Chinatown

So a week ago I told the boys they could play hoockie today and we'd go down to Chinatown before the Chinese New Year (CNY) to pick up decorations.

So what if it snowed inches last night and the city is closed down, damn it, we can take the subway. We needed to get out, its snowing but not terribly cold, they didn't want to sled and I was close to killing the hubby. So yes, to Chinatown we went.

There was NO ONE on the street. most of the tacky tourist shops were closed. It was WEIRD.
But the boys love dumplings, so we went to the Dumpling House. Not usually our stop as it is straight up from city hall and usual has a line. Well, now I know why, the dumplings were unbelievably good! We ate three orders, and order of pancakes and the requisite order of noodles. The staff was plentiful, the diners few, so my boys enjoyed the attention. When they brought the food I told the boys to say 'thank you' in Chinese say 'Shi shi'. To which the little man responded; I only say 'ne how' (which is hello).

We went to a couple different shops to get our gear; wall hangings, Chinese lanterns, stuff for our hall, their room, my desk, around the house. The shop loved having the boys and kept explaining everything was for CNY. I was really trying to make sure we bought the right signs, you know, 'love, happiness, health, money', but they told me 'all good'. Which in turn told me their teenage son who speaks English decided to sleep in or go sledding.

We made our annual pilgrimage to the Buddhist Temple. I like to go before the new year. We got there just as a 'service' was starting. chanting, bell ringing, gongs, etc. pretty engrossing even if we didn't understand what they were saying. we lit incense, donated a few bucks, and said a nice thought to Buddha which the Big Boy said "he looks like a girl".

The snow is now thick! I'm not sure we'll have school tomorrow, but at least we end the day right with Buddha.

Chinese New Year

Just to pick up where I left off last night.... I FEEL so much BETTER! There is snot, but there is no more migraine like pressure in the sinuses; such relief that I didn't even call the doctor this am! What an early night to bed and a good night sleep can do. Two more solid nights and I might even be well! Accordingly, I'm sneaking this post in during the 1 pm nap.

So last Sunday, February 8th, was the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations. After two weeks of teen to mid-20s degree weather in NYC, last Sunday the temperature rocketed to the mid 50s in the afternoon so we ran down to Chinatown to catch the dragon dances. In NYC the dragons were sponsored by different martial arts groups, and they danced from noon to 6 pm on the Chinatown streets that were closed to car traffic, and are rather athletic (in my opinion). It was great!

I love NY, but it always surprises me how I can be transported to another world via the subway. We took the boys down, and the streets were crowded/festive, but there were few Caucasian families running around. Even with a celebration this big, DS1 was the only blond I saw on the scene.

There were drummers with each dragon. For the most part the drums were in little hand-push wagons and the drummers walked along side them. The dragons were only 2-5 people long, but they went through the crowds, up and down stoops, and in and out of shops, chasing away last year's bad luck and welcoming a fresh new year. DS2 loves music and a good beat. While he was up on my shoulders, as a best viewing spot, I could feel him wiggling his hips, waving his arms and clapping his hands along with the drums.

The shops were selling little rocket launchers full of confetti. I'm pretty sure this is illegal in NY, but the police have a way of looking the other direction for festive traditions. There were tons of these little rocket launchers being shot, and confetti on the ground everywhere. There is just something about confetti which is so festive. It brings out my "inner child".

After touring the area once, we stopped at one centrally located restaurant. It was really the only place where I saw other Caucasian families, but that definitely wasn't the reason we chose it. It had fish, crabs, els and other water creatures in tanks up front. The boys loved this, but didn't really get the concept that they were there to be eaten. The host was surprised that DS1 ordered dumplings and BBQ chicken strips, but was even more surprised when we had to put in a second order of each because the food was quite spectacular.

I'm sure I've said it before, but I really love Chinese New Year. It is awesome celebration of bringing great hope to the new year, with family, friends and a lot of noise. I like that it just dismisses last year as something that has passed, but is now done. On to a New Year!