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Each day, thousands of visitors are enticed by Chinatown's bustling markets that spill onto t he streets, creating a feast for the eyes. Encompassi ng the largest Asian community in North America, Chinatown is bordered by Little Italy to the north and TriBeCa to the south. The winding, narrow streets between Worth and Hester along with East Broadway and West Broadway converge upon Canal—Chinatown's main street.
Within these boundaries, you'll find traditional Chinese herbal-medicine shops, acupuncturists, food markets filled with amazing varieties of fish and exotic vegetables, funky pagoda-style buildings, stores selling all manner of items from beautiful jewelry and silk robes to hair accessories and plumbing parts. Hundreds of restaurants serving every imaginable type of Chinese cuisine, from dim sum to fried noodles to extravagant Cantonese, Hunan, Mandarin or Szechuan banquets.
The many signs in Chinese, the music pouring into the streets from open windows, the delicious smells from the restaurants, noodle shops and packed tea houses are accompanied by the sound of the language swirling around you make it easy to feel like you've flown halfway around the world in the short time it took to get downtown.
Although the neighborhood is known for its excellent Chinese cuisine, perhaps one of its more secret highlights is the Eastern States Buddhist Temple on Mott Street. Step inside—your spirit will be refreshed and your eyes will be delighted by the sight of 100 golden Buddhas shimmering in the candlelight. Frequent festivals and parades (especially during the January and February with Chinese New Year celebrations, when paper puppet dragons, firecrackers and beating drums rule the streets), as well as galleries and curio shops create a glorious celebration of Chinese culture.
Chinato wn Visitor Information Kiosk
The Official Visitor Information Kiosk for Chinatown is located at the triangle where Canal, Walker and Baxter streets meet.
The kiosk has a red and gold dragon and neon pagoda roof, and there's an eight-foot translucent map of the area on its western wall.
Hours: Sunday–Friday 10am–6pm;
Saturday 10am–7pm
Directions by Subway: Take the N, R, Q, W, 6, J, M, Z to Canal Street
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