Happy Weekend! Head to the Chinese New Year parade, or to the movies! Plus a beer lover’s dream. Lots to do in NYC!
Tag Archives: chinatown
TIME TO CELEBAAAARATE! 2-19-15
Happy Chinese New Year! The Year of the Goat begins today– celebrate with fireworks! Plus, some fab family fun ideas and a great dinner pick for you.
Yank Sing Delivers Dim Sum on the Ritz
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If the hustle and the bustle of Chinatown’s to-go only dim sum spots makes you feel “lost in translation,” but you still have a taste for the Orient, Yank Sing might be just the thing. One of only five restaurants designated “an American classic” with a 2009 James Beard Foundation award — the Oscars of the culinary world — this delightful dining spot is the definitive dim sum house.
With unflinching, rapid-fire servings of an exceptional variety of fried and steamed small plates wheeled around in carefully choreographed carts, your only worry will be to know when to stop. Luckily, you can get comfortable sitting back to overeat and taste your terrific tea at a luxe table dressed in white linens — a far cry from the flickering overhead lights and suspended poultry of Stockton Street. Better yet, with prime locations in both the Embarcadero and the Financial District, your hotel suite or business meeting may be just a hobble, skip or jump away.
The Citi Center is Boston’s Center Stage
If you’re looking to check out a show while in town, chances are you’ll be heading over to the Wang Theatre where Louis XVI’s opulence and the Roaring Twenties come together at the Citi Performing Arts Center. Formerly known as the Wang Center, the 3,600-seat venue hosts a variety of theatrical performances from comedy shows and theater performances to dance productions and the famed Nutcracker ballet.
The center opened in 1925 and today boasts one of the five largest stages in the country. The theater has seen numerous performances, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Riverdance, The Kirov Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Whitney Houston, Harry Connick Jr., Dave Matthews, Lady Gaga, Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera.
While many guests choose to dress up for their special night out on the town, others can also be seen wearing more casual attire. Because there is no specific dress required here, you could see everything ranging from evening gowns to jeans. There are several parking lots located adjacent to and across the street making it easy to get in and out of after a performance.
Movies & Music for Thousands at Trocadero Theatre
This rockin’, spacious venue is located in Chinatown, but doesn’t feel a thing like Beijing. Occupying an old burlesque house where W.C. Fields and Mae West once performed, the Trocadero Theatre gives the vibe of a 40’s pin-up loun
ge while playing host to up to 1,200 people!
Past acts include Phoenix, the Scissor Sisters, and the French Kicks and now it hosts the best bands in independent music. With grand mirrors, pillars, balconies, and exquisite moldings, the old flavor of the place still remains for the trendy, young, hipster crowd.
With a venue so big, the Trocadero Theatre has tons of options from comedy acts to indie bands. Kick back with friends on Movie Monday and watch popular films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Office Space, and Fight Club. Arrive before 7 for your personal bag of popcorn and brew on the house.
Touring the Romantic Way: 76 Carriage Company
Visitors of Philadelphia can see all the sites through the Philadelphia Trolley Works and the 76 Carriage Company, but for those looking to get away from the tourists and for a more private- and romantic- trip, try the latter with old-fashioned carriage rides. Tours are written and delivered by real Philadelphians, so you get the entire local flavor. See the Museum District, the Liberty Bell, Old City, Society Hill, Avenue of the Arts, Antique Row, Chinatown, the PA Convention Center, South Street, Penn’s Landing and much, much more in the Victorian style trolleys. Your Philadelphia pass is good all day long. You can get on and off as many times as you choose at any of the conveniently located stops.
3. The Large, Extravagant Chinese New Year Fest & Parade Feb. 6–28
Having the largest Chinatown outside of Asia, it should come as no surprise San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Parade is one of the top ten parades in the world. As one of the few remaining night-illuminated parades in the country, the Chinese New Year Parade continues to entertain hundreds of thousands of people all over the U.S. each year. Gorgeous floats, lion dancers, extravagant costumes, acrobatics, ferocious lions, and exploding firecrackers, this elaborate parade has got it all – not to mention the newly crowned Miss Chinatown USA and her court.
The fun doesn’t stop there. There’s three weeks full of events for the Chinese New Year ranging from a flower fair to a basketball jamboree to the Miss Chinatown USA Pageant. Don’t miss the live music and a chance to get your name written in ancient Chinese calligraphy by an artisan at the street fair.
4. Lion Dancing & Firecrackers for the Chinese New Year Feb. 14
It’s the year of Tiger in 2010, which means that it’s going to be fiery year. Start it of with the New Year’s Day Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival- one of the few days a year you can legally set off firecrackers and rockets in Manhattan. Along with the amazing explosions will be lion dances, drumming, and giveaways/contests of traditional Chinese New Year items. After the Firecracker Ceremony, make sure to join in on the festival parade through the streets of Chinatown.
4. 111th Annual Golden Dragon Parade Feb. 20
Firecrackers will be cracking, dragons will be dancing, and bands will be marching in celebration of the Year of the Tiger. The Chinese New Year marks an important date in the Asian calendar and thus is a cause for some serious festivities. For its 111th year, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles will host The Golden Dragon Parade. Drawing over 110,000 people, this festival is one of the biggest and most impressive. The plethora of colors that make up the exquisite floats alone is eye candy. Hopefully the innumerable dragons lining the street will help bring good luck for the New Year.
Make sure to get to the parade early to hold your spot.
5. Special Tiger Celebration for Chinese New Year Feb. 21
Kung Fu demonstrations, lion dancers, elaborate costumes, Chinese dragons, gorgeous floats, and acrobatics are just a few things you would typically expect from the annual Chinese New Year Parade in D.C. But, this year the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce has something fresh and spectacular cooked up for the Lunar New Year.
According to Chinese Legend, this year is the Year of the Tiger, and people born in it will be physically powerful, gracious, independent, brave, and extremely bold people who are instilled with a great dose of courage. As a result, they are capable to achieve great goals. In celebration of this special year, a 5-story high firecracker will be lit off during the parade at 3:45 pm. Also, more than 4,000 red good-luck charms will be spread among the crowd during the parade.
W Hotel is Wicked Cool
Looking for the newest, coolest and hippest place to stay in Boston? The W Hotel has it all covered. From high tech modern amenities to a lively lobby “living room” that resembles a disco after dark, the W is already making a name for itself in the city.
The all glass hotel, located smack dab in the Theater District directly across the street from the Citi Performing Arts Center, opened in November with 123 private residences if you can’t resist the urge to ever leave. The rooms here are spacious and modern with floor to ceiling windows, flat screen TVs and a docking station for MP3 players.
The underground bar, Descent, is popular with a younger crowd, while an older crowd flocks to W Lounge where you can also play a board game or check your email with the free high speed Internet access.
Be sure to book a reservation early at the popular casual restaurant, Market, as there are often long waits. If you’re looking to work off the calories you put on last night, head over to the on-site fitness center Sweat, or relax with a massage at Bliss, New York’s hottest spa, which finally made its Boston debut.
Eat Your Way Through San Francisco on the Local Tastes of the City Tour
Cappuccinos are to North Beach as tea is to Chinatown. San Francisco is a city known for fresh ingredients and its cultural melting pot translating into the kitchen. Local Tastes of the City offers an experience to taste it all in the diverse foodie neighborhoods of North Beach/Little Italy and Chinatown.
The North Beach/Little Italy Tour is so much more than a food tour, it’s a cultural experience. Not only will you find freshly baked bread that will send your senses soaring, but also discover quaint shops with handmade ceramic trinkets, intricately woven baskets, quilts, and more; uncover hidden authentic Italian cathedrals; and experience first-hand the coffee roasting process in these small shops. Locals come here for the fresh food, but they stay for the culture.
You’ll think you stepped into Beijing, but don’t be fooled, it’s just Chinatown. The cuisine will enliven your senses with new flavors and aromas. See artisans practice their crafts in back alleyways that can’t be viewed from a double-decker bus, watch as chefs fold fortune cookies by hand, and view the unique architecture of building such as the Sing Chong Building and the Bank of Canton.
Travel deep into the essence of these neighborhoods by trying different foods and drinks from the best and most authentic bakeries, restaurants and cafes in town. These stops are not typical tourist spots, yet places that the locals go to shop and eat. Taste pastries and breads in Little Italy, dim sum and tea in Chinatown, and much more.