I haven't posted in awhile - the Internet in my building's been shut off for a few days now, for whatever reason. I'm pretty much counting down the days until I can move.
I stayed in New York for Thanksgiving, which ended up being pretty lonely, since all of my friends had either a) gone home to visit their families, or b) were busy entertaining their families. It left me a lot of time to work on my Chinese history report, and stumble around the New York Public Library.
On Thanksgiving proper I ended up going to Flushing, where I'd never been, and boy was I amazed. Flushing obviously has a significant Chinese and Korean population, because downtown I saw a ton of restaurants and cute little shops just like the ones I saw in Toronto two years ago.
I started off by hitting up Morning Glory and another stationary type shop. I tell you, the Sanrio store is fun - but when I walk into a space that's larger than my mom's house in Michigan. I was surprised - the Morning Glory store seemed to have more Sanrio items than Morning Glory items. I picked up a few things for myself and Alyssa before I headed down the road to the Flushing Mall.
The Flushing Mall was probably my favorite part. Right off of 39th Avenue, it was only a jump away from Main Street. The mall isn't like typical American malls - these stores catered to the Asian population. Inside were stationary, jewelry, makeup, homeware, and jewelry stores. One of them even carried Blythe! I ended up buying some bento accessories before heading out and picking up some tofu and rice before getting on the train home.
I think I'm going to get on the train and go there again this week, to explore a little more. Honestly, everytime I think I like Queens, I find something about it that makes me love it a little bit more. I can't wait to move there!
Today, not thinking that it was the day before Thanksgiving, I went shopping in Chinatown. My mom sent me some money this week, so I finally had money to start Christmas shopping. I've never gone overboard on gifts (well, I bought my mom a set of serving plates for $70 when I was 13... I still have no idea how I got the money), most of my presents consist of putting together packages of knick-knacks, useful items (like socks) and handmade items. In past years I've totally had to scramble - it's really hard to find things for cheap in little Michigan towns.
Chinatowns are basically like one big dollar store: it has a bunch of mass-produced crap that you don't know you need until you see it. I spent about $20 today and got Katie covered, something small for my mother and grandmother, and even some things for myself.
+ 3 "pashmina" scarves ($10)
+ 1 neko bank ($2)
+ 2 Hello Kitty coloring books ($1.50 each)
+ 1 sheet of stickers $2
+ 1 origami pad $3
+ 1 custard bun (60 cents)
+ all of the change in my coinpurse to a homeless man
I have a love/hate relationship with the New York City Chinatown. I think it mostly has to do with being spoiled by the Toronto, which is supremely better. The most in depth I've been in Chinatown is when Neal and I went last year and I fruitlessly kept searching for San-x items, and of course Canal Street, which for the most part annoys me with all of the knockoff handbags and the tourists who come to gawk at the residents. ("Look, Helen! It's someone who's not white!") But today I searched a little more thoroughly, and realized that the southern tip of Mott Street is the Chinatown I'd been searching for. Cute bakeries, stereotypical junk shops (yes, I do need eight different sizes of the same neko bank) and best of all, several stationary stores! I even found one that sold mostly Sanrio items, and even a few San-x, even if they were a bit overpriced.
Chinatown, you have not failed me!
Show us why you love the city you live in.
Submitted by meg.
Last week I told my mother how, in New York, everything can be delivered, including pot. Apparently, she didn't believe me until she read it in the Detroit Free Press.
Oh, the naivete of Michigan mothers.
New York City is a haven for yarn stores. Purl, located on Sullivan Street between Prince and Houston, definitely has the best atmosphere of any yarn store I've ever been to - with its tiny space with skeins lining the wall, it feels like stepping into a Rowan catalog. Although the cozy simplicity is to be expected - owner Joelle Haverson is the author of Last Minute Knitted Gifts. As a bonus, it's only a few doors away from the adorably yummy Once Upon a Tart.
If Purl wins for cutest locale, School Products definitely gets the prize for best bargains. On the third floor of 1201 Broadway (take the RW to 28th St), School Products reminds me of the farm-owned yarn stores in Michigan. When I went in this week, the staff was extremely friendly (we started chatting about apartments) and they had tables full of cashmere and merino priced in bulk, on cones. My favorite was their yak-merino blend for $3.75 an ounce - so soft!
If you don't need as much, they also sell a fair amount of brand name yarn - I saw some Koigu, Noro, and an entire wall of Karabella.
Now off to find a knitting group. Any suggestions?
As 7.1%, Michigan currently ties with Mississippi as the state with the highest unemployment rating in the nation.
And we never had a hurricane to contend with!
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Why?
Submitted by abcdefg81.
A two-bedroom, rent-stablized apartment in Alphabet City. It'd have giant windows overlooking Thompkins Square Park. My landlord would let me have a cat, and maybe even eventually a dog. It'd have a bike rack out front. A large (for New York) kitchen. It would be cozy in the winter and cool in the summer. One of the windows would lead to the roof of the building next door, so I could create a little patio. Oh, and it'd have a fireplace.
