This weekend was the best! No, it was awesome! No, it was magical! Saturday I decided to conquer Chinatown during the first snow storm of the city. Yeah, I knew the storm was gonna hit. But I'm not afraid of snow and wasn't going to hibernate. It was a change of pace since I had a partner for my journey today. My dear friend Jason decided to brave the elements along with me. Watch out Chinatown! I already had my mind made up that I was going to check out the Chinese Supermarkets on Elizabeth Street. So that's where we headed first. Chinatown wasn't too crowded since everyone was anticipating the storm. This turned out to be a plus for us because we didn't have to push through massive crowds. 
Our first stop was Po Wing Supermarket. Wow!!The smells and colors and unfamiliar words and symbols came at me all at once. I headed straight for the tea section as I was on a quest to find some authentic Chinese loose leaf tea. I found some gunpowder tea which are leaves that have been rolled up into little pellets. It was great spotting all the "odd" items like jellyfish snacks (actual jellyfish), prawn chips, and my favorite find, White Dragon Balls anyone?? Still don't know what that stuff was. LOL!
We also checked out Hong Kong Supermarket. I was immediately drawn to the fresh fish section. And when I say fresh, I mean fresh. Underneath the counter of high quality cuts of bass, whole perch and salmon, there were HUGE live bass swimming around staring at us. They must've been thinking NO!! I don't wanna be next! I felt kinda bad for them, but I was sure they would taste delicious cooked with some onions and veggies(evil laugh..heh heh heh). During the entire time in the markets, I think Jason and I were the only "non-Asian" people lurking around. Oh and the prices are great! I paid 95 cents for my box of green tea. $1.29 for a box of sesame crackers, and $3.00 for a bag of frozen chicken dumplings. No tourist prices here! This was the real deal. Even their American made items were cheaper. We are so going to do our grocery shopping in Chinatown next month. 
As we left the markets, I began to feel like we were no longer in NYC. I was definitely in China! Yep. I was on vacation and chillin' in China because I have it like that. Soon I would see the Siguniang Mountains and the next stop would be the Great Wall. A cloud of cigarette smoke and the voice of a man with a think Italian accent snapped me out of that fantasy. Nope. I was definitely still in NY. Dag. 
Next I was determined to find this little cafe I had gone to 5 years ago with an old boyfriend. There was nothing particularly special about this place, I just felt like stepping back in time for a minute. I knew it was across the street from a famous church. Thank god for Jason, who is the only man I know who will ask for directions. It was on Mott Street across from the Church of Transfiguration. Transfiguration??? I have no idea what that's about. Guess I could research huh? The cafe hadn't changed a bit. I ordered the best tea ever. It sounded so simple. Tea with Almond Milk. But oh my god! The best. I highly recommend it. Crap! Don't remember the name of the cafe. But there are so many tea and coffee spots on Mott Street, I'm sure they are all great. 
Chinatown was quickly turning into a winter wonderland. And it simply took my breath away. Fresh falling snow before the grime of NYC gets to it, simply wonderful. I was taking pictures left and right because I didn't want to forget any of it. Also on Mott Street, my friend pointed out a chopstick store that I probably would have overlooked. Yunhong Chopsticks Shop is a great place to buy gifts for people who are brave enough to eat with those tricky darn sticks. Some were so beautiful, it seemed like you shouldn't really eat with them. I remembered that years ago I found a great Chinese candy store (Aji Ichiban on Mott Street). I wanted Jason to try candied rose petals. No. I didn't misspeak. Candied Rose Petals are delicious! He was obviously overwhelmed with emotion when he said, hm...pretty good (with no inflection in his voice). That's so like him...keep the comments short, simple and to the point. When I first tasted them with my brother a few years ago, I was like THE SWEETNESS IS NOT OVERBEARING AND THEN THE ESSENCE OF THE ROSE SNEAKS IT'S WAY IN AND SURPRISES YOU. Yeah that's me, over the top. But so what! I get it from my mother. Of course we couldn't leave Chinatown without visiting the tourist traps. The cheesy gift shops turned out to be a great find. Samarai swords for $18 bucks? Not bad.
A huge sign with the words "BUON NATALE" in gold lights distracted me. I was like, that sure doesn't look like any Chinese language. LOL! Then Jason reminded me that Little Italy is the same vicinity as Chinatown. Buon Natale means Merry Christmas in Italian. Little Italy was magical. We commented on how we loved the way Italians decorated for Christmas. It's less gaudy and nothing is ever decorated haphazardly. Everything had a classic and neat look to it. Reds, Golds, and the natural greenery was all they needed to make the restaurants look so inviting and festive. We found a gorgeous nativity scene and Christmas tree in front of this "house" I'm not sure if it was a landmark or not. Maybe I'll revisit that area.
I was kind of sad to leave Chinatown and was not ready for the adventure to be over. I poked my lip out as we began to head towards the 6 train on canal. But the night wasn't over!! The snow was really falling and we had some people to meet up with. I though of all the people couped up in the house and thought to myself, they don't know what they're missing! So after a short detour to Ritzy Park Ave, we headed down to Alphabet City to meet up with my good friends Rosie and Liam and their friends. This great little restaurant on Avenue A and 7th street, cleverly called "7A" was just what the doctor ordered. I had a cup of lobster bisque and some English breakfast tea and it made me all warm and cozy inside. We watched the beautiful snow fall turn into a scary looking blizzard and it hit me that somehow, Jason and I had to make it back to the Bronx. Oh No!! 
Once I was back in the Bronx after 1am , the only footprints in the snow were mine! Was I the only person in the entire neighborhood who left the house. Apparently so. I knew it. I knew I was special! Tee Hee Hee
Streets Walked
Canal Street, Mott St, Elizabeth St, Bowery, Mullberry St, Baxter St, and Grand St
(I think I'm gonna go back so I make sure I walk every street in Chinatown cause I know there are places I missed).
Also walked from Ave A & 7th St. to 1st Ave. and Houston St. to catch the train home.
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