December 25, 2007 by Chinatown Blogger.

The Chinatown Blogger is in sunny San Diego at the moment. Even though a non-believer, he attended mass at church with fellow Filipinos. Will post a picture of the choir later.

The Filipino choir at the St. Charles Church in San Diego, CA.

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December 18, 2007 by Chinatown Blogger.

The Chinatown Blogger left early to get his car at UMass Boston, which sent an annoucement that everyone had to clear their vehicles by 4pm. Before leaving, he took a couple of photos to post on this blog. For your amusement, the Chinatown Blogger was stuck in the UMass campus parking lot for 2 hours. After finally being able to make a left onto Morrissey Blvd, another 4 hours was needed to get home. The City of Boston placed a snow removal emergency alert for street parking. The Chinatown Blogger is curious about where do Chinatown residents go park during these instances? Tell this blog where did you park in the comments section.UPDATE: A Chinatown resident told me that there are parking lots around that are opened for residents to park their cars, but residents have to pay the lot.

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December 15, 2007 by willng24.

Today was the 7^th annual Santa Speedo Run. This run is held every winter to raise money for the poor and homeless. Started by 5 bored friends looking for some thing different and wild to do, the Santa Speedo Run was born. Today it is an annual fundraiser that generates $150k for various charities. Today was a clear bright 20 degree December day. This brings new meaning to “giving ‘til it hurts.” This run goes for 1.25 miles around Boyston & Newbury St.  What no Chinatown members involved???

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December 11, 2007 by Chinatown Blogger.

The community newspaper SAMPAN reports that employees at Jin Asian Cuisine restaurant in Saugus, MA are claiming labor abuse. Before learning of these accusations, the Chinatown Blogger had recently took his family to this restaurant for dim sum on Thanksgiving Day. Jin Asian Cuisine is the third reiteration of the business made famous by their Chinese architecture. Known formerly as Weylu, East Coast Manor and now Jin Asian Cuisine, the restaurant does not seem to have sterling online reviews. The SAMPAN article also mentioned that this was not the first time the owners of Jin Asian Cuisine have been accused of worker violations. The New York Attorney General in 1997 filed charges of violations in minimum wage laws and failure to provide overtime pay. This case was settled for $1.1 million. In 2006, six workers in New York also filed claims of violations in minimum wage laws.

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December 6, 2007 by Chinatown Blogger.

The Dainty Dot Building as currently on corner of Essex and Kingston St.

A comparison of the 27-story tower (Top) proposed for Dainty Dot site and a what-if-building (Bottom) was built to existing zoning laws? The developers for the Dainty Dot will need a zoning variance from the City of Boston to build beyond existing zoning.

This blog had mentioned the Dainty Dot/120 Kingston St. proposed tower back on April 3, 2007. Since filing a Project Notification Form (PNF), the project has moved forward to the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DPIR) stage. Developer Ori Ron has been very active in the Chinatown community in presenting his vision for the tower and linking funds to build affordable housing. The Chinatown Blogger received this email from Dave Seeley, a resident of the Leather District. He had created 3D images of what the tower will look like to adjacent buildings when finished. The Chinatown Blog has no position on the Dainty Dot proposal, but felt the information was important to be reprinted here.
“For your information, I have constucted and posted images of a 3D model of the 120 Kingston DPIR design on the web, alongside a version of the design reduced to allowable current zoning. Please take a look. Hopefully this will be helpful in understanding the design, especially as it relates to the zoning of the site, and the surrounds, including the new Greenway Chinatown Park. You can download print resolution images if you desire them and I encourage you to use them in your correspondence. I release all images to the public. Please forward this email, or the url for this site to any interested party, both for or against the current design. Thanks for your help! Deadline for public comments on this project is by this coming friday, December the 7th. Please forward comments to BRA project manager Rodney Sinclair at:

Rodney Sinclair, Project Manager
Boston Redevelopment Authority, 1 City Hall Plaza, 9th Floor
Boston, MA 02201
Rodney.Sinclair.bra@cityofboston.gov

In the interest of full disclosure, I have no past, present or planned financial connection to the proposed project or it’s proponent. I’m a 23 year resident of Boston, and a 20 year Leather District resident, and I am motivated by a desire for quality urban design and planning in our City. I am currently opposed to the project, and my comment letters are, and will continue to be, included in the link to files above.

Sincerely,
Dave Seeley
Chinatown Park Co-Chair”

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