Happy new year!

Without really planning it, I ended up in NYC's Chinatown on this past Monday, the Lunar New Year. Though it was cold and clammy and snowing on and off, the festivities were in full swing. Pairs of lions, accompanied by bands of percussionists, roamed the streets.

The lions entered open shops and restaurants, and usually, they got fed red envelopes in return. 

I happened to be inside a Citibank, taking money out from an ATM, when a pair of lions came in, looking for treats. An employee talked to them and seemed to come to some agreement with them, as one went into the back, and the other swooped up the stairs. ​

Every shop was selling confetti cannons, two for $5, and there was confetti everywhere. God bless NYC's sanitation workers. 

After we had our fill of lions and confetti, we had a delicious dim sum lunch at Nom Wah Tea Parlor, which is a very Americanized Chinese restaurant, but I'm no authenticity snob; the dumplings were crazy delicious. We also went to a multi-floor department store that is a close-enough replacement for what Pearl River Mart used to be in the 1980's. (It's all flashy and clean and boring now.) I bought a package of multi-color, unprinted joss paper for 95 cents, and today I made a craft with it, which I will share with you tomorrow.
Happy year of the monkey!
xo