Chinatown. It’s dirty. It’s nosy. It’s insane. AND it’s one of the BEST neighborhoods in all of NYC. Walk down any street in this dynamic neighborhood, and you’ll come across wondrous smells and tastes and sights. Chef Marcus Samuelsson from Red Rooster wrote in his memoir “Yes, Chef” that Chinatown is one of his favorite places in New York. I don’t think I could describe the energy of the neighborhood any better than this excerpt from his book:

“Every time I went down to Chinatown, especially in the early morning, the beauty and insanity of the neighborhood seduced me. In summer, the streets were already packed and smelly, even though the sidewalks were freshly hosed down. At a dim sum cart I could buy five cakes for a dollar. At a fish stand, I’d get giant prawns. I could see old people in their street clothes tucked into pocket parks doing tai-chi, following the syrupy slow motions of a guy with a sword in his hand, red tassels hanging from its handle. With most of my interactions, there was no common spoken language, and definitely no fabulousness. It felt direct and honest: You pointed, you paid, you stuffed your purchase into your bag, and you moved on. I’d go back uptown and try making jackfruit sorbet one week, then the next week experiment with wonton wrappers. Then and still, Chinatown was a tremendous source of inspiration.”