The New York City Traveler

One of my all-time favorite stores in Manhattan has to be Pearl River Mart.  All of the silk robes and lacquerware remind me of my trips to Hong Kong and the endless rows of shopping finds at Stanley Market.
Pearl River Mart was founded by Chinese immigrants over thirty years ago and was branded the first Chinese-American department store.  It was popularized as a second-floor store on Canal Street in the heart of Chinatown.  My first trip to the original Pearl River Mart was very memorable.  There were plates and bowls stacked from the floor to the ceiling, boxes of …read more

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Because it’s a 24 hour-a-day city.  You want Cambodian food at 3am on a Sunday?  No problem. 
Because there are four very distinct seasons.
Because our fine drinking establishments are open until 4am.
Because New Yorkers are actually quite helpful and polite.  Really!
Because of the great public transportation system.  And if you disagree, just go spend any amount of time in Los Angeles.
Because you can buy anything.  Which may not always be a good thing, but we’ll focus on the positive!
Because while we have our fare share of celebrities, most of the paparazzi-obsessed celebs stay in L.A.
Because of Yolanda Vega.  Or, shall I …read more

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I think it was Sex and the City that made the world think that New Yorkers walk down the street “Carrie Bradshaw-style” in 4″ Manolo Blahnik stilettos, leg warmers, and use giant flowers as fashion accessories.  I say that because one of the questions I field most often is “I want to look hip so what do I wear when I’m in New York.”  My usual answer: Black.  However, every often I see a fashion trend that is on everybody in the city.  The latest trend: Rubber Boots. 
I was walking down Broadway in Soho yesterday and noticed that tons …read more

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I am always up for adventure in my life. Cliff diving in Mexico, swimming with sharks in Thailand, taking a shoddy ferry across a very turbulent Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco, and so many more questionable things that I shouldn’t share because my mother reads this site. Last week I decided to let my adventurous streak continue and forgo the Delta Shuttle and the high-speed Amtrak and instead hop the the well-known Chinatown bus from New York to Boston.
Fung Wah Transportation Inc. is the original Chinatown bus service. Founded in 1997, Fung Wah was …read more

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A few years ago, while I was on an extended vacation in Spain, I fell in love.  It was late, I was in a bar on my second glass of wine.  No, it wasn’t a Spanish bullfighter that I fell in love with, but rather, flamenco.
Everything about flamenco is completely and delightfully unexpected.  My fellow bar patrons moved a few tables out of the way and the place lit up with energy as hands started clapping, guitars strumming, and feet stomping while a flamenco dancer and her musicians gave an impromptu performance.  There was something about the way …read more

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This Saturday you can relive one of your own childhood memories while introducing your children to French cinema.  A newly restored version the 1956 classic short The Red Balloon (Le Ballon Rouge) will be screened by the French Institute. 
The Red Balloon is a story about friendship and loss that features a boy, Pascal, who has an encounter with a red balloon that subsequently leads him on a journey through Paris.  The movie run time is 36 minutes and is in French but has very limited dialogue.  Games and activities inspired by the movie will follow the screening. 
Location:  …read more

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This morning I gathered up all of my tax information and found that I can expect a paltry tax return from the US government. But it got me thinking about the average salaries of workers in the New York City area. Here is an interesting comparison:
Everybody comes to New York City to be an actor. Many years ago, after seeing Chicago even I wanted to be a star on Broadway. I’m sure my mother is happy that I abandoned that dream. Not everybody makes $35,000 per week like Julia Roberts did for her performances in …read more

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Chinese Lunar New Year is fast approaching and there is no better place (outside of Asia, of course) to celebrate the Year of the Rat!  New York City’s vibrant Asian population means there will be plenty of New Year’s celebrations to be enjoyed by all! 
Lunar New Year Flower Market | Sunday, Feb 3, 12-5pm and Monday, Feb 4, 2-8pm   Flowers are a symbol of good fortune in the New Year.  This flower market sells all of the traditional flowers of Chinese New Year such as chrysanthemums, orange blossoms, and narcissus.  Columbus Park on Mulberry Street (map).  Click here …read more

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On Sunday, Feb 3rd there will be a battle in Arizona as our New York Giants take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. If you aren’t counted among the chosen few who are able to attend the game in person (and enjoy the 70 degree temperatures) there are plenty of great bars in New York City to catch all the action.
Midtown

Times Square’s ESPN Zone (map) is like the Disneyland of sports bars. It boasts over 80 HDTVs, 42,000 square feet of restaurant and bar space, and televisions in the bathrooms– in fact last time I …read more

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It was a very sad day in 2004 when I canceled HBO.  But I had to do it, after Sex and the City ended there was no longer a reason to watch the pricey premium channel. 
From 1998 until 2004, Sex and the City ruled the cable airwaves.  Suddenly everyone from the Midwest housewife to the Texas oil princess was sipping a Cosmopolitan while wearing their Jimmy Choo shoes.  Where else could we commiserate about the apparent lack of sane, date-worthy men and contemplate the insane possibility of breaking up via Post-It note?  
Last time we left them, four long …read more

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