Chinese New Year

In a city with a Chinese population of over 100,000, when there is reason for celebration, you better believe it will be pretty spectacular. This was the case on Sunday, 21 February, 2010. The London Chinatown Chinese Association put on the "Year of the Tiger" celebrations for 2010 in a grand fashion. Trafalgar square, Leicester square and Chinatown were chocked full of people and activities to ring in the Chinese new year.

The festivities began around 11:00 AM in Trafalgar square (the main stage) with some formal introductions, a screen show and thanksgiving ceremony. Zach and I arrived sometime after 11:20, which ended up being just in time to witness some of the craziest "firecrackers" I have ever seen.

As we walked up and out of the charing cross tube stop (which dumps you right into the middle of Trafalgar square), we were greeted by hoards of people. However, it wasn't nearly as congested as we had planned and, as a result, we actually had room to breathe. We wandered around aimlessly for a while, attempting to track down some sort of timetable/program so we could figure what the heck was going on.

After being pointed in 12 different directions by the Metropolitan Police, we snagged a program and realized the supposed "firecracker show" was about to commence.

I have pictures of the madness, but they aren't actually worth posting. The sound was similar to small artillery fire that lasted much longer than everyone's ears would have liked. The daylight prevented any visible "fire" and all I heard was cracking. It was rather mediocre.

In contrast to the mediocrity of the morning firecrackers that shook my ear canals free of wax (gross), the Chen Brothers were set to put on a dragon dancing show that sounded exciting. Basically, two men stand on top of each other with a dragon costume that covers both of them, and they dance on pillars to the beat of some intense, rhythmic drumming.

Photo credit: Zach Westhoven

To bridge the gap between acts, some very enthusiastic, but not well-prepared emcees took the floor. They rambled on about various traditions and tried to get the crowd involved, but they were having none of it. I think it was due to the obvious lack of organization, cold weather and mild confusion as to what they were actually talking about.

Post-dragon dancing, our stomachs were ready for food and we decided to head over to Picher and Piano. A restaurant that looks classy, has reasonable prices and is right off of Trafalgar square is the last place you would expect to be going out of business. However, that was exactly what was happening at P and P. The food was delicious (I went with a classic club sandwich), but it was all served very unenthusiastically by our visibly depressed waiter. It was really sad. I can just hope is that the establishment is merely changing ownership. We'll see.

With our stomachs full, Zach and I said farewell to tired Bri and Rainey, and walked over to the National Portrait Gallery.

What was one of the first portraits I saw? You guessed it...

I snapped this photo (illegally) on my phone's tiny camera. It needed to happen.

The National Portrait Gallery opened in 1896 and, as a result, the collection ranges from the Elizabethan era, to modern works finished just last year. The breadth of the collection is truly incredible. Getting the opportunity to view very famous British dignitaries, writers, philosophers as well as other influential figures on canvas was fascinating.  The gallery isn't so large that you become overwhelmed, but each period in time is given plenty of attention.

After the NPG, we needed a break. Standing (virtually) all day had us pretty worn out.

Despite this fact, we mustered up some energy to wander into the depths of swamped Leicester square. Hoards of people were standing (more like getting in the way), vendors were selling mysterious "buns" of all kinds and kids flew under the radar throwing pop rocks at everyone's feet. It was quite an experience!

Now (quite literally) on our toes, and with Chinatown in the distance, we ventured into the crowd that was dead ahead.

Craving: Dessert. Were in luck. The "Golden Gate Cake Shop" appeared innocent on the outside, but proved to be utter mayhem on the inside.

and inside...

That's me trying to keep my "chocolate/coffee roll" safe..It was madness.

All was not lost, however, because that cake put a pretty big spring in our step. It became clear we had to tough it out and stay for the Fireworks.

The only other noteworthy thing we stumbled upon in Chinatown was a very quiet herbal medicine shop. This was strange because every other shop was packed with people. I had to take a look.

I think this picture sums up my experience haha

Upon exiting the herbal remedy shop, we walked around Soho (which was an experience in itself), found our way back to Piccadilly Circus and looked around the sports store Lilly White's. Six floors of everything and anything sports-related. If you can't find it there, it probably doesn't exist.

As 6:00 PM drew near, it was back to Leicester square to witness the most incredible fireworks display I have ever seen.

Sorry for the poor quality. The photos/video were taken on my phone. Notice the sea of LCD screens in the air... It was such a surreal experiencing seeing fireworks being shot off in such close proximity to buildings, trees and people. Incredible!!!

Long day, lots of walking and a sense I had magically teleported to China.

Cheers!