New York Self Guided Walking Tour, Food Tour, Attractions, Things to do
Use the New York Walking Map & Attractions Guide to Visit Chinatown
Chinatown Walking Map of Attractions and Food Tour Stops
Follow the walking map and attractions guide and food tour stops for things to do in Chinatown New York. Visit attractions and well known places to eat, use the INTERACTIVE or PDF Guide
Download interactive walking map of attractions and food stops HERE
Download PDF walking map of attractions and food stops HERE
New York Attractions: Chinatown History
An anti-Chinese movement fueled by anxiety over jobs drove the population who worked on the railroad to this section of New York. The population in Chinatown grew from 150 in 1859 to 2000 in 1870. The core streets for settlement by the Chinese were Mott, Pell and Doyer Streets. They joined other immigrants in the area mostly freed African Americans and the Irish
At this time the Chinese were barred from citizenship which led to their own internal support structure such as medical, housing and jobs. Much of that was coordinated through a group of established Chinese merchants who spoke English and established the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in the 1880’s. This was their informal quasi government allowing for a self-supporting and self-segregated community
This umbrella provided for three specific groups;
- the fongs were those from similar districts in China,
- the tongs (gangs) were business or trade associations and
- the family clan association ie: Lee, Wong, etc
The immigration laws did not allow for family reunification and so the population was dominated by men that came to America to work on the railroads leaving behind their wives, mothers, sisters, etc. In 1900 there were 4000 men and 36 married women in Chinatown. They were not able to marry American women as the restrictive laws resulted in the American women losing citizenship if she married a Chinese man. The men, unhinged and without female partners, turned to gambling, prostitution and the opium trade
In 1965, the immigration restrictions were lifted and a wave of chines immigrants came to New York. In 1980 New York Chinatown had the largest Chinese population in the US. Today the area has over 60,000 Chinese population, the largest in the western hemisphere
New York Chinatown Attractions: Mahayana Temple Buddhist Association
Located close to the Manhattan Bridge arch and colonnade the of Mahayana Temple, it is the oldest and largest Buddhist temple on the east coast. The entrance is flanked by two golden lions as a sign of protection. It has the largest Buddha statue at 16 ft. sitting on top of a lotus flower in the main room. You will also find chairs and place cushions to kneel. The Mahayana Temple walls are lined with artwork that depict the life of Buddha. The temple is used by locals who come by to light incense, pray or make a donation. It’s a temple so you will have to dress appropriately by covering your shoulders and knees.
New York Chinatown Food Tour: Wah Fung on Chrystie
Huge portion, noodles or rice with a variety of toppings including duck. They don’t skimp on the toppings so come with an appetite. Grab your meal and walk across the street to eat at one of the benches in Chrystie Park. Chrystie park is a popular park where you will see generations of families some of whom are playing mahjong, or with their kids on the basketball court or on the playground
New York Chinatown Food Tour: Shu jiao fu Zhou
Next door to the popular Vanessa; I found Vanessas good but caters more to the tourists so you will have pleasant staff, great customer service, nice ambience and higher prices. Try the hand-pulled noodles at Shu jiao fu Zhou and their dumplings; both are really good and very reasonable priced.
New York Chinatown Attractions: Manhattan Bridge Arch and Colonnade
The bridge was designed by Carrie and Hastings. Construction started in 1901 and was completed in 1909. It connects Canal Street in China Town to downtown Brooklyn. The entrance is distinguished by the ornate arch and colonnade. The colonnade is similar to Bernini colonnade in Saint Peter’s square in Rome where the colonnades seem to reach out in a wide hug. The arch and colonnade became a New York City landmark in 1975. The bridge is the third suspension bridge that crosses the east river. The first one that was built was the Brooklyn Bridge between 1867 and 1883 and then the Williamsburg Bridge between 1896 and 1903.
The bridge is easily walkable and has a bike path, however it is not as popular as the Brooklyn Bridge to the south. The walkways are on the outer edge and therefore those who cross the Manhattan Bridge are rewarded with sweeping views of the harbor not seen on the Brooklyn Bridge in the background. Keep in mind that the Manhattan side bridge does have the Subway that goes across it so it could be noisy at times; on the other hand you could use the train to cross the Manhattan Bridge and you could get a view of the harbor albeit a moving view. My suggestion would be to cross the Manhattan Bridge to get to Brooklyn and then once you get to the Brooklyn side walk over to the Brooklyn Bridge on the way back to Manhattan. You should easily be able to put this into your google maps and use the offline map
New York Chinatown Attractions: HSBC Bank – Citizens Savings Bank
Located on the southwest corner of Canal and Bowery Street the former Citizens Savings bank is a visible landmark for those coming off the Manhattan Bridge into Chinatown. It was built in 1924 and was designated as an official city landmark in 2011. Facing Bowery, it towers over the shops and restaurants in the area. The imposing 110 foot tall building was meant to reassure its customers on the stability of the bank. The focal point above the entrance is a “broken” clock flanked by a sailor, an eagle and an Indian. Two beehives sit on either side of the clock. The sculpture was designed by Charles Keck while the building was designed by Clarence Brazer.
New York Chinatown Attractions: The Bowery
The first settlers were ten freed slaves and their wives who in 1654 built cabins and farms near what is Chatham Square today. The Dutch arrived in the area in the late 1600’s. The name is derived from the Dutch word “Bouwerji” meaning farm. This street was occupied by Dutch farmers in the 17th century. Originally called Bouwerji Road it was on the outskirts of the city and connected the large family farms. Continued growth of the city pushed the city boundaries outwards and by the early 1800’s “Bowery Lane” as it was then known, became part of the city and was losing its farming roots. In the 1990’s a movement to revive and gentrify the neighborhood began. In the 1800’s it became an upscale theater and entertainment district and by the 1900’s it had declined significantly becoming a seedy neighborhood and center for prostitution. In 2011 the area was registered as the Bowery Historic District with the State of New York. With the designation came access to financial incentives encouraging property owners to restore rather than destroy old buildings. The Historic district starts at Chatham Square on Bowery and ends at Astor Place
New York Chinatown Attractions: Confucius Plaza
A federally subsidized housing cooperative with 762 apartments built in 1975, it was Chinatown’s tallest building and was occupied by mostly Chinese American residents. The apartment complex also houses a public school (kindergarten to grade 8), day care center, stores and a small community space in the center used as a meeting place or to hold events. Just outside of the complex is the bronze statue of Confucius donated by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association
New York Chinatown Attractions: Confucius Statue
Located in front of Confuscious Plaza, the bronze 15 foot statue of the great Chinese Philosopher was designed by Liu Shih. It was donated to the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in 1976 by the Taiwanese Republic of China as a symbol of the community to commemorate the bicentennial of the United States. The statue is one of two statues on Bowery. The other one is at Chatham Square on Bowery and is dedicated to Lin Ze Xu
New York Chinatown Attractions: Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association
Chinatown learned to rely on its own community to support itself in the early days because of racial immigration and backlash from the mainstream communities threatened their economic future. It was founded in 1883 to help new immigrants who spoke very little English, navigate daily life in New York. In its early days it also functioned as quasi-governmental agency within the community helping with socials, economic and financial issues including dispute resolution. It was started by a few people who spoke English to help those moving into the community. Services included finding health care, housing, jobs, skills training and food. New immigrants would contact the association and receive assistance to navigate daily life
New York Chinatown Food Tour: Jing Fong Restaurant
A popular banquet hall and restaurant opened in 1978 that can accommodate 800 people and is a popular wedding venue. They serves dim sum daily with limited variety after 3pm and increased varieties on weekends. Dim sum is a small meal on a small plate with items such as steamed buns, seafood, and other treats. Servers circulate and patrons remove food off the circulating carts. The waitress keeps track of what is taken off the cart and you pay for what you remove from the cart. It is ranked as one of the top dim sum location in New York
New York Chinatown Food Tour: Tai Pan Bakery
Opened in 1990, it serves fruit tartlets, custard tarts, pork buns, sweet and savory baked goods, and it’s one of the popular and well known bakeries in Chinatown. Frequented by locals, you will find elderly women drinking tea and socializing while others grab and go with bags full of bakery items to take home
New York Chinatown Food Tour: Ten Ren’s Tea and Ginseng Co.
A global tea shop founded in 1953 by Taiwanese Ray Ho Lee of the Ten Ren Group of Companies. It has a great variety of teas and is a mecca for tea connoisseurs. They will allow you to sample teas before you purchase
New York Chinatown Attractions: Eastern States Buddhist Temple
Annie Ying noticed that many elderly immigrants were on the streets with nothing to do so she opened the back of husband James’s store located on Broadway. This gave them a place to gather and socialize. She eventually opened the basement to them as the socialization took on a more religious purpose. In 1962 the activity moved to 64 Mott Street where she opened the Eastern State Buddhist Temple. It is the oldest Buddhist temple on the east coast. 25 years later, to celebrate her husband’s 83rd birthday, she opened another location referred to as the eastern campus at 133 Canal Street called the Mahayana Temple. The temple holds weekly services, and provides funeral and marriage services as well as blessings by monks
New York Chinatown Attractions: Most Precious Blood Church
Construction began in 1891, however due to lack of funds, the church was eventually taken over and completed by the Franciscan Order in 1904. Serving the Italian community, the congregation has expanded to include the newly arrived Vietnamese immigrants and is the site of the Vietnamese Arts and Culture Centre. In 2014 the Church came under the administration the diocesan administration due to lack of people in the Franciscan order. It is now part of St Patrick’s Cathedral
New York Chinatown Food Tour: Kam Hing Coffee shop
A favorite for sponge cakes, they are light and fluffy with a crispy top. A variety of flavors are available including pumpkin and green tea, however the favorite is the one labelled “original flavor”
New York Food Tour: Rice Noodle Cart
There is a Rice Noodle cart at 153 Center Street between Canal Street and Walker Street. If you blink you’ll miss it and that would be a shame. It’s an outdoor food cart run by two local women. Check it out on google maps to see the photos so you don’t miss it (type “rice noodle cart center street” in google maps). It is super cheap and super good. Closes at 3:30
New York Attractions: Columbus Park
It’s hard to imagine that such a peaceful location was the site for one of the most violent areas in the US where gangs fought for control, as depicted in the movie Gangs of New York. The City demolished the area including the Five Points intersection where in 1896 five streets converged to one point. Of the original five streets, today there are only three remaining: Anthony become Worth Street, Orange became Baxter Street and Cross became Mosco Street. The purpose of the reconstruction of the area to reduce the violence and gang warfare. Columbus Park was built on the site of the Five Points intersection. Today it is a popular community park that is used by the local Chinese residents. You will find the elderly playing board games such as mahjong, other board games or cards. Grab something to eat and soak in the culture at this park listening to Chinese music on their music boxes or Chinese musicians singing songs or playing traditional instruments. In the morning you will find groups who are doing tai-chi
The Brooklyn Bridge is only a 15 min walk from Columbus Park
New York Food Tour: Tasty Dumpling
Another local favorite is fried and steamed dumplings that serve locals, tourists and business workers in the area. Their specialty is the chive and pork dumpling, however they have a great variety of dumplings including chicken, mushroom, and items such as sesame pancake (local favorite). Great food at great prices!
New York Attractions: The Five Points
The Five Points area is on the site of what is now Columbus Park. Five points was a neighborhood in lower Manhattan with a growing population of immigrants and recently freed slaves who were some of the poorest people in America. Immigrants, in the area included eastern Europeans Jewish immigrants, Italians and the Irish Catholics who were escaping the potato famine. Five Points gets its name from the convergence of several streets to a point with five corners. The streets that were part of the five corners included of Anthony Street (today it is called Worth Street) Cross Street (today it is Mosco Street), Orange Street (which is now Baxter St) and Little Water St which doesn’t exist anymore
In the 1800s this area was the location of a number of gangs and the life here was depicted in the movie “Gangs of New York”. To give you an idea of the kind of life people lived here, the old brewery called Coulthards Brewery which became a landmark, was a housing tenement (tenant) with about 1000 men, women and children along with illegal activities conducted in the brewery such as gambling and prostitution. Five points had highest crime rate in the country and the old brewery saw a murder every single night for 15 years
The squalid conditions led to a disease infested neighborhood and prevalence of cholera, tuberculosis, typhoid, malaria and yellow fever. The poor living conditions continued for about a hundred years, until a photographer went into the area to capture the lives” of the people there. Jacob Rios published his observations in the book “How the other half lives. His book led to an outcry and five points was marked for revitalization. The old brewery was demolished and replaced with missionary housing. The notorious five Points intersection became a park (today it is Columbus park) and dangerous streets with blind corners were rerouted and renamed. Five Points was changing piece by piece and eventually the five points area became part of New York’s history
The revitalization of Five Points began and with it came a new wave of Asian immigrants in the 20th century. So Five Points has just become a part of our ever-growing Chinatown and on the other side of five points you will see federal buildings and courthouses collectively called the civic center
The Brooklyn Bridge is about a 15 min walk from the Five Points area and Columbus Park
New York Attractions: Mosco Street
This was once called Park Street and in the mid 1800’s it was called Cross Street. Today it is known as Mosco Street. It was a five block long street and with the building of Columbus Park it was shortened to one small block. This street was a dangerous location for close to about 80 years. It was the starting point of the famous Dead Rabbits riot on July 4 1857. The riot was between the New York born anti-immigration anti catholic anti Irish Bowery boys and Irish catholic dead rabbits gang (also known as the mulberry boys) led by John Morrissey. Morrissey went on to became a state senator reverently supporting Irish catholic causes. The riot lasted two days and involved 1000 gang members, killing 8 and injuring 10 men. Eventually the New York State militia stepped in to take control ending the riot at 9pm on July 6. In 1982 this street was renamed Mosco Street after Frank Mosco, a well-known community activist who lived on the street. Today it is a narrow one block street between Mulberry and Mott Street. It is all that remains of the five point era
New York Attractions: Church of the Transfiguration
The Catholic Church of the Transfiguration is located on the corner of Mott and Mosco. This is the oldest Roman Catholic Church and was built in 1801 as a Lutheran Church. The church was sold to the Roman Catholics in 1850. It is commonly referred to as the little church around the corner, and known for its inclusivity. It served the newly arrived Italian, Irish and Chinese communities and became a New York City landmark in 1966. There are daily tours or you can look around on your own and enjoy its lovely gardens. Today it serves a mostly Chinese community
New York Food Tour: Fried Dumpling
A Chinatown special, this tiny place has been serving dumplings for decades
This is the place to come and experience bad customer service in a bare bones location, serving great dumplings at a cheap price. If nothing else come for the “angry dumpling lady”. If you really want her to feel the angry, try paying her with quarters. This is a must stop. Get your dumplings and walk across the street to sit on the stairs as you eat your dumplings and watch the stunned tourist faces as they politely try to order
New York Attractions: Mott Street
In the early days, Mott Street was known as Old Street and Wynne Street. Like most streets at the time, it seemed to meander where the landscape took it took it. This is why there are so many bends and curves in Chinatown. The grid structure for roadworks was established much later and roads started to following the typical grid pattern that is still in place today.
Unofficially referred to as the “main street” of China Town, Mott Street runs north to south and is named after Joseph Mott. Joseph was a butcher who also owned a tavern on Mott Street. He provided resources to the rebels during the American Revolution.
Mott has a colorful history starting with its first Chinese settler named Ah Ken. A Cantonese speaking immigrant, he is thought to have arrived in the area in 1858. He kept a small rooming house on lower Mott Street and rented out beds to newly arrived Chinese immigrants. After earning enough money from this activity, he was able to progress from peddling cigars on the street corner to opening his own cigar store called “Park Row Smoke Shop”
In the 19th century, lower Mott Street was part of the famous Five Points poverty stricken, violent slum neighborhood. It attracted immigrants to the area because of its low cost housing (beds for rent). Wo Kee opened a general store on Mott Street, close to Pell Street, and in the ensuing years Chinese immigrants settled in this area. The immigration laws did not allow for family reunification and the Chinese males who worked on the railroads settled in this area. The mostly male population became involved with prostitution, gambling, drugs, loans, racketeering (protection fees) and the area was dominated by Chinese gangs called tongs.
The most famous of those was the On Leong Tong (gang) who legitimatized their business through a corporation called the On Leong Chinese Merchants Association. They terrorized and controlled Mott Street for decades. Eventually the strict immigration laws were lifted and family reunification allowed for influx of immigrants into Chinatown. Today Mott Street is lined with restaurants, bubble tea and gift shops catering to the tourists
New York Attractions: Quong Yuen Shing General Store (General Store on Mott Street)
Located at 32 Mott Street, it opened in 1892. It is the oldest grocery store in Chinatown owned by the Kee family. The store lies at the heart of Chinatown and at that time it served more than just groceries. For over 100 years it was the social center of the Chinese community where you could purchase groceries or get assistance with writing letters back home. Rooms at the back of the store were converted to bunk beds supplying temporary housing.
The products at the Quong Yuen Shing General Store has changed over the years from groceries to household items to medical herbs to silks and satin. However the interior changed little, using the same counters and wooden shelving for the expanded product line. The store closed after 9/11. The effects of 9/11 caused a disruption in traffic patterns into china town which greatly affected many business including this one. The financial impact due to a slowdown in customers resulted in the closing of the store in 2003. Chinatown is slowing recovering and new owners have since opened up at this locations as a gift shop
New York Chinatown Attractions: Aji Ichiban – Candy Shop
Located on Mott Street, the store has a large variety of dried food items, both sweet and savory. Founded in Hong Kong in 1993, there are over 150 franchises around the world. You will find salty and sweet snacks, dried fruit, jerky, traditional eastern items like wasabi seaweed and exotic candies. You can sample the items before you buy
New York Chinatown Attractions: Pell Street
Just around the corner from Mosco Street and bordering Mott Street is Pell Street. A favorite among film companies and photographers as it depicts the Chinatown ambiance. This piece of land was owned by the Pell family and Hill Street was built in 1776. It was the location of many gang fights, opium dens, gambling and prostitution saloons controlled by Chinese gangs. Two most famous ones were the On Leong and Hip Sing Tongs. Two of these were located at 11 Pell Street and 13 Pell Street. Today it is lined with hairdressers, salons, barbershops and is known as barbershop alley. Workers from the barbershop and hair salons stand outside beckoning you to come in and just like the children following the pied piper I followed one of them into the salon and had my haircut. A very interesting experience and a great haircut
New York Food Tour: Vegetarian Dim Sum House
If you are looking for a vegetarian option and want to experience Dim Sum in chinatown, this is the place to go. Located on Pell Street, dishes include turnip cakes, rice rolls and spinach fried dumpling. You will also find gluten free choices, tofu and mock meats such as duck and beef.
New York Chinatown Attractions: Doyers street
From Pell Street you can head to Doyers street. The street is named after the Dutch Immigrant Hendrik Doyer who owned the land on which this street is built. It was also the site of his pub and distillery. Today that spot is the site of the United States Postal Service. What’s unusual about the street is the angles that the road makes. There are two separate turns on the street making a zigzag so you are changing directions two different times as you meander down Pell Street to Bowery
A 200 ft. long street, Doyers street was known as bloody angle because of the 90° angle it makes on the street creating a blind spot prime for ambushes, shoot-outs and murders. With the blind spot it became a place where many Chinese gang wars erupted spilling blood, hence the title “bloody angle”. Like Pell Street in the early 1900’s, Doyers had become one of the most violent streets in history. This was where two rival Chinese tongs (gangs) the hip Sing tong and the On Leong tong fought for dominance. They were also tunnels connecting the street to many of the buildings for a quick escape. One of these tunnels is near the Nom Wah Tea Parlor next to the coco fashion shop.
New York Chinatown Attractions: 5-7 Doyers Street (the former Chinese Theater)
A popular Chinese opera House from the late 1800’s, it opened its doors in 1893 to serve the growing Chinese Community. A most violent gun battle in front of the theater in 1901 between the Hip Sing tong (gang) and the On Leong tong (gang) resulted in four people dead. The theater never recovered from the violent reputation of the street and eventually had to shut down in 1901.
New York Food Tour / Attractions: Nom Wah Tea Parlour
New York’s first dim sum restaurant is located on the street called Nom Wah Tea Parlour. The building has been here since the 1920s. First owned by the Chou family, it was sold to Wally Tang who started working there at 17. Its interior has hardly changed and while it may not be the best dim sum place today, it is very authentic.
New York Food Tour: Tasty Hand Pulled Noodle
Tasty handful noodle is a small unassuming place near the end of Doyle Street just before you Bowery. The staff are friendly. It is an open kitchen with nothing fancy. With the open kitchen concept, you can watch the guys at the counter pulling and manipulating the dough into long noodles. Most of the people in there are locals. You won’t see a lot of tourists and the food is brilliant. Just top with fresh cilantro and scallions and it’s the perfect spot for a quick lunch. You can get any kind of toppings with your noodles but be sure to order the hand pulled noodles. The noodles are light and not doughy or heavy and you can get them pan fried or as part of a soup bowl. Try the steamed dumplings; you can’t go wrong here, great cheap food. Cash only.
New York Attractions: Edward Mooney House
At the corner at the south west corner of Pell Street and Bowery, you’ll find the Edward Mooney house. A tall red brick building, it is the oldest building in Chinatown and one of the very few remaining from 18th century. The building was completed in 1789 by Edward Mooney, a butcher, and even survived the great fire of 1835. The architecture is preserved from that time including the small Georgian windows and the wooden door frame. It started as a townhouse and has had a variety of functions in the past including a restaurant, a pool hall, a hotel and pub but today it is the location of a bank
New York Food Tour: Mei Lai Wah
A local favorite, no frills, simple bakery with great food at cheap prices. The décor is very basic and has a small eating area with several booths which are usually occupied. They are known for their baked pork buns; Try cha shu bau which is an absolute favorite. Pick up baked or steamed buns and options for vegetarians are available such as the lotus paste steamed buns. Do what New Yorkers do, grab and go. The Chinatown ice cream factory is just across the street
New York Food Tour: The original Chinatown ice cream factory
A family owned shop that’s been operating for four decades. It is one of the oldest ice cream stores with high quality ice cream, a variety exotic Asian flavors that are not available anywhere else. Try their popular flavors such as pandan, black sesame wasabi, green tea, lychee or red bean. Get it as a double scoop cone or get a double or triple scoop sundae. On a hot day, it’s packed with people who spill out onto the street outside the narrow store.
New York Food Tour: Golden Unicorn
Another great Dim Sum restaurant in Chinatown located close to Chatham Square. The restaurant itself is above the bank. You have the choice of Dim Sum or ordering from the menu. There are affordable prices for big groups. A popular venue for Chinese wedding receptions, birthday parties or other events. The décor is straight out of the 1960s with golden cover chairs and curtains
New York Chinatown Attractions: Chatham Square
Before Chinatown, this site was an open area market selling a variety of products and livestock in the late 1800s. In the mid-19th century it was a part of the Five Points area which was eventually transformed from a seedy violent neighborhood. Today it is the location of a park on the eastern end of Chinatown. Chatham Square refers to a major intersection in Chinatown. It is the meeting of several streets including Doyers, East Broadway, St James Place, Worth Street, Park Row, Mott Street Oliver Street and Bowery. There is a small park in the center of Chatham Square that has the Lin Ze Xu monument in Kimlau Square/Arch
The Brooklyn Bridge is only a 15 min walk from Chatham Square
New York Chinatown Attractions: Kimlau Square (Arch)
Erected by the American Legion, the arch honors Benjamin Ralph Kimlau, a 26 year old Chinese American lieutenant. A pilot in in WW2 fighting for the US, he lost his life when his plane was shot down in 1944.
New York Chinatown Attractions: Lin Ze Xu Monument
Lin Ze Xu stands in Chatham Square. He was known for his work against the drug trade, fighting to keep opium out of China. His most famous act was taking a shipment of opium imported by the British into China and dumping it into the Guangzhou Harbour in 1839 starting the Opium War. The statute was funded by the businesses and communities in Chinatown.
Chinatown immigrants were mostly from the Cantonese province, however in the latter half of the 20th century, immigrants from the Fuzhou were settling in the area east of Bowery. Chinatown has its own distinct micro culture. The area of east Broadway is locally referred to as “Fuzhou Street” and Eldridge Street houses Fujian owned shops. The Lin Ze Xu Statue is a reflection of this micro culture. Where the Confucius statue is associated with the old days and Chiang-Kai-Shek statue represents the new wave of Chinese immigrants who identified more with Mao Tse-tung who were from the Fujian province. The statue of Lin Zexu, a Chinese politician, was erected in 1997.
Chatham Square and Kimlau Square are synonymous. If you call it Chatham Square you are referring to the Anglicized version and if you call it Kimlau Square you are identifying with the Chinese traditionalist and if you call it Lin Ze Xu Square you are identifying with the Fujianese
New York Food Tour: Dim Sum Go Go
For those who want to experience the art of Dim Sum and not sure what to pick from the circulating food cart, this might be the Dim Sum restaurant for you. It’s a full service restaurant where you can order Dim Sum from the menu. The menu includes pictures and a description of the item. They also serve Dim Sum platters such as the vegetarian platters. Pricier are higher than the other Dim Sum places, however it is a good alternative for those wanting to try Dim Sum for the first time
New York Food Tour: Golden Steamer
An old looking building with delicious baked items. It is known for its selection of buns including: pork, red bean paste, pumpkin, custard, lotus seed, sausage, chicken and a variety of others. Great place for cheap, good quality, sweet and savory baked and steamed buns
New York Attractions: Mott Street Fish Market
Every day, the fish markets on Mott Street between Grand Street and Canal Street are bustling with locals. You will find every kind of fish imaginable where resident’s haggle and hunt for fish. The fish market are interspersed with fruit and vegetable stands where locals inspect items very closely before purchase. For tourists it’s a must see place to experience the sights, sounds and smells of the local markets
New York Attractions: Museum of Chinese in America
In 1980, historian John Kuo Wei Tchen started the documentation of New York’s Chinatown. He felt that the oral history passed down would be lost over time as the population aged. In 2005, with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation the museum moved to 215 center Street, a 19th century school house, which is still its present location. The museum documents the culture, heritage and history of Chinese Americans. Admission is free
Brooklyn Bridge
From Chinatown, it is a 15 min walk to the Brooklyn Bridge through Lower Manhattan. Walk East on Bowery to Chatham Square, turn right on Worth St towards Center St/Foley. When you turn right on Worth Street, Columbus Park will be to your right, you are in the Five Points Area. Columbus Park is on your right and both the Daniel Patrick Moynihan US Courthouse and the New York County Supreme Courthouse will be on your left. Turn left onto Center Street. You will see brown street signs pointing you in the direction of the Brooklyn Bridge. When you turn left on Center Street, Foley Square will be on your right and the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse will be on your left. Continue on Center Street, Center Street will take you to the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade. Total walking time is about 15 minutes
Along the walk from Chinatown to Brooklyn Bridge, you will pass several Lower Manhattan Civic Buildings including:
- New York County Supreme Courthouse
- New York City Marriage Bureau
- Foley Square
- Thurgood Marshall Courthouse
- Wall Street
- City Hall (across from the Brooklyn Bridge Pedestrian Walkway)
Walking Tour Brooklyn Bridge – Brooklyn Bridge Self Guided Tour
New York attractions
New York Chinatown Self guided Walking Tour – visit the popular attractions in Chinatown, including your own personal Chinatown food tour. Visit the popular local restaurants to sample the cuisine. Once you have completed the food tour and attractions tour in Chinatown. Use the guide to walk 15 min to the Brooklyn Bridge and complete the Brooklyn Bridge tour (below)
Brooklyn Bridge Self guided Walking Tour – Use the map and attractions guide to cross the Brooklyn Bridge and visit areas such as Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Flea market, and Brooklyn Promenade. When you are done, head over to the Manhattan Bridge to visit DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). Once you have completed the walking tour you can either:
- Cross the Brooklyn Bridge again to return to Manhattan Island
- Take the Ferry from Pier 1 in Brooklyn Park to go back to Manhattan Island. The ferry will drop you at Pier 11 Wall Street (financial district) or East 34th Street
- From DUMBO, head upstairs to the Manhattan Bridge and walk across the Manhattan Bridge back to Manhattan Island. You will return to Chinatown on the Manhattan side
