A guide to New York City’s Chinatown
Emerging from the Canal Street station in Chinatown is an experience. There's not only the sensory overload — the aroma of roast duck, the striking visual of the neon green “hair” on hot pink rambutan in a fruit vendor's cart, and the cacophony of hawkers, passersby and traffic — but also the uncanny warping of time. More than most of New York's other neighbourhoods, Chinatown is a time capsule lined with generations-old family-run businesses. But it is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic neighbourhoods in all of New York City; its long history is still being written as its streets evolve, with new ventures emerging between the storefronts of the old guard. It's this juxtaposition that makes Chinatown so intriguing.
But the coronavirus pandemic was particularly harsh on the neighbourhood. Beyond the ubiquitous business closures that erased decades of history, the racist stigma associated with the virus led to attacks on the city's Asian American Pacific Islander communities. But Chinatown —and its residents — are resilient. The next generation of business owners is reshaping the bright future of the neighbourhood, reviving some classics and introducing their own spins on cuisine, commerce and culture.
To help get you started on your own journey through the neighbourhood, we've collected our favourite things to do in Chinatown below.