Xīn Nián Kuài Lè

A couple of weekends ago, Tom and I made our way to China Town for the Golden Dragon Parade. I was originally trying to join a photography meet-up, but we were a little late, so we just wandered around on our own. There was plenty to see and photograph, as China Town welcomed the Year of the Snake.

{cheat sheet on the floor of the mayor's car}

{Mayor Villaraigosa}

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure what the deal is with these bunnies, but they seemed to enjoy themselves.

The dragons were my favorite.

I'm tired at the moment, and I cannot think of a non-cliché way to say this, but this country's diversity really is what makes it great.  I had lunch yesterday with my coworker Hadiara who is a native of Niger. We spoke at length about the challenges that face a country that is less a nation than it is a loosely joined collection of tribes. Finding a way to govern people wiht different beliefs and priorities is no small task, and the fact that people with so many different cultures, histories, languages, and traditions manage to live in this country in relative harmony is pretty damn amazing.

That little digression was prompted by our final moments at the parade where we watched a big New Orleans brass band playing African American spirituals march under the gate in China Town, which is located on Cesar Chavez Avenue. Only in America.

As much as I love embracing cultural diversity, I was not up for lunch at this place...