Skip to main content

The Getaway: Chinatown

Emerge from the subway on Canal Street in Chinatown, New York City, and be prepared for a wonderfully chaotic assault to the senses. Wizened grannies haggle loudly over all kinds of unrecognizable goods, younger women step into your path, whispering, “Handbag, Rolex, perfume.” Buckets of eels and brilliant blue crabs spill onto the sidewalk as customers clamor over fresh prawns and whole fish. Peking ducks hang in restaurant windows with skin like glass and the color of Chippendale mahogany.

When In . . . Amsterdam

The dynamic Dutch capital’s reputation for stag parties, spliff, and sex tourism belies diverse offerings for those willing to stray beyond the tourist hot spots. There’s no denying the city’s palpable yet joyful tension between serene beauty and beery hedonism — visitors either come for the picturesque charm of higgledy-piggledy houses on narrow streets or for sweaty techno raves in converted factories — but Amsterdam has it all, from the arts and entertainment to design, food, and greenery.

On the Police Logs 04.17.14



Amagansett

The scammer posing as a PSEG bill collector in calls to several local businesses was turned away by an alert businessman last Thursday. Vincent Balcuns of Balcuns Service Center on Main Street received a call telling him his electric bill was overdue. Mr. Balcuns stated that his account was paid up to date, and called PSEG, which confirmed it was a scam.

A vandal using black spray paint has caused $1,000 worth of damage to the interior of the Coast Guard and Life Saving Station on Atlantic Avenue, which is currently under interior renovation.