2008 Woodie Awards
The Gotham connection: take ya down to Chinatown
Justine Mann
Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
When you hear the words 'Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Chanel' thrown quickly into a sentence and cloaked in a thick Chinese accent you know where you are. You're in Chinatown, a section of lower Manhattan once known for its dim sum and energetic Chinese New Year festivals now known as a hot bed of well-dressed criminal activity. Bootleggers have filled the shops which are complete with newspaper blocked windows and secret backdoors. The streets are filled with women carrying opaque black trash bags filled with the fall's hottest handbags; and while it is fun to 'live dangerously' and collect the much sought after contraband, there is still a Chinatown in Chinatown.
It seems Chinatown has turned in a 1990s kiddy Kung foo movie, where kids from the suburbs meet a mysterious Chinese man and follow him to a "model home" filled with riches. It's an adventure. You never know for sure where they are taking you or if you will be caught. But while these walks on the wild-side are fun, people seem to forget they're in Chinatown. Chinatown has been my favorite section of Manhattan since I was a little girl. If you wander around long enough you'll find places like the Pearl River Mart, which has a basement filled with flatware from China. If you were to venture down East Broadway you would find a little restaurant named 'Go-Go Dim Sum'. (5 E. Broadway) Here you can eat anything from shrimp dumplings to eel. Unlike most American-Chinese food institutions, Go-Go offers truly authentic creations. The vegetarian dim sum sampler allows you to try everything, without the risk of eating eel. Looking for more of a main course? Their ginger beef is amazing. The restaurant is clean, the staff is friendly, and the food is delicious. For dessert there is really only one option in Chinatown, The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, (65 Bayard Street) offers the most amazing green tea and black bean ice cream. If you don't like that you can choose one of their 'exotic' flavors such as chocolate or vanilla. While you're there be sure to pick up a T-shirt featuring their mascot, an adorable little green dragon.
Food isn't the only thing brilliant about Chinatown. As John Stewart would say "Let's go Shoooopping." Aside from the 'Coach' pocketbooks you will be offered from within bottomless trash bags, there are boutiques filled with charms and fruits. At the end of Mott Street the crowds thin out and the polish wears off. There are small stand on the corners selling Lychee and Rambutan (the little red ones) berries along with other exotic fruits, for a fraction of the grocery store price. The stores sell small figurines of Buddha and Maneki Neko cats (the cats with one paw raised for fortune). There are crates filled with bronze medallions and wind chimes and other mysterious goods. Chinatown isn't all commercialized. If you look in every nook and cranny you can find some great ethnic tradition.
It seems Chinatown has turned in a 1990s kiddy Kung foo movie, where kids from the suburbs meet a mysterious Chinese man and follow him to a "model home" filled with riches. It's an adventure. You never know for sure where they are taking you or if you will be caught. But while these walks on the wild-side are fun, people seem to forget they're in Chinatown. Chinatown has been my favorite section of Manhattan since I was a little girl. If you wander around long enough you'll find places like the Pearl River Mart, which has a basement filled with flatware from China. If you were to venture down East Broadway you would find a little restaurant named 'Go-Go Dim Sum'. (5 E. Broadway) Here you can eat anything from shrimp dumplings to eel. Unlike most American-Chinese food institutions, Go-Go offers truly authentic creations. The vegetarian dim sum sampler allows you to try everything, without the risk of eating eel. Looking for more of a main course? Their ginger beef is amazing. The restaurant is clean, the staff is friendly, and the food is delicious. For dessert there is really only one option in Chinatown, The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, (65 Bayard Street) offers the most amazing green tea and black bean ice cream. If you don't like that you can choose one of their 'exotic' flavors such as chocolate or vanilla. While you're there be sure to pick up a T-shirt featuring their mascot, an adorable little green dragon.
Food isn't the only thing brilliant about Chinatown. As John Stewart would say "Let's go Shoooopping." Aside from the 'Coach' pocketbooks you will be offered from within bottomless trash bags, there are boutiques filled with charms and fruits. At the end of Mott Street the crowds thin out and the polish wears off. There are small stand on the corners selling Lychee and Rambutan (the little red ones) berries along with other exotic fruits, for a fraction of the grocery store price. The stores sell small figurines of Buddha and Maneki Neko cats (the cats with one paw raised for fortune). There are crates filled with bronze medallions and wind chimes and other mysterious goods. Chinatown isn't all commercialized. If you look in every nook and cranny you can find some great ethnic tradition.
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