Edcora Jewelers Inc.

The U.S. economy is tanking. It's depressing reading the newspapers. From stocks to real estate, it all seems a big mess.

Surprisingly enough, gold and precious metals has soared. The jewelry store Edcora Jewelers actually sells those gold bars and coins for investment purposes. I am sure that they are doing a lot better than I have been doing in the stock market!

They also have beautiful pieces of jewelery. What is very unique about this shop is that you can design your own jewelry. Eddie who owns Edcora will help you to create anything that you can imagine...

EDCORA JEWELRY INC, 26A Elizabeth Street, NYC
2120274-8099

Red Egg Restaurant

The other evening I went to at tasting event and I was so happy to see something from Chinatown! Red Egg is a new restaurant that had caught my eye weeks ago. I had been meaning to try it out but work gets oh so hectic.

So I had the chance to try the food and it was GOOOOOD! I know the word "fusion" is out so it would be best described as a "blend" of Chinese, American, and Peruvian cuisines. The owner from the restaurant was surprisingly young for a Chinatown business owner...

So me, being the business geek I am, I wanted to find out more about the restaurant and looked it up on the web. They have gotten a lot of good reviews for a restaurant that hasn't been around for a long time. Nice to also find out that Darren who is the gentlemen that I had met at the event is running the business with his Father.

That is absolutely rocking to see young Chinese American entrepreneurs running businesses in Chinatown! I hope to see more of us in the future.

FYI, they look like they serve some good drinks over there! When work gets stressful, I guess I can head over. =P

Red Egg, 212-966-1123, 202 Centre Street
www.redeggnyc.com

Birthday Chinatown Style

Yesterday I was able to celebrate my birthday Chinatown Style!

I started off by getting my haircut at Sunny's new location. (11 Pell Street) This guy has been cutting my hair, as well as a lot of my friends for years. I told him, "Sunny, I feel old!" He was a real sweetie and gave me a new hair do. Felt and looked like a million bucks!

Then my friends threw me a party at Chinatown newest undiscovered bar. Apotheke which is located on 9 Doyers street. This was previously Golden Flower Bar and Karaoke. The old sign still hangs. I have oh so many memories at the old location! I guess it was however time for a change...

Apotheke is very posh inside and not many people know it exists (probably because they haven't hung up the sign yet!). Inside the bartenders dress like back in the old days of speakeasies. I recommend the drink with vodka and pepper in it. The official name of the cocktail at this moment escapes me.

My friends also bought me a cake. I love our CICF ice cream cakes more than anything, but of course, my friends cannot go and buy a cake from my own store! I got this fab cake from Fay Dah Bakery. umm mmm good.

Yes... it was a very happy birthday!

Magnetic North

I recently reconnected with this band that I became absolutely addicted to. � Magnetic North is an Asian American hip hop band that has awesome beats, as well as inspirational lyrics. � My favorite songs on their CD are "So Long" and the "Price of Perfection".

Randomly, I stumbled upon their information on Facebook. � I'm not a huge fan of music videos, but I found theirs to be extremely creative. � Definitely check them out. � One of their music videos has given me a new interest in anime. I might actually have to check out Haruto anime on the internet.

Tonight, I actually had the honor of hanging out with Theresa and Derek who make up Magnetic North. � (And the answer is "no", I did not bribe them with free ice cream! ) � They are both extremely cool, good looking, and down to earth.�

I ended the night, coming back to my shop with a bunch of their CDs. � Right about when I was about to pop one into our stereo, the kids at the shop mobbed me. � Apparently, everyone knows and loves this group. �

Ah....my kids are hard workers, so I couldn't � help but give them the copies I purchased.... � Ehhh...them kids =X �

I hope that a huge record label signs them soon! � They are way too talented to go without something big being sprung upon them.

For more information on them, visit� http://www.magnetichiphop.com/

FYI: It was also good to find out that they were both also fans of CICF's ginger and almond cookie ice cream!

AARI Talk on Chinatown Businesses

Winnie Tam who has been a long time friend of mine is giving a talk tonight at the Asian American/ Asian Institute. Winnie is PhD candidate for UC Davis in Asian American Studies. She is a member of the GCCA's Executive Team. She has been doing pioneering research in Chinatown which has often been a neglected area of research.

Her lecture is titled: "It's So Much Quieter Now":
Post-9/11 Chinatown Small Business
by Winnie Tam Hung [September 12, 2008]

In this talk, Hung focuses on Chinatown small businesses to analyze the impact of the post-9/11 decline in garment factories and the increase in Fuzhounese migration on ethnic businesses. Based on in-depth interviews with Chinatown small business owners and non-profit organizations, she finds that the events of 9/11 are part of a chain leading to increased luxury development and displacement of the area’s historically working-class residents.

Time: Fridays, 6PM to 8PM

Place: 25 West 43rd Street, Room 1000,
between 5th & 6th Avenues, Manhattan

Free Admission
Light refreshments are served.

Please register at least a week in advance so that we may
anticipate the number of guests to accommodate.

For more information, you can visit www.aari.info