Fying Pan

If you haven't been to the Frying Pan at the Chelsea Pier on 23rd street and you love to dance, you should give it a try. It's a salvaged lightship from 1929 and the dock has a big dancing space and bars. They are only open in the summer. We went there primarily because we know the bartenders there. But I had a really great time.

Pros: You can sit and drink on the Fying Pan or on a dock feeling the breeze from the Hudson River. They have a smaller dance room in the basement of this ship (2nd pic). Exploring this salvaged ship is reallly fun. You can go into each room: kictchen, bedroom, and the controling room. It's good for a date scene but also great for a group.


Cons: The bathroom is awefully dirty, especially for ladies. Many non-NY people and youngsters were the majority. You don't wanna go if it rains. The music is different every night. Last night, Friday, was a mix of house music (we didn't really enjoy this selection) and some hip-hop.

Overall, it was a lot of fun for Little Miko.

Art Deco in NYC

Arguably the worst area in Manhattan is 42nd street. Every time I have to go to that neighborhood, I simply wish to get the fxxk out of there. Around Port Authority, tourists and alcholics occupy the side streets. This is the street I always walk by as fast as I can. To my surprise, I found this Art Deco-style building. It's mostly covered by scaffolding so the picture unfortunately turned out a bit dark. The silver metalic element gorgeously reflects the light of the ceiling lamp and brightens the mossy green-solid black border design. Many new buildings use chic, modern designs. These new ones, if done poorly, can be uninterestingly bland architecture. I wish to see more buildings with character and history.

Turmeric Tea

It's probable that everyone knows what Turmeric is. The yellow spice is often used in Indian dishes. I knew that Turmeric is somehow good for your health. And the other day, I found Turmeric Tea at a Japanese grocery store.

According to my online research, Turmeric (ginger root family) has a very effective component called Curcumin. This element has a proven effect in promoting the liver fuction. Turmeric is also known for anti-oxidant and cancer prevention. Some caution the chance of strong side-effect for those who have hepatitis and other liver problems. But it sounds like it's a very healthy thing if you dont' have major health problems.

I started drinking lots of Turmeric tea ($5 is a bit pricey but you can probaly make with Turmeric powder economically), and I feel like I get much less hangover. There's also extract tablets at health stores.

Chili Crab Festival

Looking up the Brooklyn Bridge and a clear blue sky, the street behind the old tabacco factory in DUMBO was filled with people. It was the annual Singapore Chili Crab Festival, sponsored by Tiger Beer. We got there around noon, right after the event started, and there was already a good crowd.

The main dish, chili crab, was served out of woks along the tables on the streets. The competition over seating was really tough, especially since there were many families with kids. Of course, you cannot eat crabs in shells standing. There was no other option for us than to sit on the concrete ground. The chili crab came with a piece of bread and the broth was very rich being mostly coconut milk and chili. To my disappointment, the crab was overcooked and the meat was crumbly. With all the mess on my face and hands, I diligently sucked all the juice and picked meat from thin legs of the crabs. My favorite dish was the Singapore cold noodle with grilled calamari. It was also flavored with coconut milk and shrimp paste, but differed from the chili crab with its refreshing scallion and cilantro.

Food wasn't the only thing you could find at this festival; my friend found a free massage. It was a good 10-minute massage and far better and professional than those you can get at nail salons. I tipped her with my gratitude. I also happened to see one of the cutest dogs in Brooklyn (pic posted). Though the crab itself didn't meet my expectation, it turned out to be a nice summer afternoon in DUMBO.

Been Rich All My Life

Isn't that a pleasure to discover a great movie? Pick a movie simply by a brief review and see it without knowing much about it. And that happens to be one of the best movies you see in a year. Been Rich All My Life is my recent discovery at Quad Cinema in Union Square, NY.

I picked this documentary simply because of a NY Times movie reviewer's suggestion. Did a bit of web surfing to find out about it. It's about a group of old black ladies–average age of 86–who used to be chorus dancers in pre-war Harlem. Now after over 60 years, They reunited to start a dance team, Silver Bells, and had shows throughout the city.

Even though they can't lift their legs high to the face or stretch their backs or the steps are not as powerful as they used to be, theie dance is steady enough to keep the rhythm. One of the ladies still teaches dance to young dancers. Their dance is not counting 1, 2, 3... It's all with the rhythm that remained in their soul and body. Perhaps, young dancers can dance faster steps but they still cannot dance the way the Silver Belles do.

As entertaining and encouraging as it is, this movie also deliveres the real, sad truth. None of these ladies is an iron grandma: They are old, undeniably, and they do have to face with issues and fears of aging. Surrounded by many senior audience and a group of teen dance team, I cried and laughed. I recommend this movie to all women regardless of age. You will surely learn and feel something out of this movie.

Little Miko Needs to Paddle

Born and raised in Tokyo, I grew up without chances to enjoy the nature regularly. When I first came to America, in Boston, the city park took my breath away and I felt like I was in a movie scene. After years of stay in the States, I get to visit many places including Minnesota I went to the other day.

Minnesota, a state with ten thousand lakes, is where my boyfriend's parents live. His father owns a canoe and kayak and has canoed almost all rivers throughout the country. Not to miss the gorgeous summer day, we went to a lake to paddle. I started in a canoe with his dad. We anchored the canoe and set up the chairs. Giving the son and father a private time to catch up, I got on the kayak by myself. Kayak was actually easier and smoother. Dip and paddle, dip and paddle. Having cooled down our body heat, we got back on the ride. This time, I took the kayak and followed the guys in a canoe. After 30 minutes of paddling, my back started to hurt a bit. Little sore on my stomach. It must be a good exersize if you do it once a while.

On the way back, I enjoyed seeing beautiful houses by the lake. Just for a few hours, I forgot about the busy, dirty Brooklyn where I live.