A Quick Trip To China

“In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.”  
              - Ansel Adams


I am an explorer.  I am capable of turning a trip to the grocery story into a two hour voyage.  Whether it be taking a new route to Starbucks or a vacation abroad, my explorations invigorate my soul.  While I live and work in the suburbs of New York City, my work frequently takes me to different places.  For the past couple weeks I've been working in Manhattan in an area known as the Civic Center area.  Nestled between Tribeca and Chinatown, the lunch options are pretty bland - how many days in a row can a girl have a chopped salad?!?!  I had standing lunch plans with an old friend and was tasked with the decision of choosing a place.  


Being that it is a dreary Friday I was craving something out of the ordinary and suggested that we take a quick walk to Chinatown.  So we grabbed our umbrellas and less than five minutes later we arrived in a different world.  I haven't been to Chinatown in years and it was exactly what I needed.  

We started out at Wo Hop City and split the 3D Chow Fun and Beef with Broccoli.  The portions were huge and the food was good, but it was nothing special and they didn't have soup dumplings (huge strike against them).  After lunch, my friend had to run back to the office so I took the opportunity to walk around and do some exploring.  

I forgot I was in New York! 

I love me some Bok Choy.

Beautiful Buddhas!

While walking around I truly felt like I had escaped to the East.  The sounds, smells and colors were so different than the sea of grey, black and navy suits that I'm surrounded by on a daily basis.  There are tons of restaurants, tea houses, specialty food shops, jade and jewelry stores, florists with bonsai and bamboo in every size, and spas with really inexpensive and intriguing treatments.  After a long week it was a perfect change of scenery.

Chinatown is easily accessible for those who live along the New Haven line.  Street parking is limited but there are plenty of garages. For those of you who want to take the New Haven Line to Grand Central take the 4/5 train to Brooklyn Bridge City Hall or the 6 train to Canal St. 

It's supposed to be a mild weekend so get out there and enjoy!