At the suggestion of our friends Robert and Marlene, we all headed down to Chelsea for dinner at Buddakan, which turned out to be the best of the 3 over the weekend. While it’s been around since 2006, it still enjoys very high ratings, impressive for a place that seats 275! Edamame dumplings, jade shrimp dumplings, scallion pancakes, black cod, purple pak choy, and black bean silken tofu.  Only negative was the pulsating, high volume, supposedly hip EDM; I just don’t get it.  Then again, my hearing is still really good and I want to keep it that way.  Other places we enjoyed:  the always reliable Sushi Zen, in the theater district on W. 44th, and the good-but-not-great modern Italian Vice Versa, near the Neil Simon Theater.

Second photo is of a guy who had a MAJOR advance team and 6 car NYPD and black Escalade SUV escort who drove up just as we were leaving.  I thought Biden would be coming out of the car!  Must have been a diplomat (UN meeting in New York this week).  President Obama arrives today, and is apparently seeing a Broadway show tonight, per inside scoop - our cabbie on the way to LGA (Update: that didn’t happen, he and First Lady entertained diplomats at hotel that evening)!  On our walk this morning near UN and Waldorf Astoria Hotel, advance security was like Fairmont Hotel in Chicago when we stayed there on Election Night.