April 24, 2009 by willng24.

A recent article in the Globe points to three businesses on Kneeland St. which have been forced to close because of the horrible conditions.  Kim’s Fashion Design, Oki Hair Studio and Pho Thien Thien Restaurant, which are located on the block of 12 Kneeland St. in Chinatown have all been shut down due to water leaks from kitchen of the Empire Garden restaurant above.  In a recent incident the ceiling actually caved in on these businesses forcing them to shut their doors until further notice.These tenants have been trying to convince the landlord to perform repairs for years.  The owner of the building, who is also the owner of the Empire Garden restaurant was actually interviewed on NECN.  To view the report, follow this link.  For the entire article follow this link.

I’ve been all over Chinatown and the situations are all about the same.  A landlord who has failed to maintain the building for a tenant.  Now there are obvious reasons why such conditions have been tolerated.  First, the tenant would complain about the conditions and the landlord will respond that major renovations will require an increase in rent.  Thus, tenants are reluctant to pursue the matter.  Second, complaints are never addressed by the landlord, which is the case here.I love Chinatown and the nostalgia of the old buildings.

However, tenants who are the victims of a slumlord just piss me off.  I’ve had my share of dumpy apartments, but the landlord was very diligent in maintaining any safety concerns with the property, so i consider myself lucky.These businesses have been tenants of this property for years, but I’ve never seen any improvement to their locations.  Actually, I’ve seen more fires here than anything else.  Keep in mind that these stores are out of commission until renovations are made….whenever that will be. A last thought, why would the landlord even waste a moment interviewing with NECN? I would have avoided any cameras like the plague.

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March 23, 2009 by willng24.

Chinatown is going through some changes and one of the main staples that is changing is the Vietnamese restaurant Dong Kahn (81 Harrison Ave.).  This restaurant is definitely the best Vietnamese restaurant in town.  I know everyone knows Pho Pasteur and loves it, but my Vietnamese friends and I have agreed that Dong Kahn is as good as Chinatown has.

I drove by this weekend and noticed that the entire restaurant was boarded up.  I’m checking with my sources to see if it is a renovation or what.  However, until then we will all be waiting for the great drinks and Vietnamese food to return.

Another change in the Chinatown scene is the Restaurant/Lounge News (150 Kneeland St.).  This was a pretty nice lounge and restaurant.  Going by recently I noticed the big sign on the roof is gone and the restaurant will soon be called Splash.  For more info on this change follow this link.

Additionally, I’ve heard that there is a new bakery in the center of Chinatown, but I haven’t had the chance to visit it.  Does anyone know if it is good?  Any news about it?

Lastly, I had the chance of going into the new C-Mart on Washington St. (the old 88 Supermaket).  The one thing I noticed was that it was much more organized and cleaner.  The produce was nice and so were the assortments of fish and meats.  Additionally, it is open to 8pm.  I’m a late/early shopper to avoid the crowds, so hopefully more markets will follow in these footsteps.   My only gripe about this place is that it doesn’t have a bakery like the old 88.  I liked being able to get baked goods and groceries at the same time.  Ohh well…I guess you can’t have everything.

Again, if you have a subject that you’d like me to write about, let me know.  Thanks and keep reading.

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September 16, 2008 by willng24.

Hey All!  Miss me?  Sorry I’ve been away for so long, but I’m back and on the attack!!  To see what I’ve been up to visit my other blog at WillNg.com

However, I’m not the only one back on the scene, my favorite Chinatown restaurant has finally reopened its doors.  Royal Palace Restaurant (use to be named Royal Pacific), which use to be housed at the food court on Beach St., has reopened its doors at 70 Tyler St. (the old Cindy’s Planet location).  After 16 long months, I’m now able to enjoy my favorite Salt & Pepper Pork Chop dish at my favorite restaurant.  And to note, it is 2 blocks closer to my apartment…ohh that is way too close for comfort.  Royal Palace opened its doors on August 20th to a crowd of hungry fans.  Follow this link to a review of the restaurant.

Sadly we had to say goodbye to Cindy’s Planet.  I will surely miss the Watermelon drinks during the hot summer months.

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May 12, 2008 by willng24.

This morning a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit central China with a death toll rising close to 9000.  This earthquake was so large that vibrations were felt as far away at Thailand and Vietnam.   

Besides the major disaster that this earthquake has caused, it couldn’t have come at a worse time as China still struggles with relations with Tibet along with preparations for the looming Olympics in August. 

We can only pray for those involved in the disaster and their family members.  Even though I don’t have relatives in that area I can surely feel for the magnitude of this disaster.  Surely there will be relief efforts in play and hopefully it won’t be anything like the barriers that Myanmar is facing. 

For more information, please visit: CNN & Boston.com

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April 7, 2008 by willng24.

As in any Olympics the journey of the ceremonial torch from Greece to the site of the Olympics is always adventurous. Not only does the team have to be concerned with weather conditions, but also protesters. This year, it seams like the torch is confronting more protesters than I’ve ever seen. Well it can probably be explained by:

1 – Media has gotten a lot better in getting information to the public. Additionally, everyone likes to see the drama of the Olympic torch.

2 – Since my heritage is Chinese it probably catches my attention more than before.

Keep in mind that the torch has yet to even arrive in China and it is already hitting all sorts of speed bumps. Just looking at the map above you can expect some craziness as the torch hits China.  Sadly, the torch isn’t coming to Boston anytime soon, but hopefully in the future we can host the Olympics.

I personally think that attacks on the torch are the biggest waste of time for protesters. The best protest is probably to not attend or watch the Olympics. If you really want to go to the extreme, don’t spend any money on businesses that support the Olympics and tell others why you are doing so. I think the business ratio is 1 happy customer tells 8 others, but 1 unhappy customer tells 32 others.

I have views on the issues with Tibet and China, but that isn’t going to stop me from watching the Olympics. Plus, it will surely be exciting to see how the Chinese plan to secure the whole Olympics event. Funny, I actually considered going to the Olympics as a graduation gift to myself. Thank god I’m too broke to do so.

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