SINOTIQUE MOVES TO BKLYN

Jan Lee's Facebook status today was

Jan Lee well, it's official, in less than a week I will be closing Sinotique at the Mott St. location and moving it to DUMBO Brooklyn. a new and different Sinotique will reopen in my Brooklyn location at a later date My former space will be converted into an sales office for a health insurance company. Looking forward to having a single location for a change.

Seeing this, I had to email him. OMG, this is really sad. Times are tough in NYC and Chinatown has been hit especially hard.

Sinotique isn't just about the furniture they sell/rent. Jan Lee's family is one of the oldest in Chinatown. They have owned businesses and have been very active in the community.

Chinatown is changing. Businesses are dying out and my neighbors are moving. =(

*Jan was also part of my NPR segment on the effects of 9-11 on Chinatown*

We will miss Sinotique...

SINOTIQUE

19A MOTT STREET

NEW YORK NY 10013

DAN SAN

Yesterday night was all about the fine dining experience. At the end of the meal, they brought out a dessert that looked just like Dan San. (Dan San is a fried dough, coated in honey that they have been selling at Mei Lai Wah for years.)

My date saw me playing with my food. I examined the fancy plated pastry... and then took a bite. OMG it's dan san with a little sprinkled sugar.

Huge portions of dan san are available at Mei Lai Wah for about a dollar. Everything is a bargain in Chinatown. Sometimes I wonder why I venture outside!

CO-NAMING CEREMONY ANNOUNCEMENT

Special street co-naming ceremony for the late Dr. Thomas Tam, tomorrow, Friday, October 30, from 12PM to 1:30PM, at the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, 268 Canal Street, Chinatown. Be there!

MANHATTAN FLORIST & GIFTS

Flowers are good for lots of occasions. Chicks also definitely dig them!

Here at this small, cute shop on Bayard, they make impressive arrangements. They deliver their flowers and fruit baskets around the city.

Support Chinatown businesses by sending someone special flowers. You'll make someone happy while supporting the community. That's a double plus.

MANHATTAN FLORIST

87B BAYARD STREET

NEW YORK, NY 10013

212-385-10013

BRIDAL SHOWER CAKE

My friend Em is getting married. I made her this awesome sheet cake that serves 50 + ppl. Her favorite flavors are lychee, almond cookie and black sesame. YUM!

BBC RADIO

Christina spends Saturday night Co-Hosting the NYC LIVE hour.

CHINATOWN'S ICE CREAM QUEEN and LUMBER KING

(2nd generation Chinatown business owners chill in Chinatown. Arthur Mui is the owner of Chinatown Lumber)

MONDAY MADNESS IN CHINATOWN

A friend of mine had asked me to hang out after work. I close shop about 10 pm.

We met a bunch of Chinatown novices at Red Egg where we had a round of late night dim sum and lychee sakitinis. The night has just begun.

Chinatown is a late night city. The massage parlors don't close till the wee hours of the morning. The four of us went for an hour long foot massage at Foot and Back Heaven. The guys were impressed how great a foot massage could be. And at a mere $35 you can feel like you're on Cloud 9. While getting the massage, they chuckled reading the sign "Legitimate Service, and No Hanky Panky!"

Across the way was Doyers street. So I figured, why not go to Apotheke. My friends thought I was leading them through a deserted alleyway. Instead I showed them one of NYC's undercover bars. I like the speakeasy ambiance.

Then we ended the night at Whiskey Tavern. One of Robb's specialties here are the pickle shots. Don't ask questions! Just try it! They're yummy. Trust me.

OMG it's only Monday? What will the weekend be like in Chinatown?

Red Egg 202 - Centre Street

Foot and Back -Heaven 16 Pell Street

Apotheke -9 Doyers Street

Whiskey Tavern -79 Baxter Street