china on my mind

Last night Beijing blew us away. China certainly outdid themselves with their use of technology and precision during the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, making it incredibly difficult to pick just one favorite part of the program. But I will say that I especially loved watching the lighting of the Olympic flame. And even though I had to stay up way past my bedtime to see that flame lit, it was still burning brightly this morning. And so, armed with a day pack and a brother-in-law who speaks Chinese, we headed for Chinatown.

us, along with our weird alien-son, in Chinatown. (Yeah...not sure what sort of face he was trying to pull for this picture.)

It was my second visit to Chinatown, and probably my most enjoyable, owing, no doubt, in large part to the fact that Eric speaks Chinese. With his guidance, we braved a few shops (where his amazing skills brought down the price on an item we didn't actually want to buy), partook of exotic and strange free samples in a candy shop (and I use the word "candy" loosely), and purchased treats in a bakery (the fried buns, which are basically just sugar donuts, are delicious). I bought a lovely porcelain rice bowl for only a buck, and walked down crooked Doyer Street, where I spotted this fantastic sign in a restaurant window:



Other enjoyable highlights of today:

• Walking through Little Italy and the Lower East Side
• Catching views of the Empire State Building and the Flatiron Building from Madison Square Park
• A little browsing in stores like Fishs Eddy and Books of Wonder

For most of the day, Garrett was all giggles, babbling, and happy squeals.


He even waved to us while on the swings in Madison Square Park:

And then, somewhere on the wild streets of New York City, Garrett kicked off and lost one of his brand new sandals. Ooh, I was upset. We looked and looked, retracing our steps to the best of our ability, with no luck. It's gone forever. I swear, the sidewalks here will eat your valuables alive if leave them even briefly unattended.

Sigh.

I guess it's a good thing that, even with only one sandal, he's still cute.