exchanging foreign cash for the local dime (to poor exchange rates, government taxes and bank fees). Based on my previous experience, there are a few ways how to handle money-exchange operations, and they basically differ based on 2 scenarios (I will use Brazil's currency to make my points, since I know all the fees and taxes that apply):

1 - Going to countries with floating, market-determined exchange rates. These include the United States, Canada, all of the Euro countries, South Africa, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. In these places, the government does NOT fix by decree what the exchange rate from their local currency to the US dollar, Euro or any other foreign currency is. The rates in the official exchange shops are very close to the daily rate you see in the news, and there is no "parallel" market, since the market itself dictates what the daily rate is. In all such countries, the following are the best ways of exchanging from Brazilian Reals to the local currency:

a) get money from the local ATMs in the country of destination using a Brazilian bank *DEBIT* card. Banks usually charge you a rate from R$ 8,00 to R$ 20,00 per transaction, but the (very) good news is that each withdraw is done very close to the market exchange rate. Plus, the IOF (a tax) for such transactions is very low, at 0.38% over the total amount withdrawn. And that's it: the bank fee plus 0.38% from the total. Beware: the exchange rates used in these transactions vary GREATLY from bank to bank, although the rate used in these operations is the market rate from the day when the transaction took place. From my experience, Citibank has one of the worst rates to the US dollar and Euro when compared with Itau, Banco do Brasil and others. Last time I used my Citi card to get Euros in Germany, their rate was 5% higher than that from Itau on the same day!

b) take a Visa Travel Money (VTM) card with you. These usually require you to purchase these cards from a bank in your home country, and then you can put a given amount of a foreign currency (usually US$ or Euros) in it and use the card to withdraw local currency in ATMs in the country of destination. The advantages of this is that you know the exchange rate at the moment when the VTM card is purchased/refilled and the IOF is also very low, at 0.38%. Beware that even though you're using a VTM card, some ATMs may still charge you a local fee which may be a fixed amount or even a percentage of the total withdrawn.

c) Take US dollars with you and exchange it locally in the place of destination. The US$ is accepted anywhere in the world as the international reserve of value. So basically anywhere one can convert US$ for the local currency in exchange shops that exist in airports, train stations, bus terminals or financial institutions spread throughout the cities. The advantage of this is that you have immediate and unquestionable liquidity. But this is usually a money-losing operation, since one needs to exchange the original currency for the US dollar (frequently at a loss compared to the market rate) and then exchange the US dollar for the local currency  in the country of destination (many times ALSO at a loss, depending on the exchange shop used). Not to mention the stress of carrying thousands of dollars with you all the time, or having to stash the cash in hotel safes and the like. So, there are basically a few tips to follow when using US$ as the main funding for your trip:

-Whenever possible, always prefer options 1-a and 1-b, since they avoid you having to deal with paper money and performing two exchange operations at a loss. Plus, you can plan to get ONLY the amount of money you actually need, with very low taxes and fees;

-Avoid *AT ALL COSTS* exchanging US$ in exchange places located in airports, train stations and bus terminals. These places are tourist traps, and the rates they use are ALWAYS far below that dictated by the "market" in less-convenient places (usually in the town or city where you are going you can find better rates). But sometimes exchanging at a loss is unavoidable; you need to at least exchange enough for a train ticket or taxi, so try to minimize this by exchanging the bare minimum to get you by until you can reach other exchange shops further in the city. If I go to Europe carrying US$, for example, I never exchange more than US$ 100 at the airport, since that is a big loss right there!

d) Use your credit cards for withdrawing local cash in ATMs or paying directly for purchases. This is usually one of the worst options to consider when traveling (if you happen to carry Brazilian credit cards). This is because on top of ATM withdraws and the usual fees, there is also the interest that the bank charges you over the total amount withdrawn. Plus, both for ATM withdraws and direct purchases, the Brazilian government retains an IOF tax at the staggering rate of 6.38% on the total amount. Do the maths: a family which spends R$ 15,000 in credit cards in a trip will be paying R$ 957 in taxes for the government. If they withdraw cash with credit cards in ATMs, there is also the interest for the bank! 

2 - Going to countries with fixed, government-decreed exchange rates. The clear example here is Argentina (although Brazil in the early 90's, Venezuela and Cuba could be also mentioned), which has decreed capital controls in the form of an imposed exchange rate to the US dollar, the Brazilian Real and the Euro. The issue itself is not in pegging the local currency to foreign ones, since there are several other countries that do so: Hong Kong, South Africa, even Switzerland to some extent. The difference is that these countries "fix" the exchange-rate (or limit the "highest" rate their currencies are allowed to achieve against a foreign paper) by performing local cash sell outs and/or buy ins. This is perfectly fine, since they are "fixing" the exchange rates by playing with the market's supply and demand. The issue with Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba is that they determine the exchange rate by decree, as if it could be done by signing a piece of paper that tells everyone in the nation to ONLY buy foreign currencies at a particular rate. This is very stupid, since it encourages the birth of a parallel market in which rates are usually a lot higher than the government-determined one. In Argentina right now, for example, the official rate for the US dollar is 5.7 pesos/USD, for the Brazilian Real 2.4 pesos/R$. However, when exchanging US$ and Reals in the parallel market last week, I could exchange 1 USD for a staggering 8.8 pesos, and a 1 Brazilian Real for 3.4 pesos! That's a difference of 54% and 42% respectively to the government-decreed rate! So, in countries where the local currency is pegged to a foreign one by decree, the following would get you the best bang for the buck:

a) Bring and exchange US$, Euros or any foreign currency in exchange shops somewhere in the city (not in airports, train stations and bus terminals, which all use the government-decreed rate!), where they usually use the parallel market's rate rather than the official one. As explained, this may yield a lot more local currency for a single dollar or Euro!

b) VTMs, debit cards: if the option above is not available for any reason, it is still better to use VTM and debit cards for the same reasons explained in scenario 1, above: very low IOF and pretty easy to get money in any ATM;

c) same as item 1-d. Avoid as much as possible using credit cards, since they convert your local purchases and cash withdraws to US$ and then to Brazilian Reals, and then the IOF that applies is the outrageous 6.38%. Don't forget the interest the bank charges on withdraws!

So, these are some of the things I learned during my years out there. Of course, all of the tips above presume that you are traveling to parts of the globe where there is electricity, interconnectivity of the local ATMs to the international, world-class banks and credit card companies.

I've been able to get local currency with my Brazilian debit cards in many places:

-Anywhere in Europe;

-Thailand;

-Hong Kong;

-Japan;

-Indonesia;

-Malaysia;

-The United States;

-Argentina;

-South Africa;

-Singapore

Obviously if you go to the middle of the African jungles or the countryside of Laos, make sure to bring with you US dollars (since it gives you the ultimate liquidity almost anywhere in the globe) or even better the local currency previously exchanged somewhere civilized. There are even places where only gold and diamonds may save your life, but fortunately I've never had the displeasure of going to such places!

I hope this helps beginner travelers avoiding losing money or the stress of buying paper US dollars and Euros prior to traveling - this is how my parents and grandparents had to do it in the 80's. Since the invention of the debit, credit and VTM cards and the internet, withdrawing local cash or carrying a VTM are usually the most convenient ways to go!

Note: related to item III, for the ultimate risk mitigation, if it makes you feel safer and gives you peace of mind, DO carry some US$ or Euros in cash with you wherever you go, even if you intend to use debit, credit and ATM cards as the primary funding for your trip. I simply quit doing so a few years ago, since I trust technology and I always carry 2 debit cards and 4 or 5 credit cards with me.

Mixed feelings

Tomorrow, Aug/23rd/2013, is my last day with the company to whom I owe so much in my professional and personal life: Chemtech. I started with the company in Oct/1st/2004, when I hadn't even graduated from college, and on my way to get a Chemical Engineering degree I was suddenly faced with having to learn computer stuff. Programming, debugging, dealing with industrial systems and databases. Crazy stuff. It was. It still is. 

I had no idea what a vector was (ok, I still don't, but shhhh), but what was unique about Chemtech was that there was always someone ready to help you, perhaps not with the digested answer you were looking for, but at times pointing you to the right direction - or an alternative direction towards the same objective. It was not easy. I thought I would NEVER catch up with the other guys, who were much more experienced than I was at the time. They were mostly Chemical Engineers like me, and they seemed to have so much IT knowledge that it was very intimidating - so much that I almost gave up in the first 4 months working for Chemtech. I thought about quitting not once or twice, but on a daily basis for about 2 or 3 weeks.

But today, I am truly glad I didn't. For over time it finally felt like I was catching up with others and being able to provide a better service to our customers. One constant thing was that there was always someone helping me in every step of the way. By no means I think I could have learned what I have learned solely on my own, and I consider myself truly lucky to have been able to always count on the best people in the company and sometimes in the world to help me along the way. Another constant in all this was that Chemtech kept believing in me (and in other people IN GENERAL), always sponsoring all kinds of technical and organizational trainings for their body of engineers, technicians and managers. I think I can remember some of the trainings I personally took:

-2004: Honeywell PHD

-2005: Oracle 9i

-2005: Siemens XHQ

-2005: Industrial Networks (MODBUS, Profibus, FieldBus, etc)

-2006: Cisco routers and Switches

-2006: UML

-2006: Java and .NET programming

-2007: Simatic IT Production Suite

-2007: Microsoft Project 2003

-2008: SAP Material Management Official training

-2009: Project Management

-2013: Requirements Engineering

Curse you not if these things sound like crazy acronyms and language. That's exactly what they are.

So after a few years of learning, in 2005 I felt like I was ready to try other endeavors, so I made sure my management knew I wanted to do projects abroad. I was ready: I knew Spanish and English, which take you a long way in doing business in this globalized world. I also had basic technology knowledge, so still in 2005 I was sent to Argentina. Then to other states in Brazil such as Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. Then to Italy and after that to Japan and the United States. It wasn't all romantic, and some of the projects I participated both in Brazil and outside were of "strategic" nature, meaning they had little to no budget and a huge scope to deliver. That usually translated to long hours and a lot of dedication. But it all paid off. It always has. If not financially, at the very least for the things I kept learning and the people I kept meeting throughout the process.

In the course of doing projects, I also had contact with several other technologies and tools widely used in the industry, namely those from big names such as AspenTech, Osisoft, Microsoft, SAP, Siemens, GE, Oracle and the like. It was not easy having to learn things as I went, and it required hundreds of hours of off-work dedication and reading. But the knowledge that doing projects made me absorb served me well during my years in Chemtech, in every single project I have ever participated. So I guess all the investments in trainings may have paid for themselves after all.

But I guess the hardest part of my work was never having to learn new technical things. After some years in the industry, this eventually becomes business as usual and you learn new things a lot faster, and you need ever less deep knowledge to make the kinds of decisions you need to make. Truly the difficult part of delivering services is dealing with the human factor, whether on your own team or on the customer side, or from external stakeholders. How to cope with people's habits, qualities, limitations, expectations, anxieties and (I kid you not) feelings. People get sick. People mourn other people's departure. People leave the company. I think what I learned from this experience is that this learning will never be over, and every day I'll always learn new things about new people which may influence the outcome of my duties in different ways. There is no recipe for dealing with this. This is truly an on-the-job and continuous training.

Another great privilege I had with Chemtech was always working for reasonable and rational managers, who would usually make the logical decision rather than those which were of political nature. This went a LONG way in always keeping me motivated and seeking to do things in a better and more valuable manner for the business and our customers, always knowing that reason and logic were backing my every actions.

I also made several friends along this crazy, wild journey, but (for ethical reasons) I will not mention any names here. Most are still in the company, some have already left, but the fact is that I will keep in touch with them for years to come, wherever they (or I) will ever be. After all, with social media and the internet, it is pretty easy to find people out there (sometimes a bit TOO easy).

My new employer will be Chemtech's parent company: the multinational German conglomerate Siemens AG. I am being transferred to Houston, TX, to work with one of the software tools I have used in projects for the past 8 years. I will be doing a mix of product management and service delivery for Siemens' customers in the US and worldwide. This is all very exciting, and a bit challenging. And a bit intimidating. But challenge is part of the fun. It always is.

So it is but with mixed feelings that I will show up at Chemtech for my last day of work tomorrow. From one side, there are new and exciting opportunities with Siemens, living in a different country (again), meeting new people and getting to know a new culture, etc. On the other hand, I will have to leave the company I have always worked for, with whom I learned so much over the past 9 years and which, in all honesty, was righteous enough to let me take this new job without any hard feelings or strings attached. 

I guess it will all work out for the good. Despite being based in the US, there will be some relationship between my new position and Chemtech's interests, so inevitably we will still be doing business together, even though they will no longer be providing me with a monthly pay check in the process. Truth be told, I have never worked for Chemtech solely for the monthly pay check. Not that the pay is not decent (it is), but the things that I learned, the people I met and the friends I made are by far the most valuable assets I take with me as I leave.

Tips for touring NY (Manhattan)

So two days ago I wrote about my first impressions about NYC. They still remain true, although I have visited so many more places since then. And for this reason I would like to share some of the things I learned in the process.

So, here is a list of some things I observed:

• If you wish to go to the 9/11 Memorial right next to the World Trade Center, make sure you get a ticket first. Until the new WTC is completed, you can only get into the memorial with these tickets. There are two ways to get them: go to the http://www.911memorial.org/ website and book your ticket there, OR physically go to the Preview Site store (http://www.911memorial.org/preview-site) and get yours there. I used the Preview Site and there was a line of about 50 people, but it went really fast and I got my pass in less than 5 minutes;
• If you wish to visit the Empire State Building, make sure you get your ticket online and arrive early. I got there without tickets at 11:30 and guess what: the place was PACKED. The line for the ticket office had over 100 people, and was going VERY slow. The line to get in the elevators was big too. They even have a "premium/express" ticket that allows you to avoid all lines, but it costs an unbelievable USD 47.50, whereas the standard fare is "just"  USD 25. So book online and get there early;
• Provided that you are in NY strictly for sightseeing (and not shopping!) if you can cycle and have experience in riding in cities, I strongly recommend you get a bike. It is by far the best way to go around Manhattan and you can always find easy parking for it. There are some services that actually deliver the bike anywhere in NY (http://deliverabike.com/) and the prices are the best I have found: USD 30 per day or USD 80 for a week. They also pick the bikes up when the rental period is due. There are bike lanes in some avenues (they cut Manhattan vertically, so you can go North-South very easily) and going West-East is also possible using the streets, where the average speed is usually slower than in the avenues, and therefore more bike-friendly. Bikes are better than the subway because you don't have to wait and even when taking the subway, sometimes you have to walk quite a while to get to the specific place you need to. I don't know bikes are very good at night, but while there is daylight, it's the ultimate commuting way;
• There are bike lanes that border the Manhattan island and go almost entirely around it. So if in addition to commuting by bike you're also in for a pleasant ride, taking these bike paths is a great way to spend some quality time in NY;
• Museums: check online the operating times of museums before simply showing up at them. Some only operate in some days of the week, and most of them close at 5pm. But they open at different times, so in order to be sure, always check online first before spending time (and maybe money) and facing a closed door;
• It is possible to physically enter the FED building, located in the financial district. But you must book in advance though their website. They let you in their underground safe where they store over 17,000 tons of gold! It must be pretty nice to see this kind of stuff, but because I only found this out that one day before I came to NY, they were all booked and I couldn't get it. Use this website for booking your tour if you wish to go to the FED: http://www.newyorkfed.org/aboutthefed/visiting.html. Oh, did I mention that it is free? :)
• NY is a fairly noisy city, so if you need a quiet place to sleep, try to get rooms not facing the streets or the highest possible in the building. Or make sure your hotel has double layered windows;

That's it for now. If I find out more things that are worth writing, I'll update this post.

Cheers! And enjoy this fabulous city!

First impressions about New York

So last night I had been in NY for only 30 minutes and I tweeted that, from what I had seen that far, NY would be my favorite city in America before week's end. It turned out that it did not take a week in order for me to be certain about it. I have spent the past 8 hours today walking a part of the Manhattan area, and I can already say that this is my favorite city in the US and I will describe some of the things that led me to this opinion.

First of all I walked out this morning without many expectations of doing special things. I went out just to take a quick look around and see what the city looked like during the day. In a few minutes I was at Times Square, and at first I wanted to spend no more than 5 minutes there in total - that included taking pictures, having a juice and moving on! But when I got there, the atmosphere just felt so good, there were so many people and so many casual events were going on - all at the same time - that I ended up staying there for about 2 or 3 hours: people watching, having the famous NY hot dogs, watching some soccer matches (yes, they were playing soccer in a small court in Times Square!), Starbucking and finally purchasing a ticket for my first Broadway musical.

I then moved on, and went on walking some of the streets and avenues whose numbers I obviously can't recall. I passed through the Rockefeller Center, the 5th Avenue, made a quick stop at Apple's cube store right next to the Central Park and even went into the Trump tower. Again, nothing too special, but it was all fun, casual and convenient, and this is exactly what I was looking for this first day!

Then time came to go watch the Broadway musical: Chicago. It was really interesting, and the actors were just so talented that it made me want more, so perhaps tomorrow I will see Jersey Boys!

It was then dinner time, and I headed to Chinatown, to a specific restaurant (Joe's Shanghai) a friend from California (Lawrence) had recommended me. Arriving in Chinatown, for a few minutes I felt like I was in downtown Hong Kong or Singapore! It is just so much diversity! I must have heard about 10 languages I had no idea what they were! So I waited about 15 minutes and got a table inside. They put me on one of those round tables surrounded by other strangers who had just walked in as well, and we began ordering our food. At a certain stage of the occasion, the lady next to me asked me if I wanted to try some of their dished, as they had ordered A LOT of food (5 dishes for 4 people, and I can tell you that 1 dish serves 2 people WITHOUT a problem). I refused, not as much because I had any reservations with eating from strangers' dishes, but, because I had almost finished my own dish, and as I said one serves two hungry folks! We then went on talking about where we were from, what we did, and I ended up talking with the whole family! In the end, they told me that their ancestors were from Laos, and that, in addition to the English that we were all speaking, they also spoke Mong (geez, I didn't even know that existed!). I then took the subway back to my hotel, where I now write this post.

So, here is a short list of things I observed during the first day in NYC:

The "Good" for me:

• A lot of diversity;
• Big city, so a lot of services and stores;
• The available stores are open on Sundays (compared to, for example, Germany, where on Sundays everything is CLOSED!) and as late as 9 or 10 pm;
• Somewhat bike-friendly: because the city is mostly flat, it's possible to ride through the streets, and some even got bike lanes;
• Good subway coverage: one can go to most of the relevant places with it, at a reasonable cost (USD 30 for 7 days, or 2.5 per trip);
• The weather: even now in summer, the temperatures were tolerable (26 deg C) and humidity not very high. Comparing to DC, NY feels a lot better;

The "Bad" for me:

• The subway looks VERY old and is VERY dirty. I saw rats the size of my forearm on the tracks, and the stations have leaks and some smell bad;
• The pavement on the streets are very BADLY maintained, so it reminds me a bit the streets of my hometown Sao Paulo: irregular and bumpy;
• All services cost a lot of money: a dinner that I could have had for USD 9 in Washington DC I shed USD 30 for;
• City is dirty in general: when compared to DC or any mid-sized city in Germany, NY is not one of the cleanest I've seen;

Well, so that's it for now. If I have other thoughts or discoveries on the following days, perhaps I will publish them on my blog again!

Thanks - if anyone reached this far.