I love the Lunar New Year with all its pageantry, parades, fireworks and crackers and especially the food. I spend most of my time running around Chinatown in Manhattan before the holidays began, where most of the main celebrations take place but now travel to museums to enjoy the festivities they sponsor for the holidays.
I start the holidays at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (or as I say my second home in New York City) for their celebration for the ‘Year of the Horse’
Touring the Asian Galleries on the second floor for the ‘Year of the Horse’ celebration
The Met had created a display of all sorts of objects in the Asian Wing of the museum for the holidays. So there many horse themed pieces on display in the cases includes a series of zodiac figurines.
Some of the ancient horse artwork in the Asian Wing
Some of the artwork is so beautiful
The Scroll Room with the paper artworks. The collection is very extensive
The Chinese Shine tucked back in one of the galleries with its unusual stonework
Some of the statuary and stoneworks in the entrance gallery of the Asian Wing
The ancient stonework in the main gallery
The last event of the day in the American Wing was the Peter Lin Ensemble, who had played at the museum last year. The band was wonderful and played all sorts of jazz hits from all over the world.
The Peter Lin Jazz Ensemble
Video of Jazz tunes:
Video of Jazz tunes:
Mr. Lin then talked about the history of his group and introduced them to the audience.
After the break, the group performed more songs
Video of popular Asian jazz tune:
At the end of the afternoon, I stopped in the lobby at the gift shop. The Grand Hall was beautifully decorated with cherry blossoms.
The cherry blossoms in the Grand Hall on the first floor
The cherry blossoms decorated the urns around the Grand Hall
The weather that night was an unbearable 10 degrees and after all that touring in the Asian galleries, I needed some dumplings. So I took the Q subway and back downtown to North Dumpling at 21 Division Street in Chinatown.
The food had been so good the week before, I had to go back and try the fried dumplings. Even in the cold, it was well worth the trip to Chinatown. The food here is delicious and so reasonable. I can see why it is winning instant popularity.
The Spring Rolls are the perfect way to end the meal
After dinner, even though it was freezing cold, I had to try a soft serve cone at Mixue, a Chinese dessert chain that just opened on Canal Street. At $1.99 for a cone you can’t get a better deal than that. The Vanilla ice cream is really good even on that freezing night.
I had to head home as the temperature dropped to 12 degrees. It had not been this cold in many years during the New Year celebrations.
The next day I visited the Newark Museum in Downtown Newark for the start of their activities with a performance of Korean dance. It was already over by the time I got there but they had a sampling of popular Korean foods and the door was excellent.
I went into the main hall as the entertainment was ending and everyone was taking pictures. I loved the outfits everyone was wearing.
The main hall of the museum just after the festivities
A sampling of Korean dishes including Korean Fried Chicken, Noodles, Dumplings and Shushi
I had to go back for seconds the food was so good
I toured around the museum but most of the galleries closed early that afternoon. It was a nice afternoon of just walking around the open galleries on the first floor.
The exhibition of art by local Korean artists in the hallway off the museum’s main hall court
I unfortunately could not go in for the parade this year plus the weather was not the best to stand around and watch other parade goers freeze. The year before it down poured making two years of not the best conditions to attend the parade. On TV I did notice a nice sized crowd.
I managed to get to Chinatown after the parade and have dinner. Chinatown is becoming unrecognizable as many of the grocery stores and restaurants have closed to the change in rents and many of the old tenement buildings are being knocked down for luxury condos. I have never seen so many changes.
Chinatown in the afternoon
While Mott Street, like Mulberry Street, keeps up appearances for the tourists, the rest of the neighborhood is under gentrification. I have watched one business after another close including groceries and take out spots. I can see a lot of changes coming over the next five years.
As the snow storms peaked and did it snow this year with 18 inches coming after the holiday, the weather gave way to two 75 degree days during my Spring Break and hopefully warmer weather in the coming months. Spring is on its way.
Who says there’s nothing to do in the cold months? It all depends on how much you want to bundle up and enjoy the outdoors.
The last weekend of the ‘Monet & Venice’ showing at the Brooklyn Museum brought me out to Brooklyn on a sunny but chilly Saturday afternoon recently. I knew there would be crowds at the Brooklyn Museum as everyone was probably thinking of doing the same (at the end of the visit I found this to be true) so I got to the museum by noon and got tickets to the first slot open at 2:30pm.
Since I had a couple of hours until my tour of the exhibit, I decided to tour the Brooklyn Botanic Garden next door. There were no walking tours that day and the gardens were under a foot of snow from the recent storm. There was a quiet beauty of all the snow and the way it fell and shined in the sun all over the gardens. There were no lines or crowds (like the recent lightshow a few weeks earlier), so I had the gardens pretty much to myself.
The first stop on my walk was the Japanese Gardens, which has I had visited recently for the lightshow and experienced the fantastic musical display. The pond now sat under snow and ice and still it was impressive looking.
Walking through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden next to the Japanese Gardens
The Japanese Gardens in the early afternoon
The inside of the Japanese Gardens in the middle of winter. It was such a spectacular view of the pond.
The beauty of the snow covered pool
Another view of the Garden
I never realized how beautiful the Japanese Gardens were in the winter. The sun shines so nicely on the snow covered trees. It was just as beautiful snow covered as it is in the Spring and Summer when the garden is in full bloom.
The fountain in the Shakespeare Garden
I then walked through the entire gardens stopping in various gardens to see what they looked like topped with snow. My first stop was the Shakespeare Gardens and I marveled at the elegance of the snow covered fountain I like so much in the Spring. The variety of the colors of this garden are waiting just under the snow for the warmer months.
The view of the snow covered gardens
I then walked around the paths to the back of the gardens along the watershed lawns that were under a foot of snow and still impressive.
Daffodil Hill in the winter. In two months this will be covered by hundreds of brightly colored daffodils
The Magnolia tree court and sun dial
In the Spring, this is my favorite part of the garden with the hues of pinks and whites of the Magnolia trees and the yellows of the daffodils.
My favorite fountain just off the Magnolia Court on the stairs leading to the Lotus polls
The snow covered fountains by the Lotus pools
The snow covered Lotus pools shined in the sun
I then got out of the cold weather and entered into the warmth of the Tropical Garden Collection. This series of gallery of plants is a series of greenhouses at various degrees of temperatures that display a series of themed gardens. They don’t just display plants but also keep you warm in a cold day.
The indoor tropical gardens
The Tropical Garden collection
The first room I visited wasabi the Bonsai Museum room. The temperature controlled room was perfect for a stroll.
The Bonsai museum
These beautiful tiny well pruned trees lined the tables with their elegance and been so well maintained.
The Bonsai trees lining the tables in the galleries
The beautiful bonsai
The flowering bonsai
The beautifully shaped bonsai
The Cherry blossom bonsai in the middle of the winter
The other trees in the gallery
The video tour of one side of the Bonsai Gallery:
The video tour of one side the Bonsai Gallery:
My video of the gallery tour
The Tropical Room
The tropical room
I then toured the Tropical Garden collection with its series of flowering plants and palms. It was so nice and warm inside and a break from the cool temperatures outside.
A video tour of the Tropical Gallery:
The walk is amazing
The Tropical Room
Colorful tropical flowers line the walkway in the dead of winter
The blooming Lotus
The real White Lotus
I then walked through the second tropical room in the rain forest and there were more beautiful plants to see and experience. There was a wedding garden shoot going on so I was not able to tour the complex.
The flowering tiers of plants in the Tropical room
The flowering plants in the Tropical gallery
The beautiful violets
I then began the tour of the Desert Gallery and the beauty and warmth of the room made me very happy.
The Birds of Paradise in bloom
Along the walls of the gallery, more flowering plants were placed.
Flowers in bloom in the winter
The climate controlled Desert collection was filled with cactus and other plantings the defied the weather. They have a pretty extensive collection of desert flowers and cactus in the room.
The Desert Collection gallery
The flowering cactus family
Walking back through the rainforest
Walking back through the Desert Gallery before exiting to tour the snow covered gardens
Video tour of the Desert Gallery:
There was still a foot of snow on the ground when I visited the gardens that day, which did not make it popular with people wanting to visit the gardens but I found a quiet elegance in just walking the paths and admiring the snow covered plantings. It was like they were waiting to awake again in the near future.
I walked through the gardens which while under a blanket of snow still offered the most beautiful views. I was one of the few people walking through the gardens that afternoon so it was quiet and you could just enjoy watching nature.
Walking past the Children’s Garden in the Winter
Walking over the bridge in the Watershed lawn
I saw this little squirrel holding on to the tree looking cold
The geese feeding on the Watershed lawn
The Cherry Blossom lawn in the winter
The Rose Garden Fountain in the winter
Walking through the Cherry Blossom lawn
Walking back through the Magnolia garden
Taking one last walk around the Lotus Pools
Before I left the gardens that afternoon, I stopped in the Gift Shop for some warmth and see the items they were carrying. They have such beautiful selection of flowers and gifts and the perfect place to warm up on a cold day. Everything is so colorfully displayed.
The Gift Shop at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Everything was in full bloom and really colorful
Everything was so beautifully displayed here
Before I left for the Brooklyn Museum to start my 2:30 pm tour, I stopped at one of my favorite sandwich shops down the road from the museum, Bahn Mai Place at 824b Washington Avenue for lunch. I love their sandwiches and drinks.
I ordinarily try a restaurant a few times before I recommend it for my dining website, DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com, but I had the most amazing sandwich for dinner a few years ago and I had to share this place with the world.
There are also all sorts of rice dishes on the menu, Pho (soups) and salads on the menu as well most priced around $10.00. On the Beverage menu, there is a selection of Hot, Iced and Milk drinks to choose from as well as a selection of Bubble teas and smoothies.
One sandwich I can recommend on a cold day is the Grilled Chicken Banh Mai. I had the sandwich with a mild hot sauce on a cold wintery day. The warm bun and crunchy fresh vegetables with the spicy sauce really warmed me up on a cold afternoon in Brooklyn.
The Grilled Chicken Bahn Mi with a mild spicy sauce
The grilled chicken with fresh veggies
The mild spicy sauce really brings out the flavor of the grilled meat. With a little plumb and chili sauces, it really brings out the flavor of the sandwich.
The chicken was spicy and moist
It was the perfect lunch
The service was very quick and very friendly. The woman who made my sandwich pushed my order ahead of someone else’s who ordered the same thing as me so I could be on my way which I thought was very nice of her.
After lunch, it was off to the Brooklyn Museum and the tour of the ‘Monet & Venice’ exhibition. I was so lucky that I got to the museum early and got the tickets. The show was completely sold out by the time I left.
The museum was seriously packed that afternoon, not just for the show but all over the museum. I have been coming here for over twenty years and I had never seen it so packed. Every floor was filled with people.
Claude Monet once claimed that Venice was “too beautiful to be painted,” a challenge he embraced by creating an extraordinary sequence of works depicting the Italian city. Monet and Venice is the first exhibition to focus on Monet’s luminous Venetian paintings—a radiant yet underexplored chapter in the artist’s late career—since their debut in 1912 (Brooklyn Museum website).
New York’s largest museum show dedicated to Monet in over 25 years, the exhibition features more than 100 artworks, books, and ephemera. Two masterpieces, the Brooklyn Museum’s own Palazzo Ducale and The Grand Canal, Venice from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, are presented alongside selections from throughout Monet’s career—including 19 of his Venetian paintings (Brooklyn Museum website).
The artist’s singular vision of Venice is also set in dialogue with portrayals of the city by renowned artists such as Canaletto, Paul Signac, John Singer Sargent, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Where others focused on Venice’s busy streets and canals, Monet’s interpretation is hauntingly devoid of human presence. Instead, he captures the interplay of architecture with color and light, enveloping viewers in the city’s distinctive atmosphere. Sonic installations by Niles Luther, the Museum’s composer in residence, and other immersive elements will further transport you to this fabled place (Brooklyn Museum website).
Walking through the galleries admiring the art
These were some of my favorite pieces from the show. These also were a favorite of Monet himself to the City of Venice.
The paintings of the Grand Canal
The views along the coastline of Italy
One of Monet’s famous ‘Water Lilly’ collection
Views from the Grand Canal
Walking around the gallery
Another view of the Grand Canal
I could not believe how packed the exhibition got behind me as I double backed through the gallery on the way out. Not only did the crowds grow in the exhibition but the line outside the exhibition was over a hundred deep and wrapped around three galleries on the Fifth Floor. It was so busy on the floor, I decided to walk around other exhibitions.
My favorite painting in the American Wing of the Mountain House Hotel in the Catskills
Then I walked down to the Middle Eastern Wing with the Assyrian and Egyptian Art, one of personal favorites in the museum. Unlike the Met, the Egyptian Wing of the museum is not overwhelming and is easier to view as the exhibits are not as packed with artifacts.
I started first admiring the Assyrian panels of the genies gracing the walls of the famous palace. It blows my mind that these are almost over a thousand years old.
The panels of genies along the walls of the old palace
The panels of genies along the walls
The different versions of genies along the walks
I have been visiting the Egyptian Wing of the museum since I attended the opening of the renovation with my father over a decade ago. It has an iconic entrance to the wing of the museum.
The entrance to the Egyptian Wing of the Brooklyn Museum
Walking through the Egyptian Galleries
Admiring the art on the wall
Walking through the Mummy display
The details on the Mummy coffin
Finishing the tour of the Egyptian galleries
I had a nice time at both the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and at the Brooklyn Museum. There is more than enough to see and do at both cultural locations in the heart of Brooklyn.
It was a wonderful walk around neighborhood and even with all the snow on the ground, it was easy to maneuver around the sidewalks and streets. The snow may have covered the ground but was a backdrop for the beauty that it displayed. The recent storm did not keep us inside but brought us outside to see how it looked and enjoy its beauty.
There are a lot of standout bakeries in Chinatown Manhattan that offer a nice selection of baked goods and hot foods at a very reasonable price and Happy Star bakery is one of them. Not only do they have a nice selection of breakfast foods in the morning catering to the large crowd that works around here but an excellent selection of Chinese pastries, buns and twists that are available all day. What is also nice is that the nothing is over $5.00 and you can have a nice meal for under $10.00.
What is also nice about the bakery is that it is right across the street from Seward Park so that after you get your order, you can walk across the park and eat…
I have been visiting Yue Lai Bakery for many years but recently I have been exploring the outskirts of Chinatown for my blog, ‘MywalkinManhattan.com’ and started to revisit it again. I know that Chinatown is loaded with little bakeries all over the place, but Yue Lai Bakery really stands out for selection, quality and display of their products. Their pastries are always so nicely displayed.
The pork buns are wonderful
What I enjoy is the quality and the selection of their baked goods. There are always a lot of interesting buns and twists to order here. I used to come in for their Baked Pork Buns ($1.50) but the last three times I was in they were sold out. So, I ordered…
There are times you find those little ‘hole in the wall’ restaurants that just standout because of the quality of their food and their prices that make them affordable to everyone. King Dumpling at 74 Hester Street is one of them. Everything that I have tried there has been excellent and the portion sizes are very fair.
I had watched one of the “Cheap Chinatown Eats” videos from the Fung Brothers and they had mentioned the restaurant as a great place to get dumplings (one of my favorite things) and that they were only $3.00 for ten. I had to try it and have to say that it lives up to its reputation.
China North Dumpling was another great spot that I have been wanting to try for a long time and finally got over to this part of the neighborhood to sample their dumplings.
I have to admit that the place is tiny and I mean small. This is more of a take out place even though it has a counter and two tables to eat at there are boxes all over the place and there is not much room to walk around. I have managed on my trips here to eat my lunch at the counter without anyone bumping into me.
The dumplings here are fresh and are literally made right in front of you. The ladies are rolling fresh dough and filling…
There are times that I just stumble upon a really good restaurant by accident. I found Big Bowls/Little Plates on my Dining program with Mileage Plus and once I tried it I have been coming back ever since. The food and service are just excellent and the atmosphere is downtown ‘hip’.
For a small restaurant in downtown Rutherford, NJ it is so interesting in it’s decor. The use of the exposed brick walls, the Christmas lights on the ceiling and the wooden tables gives it a ‘City Vibe’ with a contemporary twist. The tables are larger made to share the space but in the era of COVID we are kept apart. While most of the orders when I was there both times were take out, it is more fun to…
I came across Stick to my Pot Potstickers, a little hole in the wall in the Garment District, when I found it on my Mileage Plus Dining club. I must have passed it hundreds of times without noticing it but in the last week I have come twice. I have been very impressed by the quality of the food and the service.
The restaurant logo is so pleasant
What is also nice is the prices are very reasonable and the portion sizes are very fair. It is nice to be able to eat inside again since they lifted the dining rules in New York City. The restaurant has a long bar instead of tables and they keep all the customers socially distanced…
In honor of Small Business Saturday, I am featuring wonderful reasonable restaurants in New York City. Don’t miss the Roast Pork and Cream buns at this Garment District gem.
I discovered New Li Yuan (Fu Xing) one day after passing it a million times on my way up Seventh Avenue. The restaurant caters mostly to the workers from the surrounding ( and what’s left of) the Garment District. It’s a restaurant that is Chinese for the Chinese workers. Over the last couple of months that I have been eating there, I have noticed that the customers have been diversifying. I see a lot of the young workers from the office buildings near by venturing in for take out and are in search of a reasonable meal.
The front counter is made up of a large steam table loaded with all sorts of entrée items with white rice and noodles available. It is diverse amount dishes including chopped pork…
This amazing little hole in the wall restaurant is a the perfect retreat when visiting the Upper East Side shopping district or fighting the crowds at Bloomingdale’s. Like most of the non-descript Chinese restaurants that line the streets and avenues of Manhattan, Asian 59 stands out for its very friendly service, reasonable prices and excellent food.
When I was finishing my blog on walking the Upper East Side for my other blog, “MywalkinManhattan”, I had passed this restaurant several times and saw that it was very busy at lunch time and thought that last day in the neighborhood I would try it. I was very happy with the whole experience.
The first time I ate at Asian 59 was for lunch. Their lunch specials are extremely reasonable…
mywalkinmanhattan 