The Missed Adventures (Part 2)

In this episode of The Missed Adventures, we'll take a look at New York City's vibrant Chinatown! You may remember a few weeks ago (July 29) when I tried to visit there but the pouring rain ruined my plans. Well, I think it was the next day when the sun came back so I finally got to go out and explore the busy streets of Chinatown. And boy, was it bustling! The amazing thing about Chinatown is the sheer number of jewelers, as well as shops with Asian gifts, trinkets, decorations, and collectibles--not to mention the overwhelming selection of Asian restaurants. I'm in heaven! But I didn't go to Chinatown just to check out out all the neat little buddhas, dragon statuettes, and jade jewelry. I had a list of specific stores I wanted to visit--stores with anime collectibles. As usual, I had my radar set on DragonBall. Like my experience here last winter, most of the stores turned out to be a little dissappointing--maybe some keychains, unimpressive mini figures, and random crappy bootleg action figures. However, I found an underground gem in a sort of mini-mall called the Elizabeth Center on Elizabeth Street. The basement floor of this mall is crammed with a bunch of little shops devoted to otaku culture! There are toys, plushies, DVDs, manga, cards, posters--you name it. Some shops are stuffed with cute Sanrio and Japanese Disney stuff, others are lined with Gundam models and shonen action figures. I found a number of great DragonBall figures and sets, but with my poverty I could only get one. It's a pretty badass one though.

Anyways, I won't bore you anymore with that. Take a look at the photos below to see around Chinatown. You'll see a few photos of the Mahayana Buddhist Temple, which is a somewhat touristy temple, but still a sacred place I love to visit. I also really like the statue of Confucius which stands in Confucius Plaza. The plaza itself, though, doesn't feel much like a plaza at all. It's basically just an intersection. Confucius deserves better. Hehe. And of course I love the Chinese style architecture that pops up here and there. Fun stuff!

A Rainy Day in Chinatown

Mom and Dad left town yesterday for a romantic getaway in England! Lucky duckies. But hey, now it's just me and New York, keeping it real. Yesterday I went down to the Union Square area, where Forbidden Planet is. I just looked around the place to see if there were any interesting new manga or related merch to gawk at. I also went to a used books store called Strand: a literary emporium with an overwhelmingly extensive selection of books stacked on tall shelves. It seems like it would be incredibly difficult to find something specific in that place, but it's great for book collectors.

Last night, I watched Watchmen. Spectacular in many ways, the movie is both visually and thematically complex. But the gore was extreme and disturbing even for an R rating; it's a tad gratuitous, really. Has Zack Snyder ever heard the phrase "Less is more?" I think he needs to learn some artistic restraint. But all in all, the movie was smart, fascinating, and unforgettable. I'm still trying to figure out what it all means.

Rain, rain, go away! The rain keeps coming back to New York again and again. It's like we moved to Seattle or something. Today, I decided I felt like exploring Chinatown despite some light rain. But when I got out of the subway station at Canal Street, the rain was pouring so violently that an umbrella did almost no good. It was absolutely insane. So I just went back up to midtown. The rain had calmed a little bit so I stopped by Book-Off, and then looked around a nearby movie store. Not as fun as Chinatown. I'm tired of this rain ruining my plans!