1. Shea Stadium for Game 2 NLDS
2. Shibuya
3. Bahias de Huatulco
4. Shark Ray Alley
5. Hottakarashi Onsen

The city that never sleeps takes a little nap on Christmas Day. Chinese restaurants, 24hour diners, movie theaters, and the subway stay open as if it weren’t a holiday. The rest of the city, though, is completely quiet. There is hardly any car traffic, and the sidewalks are quite empty that you can walk backwards and not risk running into anyone. There is something beautiful about this quiet. Perhaps it is because it is a temporary reprieve from the daily hustle and bustle. People are taking the day easy, catching up with friends and family, and just plain ol’ taking a great Monday afternoon nap.

In Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, the affluent, mostly Italian-American families decorate their homes with elaborate Christmas decorations. The families leave no stone unturned. Every bit of their houses are covered in some sort or Noel-related decor, as if to remind you that ’tis the season, lest you suddenly forget. Along with the inflatable Frosties and Santas, some have animated reindeers, Peanuts characters complete with Snoopy’s dog house, lights mimicking a snowfall, plastic nativity scenes, and Santas lodged in chimneys. One home particulary stood out with a scene straight out of Dickens, complete with animated characters, and audio narrative.

And boy do I love a good 24 Hour diner. Eating on the big day, thankfully, isn’t only fruitcake and eggnog, and whatever you can heat up from last night. The past few years, we’ve had Christmas dinner at everyone’s favorite all nighter Ukranian restaurant in East Village, Veselka. The stuffed cabbage and mushroom barley taste extra swellicious when the joint is packed, and Second Avenue is pretty much car and pedestrian-free at around 9 or 10pm at night.

The daytime is spent weaving through Chinatown, then waiting patiently for a shared table for some dim sum. Sure bets in the Manhattan enclave are Jin Fong, Golden Bridge, and the new Harmony Palace. If you’re in Queens, hit any of the three East Buffet restaurants or try out the former Italian catering hall Linden Place. Chinatowns are always bustling so you would never know that it’s a holiday and that no one is working. Plus, there’s always something eye catching like the squishy, live stuff at the numerous wet markets.
[Veselka, 144 2nd Ave, New York, NY]
[Jin Fong, 18 Elizabeth St, New York, NY]
[Golden Bridge, 50 Bowery, New York, NY]
[New Harmony Palace, 94 Mott St, New York, NY]
[East Buffet & Manor, 4207 Main St, Flushing, NY; 645 Kissena Blvd,
Flushing, NY; 79-17 Albion Ave, Elmhurst, NY]
[Linden Place, 420 Linden Pl, Flushing, NY]

Weekend brunch is extra fun when all we have to do is roll out of bed and head over to Belleville on the corner of 5th Street & 5th Ave. Walking in the restaurant quickly transports you to Paris. The tables are small, the apertifs menu is scrawled on the mirrors on the walls, there are even benches along the walls. You cannot go wrong with anything on the the brunch menu, which consists of the usual eggs, waffles, and of course French toast. The fish soup is a good starter to split with a mate. Lately though, I’ve been ordering the croque monsieur. Just ordering it makes me feel like I’m in France.

Phones aren’t something I particularly care much about. All I require from a phone is the capability to make and recieve calls and the occasional txt msg. That is, until I was sporting around a J-phone from DoCoMo last month in Japan. All of a sudden, my free Samsung T209 sucked. Well it always sucked, but I learned to deal with it. Now I needed a new phone, so I marched into the local Tmobile store, laid down some cash for a new RAZR. There are way too many bells and whistles to it, but it doesn’t come any close to my rental J-Phone’s ability to pay for a soda in vending machine. Nonetheless, I’m totally loving the cool and sleek design.