Beyond the skyscrapers, major tourist attractions, theater district and parks, the most colorful and seductive aspect of NewYork City is its cultural diversity. The best ways to experience the city’s mosaic of heritages is by dining at the multitude of international restaurants serving up cuisine from every corner of the globe, ambling through cultural neighborhood enclaves or attending a traditional ethnic festival.
For example, many major cities have a Chinatown district. I have been to China and witnessed firsthand the exaggerated chaotic congestion, and melding of modern and ancient practices. So what I love about New York’s Chinatown is pushing my way through the jam-packed streets, lingering at the local fish market to watch as live catches splash around in buckets, staring at the Peking duck dangling in the storefront windows, smelling jasmine wafting from tea houses, browsing at the open stalls selling designer knock-off pocketbooks and accessories, and eating dim sum on a Sunday morning.
My favorite spot for dim sum is the enormous and loud Golden Unicorn on East Broadway (www.goldenunicornrestaurant.com), where you share a round table with the locals chattering among themselves in Chinese while you sip tea and order every conceivable type of dumpling from passing carts. But what I have yet to partake in are the Firecracker Festival and annual Chinese Lunar New Year Parade.
Firecrackers and Lunar Parade
My mother’s cousin adopted a baby from China in 1999. To keep her now 13-year-old daughter in tune with her origins, she takes her to Chinatown each lunar New Year to celebrate and understand her heritage. They have been to the parade, which weaves in and out of streets decorated with red ornaments and lanterns, and the procession even popped into a restaurant where they were eating dim sum.
This coming Chinese New Year is the Year of the Dragon. The opening-day celebration on Jan. 23 kicks off with a Firecracker Ceremony, held 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sara Roosevelt Park on the Lower East Side, which runs along East Houston Street to Canal between Chrystie and Forsyth streets. About 200,000 attendees are expected. Intended to scare away evil spirits, this explosive tradition features 600,000 rounds of firecrackers and dozens of performances by lion, dragon and unicorn dance troupes. Afterward is a massive festival in the heart of Chinatown, with food vendors and allday cultural performances by Asian singers and dancers.
The main parade, which attracts closer to 500,000 spectators, will take place Jan. 29 from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The parade steps off at 1 p.m. in Little Italy. The route travels along Mott, Canal, Bowery, Chatham Square, East Broadway, Eldridge, Hester, Forsyth and Grand streets, ending at Sara Roosevelt Park.
This kaleidoscopic spectacle — the largest winter parade on the East Coast — is a flamboyant display of floats, marching bands, lion and dragon dancers, antique cars, beauty pageant contestants, musical performers, magicians and acrobats. Approximately 6,000 people march in the parade. At the end point of Sara Roosevelt Park, there will be booths, a food court, and more performances by martial artists, dancers and musicians.
Parking is near impossible, so find a garage uptown and take the subway down. Arrive early, and dress warmly. It’s not a bad idea to pack instant handwarmers to stuff in shoes and gloves. Visit www.betterchinatown.com.
Every year, there’s also a Lunar New Year celebration in Flushing, Queens, which is home to one of the largest concentrations of Chinese and East Asian residents in New York. It’s planned to depart from 39th Avenue andUnion Street on Feb. 4, but further details were not available at presstime. Call the Flushing Business Improvement District at 718-888-1805.
More Chinese culture
Big Onion Walking Tours offers a twohour “Chinatown: Year of the Dragon” walking tour on Jan. 21 at 1 p.m. Participants will learn about Chinese immigration at such stops as the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, Church of the Transfiguration, Lee Family Association, Lin Zeju and Confucius statues, and outdoor markets. Reservations are not required; just show up on the southeast corner of Grand and Chrystie streets. The cost is $18 adults and $15 students. Visit www.bigonion.com/tour/chinatown new-year.
NYC By Foot provides free walking tours of New York City. On the “Chinatown Food Tour,” guides provide culinary and cultural insight as participants nosh on fried dumplings, tapioca bubble tea, taro-filled sticky buns, candied crabs and lotus leaf rice at restaurants, bakeries and street push-carts. You choose what you want to eat and how much you want to spend. The tour is great for kids, and covers about a mile in two hours. Tips and food cost are not included. Reservations are required. There’s a limited winter schedule, but tours are offered Tuesdays and Fridays at 1 p.m. from April to November. Visit www.freetoursbyfoot.com/nyc/chinatown food-tour.asp.
The Museum of Chinese in America has a “Lunar NewYear Festival Family Day” on Jan. 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be family-friendly tours, workshops, a liondancing performance, and arts and crafts. General admission is $10. In addition, the museum features a 90-minute Chinatown walking tour called “Preparing for the New Year.” Attendees will learn about holiday customs and traditions, and see the district transform during New Year preparations. Tours must be reserved in advance. They will operate Jan. 14, 14, 21, 22 and 28 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets cost $20 adults, and free for children under 5. Visit www.mocanyc.org.