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Chinatown

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  • Canal Street to Bayard Street
     New York, New York 10002
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Davinagr
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Taste of Chinatown

  • March 1, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Brooklynite22 from Brooklyn, New York
Taste of Chinatown

This annual event highlights the numerous restaurants in New York's Chinatown. Come hungry, bring friends and share. This event, held in May of each year brings the food to the streets in affordable one dollar and two dollar "tastes". The Canal Street, Grand Street or East Broadway stop on various subway lines will you get you here. The streets are closed off on participating blocks and restaurants set up tables (and some chairs) in the streets and offer different samples in small affordable portions.

This event is a great way to try lots of different types of food with participating restaurants ranging from Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai and beyond. They include traditional favorites and more unusual fare, from your everyday egg-roll or lo-mein to various types of dim sum, soups, sushi, bubble tea's in a variety of flavors and popular tastes such as the popular Peking King Duck. Come early and print out a map before you go (http://www.explorechinatown.com/PDF/ExploreChinatown.pdf). Pace yourself there's ton of stuff to try and you may want to share in order to maximize the variety of dishes you try. While the star is the food, confetti drops from the buildings above, there is live music, dragon dancing and other performances.

If you need a rest or a place to eat (there are picnic tables and benches) there is always Columbus Park by Bayard and Mulberry street.

While Taste of Chinatown is a great time to check out this bustling New York neighborhood there is still a lot to see (and eat) the rest of the year, whether you want to see the Museum of Chines Americans, want a purse that looks like it was made by your favorite designer(without the price-tag) or you want to grab some great Dim Sum while sharing a table with the locals, New York's Chinatown is a must see for visitors.

From journal My New York: Free, Cheap, and local

Editor Pick

Chinatown Market North

  • August 16, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by ripplefan2 from Queens, New York
Chinatown Market North

While leaving the SoHo area of downtown and heading back into the mayhem that is Chinatown on Canal Street, I ran across this little impromptu marketplace that had a little bit of everything.

Now, I am not really a big shopper, but my girlfriend loves it. And after we left a local sex shop, finding this was a perfect addition to her day.

Now this place looks, at least from the outside, like a sketchy place to do some shopping, but once you walk into the claustrophobic setting, you see the amazing deals and excitement sets in. Unless, however, you are claustrophobic, then this place might not be for you. There are little makeshift stores selling everything from shirts and hats to plaques and pictures and everything in between. And what's great is that they don't discriminate on seasons. They carry winter hats in the summertime and bathing suits in the winter. Why wait until the season is upon you to spend more money when you can get that warm winter hat now for a cheap price and be prepared when the temperature changes.

Now, just like Canal Street itself, these vendors are just looking to unload their merchandise as fast as possible so all prices are negotiable as long as you stay firm. I actually heard a guy getting ripped off because the vendor said he didn't have change so that painting was going to be the full $20. If the guy had said that he would go and get change then return, I would imagine that the vendor would have found some change somewhere instead of risking losing the sale. But this how this area operates, so get your wits about you. Enjoy!

From journal Best New York Shopping

Editor Pick

Chinatown -- Bootleg Shopping Mecca

  • November 30, 2004
  • Rated 4 of 5 by IgoUgo Staff from New York, New York
Chinatown. When you hear that name, you probably just think of Chinese food, buildings with intricate detail, some sort of major arch establishing the entrance to it, and a lot of signs written in Chinese that you have no clue how to read. Of course, the culture of Chinatown is amazing, but the shopping there is even more amazing.

Look beyond those obvious establishments, and you'll find a mecca for discount shopping. Here, there is something for everyone on your Christmas list. Canal Street, lined with tiny stores, street vendors, and the occasional "mini-mall", is the center of this holy land of discount shopping.

The popular shopping attraction, during Christmastime and year-round, is the purse/handbag market. The police have cracked down on the Canal Street vendors recently, so finding the bags with Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Kate Spade logos are not as easy to find as before. But hang around the intersection with Broadway and ask the vendor if they have those bags. Their usual answer is "no," but promise them you'll buy one, and they'll open up a secret compartment with the bags you want. Act fast, because they'll close the compartment if they suspect a cop is nearby.

If purses are not your thing, look for $5 DVDs of movies still in theaters, $10 Oakley sunglasses, $15 Rolex watches, car and home stereos, $5 computer programming books (complete with missing pages and misprints), and fragrances. Of course, some of this stuff is obviously fake, some are really good "knock-offs" of the real thing, and some might even be stolen (or "hot"). But whoever receives your gift does not need to know that, especially because you don't even know where it came from.

If you're in a pinch for a holiday gift, head down to Chinatown and grab something that is usually very expensive for a discount price. The watch you buy may break in a week, and the bootleg DVD may have Chinese subtitles, but nothing says love like a fake Prada handbag.

From journal Christmas in New York City with IgoUgo

Chinatown Excursion

  • March 16, 2003
  • Rated 1 of 5 by Davinagr from Los Angeles, California
After a $13 cab ride from midtown to Chinatown on a Saturday, I would not recommend this mode of transportation to hunt bargains in this eclectic neighborhood. A bus or subway ride runs about $1.50 each way. Looking for bargains on beaded bags, fake designer purses, and more. I was so disappointed at what I found. A simple 'lil change purse was $6, and for those who were willing to bargain, they only came down a few dollars after starting the price on a lovely new season Kate Spade at $35. If you're not into crowds, avoid this tourist trap. Also make sure you have strong ankles to handle the broken up sidewalks that run for blocks on wicked angles.

From journal New York City on a Budget

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