CHINATOWN, A different World...........Lean-n-mean III
Written: Nov 26 '04 (Updated Dec 13 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very walkable. Many shops and hundreds of restaurants/
Cons: Can get crowded. Some foods and items in storefronts and windows may turn you off.
The Bottom Line: Chinatown gives a peek into a different culture.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Chinatown NYC |
Walking through Chinatown in NYC is like taking a stroll into a different world. The culture on the streets is different in Chinatown than anywhere else in the city. It's a great place to spend an hour or two and more if you decide to eat at one of the hundreds of Chinese restaurants in the area.
Chinatown and Little Italy
We usually do Chinatown the same day we go to nearby Little Italy. Chinatown really doesn't have boarders. It's expanding each year. What was a population of perhaps ten thousand twenty years ago has now ballooned to over 100,000.
Mott is just one block east of Little Italy's main drag of Mulberry Street. There is a sudden change in atmosphere as you turn the corner off any of the side streets that connect the two. Where Little Italy's Mulberry is a festive place with people, mostly tourists, slowly walking up and down the streets looking for a place to dine, Mott becomes a very active place where a mix of mostly Chinese and some tourists mill about fruit, fish, and other food stands hustling through the streets bargaining with vendors. Where Little Italy has more of what looks and smells familiar in its restaurants and storefronts, Chinatown exposes an almost alien kind of culture with its sites and smells. NY's Chinatown is much more rough looking than San Fransisco's wide and colourful streets.
Getting Around
Being specific I'll be talking about Chinatown between Canal and Delancy with three main streets being Mott, Elizabeth, and Bowery. Chinatown has expanded much past these streets in all directions. As you approach the area the first thing you see is the unmistakable signs in Chinese script. Most of the buildings are five story walk-up apartment with fire escapes that make their way from top floors to a level not far the businesses at street level.
Parking's nearly impossible on the streets. The same holds true for driving through the heart of Chinatown. I suggest you park in the first lot you see and walk the rest. The best way to get there is using one of the subways that serve the area. If you're into walking, Chinatown is within a mile and a half of all downtown destinations. A ten minute walk will get you to City Hall and South Street Seaport or Greenwich Village. It's twenty five minutes to the New World Trade Center Site and in a half hour to forty minutes you can make Wall Street and the piers to the Statue of Liberty.
What's There
Small stores and stands line the streets. Knock-off hand bags and watches are to be bargained for with cash. You'll find all of the latest fashions but even though they look like the real deal, they aren't. Many shops have Chinese art, crafts, and souvenirs, costuming too. It's a good idea to look around a bit before making final decisions. Some fine Chinese bakeries are in this area too. Very clean looking.
The windows of Chinatown have some extremely strange meats and poultry hangin'in the windows. I love checking them out.
You'll find fruit stands on carts selling items you may or may not have ever seen before. No, there's no help in trying to read the names of the items, it's all in Chinese. We have tried asking the names and never seem to get an answer we understand. There isn't much English spoken at the market stores. It's different in the other stores mentioned earlier. There's basic "Let's-make-a-deal" talk spoken.
For real excitement go to the fish market stores. See live fish wriggling on ice. I was amazed walking into these stores to find huge tanks with live two-three foot fish swimming around ready to be tossed on ice. Be sure to look for barrels on the street with huge live frogs "hopping" to get out.
Check out Chinatown, it's a different world.
This is one of the many great NYC sites found in this book
The Great Sights of New York: A Photographic Guide
Little Italy Coming soon!
NYC a popsrocks review
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Sep - Nov
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