NYC GOES BIG ON CHINESE NEW YEAR
Celebrating the Lunar New Year? You’ve got your pick of party spots in the Big Apple
Chinatown has long been a popular destination for tourists in Lower Manhattan. But visitors willing to explore the city’s outer boroughs might consider a subway ride to neighbourhoods in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park or Flushing, Queens, which are also home to large Asian populations and bustling commercial strips dotted with restaurants and shops.
All three neighbourhoods also host events connected to Lunar New Year. The holiday is officially marked on Feb. 19, but several parades and other festivities are planned for the weekend of Feb. 21 and 22. Here are some details on the holiday and the three Chinatowns.
Sunset Park
Sunset Park isn’t as well known as the Chinatowns in Manhattan and Queens, but it’s one of the city’s fastest-growing immigrant neighbourhoods. There’s an Asian enclave here — predominantly Chinese, with a concentration of Fujianese and Cantonese residents — as well as a large Spanishspeaking population. Latino eateries and businesses are centred along Brooklyn’s Fifth Avenue, while Eighth Avenue is home to many Asian restaurants, markets and shops, roughly between 40th and 60th streets. The neighbourhood is served by several subway stops.
Good, inexpensive, authentic eateries abound. Some aficionados have anointed Ba Xuyen, at 4222 Eighth Ave. in Brooklyn, as home to the best banh mi in the city: Vietnamese sandwiches on crispy baguettes, loaded with ingredients like crunchy pickled vegetables, savoury meatballs and fragrant cilantro. Others swear by Lucky Eight, at 5204 Eighth Ave., a Chinese restaurant that’s even recommended by the Michelin guide. Another foodie fave is Yun Nan Flavour Garden at 5121 Eighth Ave.
Flushing
Take the 7 train to the last stop in Queens, Main Street, into the heart of a busy neighbourhood that’s a shopping and dining paradise. You’ll find everything from Sheraton and Best Western hotels to malls filled with Asian food stalls and shops. The Golden Mall is home to the flagship location for Xi’an Famous Foods, in the basement of 41-28 Main St. Xi’an is known for unique noodle dishes and now has 10 locations around the city.
A Lunar New Year Bazaar takes place Feb. 14 at Flushing Town Hall at 137-35 Northern Blvd., while a parade with a lion dance will run from Union Street to Main Street and 39th Avenue on Feb. 21.
Manhattan
This is the city’s oldest and bestknown Chinese neighbourhood. Its massive Lunar New Year parade and festival take place Feb. 22, kicking off at 1 p.m. at Canal and Mott streets, heading to Chatham Square, then down East Broadway, Eldridge and Grand Streets to Sara D. Roosevelt Park. Also at the park, on Feb. 19, there will be a firecracker ceremony and cultural festival.
But a walk in Chinatown is fun and evocative any time of year. Walk down Mott Street from Canal past dozens of souvenir shops and restaurants. Brave the line of diners waiting for soup dumplings at Joe’s Shanghai, 9 Pell St., just off Mott, or join the weekend crowds chowing down on dim sum at places like Dim Sum Go Go at 5 E. Broadway.
Coming soon
In February, NYC & Company, the city’s tourism organization, will feature all three Chinatowns as part of its series, Neighborhood x Neighborhood, at nycgo.com/nxn. The site picks different neighbourhoods each month.