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New Year, Good Fortune... and a Unicorn in Chinatown!
Every time I visit Chinatown, I think, ‘Why don’t I come here every weekend?!’ And then, after 30 minutes of weaving through crowds and dodging tourists, I quickly remember why…
I feel like I've hacked the experience, as long as you stick to the southern part of Mulberry street.
First Stop: Stanley's Claw Machine
- Who knew there was a little store full of toy claw machines right around the corner? It’s the perfect weekend escape in this cold. I may have become obsessed with winning the 'taco' and 'unicorn'. A trick for you all is that there is a special machine at the very end of the store that guarantees a win for $5. Your Little One can have as many tries as they like until they win!
- A big shoutout to Wei, who works there and went above and beyond to make it a fun experience for my Little One. She brought over a stool and adjusted the toys in the machine to make sure my Little One got the toy she wanted
Second Stop: Yu & Me Books
- You may remember this place from when I participated in a bake sale to raise money for the store after it burnt down two years ago.The store is back and just as beautiful as before.
- Yu & Me Books store focuses on the Asian community and authors. There's a great collection of children's books at the front of the store (see this week's recommended book below!)
Third Stop: Columbus Park Playground
- Every exploration needs a playground stop right? This is one of our favorite playgrounds to go to. It was a little snowy this past weekend, but it didn't stop us from taking advantage of the swings.
Warning:
- Let’s talk about the not-so-glamorous side of Chinatown - restrooms. The situation is… well, less than ideal. I haven’t cracked the code for the perfect bathroom hack yet, so I usually plan our visits to be short and always bring along our trusty little travel potty (just in case). Worst case? I pop into Joe’s Shanghai, grab some food to go, and make a quick pit stop in their restroom. Multitasking at its finest!
Where we eat in Chinatown:
It may mean navigating your way through crowds of tourists, but here are the places that are worth it:
- Joe's Shanghai: Best 'fancier' option in the area. Admittedly, this is high on our delivery list. I'm a sucker for General Tso's chicken and their's is the only one I like
- Wok Wok: Great place to take the kids and not expensive at all. The stairs are hard to navigate with a stroller though. This is also high on our delivery list
- Big Wong: Best more casual option. It's not as intimidating as it may look from the outside
- Golden Unicorn: My favorite Dim-Sum place to go on the weekend. They also have a little store where you can go and pick-up Dim-Sum to go (BBQ Pork Buns for the win!), plus frozen dumplings to make at home
Where to shop in Chinatown:
Maybe not an ideal activity with the Little One, but here are two great food shopping hacks in Chinatown:
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Aqua Best Seafood Market:
- New York's top restaurants source their seafood from here. Sure I can walk across the road to Tin Building to get my fish, but the fish here is significantly fresher and better value. They apparently do delivery too, however I've only done pick-up
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Hong Kong Supermarket:
- Everyone has 'their' asian grocery, this is mine. It's less overwhelming than some of the others in the neighborhood and I always find what I need
Lunar New Year could either be the worst or best time to visit Chinatown. Either way, prepare to weave your way through the crowds!
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Australia Day was Delicious!
Our Annual High Tea Scones drop for Australia day was a success!
This year marked our third year baking scones for the neighborhood on Australia Day, and we’re so grateful to everyone who came by to enjoy them right out of the oven.
This Little Aussie American was the perfect helper and not only insisted on handing everyone their box of scones, but 'taste testing' one right out of the oven too!
We heard you!
Many of you asked if we’d do more High Tea Scone drops - and we’d absolutely love to!
High Tea Scones will back soon, and we’d love your input.
What other High Tea inspired treats would you like to pick up on the weekend?
| What Should We Bake Next?! |
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Let us know—we’re all ears (and butter)!
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What we are doing this week...
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It's the 27th Annual BAMkids Film Festival and my Little One is finally old enough to go without me worrying if she has the attention span.
We are planning to go to Magical Moments (3-5 year olds) on Sunday, February 2 at 10am.
Shows all weekend: Saturday, Feb 1 to Sunday, Feb 2
Link to website (Not an affiliate - Just a fan!)
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... and another thing for this week...
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We won't be venturing to Chinatown during New Year celebrations (I can't handle the tourists!), but I'll happily brave the Seaport crowd in my backyard.
Dragon Dance: Saturday, Feb 1 at 12pm and 1pm
Link to website (Not an affiliate - Just a fan!)
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... and One more thing for this week...
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I'm not 100% sure I understand what an art amusement park is, but I did see they have free entry for kids on January 29. For anyone that happens to have the day off, this could be a great activity with the kids in this cold weather. Disclaimer: I have no idea what age is appropriate for this kind of activity!
When: Wednesday, January 29
Link to website (Not an affiliate - Just a fan!)
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What Saved my sanity this week...
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Band aids are more fun when they're colorful!
The refill packs are great and the small wipes and antiseptic cream are the perfect size. Not to mention the case is perfect for throwing in your bag
I only wish it came with butterfly stitches too - But it's an easy fix to add them to the pack yourself.
Link to Amazon (Not an affiliate link - just a fan!)
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What we are Reading this week...
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What I am Buying this week...
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There are so many I want, but I have to start with the lumpia one given my half filipino roots!
Then I want the rice one.... boba... dim sum... the list goes on...
Link to website (Not an affiliate link - just a fan!)
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What i am treating myself to this week...
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So I'm currently traveling from NY to Milwaukee for work these days and I discovered these pretzels!
Sure I crammed a massive one into my carry-on to bring home last week, but also discovered that I can buy them online too. Definitely worth the shipping, they're absolutely delicious and pretzels are always a hit with my Little One. In fact someone has already requested that I bring 100 of them back home this week...
Side note... they have a heart shaped pretzel for Valentine's Day! I may have already sent someone the link as a hint!
Link to website (Not an affiliate link - just a fan!)
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A newsletter for Moms and Dads with Little Ones in NYC
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Customized cookies made in the Seaport
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113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
... I know it's weird to see a Seattle address for a NYC based newsletter, but I promise that this is the official address for this newsletter given I use Kit as my provider!
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