Chinatown

Remembering Big Mike, well known guy in the Chinatown kung-fu scene

By adamg - 5/25/17 - 10:06 am

Adam Cheung says farewell to Mike Lowney

[T]o me, Big Mike was mostly a person who came by the school to visit my Sifu [teacher], a white guy who spoke Cantonese and Taishanese and had studied countless types of Kung Fu both in Chinatown, Hong Kong, and China. He was well known for his loyalty to his Sifu, which many Chinese saw as uncharacteristic for most American students. He had embraced the Chinese culture full on and even become somewhat of a legend to a generation between mine and his of young Chinese men who took it upon themselves to recount his great exploits to me. ...

"He would break those big rocks and bricks and walk around carrying a sword like one of those 'dai hup'" a Wuxia Hero. The closest thing to that image in American culture would be a cowboy... and more recently Kung Fu Panda (the first one) makes fun of this image with Po imagining himself to be the wandering hero. But to many in Chinatown, including Chinese, Big Mike was the real deal.

Cleveland Circle pizza place ordered shut for a week over underage drinking

By adamg - 5/22/17 - 4:11 pm

The Boston Licensing Board last week meted out seven days of suspension for Agoros Bar and Grill, 356 Chestnut Hill Ave. for incidents in February and April in which BPD detectives found underage college students quaffing beers. Read more.

People move to luxury apartments next to nightclub, shocked to hear music from that club

By adamg - 5/17/17 - 12:18 pm

The Herald reports on the noise battle between residents of the luxury AVA apartments on Stuart Street and Bijou, the club next to which their high rise was built.

Earlier:
That time people moved into condos near the South Street Diner and tried to end its all night service (they failed).

Colombian college student who likes Theater District clubs might have to worry about a visit from Homeland Security

By adamg - 5/16/17 - 11:40 am

A routine hearing on underage foreign students with fake IDs trying to get into a Theater District club could turn into a Homeland Security investigation because one of them allegedly tried to get into another club the next week with a forged US passport. Read more.

State: 10 sex slaves freed with breakup of pimp ring

By adamg - 5/5/17 - 8:49 am

The Herald reports on the arraignment of a Chinatown resident and four others on charges they forced women from Queens to work as prostitutes for 12 hours a day with no pay at brothels in Chinatown, Quincy, Cambridge and North Reading.

Developer proposes turning old Chinatown office building into 24 affordable apartments

By adamg - 5/4/17 - 11:23 am

A developer yesterday showed off preliminary plans to convert 17-23 Beach St. - home to the Pho Hoa restaurant and the 1970's-style Mass. Medical Office sign - into apartments aimed at working-class Chinatown residents. Read more.

Theater District clubs given 10 days to figure out what to do about college kids with fake IDs

By adamg - 5/2/17 - 12:20 pm

The alcohol-infused straw that broke the camel's back was a 19-year-old Babson student with fake Nigerian and Indian driver's licenses and a photocopy of a Photoshopped British passport whom BPD detectives found with a shot of tequila in her hand inside Venu around 1:30 a.m. on March 4. Read more.

It's no Winthrop Square: State gets no takers for Chinatown parcels

By adamg - 5/2/17 - 9:10 am

The Globe reports not a single developer was willing to match the state's minimum $167 million price for 5 1/2 acres of land next to South Station due to the difficulties of developing the parcels, which include a steam plant that would have to be rebuilt. Read more.

Rising rents force Chinatown restaurant out

By adamg - 4/28/17 - 10:01 am

Sampan reports that Chau Chow City on Essex Street closes forever on Sunday. Fans of its seafood will now have to drive down to the other Chau Chow on Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester.

East Ocean City on Beach Street recently closed as well.

Chinatown seafood place shuts down

By adamg - 4/26/17 - 4:49 pm

Boston Restaurant Talk reports East Ocean City on Beach Street has ceased to be.

Long awaited Leather District ramen bar close to opening

By adamg - 4/26/17 - 10:52 am

Amateras, a 40-seat ramen bar at 112 South St. could open in a couple of months. Read more.

There's a dead train at Chinatown making Orange Line riders frown

By adamg - 4/25/17 - 4:18 pm

The T reports "minor" delays on the Orange Line.

Chinatown could finally get a library again

By adamg - 4/25/17 - 9:44 am

Old municipal building, where the library was, at Tyler and Oak.

WBUR reports on work to add a BPL branch to the China Trade Center, 60 years after Chinatown lost its library to make way for the Central Artery.

Photo from the BPL. Posted under this Creative Commons license.

Chinatown could get Hawaiian poke place

By adamg - 4/21/17 - 9:41 am

Sampan reports a restaurant specializing in poke - sort of sushi in a bowl - is planning an outlet at 20 Tyler St.

Do Orange Line delays bother this tabby? Will he whine and get all crabby?

By adamg - 4/13/17 - 4:58 pm

Marc Ebuña had some time for some selfie action on the inbound Orange Line just before Tufts Medical Center due to a disabled train somewhere ahead of him, his cat, and the other riders on the train around 4:20 p.m. As of 4:55 p.m., everything seemed clear, though.

Earlier:
Strollercat furor on the Red Line.

Meet the alleged photo putzes who brought the Orange Line to a halt at rush hour yesterday

By adamg - 4/5/17 - 11:18 am

Johnson and Nakhili

Transit Police charge two urban explorers who like taking subway photos from trackside are to blame for yesterday afternoon's massive Orange Line delays. Read more

Man in Asia seeks father he never met, who moved to Boston long ago

By adamg - 3/30/17 - 8:25 pm

Over at Boston Chinatown Blog, Adam Cheung reports he was recently contacted by somebody in Asia seeking any leads on the whereabouts of his father, who, the last he knew, was living in Boston and working at a company called Four Seas. The man would be 81 this year.