EPTJanuary 1st
Day 2
December 31 was a long day for both of us; we got up really early and didn’t get to sleep until quite late, and as a result, we decided to take this day a little on the slow side. Since it was New Year’s Day, and most stores were closed, we thought it was a good idea to take this day to tour the famous Chinatown and Little Italy. The weather was exceptionally nice on this day, not too cold, and not too warm.
We took the subway and switched one or two trains in the middle to get to Chinatown. I felt much belonged to be with so many Asians once again (as UW is known for its Chinese population). Here’s a picture of the Chinatown map:
![[image loading]](http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/1083/img0071in3.jpg)
Here are some pictures of Chinatown.
![[image loading]](http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/2935/img0072re3.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/3185/img0074kx7.jpg)
We walked around for a long time looking for a dim sum place, and we finally settled for a small restaurant that had a neon “Dim Sum” sign (later, we realized that there was one that was Zagat rated nearby). The place was dim and dirty and the service was worse than sub par, just like any Chinese restaurant found in Chinatown. I thought the food was decent at best, probably better than a lot of Dim Sum places in Toronto, but worse than the one in Kitchener that I frequented (Cameron’s Seafood Restaurant). There were strollers, and the variety was fairly large. The biggest plus of this restaurant was the price – much cheaper than dim sum in Canada.
We continued to walk around Chinatown and explored its narrowest alleys, and to our surprise, we found a Hagan Daaz store (operated by Chinese, and cash only). From there, I had the best ice cream I have ever tasted (although my GF strongly disagreed and persisted that Cold Stone was better) – Caramelized Pear. I have heard about this flavour when I was in Canada, but it was no where to be found, and it was most excellent.
It was around three o’clock when we decided to call it a day in Chinatown and we walked across SoHo for subway. Since there was still some time from then till dinner, we headed towards Central Park to kill some time. We took a bike ride (picture below) with a Bulgarian driver (or peddler, or w/e) who charged us $67 ($80 after tips) for a tour around the lower half of central park. We toured around the former largest carousel that was built to be turned by horses but later converted to use electricity, some fountain, “the largest ice rink in NY”, friend’s fountain and Strawberry Fields. It was a very informative tour, and we were introduced to various places that were used in famous movies such as Stewart Little, Elf, Spiderman, and much more. After Central Park, we went back to Time Warner Center and visited a variety of stores since it was open and enjoyed a star show (the stars change colours with Christmas music). Yorkdale has those stars as well, but it was much more elegantly done here in the States.
SoHo:
![[image loading]](http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/55/img0075oi2.jpg)
"Friends" Fountain
![[image loading]](http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/2145/img0080xi8.jpg)
Random park pictures:
![[image loading]](http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4576/img0078wz1.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4872/img0084uy7.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/8653/img0085vi1.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6905/img0088bt2.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/5453/img0093xq3.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/3619/img0096pe3.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/5350/img0115cc7.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/2681/img0118fn7.jpg)
After the star show, we finally headed towards Little Italy for some authentic (maybe) Italian food. Little Italy started as a huge block just like Chinatown (approximately the same size on most maps); however, it is currently reduced to only two streets. All Italian restaurants in that area had their menus outside, and if it was Zagat rated, it would proudly display its Zagat rating somewhere near its menu. We chose one that scored 23 on Zagat, and it was called Il Palazzo. I ordered veal parmesan and she ordered clam pasta. It turned out that my veal parmesan was very plain and regular, while her clam spaghetti was very flavourful and unique. After our main course, we had a very mediocre tiramisu as desert from the same place. Being unsatisfied with the dessert, we went to a café that had a sign that says “Best Cannoli in the World”. We were sold by the sign and purchased a $4.50 cannoli. Maybe because I’m not Italian and have not had enough cannolis in my life to admire the amazing taste of this expensive Italian cone, but it tasted really regular, and perhaps worse than the ones I used to get from a local Italian gourmet store (priced at $1.50 CAD).
![[image loading]](http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/6113/img0124xa5.jpg)
Overall, it was a good day, decent food, and a decent tour around the biggest man-made park.
I'll try to write about Day 3 tomorrow, it's about trip to Statue of Liberty, and double decker tour buses.
You should go for cupcakes at like Magnolia bakery or Buttercup, or one of the nice gourmet bakeries. A lot of the jewish bakeries aren't completely fresh, but they usually taste fine. Either that or ask around for a Japanese bakery, which are always pretty good. You could also get s'mores at Cosi's, even though it's a chain.
