Owing to its status of being arguably the center of the modern world, New York has become a true melting pot for cuisine; showcasing Michelin-star gastronomical masterpieces, world-famous restaurants, food trucks, and holes-in-the-wall from almost every culture on earth across its five boroughs. At the time of this trip (back in good ol' 2016), we had the opportunity to go on the Best of Brooklyn Food and Culture Tour, one of Tripadvisor's most highly-rated activities in NYC. * And apart from the fantastic dishes that we got to enjoy that day, we got a solid sightseeing tour of Brooklyn, NYC's most populous borough. A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale. * Our meeting point for that day's excursion started at the Cornelia Street Cafe in NYC's Greenwhich Village. Sadly, the cafe closed own at the end of 2018. * Once voted as one of the best places to listen to jazz music in the world, Cornelia Street Cafe had also been a popular stage for musicians, po...

When one thinks of the word "megacity", Singapore definitely comes to mind. No other city in Southeast Asia, maybe even the world, balances the skyline, technology, and infrastructure of the first world, with the intricacies of its multi-cultural inhabitants, as well as Singapore has. And all this happened.. only in the last 40 years!  * Hard to believe that this whole country was once just a swamp-filled jungle. Today, Singapore's world famous Merlion is the figurative "king of the jungle" and the country's most famous tourist attraction. A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale with additional photos post-pandemic. * Singapore's skyline is marvelous and a model for urban mega-city planning done right. * Marina Bay Sands reminds me of that early 2010's planking trend, but taken to an enormous scale as that "plank" has an infinity pool, restaurants and bars, and even an sky garden. * And despite having over 5 million ...