January 12, 2008 by willng24.

The Around C-Town blogger was lucky enough to enjoy a meal at Ginza on Hudson St. this past week. Ginza has been operating in Chinatown for many years and has become a common staple for sushi in Chinatown. The owners also opened another location on Beacon St. in Brookline.

I have to say I was a bit reluctant to return to this restaurant. My prior dining experience left a less than favorable impression on me. However, I was there to celebrate the birthday of a good friend so I was willing to give Ginza another chance. I have to say I was surprised. The dining experience was much better than before. The temperature of the restaurant was pleasant. The wait staff was very helpful and the management was nice enough to try and find the Celtics game for me…but with no luck.

If my attempt for seconds didn’t show my excitement, the sushi was a lot better than before, but it wasn’t outstanding. It was a pleasant dining experience with almost no complaints. I would consider returning to Ginza if they were able to maintain this standard. The only complaint I would have is that our waitress went through the specials a bit too quickly for us to remember them. However, she made up for it by highlighting them when she returned with an itemized sushi menu. Good Catch!!!

I will have my fingers crossed the next time I go to Ginza in Boston.

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January 9, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

(Above) The Southeast Expressway I-93 and Mass Turnpike I-90

This is the 2nd part of an earlier posting from November. At the Chinatown Gateway/South Bay Special Study area charrettes held on November 29th, 2007, the consultant team from SAS/Design suggested the possibility of using “air rights” to build parks, or decking the freeway. Images were shown on how the 20-acre Chinatown Gateway/South Bay area could be transformed into a series of parks that could link to the existing Rose Kennedy Greenway.
Linking the new parks to the existing Rose Kennedy Greenway. The red dotted outline is the 20-acre Chinatown Gateway area. The yellow highlight represents Kneeland Street from Chinatown to South Station.

Olympic Park, Seattle, Washington 

Leif Erikson Park, Duluth, Minnesota

South River Walk Park, Trenton, New Jersey

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January 8, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

An alertful reader emailed this photo to me last Friday, Jan 4th. Text were added to the original photo to point out Chinatown landmarks, with the photo looking south. The building in question is partially obscured by Archstone Smith, but may be one of the buildings owned by Tufts University on Kneeland Street. This was deduced by looking to the right where Washington Street intersects with Kneeland Street. The real question is: Will second hand smoke have any long-term impact on the health of nearby residents?

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January 7, 2008 by willng24.

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I apologize for not being around for so long, but finishing my degree and enjoying the holidays got the best of me. However, I’m back and ready to give you folks some great info into Chinatown and the surrounding Boston area.

I had the opportunity to dine at the new Shabu Zen in Brighton over the holiday. It is the second location for Mr. David Wong. His original location at 16 Tyler St. in Boston has become famous for the hot pot dinning experience. The new location at 80 Brighton Ave. in Allston will surely be a success too. There are two advantages to the Brighton location. It is so massive (about 4x the size of the one in Boston) that hopefully there won’t be a line. Additionally, there is parking in the back…thank god! I grew up in the area and throughout the years parking has become a nightmare.

So go warm up from the New England winter with a hot pot at Shabu Zen!!!!

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