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This place is in the middle of the busiest streets in Chinatown. While the wait to see the Optician seems bad for a walk-in, you CAN see the optician by doing a walk in. Counter service is skilled...
This place is in the middle of the busiest streets in Chinatown. While the wait to see the Optician seems bad for a walk-in, you CAN see the optician by doing a walk in. Counter service is skilled and quick. Optician also skilled and good. Prices decent. For those who aren't Chinese: not to worry, you can conduct your whole experience in very fluent English. A good place to get glasses and service.
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I entered the C++ and Java Programming track of Columbia's CTA Continuing Education program a few years ago and have to say I was pretty let down. I am aware of how superb Columbia's undergraduate...
I entered the C++ and Java Programming track of Columbia's CTA Continuing Education program a few years ago and have to say I was pretty let down. I am aware of how superb Columbia's undergraduate programs and students are. However, when it comes to continuing education, at least the CTA program, I get the sense that Columbia had its mind more on gaining income than producing a good program. It has a very inflexible schedule, a single section of each such that if you miss the semester on some classes you'd have to wait for the next year for that 1 section again. This seems particularly unsuited for "continuing ed" for professionals. The implied rationale for such practice and cost would be that CTA is very serious about education, so expects sacrafice from students. However, I found classes to be both way too slow (catering to the slowest members of the class, of which Columbia accepted plenty) and sometimes poorly taught. My first two classes had decent teachers (again slow); on the 3rd, however, I had to drop out -- they had hired someone with no teaching experience and had no instinct for it; I felt I just couldn't waste my company's money any longer. There was no overarching academic vision & the classes seemed to be more about syntax than introducing engineering concepts, computer science or theory (why bother going to Columbia when you could go to any place for syntax?!). I felt pretty cheated. They simply leveraged the quality of their reputation to make a buck. Just go back and get your bachelor's in C.S., take some real classes, or learn from books. They offer much less than you should be able to envision for yourself as a computer professional. Again, I have nothing bad to say about their bread-and-butter undergrad or grad programs... I'm sure those are excellent. The Continuing Ed Computer Technology and Applications Program just sucked, though.
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Divalicious seems to have opened quietly a month ago (next to the best Vietnamese sandwich bodega in Chinatown). It doesn't even show up on Jackie Gordon's, the "Singing Chef" and proprietor of...
Divalicious seems to have opened quietly a month ago (next to the best Vietnamese sandwich bodega in Chinatown). It doesn't even show up on Jackie Gordon's, the "Singing Chef" and proprietor of Divalicious, website -- devoted to her chocolate event services, chocolate fountain rentals, entertainment shows, and what looks like her blog. The place is a small coffee shop-type affair, that has just enough room for a counter, some seating, an area of chocolate by the bag (categorized by country and cocoa percentage), and a chocolate fountain, which you can order various things to be dipped in to eat with your coffee or really lovely and uncommonly spicy chai, made by Jackie herself, on my last fortunate visit. What I enjoyed was trying the chocolate tasting, which costs $4.50 and includes a sampling of six chocolates, a rating sheet, and some tasting tips. You can do the milk chocolate or dark chocolate tasting, and cogitate on various gradations of nuttiness, the evenness of melt, or the maturing of taste on your tongue. At first I thought it might be a place that's trying to be snobby about chocolate; instead it appears more to be driven by a genuine love and appreciation of chocolate and its qualities. I found the experience both yummy and educational. The tasting was wonderful, though I wasn't a fan of the chocolate fountain itself -- seemed kind of watery on my sample pretzel. My girlfriend, however, raved about the chocolate dipped kumquats. The petits fours and rice krispy dips showed promise. The truffles were good and the chocolate sold in bags are really good (she said they are the chocolate that chocolatiers use to create chocolate--i forget what that's called--so very good quality). As I said, the chai was great. It and the other drinks were not overpriced either; which was appreciated. It had a nice friendly feel to it. I definitely plan to go back.
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The Archway
Category:
Food & Dining
116 Pinehurst Ave (across from Bennett Park, corner of W 183)
New York, New York 10033
(212) 543-9015
This cute place is located within the scenic Tudor-style Hudson View Gardens, which claims to be the 1st Co-op in Manhattan. In order to enter the restaurant, you walk down through an attractive...
This cute place is located within the scenic Tudor-style Hudson View Gardens, which claims to be the 1st Co-op in Manhattan. In order to enter the restaurant, you walk down through an attractive gate, so it feels like you're entering the lovely apartment complex. Inside, there are a few tables for casual dining, featuring really friendly service, reasonable prices, and a sort of living room sense of comfort and belonging. The food is just ok, but really the feel, sense of privacy, and a sense that you almost live in the co-op (without having to pay the exorbitant maintenance fees!) is worth it alone. A really nice place after a hard day at work, when you want a meal without to much noise or bother and just want to feel at home.
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Across of Carnegie Hall, this store is the mecca of classical music sheet music, long known to classical musicians for being the source to find nearly any written source of classical work you could...
Across of Carnegie Hall, this store is the mecca of classical music sheet music, long known to classical musicians for being the source to find nearly any written source of classical work you could think of. There are thousands of books here, arranged by your instrument, as well as biographies, histories, and a research department upstairs. Are you looking for a Crumb score? Are you looking for the Goldberg Variations but you don't like the lighter pages of the Schirmer and prefer the clarity, generous spacing, and heft of the Verlag edition? You can afford to be exactly this picky at Patelson's. I know of nowhere else in America with such an expansive collection of classical music to browse. Yet another unique and amazing thing about living in New York. There's a reason this place is just as much an institution as it's more glorious neighbor across the street.
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Nyonya
Category:
Uncategorized
194 Grand St
New York, New York 10013
(212) 334-3669
This popular spot in Northern Chinatown/Nolita is Manhattan's classic introduction to Malaysian Cuisine with dishes like Roti Canai (very yum), Chow Kueh Teow, Asam Laska, Nasi Lemak, Pearl Noodles....
This popular spot in Northern Chinatown/Nolita is Manhattan's classic introduction to Malaysian Cuisine with dishes like Roti Canai (very yum), Chow Kueh Teow, Asam Laska, Nasi Lemak, Pearl Noodles. Highly flavorful and textured food, whether spicy, curried, sour, or fish saucy... it's all good. Spacious, lively, inexpensive and tasty, there's the reason for the popularity. The weekend is more crowded, but still not too long a wait. Weekdays or early dinner is not crowded.
Last time, I really enjoyed the lumpy-sauced Curry Spareribs cooked to where the bones are soft, Achat -- pickled vegetable in turmeric powder, peanut, sesame seeds & herb, and the Spicy Crispy Squids--crunchy dried tentacles, the menu warns "Please ask server for advice before you order!" on several of these more especially non-Western items. The Roti Canai is a must. Also, you might consider switching out your white rice for Coconut, Yam Rice, or Chicken Broth Rice; though, given that the dishes are so flavorful, white rice is often a good foil.
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Chickpea
Category:
Periodical Printing & Publishing
23 3rd Ave
New York, New York 10003
(212) 254-9500
The good thing about Chickpea is that the ingredients are fresh, and everything has a good clean taste. Price is good & decent seating, though it doesn't have the best feng shui... but that's how...
The good thing about Chickpea is that the ingredients are fresh, and everything has a good clean taste. Price is good & decent seating, though it doesn't have the best feng shui... but that's how it is in NY, so they can hardly be blamed.
But it has weaknesses too, depending on what you're looking for. If you have a notion in your head of what a good falafel tastes like, Chickpea might not fit the bill. While the good clean taste might be preferable to many a palate, I personally find it a little too zingy (fresh) and too salty (which also accentuates this taste). The chicken shwarma is similarly clean, subtracted of the pungence of ethnicity, the richness of meat that has been hanging out in the store all day. I guess it's really a matter of taste: do you prefer white meat (more like Chickpea) or dark meat (more like other good falafel around town)? Are you uptown or down home? Not knocking Chickpea at all. It does well what it does. But people should know what it's does: it's a take on middle eastern food that fits into the "healthy" taste ethic we are in today (a natural fit).
But, personally, when I seek falafel, I'll look toward State Street near Brooklyn Heights, or Jerusalem Falafel on 104th & Broadway. Not as cleanly or yuppie, but you can't beat the taste.
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There is a sign inside this acupressure place that says "no massage". Apparently, acupressure is not massage; though, honestly, I found a "massage" place in Chinatown (i review it here on Judy's...
There is a sign inside this acupressure place that says "no massage". Apparently, acupressure is not massage; though, honestly, I found a "massage" place in Chinatown (i review it here on Judy's Book, as well) that was just as effective as this place. Whatever you call it, this place is good. It has more in terms of ambiance than other Chinatown places... some windows (though they just look into the indoor space of the corridor you entered) and some ambient music (relaxing, but the same CD each time). But like I say in the other review... I find most of the Chinatown experience is about getting your back worked on and your back worked on only. It's not for the frills or new age experience or mediation or whatnot. In exchange for dumping the niceties and fru-fru, you get a great deal: $21 for 1/2 hour of acupressure (remember to tip, though!). They also do foot rubs.
My girlfriend thinks Sophie is great. I especially like Liu. Both give pretty intense massages (I like a good bit of pressure). I was not as satisfied with some of the others because of less pressure, but no one did a "bad" job.
You enter this sort of mini shopping area, through an entrance door on the South side of Grand Street. Since it's a glass double door you should be able to see some businesses inside, like a rock & jewelery/knick knack store, and a trinket counter, and in the back you'll see people sitting on chairs waiting for customers. If you walk inside, you realize that these are your acupressure practitioners. You'll also notice their place, which consists of a bathroom, waiting area with magazines and water cooler, and internal area with about 5 massage tables. Recommended.
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Apple Spa
Category:
Health & Medical
207 Grand Street (Basement)
New York, New York 10013
(212) 966-6181
Ok, you might have noticed it's really cheap to get a message in Chinatown. There are all these little places, many under street level, with pictures of body parts, organs, teas, herbs, Chinese...
Ok, you might have noticed it's really cheap to get a message in Chinatown. There are all these little places, many under street level, with pictures of body parts, organs, teas, herbs, Chinese lettering, and whatnot. Maybe you've even been a little afraid of these places, thinking that after luring you downstairs with the offer of a $21 1/2 hour massage, that you'd be knocked out and sold to the slave market. Ok, maybe you don't fear this, but I wouldn't blame you, given the decor and obscure look of some of these places. That's why I'm going to write a review of 2 good ones I know. Yes, you can get a $21 1/2 hour massage, $42 1hour long massage, $28 40 minute foot rub here. This is one of those windowless places under street level. They're open 7 days a week. I found them open during a blizzard this winter, at night, when everything else was closed down. Like many of these other places, they are VERY LOW on ambiance (all you get is a windowless poorly lit room with about 4 massage tables lined up, no music). So don't go if you're looking for spa treatment. However, they do give VERY GOOD massages, if you like a deep, intense massage. The different masseuses seem to apply the same program and techniques on your body. In just 1/2 hour, they cover the full body really effectively. I like Mei Mei. Not everyone speaks English. But don't be afraid... you won't be sold to the slave market.
Remember to get a card. After 10 visits, you get 1 free!
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Pace Prints is a really great place to get started when looking into buying fine art for the first time. Prints are a good place to start in fine art because they are relatively less expensive by...
Pace Prints is a really great place to get started when looking into buying fine art for the first time. Prints are a good place to start in fine art because they are relatively less expensive by nature and covers a large range of technique; from etching to lithography to photography. Pace is cool because they have several floors with lots of work ranging from contemporary artists to the old masters that you can browse. If you go to museums or keep up even passingly with the art world, the works they have have a lot of name recognition: Chuck Close, Picasso, Miro, Dubuffet, Rauchenberg, William Wegman, Jim Dine, to name just a few. What I like most is that it's really easy to browse (tons of stuff to look through without having to ask anyone). There's lots of introductory materials (like fliers describing art terms employed), no pressure, friendly staff that are friendly and just not intimidating (unlike some upper east side places -- though it was a really nice upper east side gallery owner that sent me that way when I found myself in her lovely tony, but beyond my means, place). A good place to see art by artists you've heard of and to be gently introduced and educated in the art market. By the way, there are many other ways of approaching buying art, like going down to the Chelsea galleries or other gallery areas, checking out student work, work of friends, or other quality local work. So Pace Prints really is about a specific kind of market... I think, the one most shrouded in mystery (so you wanna get your first Picasso...).
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