A Walking Guide to Chinatown, NYC - the places I have been

Everyone knows about Chinatown, but actually knowing it (with its winding streets and hole-in-the-wall gems at every turn) is another story entirely. Luckily, we’ve got ideas for days! Well, specifically one day. Meaning, you can hit every single of these places in one action-packed, amazing day traipsing around the nabe—one of New York’s most iconic and quintessential. (And that’s saying something.)

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0.51km

Lower Manhattan Landmarks

2021

9.21km

Taste of the Tropics USA

Discover Taste of the Tropics USA in Brooklyn, New York: Try ice cream in Caribbean-styled flavors like soursop, Irish moss, and "greatnut.".

2017

0.55km

The Durian Stall in New York City’s Chinatown

The best place to pick up the rare, notoriously foul-smelling Asian "king of fruits."

2019

6.29km

Spritz Cookie Gravestone

Discover Spritz Cookie Gravestone in Brooklyn, New York: This recipe is set in stone.

2019

1.04km

Staple Street Skybridge

Discover Staple Street Skybridge in New York, New York: Imagine having a street run right through your home, or better yet, a historic bridge three stories high.

2021

5.42km

A Brooklyn Park’s Wood-Paneled Arch

Endale Arch, one of the first architectural elements constructed in Prospect Park, was recently restored to its original glory.

2019

1.1km

Bluestockings Bookstore

Discover Bluestockings Bookstore in New York, New York: New York City's only radical feminist independent bookstore.

2017

2.67km

A Punk Video Game Arcade Gallery in Chelsea

Discover Babycastles in New York, New York: A DIY art gallery/music venue/lecture hall dedicated to video game culture.

2022

3.41km

Naval Cemetery Landscape

Discover Naval Cemetery Landscape in Brooklyn, New York: What was once a vast naval cemetery is now home to nesting birds and pollinating bees.

2017

6.02km

Lesbian Herstory Archives

Discover Lesbian Herstory Archives in Brooklyn, New York: The world's largest collection of materials relating to lesbian history is housed in a Brooklyn townhouse.

2019

5.65km

Vale of Cashmere

Discover Vale of Cashmere in Brooklyn, New York: This secluded ruin was once a home for exotic plants.

0.4km

Urbirun New York – Brooklyn Classic

en fr

2017

1.2km

Houston Bowery Art Wall

Discover Houston Bowery Art Wall in New York, New York: This wall on a street corner in Lower Manhattan has been a blank canvas for a rotation of renowned artists since the 1980s.

2019

1.96km

Russian and Turkish Baths Cafe

Discover Russian and Turkish Baths Cafe in New York, New York: Have a steam and some blini at this cafe in a century-old bathhouse.

2019

5.56km

Leroy’s Place

Discover Leroy's Place in Brooklyn, New York: This interactive gallery makes you feel like you've stepped into a fantasy world filled with whimsical monsters.

2019

0.67km

Farm.One

Discover Farm.One in New York, New York: Underneath the bustling city streets, a hydroponic farm grows unique herbs in an urban oasis.

2020

2.06km

Love Lane

Discover Love Lane in Brooklyn, New York: Love is in the air along the small street in Brooklyn.

2018

1.36km

Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks

Spiral-bound community recipes and antiquarian gems mingle at this East Village shop.

2020

6.17km

Captain America Statue

Discover Captain America Statue in Brooklyn, New York: A one-ton statue of Steve Rogers beautifies the entry to a Brooklyn Bed, Bath & Beyond.

2019

8.57km

Karen Deli Grocery

Discover Karen Deli Grocery in Brooklyn, New York: Sunset Park's Guatemalan community knows to head to the back of this bodega for a taste of home.

2019

5.62km

‘The Dinner Party’

Discover 'The Dinner Party' in Brooklyn, New York: This enormous banquet-themed artwork honors over 1,000 notable women throughout history.

2020

3.3km

Stationary Figures Mosaics

Discover

2017

1.94km

A Brick-and-Mortar Matchmaking Club

Discover Modern Love Club in New York, New York: This narrow shop in the East Village hosts a matchmaking service for the new millennium.

1.1km

A Walking Guide to Soho, NYC

2019

5.69km

David’s Brisket House

Discover David's Brisket House in Brooklyn, New York: A Jewish deli run by Yemeni Muslims in an Afro-Caribbean neighborhood is quintessential Brooklyn.

2017

0.4km

The Oldest Eastern European Synagogue in the U.S.

The Eldridge Street Synagogue provided the immigrants of crowded Lower East Side tenements a space of sanctuary.

1.33km

How Dutch is New York? – The Stuyvesant Tour

en nl

2018

2.46km

The Hidden ‘Fliers and Explorers’ Globe Is Incredible

Signed by Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh, this might be the most impressive globe you've never heard of.

2019

2.75km

The Best Persian Food in New York Comes From the Front Window of a Pizza Shop

Taste of Persia NYC serves up fragrant soups and stews from a tiny counter.

0.86km

New York Crime: A Tour of the City’s Most Infamous Scandals

2019

3.26km

Poster House Museum

Discover Poster House Museum in New York, New York: The first museum in the United States dedicated entirely to posters.

2021

10.21km

Bay Ridge Gingerbread House

Discover Bay Ridge Gingerbread House in Brooklyn, New York: On the hills of Bay Ridge stands a house straight out of a fairy tale.

2021

6.25km

Brooklyn-Flatbush Border Line

Discover Brooklyn-Flatbush Border Line in Brooklyn, New York: One of the remaining markers of an era when Brooklyn and Flatbush were separate cities.

2020

7.63km

Charles Feltman’s Tomb

Discover Charles Feltman's Tomb in Brooklyn, New York: The inventor of the Coney Island hot dog rests in a grand mausoleum in Brooklyn.

0.65km

AT&T Longlines Building (33 Thomas Street)

2020

2.34km

The ‘Goodnight Moon’ House (Cobble Court)

Discover The

2017

1.17km

REI’s Wall of Litho Stones

A trove of century-old litho stones discovered behind a cellar wall are now on display in the SoHo REI.

2017

2.81km

The Manhattan Hotel That Housed the Surviving Crew Members of the Titanic

Around 100 sailors were left destitute after the wreck.

2017

1.63km

The Last Remnant of the New York Produce Exchange

Discover New York Produce Exchange Property Marker in New York, New York: A well-worn marker in a forgotten alleyway is all that remains of what had been one of Manhattan's most beautiful buildings.

2017

1.85km

The Museum of Interesting Things

Discover The Museum of Interesting Things in New York, New York: A hands-on traveling collection of the innovative devices of yesteryear.

2017

1.74km

WPA Murals of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House

Discover WPA

2019

7.15km

Mi Pequeño Chinantla

Discover Mi Pequeño Chinantla in Brooklyn, New York: Enter the deli, walk until you hit the taxidermy, then order some hot, homey guisado.

2018

3.5km

Patent Pending

Nikola Tesla's former home contains an homage hidden from plain sight.

2020

2.13km

Marie’s Crisis

Discover Marie's Crisis in New York, New York: Those belting out show tunes might not realize this piano bar marks the site where Thomas Paine died in 1809.

2019

1.58km

Ear Inn

Discover Ear Inn in New York, New York: One of the city’s oldest watering holes was originally the home of a famous James Brown (not that one).

2019

1.78km

Gem Spa

Discover Gem Spa in New York, New York: For almost a century, this East Village newsstand has served egg creams to beats, hippies, punks, and everything in between.

2018

5.08km

New York City’s Hidden Taxidermy Studio

There’s no sign of the studio to be seen from the street except the people carrying dead critters in and out of the building.

2021

4.22km

The Leaning Brownstone

Discover The Leaning Brownstone in Brooklyn, New York: This unusual apartment building may be Brooklyn's own version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

2018

2.16km

Gay Liberation

Discover Gay Liberation in New York, New York: The first piece of public art dedicated to LGBT rights.

2021

5.08km

The Only Landmark Tree in New York City

A century-old magnolia tree a point of pride for Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.

2018

1.31km

Survivor Tree

Discover Survivor Tree in New York, New York: The last living thing to come out of the rubble after 9/11 is now a symbol of hope and resilience.

2019

2.27km

Zaragoza Mexican Deli and Grocery

Discover Zaragoza Mexican Deli and Grocery in New York, New York: Behind a grungy bodega facade, a Poblano family serves rich, home-cooked meals.

2017

4.8km

Statue of Liberty’s Original Torch

Discover Statue of Liberty's Original Torch in New York, New York: Lady Liberty's first beacon of enlightenment is now displayed in a museum near the statue.

2017

2.3km

Brooklyn Brewery’s Secret Beer Bunker

A beer-aging barrel room hidden in an unsuspecting warehouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

2019

3.14km

Kane Street Impaled Pumpkins

Discover Kane Street Impaled Pumpkins in Brooklyn, New York: For 20 years, local pumpkins have met their fate on the iron fence surrounding this Cobble Hill home.

2017

5.14km

Kingsland Wildflowers

Discover Kingsland Wildflowers in Brooklyn, New York: Thriving meadows span a rooftop in one of Brooklyn's most heavily industrialized neighborhoods.

2018

0.62km

Daredevil Tattoo Museum

Discover Daredevil Tattoo Museum in New York, New York: This iconic tattoo shop has its own onsite museum with artifacts from the early history of modern body art.

2017

2.84km

Abolitionist Place in Brooklyn

This block downtown was a hotbed of antislavery activism along the Underground Railroad.

2019

0.52km

African Burial Ground Memorial National Monument

Discover African Burial Ground Memorial National Monument in New York, New York: This memorial attraction maintains the memory of slavery's legacy in the creation of New York.

2019

1.05km

Catacombs of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Discover Catacombs of Old St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, New York: Historical figures from New York City's Catholic community lie within the crypts.

2021

3.2km

Columbia Street Waterfront District Sculpture Garden

Discover Columbia Street Waterfront District Sculpture Garden in Brooklyn, New York: This eclectic sculpture garden in Brooklyn, home to a bizarre collection of art, was once a run-down junkyard.

2019

4.13km

Museum of Food and Drink

Discover Museum of Food and Drink in Brooklyn, New York: Here, exhibits come with a side of edible history.

2018

0.07km

Edward Mooney House

Discover Edward Mooney House in New York, New York: Built just after the American Revolution, the oldest row house in New York City still stands in Chinatown.

3.06km

The Fifth Avenue

2017

1.24km

The Double Check Businessman

Discover The

2018

1.25km

The Cross at Ground Zero

Discover The Cross at Ground Zero in New York, New York: Pulled from the rubble of one of the worst modern tragedies, a steel crossbeam became a symbol of hope for New Yorkers.

1.29km

New York, free audio tour from iAudioguide.com

2020

5km

Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery

Discover Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery in Jersey City, New Jersey: Filled with history, this cemetery is maintained each summer by a few hungry goats.

2021

9.31km

Newkirk Plaza Mural and Mosaic

Discover Newkirk Plaza Mural and Mosaic in Brooklyn, New York: A mosaic made of materials gathered from this Brooklyn community adorns the walls of this tunnel.

2013

2.06km

New York City on the water

0.41km

Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers

2017

6.08km

Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding 1994 Museum

From humble origins in a Brooklyn apartment to what "may be the most important museum ever created."

1984

4.8km

Statue of Liberty

Made in Paris by the French sculptor Bartholdi, in collaboration with Gustave Eiffel (who was responsible for the steel framework), this towering monument to liberty was a gift from France on the centenary of American independence. Inaugurated in 1886, …

2017

4.79km

Infinity Climber

Discover Infinity Climber in Jersey City, New Jersey: A playground inspired by differential calculus dangles from the ceiling of the Liberty Science Center.

3.77km

A Walk Through New York’s West Village

0.68km

New York

2018

3.93km

Saint Vartan Armenian Cathedral

Discover Saint Vartan Armenian Cathedral in New York, New York: A replica of a 7th-century church hides in plain sight in the middle of the concrete jungle.

2018

4.09km

Reanimation Library

Discover Reanimation Library in Brooklyn, New York: Obscure and obsolete publications are given new life as works of art.

2017

6.51km

Ebbets Field Apartments on the Birthplace of the Brooklyn Dodgers

The "Pigtown" field where Jackie Robinson made his major league debut was replaced with a huge apartment complex.

2020

5.31km

Abu’s Homestyle Bakery

Discover Abu's Homestyle Bakery in Brooklyn, New York: This family-owned bakery is one of the last places in Brooklyn to sell the Nation of Islam–inspired bean pie.

2017

1.86km

The Curved Shrine of the First American-Born Saint

Discover The Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in New York, New York: The home of the first American-born saint is one of the only curved buildings in New York.

2013

1.34km

NEW YORK CITY Wall St to Washington Square

1.77km

How Dutch is New York? – The New Amsterdam Tour

en nl

2013

3.1km

NEW YORK CITY Midtown

2019

0.87km

Matryoshka at Wall Street Bath & Spa 88

Discover Matryoshka at Wall Street Bath & Spa 88 in New York, New York: This Russian bar-restaurant lies within a three-story underground bathhouse.

2021

1.21km

WTC Station ‘E’ Subway Entrance

Discover WTC Station 'E' Subway Entrance in New York, New York: A remnant of the original World Trade Center complex continues to serve as a commuter gateway.

2020

2.28km

Brooklyn Savings Bank Subway Branch

Discover Brooklyn Savings Bank Subway Branch in Brooklyn, New York: Before online banking and smartphone apps, there was "commuter banking" in the subway in Downtown Brooklyn.

2018

5.62km

Steinberg Sculpture Garden

Discover Steinberg Sculpture Garden in Brooklyn, New York: A beautiful collection of architectural ornaments rescued from demolished New York City buildings.

2019

0.65km

Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant’s Pioneering Photographs of New York City’s 1970s and 80s Graffiti Scene

2020

6.45km

White Mana Diner

Discover White Mana Diner in Jersey City, New Jersey: This unassuming retro burger joint was billed as “diner of the future” at the 1939 World's Fair.

2017

6.29km

Tomb of Secrets at Green-Wood Cemetery

A way to take your deepest secrets to someone else's grave.

2019

4.51km

Smith-9 Street Station

Discover Smith-9 Street Station in Brooklyn, New York: The highest rapid transit station in the world.

2012

3.58km

City Reliquary

Discover City Reliquary in Brooklyn, New York: Behind a bodega is a small museum of relics and ephemera showcasing the history of New York.

1.9km

Urbirun New York – Hudson River & Highline

en fr

2019

3.2km

Gottlieb’s Restaurant

Discover Gottlieb's Restaurant in Brooklyn, New York: One of the few Glatt kosher delis in the United States is a cornerstone of its Hasidic neighborhood.

2016

6.57km

Grave of John Matthews: The Soda Fountain King

Discover Grave of John Matthews: The Soda Fountain King in Brooklyn, New York: Final resting place of the immigrant who brought artificial seltzer water to America.

2017

1.21km

Vintage Trains Run on the NYC Subway Once a Year

From Manhattan to Queens, with a detour through the 20th century.

2018

4.17km

The Abandoned Immigrant Hospital on Ellis Island Has a Complicated Past

The first public health hospital in the U.S. saw more than one million immigrants from around the world.

2021

6.42km

Henry Chadwick’s Grave

Discover Henry Chadwick's Grave in Brooklyn, New York: The real "father of baseball" rests in Brooklyn.

8.64km

68th Precinct, NYC Police Department

2017

1.59km

Remnants of Colonial New York Preserved Under a Glass Sidewalk

The remains of some of Manhattan's oldest buildings are hiding in plain sight in the Financial District.

0.73km

Civic Center Synagogue

2020

6.69km

Cleft Ridge Span

Discover Cleft Ridge Span in Brooklyn, New York: This elaborate tunnel is the first structure composed of cast concrete in the United States.

2020

6km

Site of the Dongan Oak

Discover Site of the Dongan Oak in Brooklyn, New York: The site of a fallen tree that protected Americans from British forces during the American Revolution.

2017

1.93km

Tompkins Square Temperance Fountain

Discover Tompkins Square Temperance Fountain in New York, New York: A reminder to choose water over wine since 1888.

2022

8.75km

Gil Hodges’ Grave

Discover Gil

2018

5.18km

The World’s Largest Collection of Tiffany Glass

The colossal cache of colorful glass sits in a warehouse in Queens.

2022

6.29km

William Beard’s Grave

Discover William Beard's Grave in Brooklyn, New York: The painter who popularized "bulls" and "bears" as symbols for the stock market didn't get a proper headphone for over a century.

2019

1.75km

Streecha

Discover Streecha in New York, New York: A Ukrainian church canteen doles out hearty fare in an East Village basement.

2017

3.7km

7000 Oaks

23 trees each paired with a basalt stone line a street in Chelsea, continuing an urban project started by German Fluxus artist Joseph Beuys.

2019

4.41km

Washington Park Wall

Discover Washington Park Wall in Brooklyn, New York: The unassuming structure was part of a Major League Baseball stadium.

2019

2.35km

Camilo Egas Mural at the New School

Discover Camilo Egas Mural at the New School in New York, New York: After surviving abandonment, this powerful Latin American mural is alive again.

3.19km

A Walking Guide to Williamsburg, Brooklyn

2019

2.55km

Antonin Dvorak’s Home

Discover Antonin Dvorak's Home in New York, New York: The place where Dvorak composed some of his most famous works.

2018

1.67km

Riot Grrrl Collection at NYU

Discover Riot Grrrl Collection at NYU in New York, New York: A collection of fanzines, recordings, and documents detailing the rise and influence of the feminist punk movement.

2019

3.27km

Govinda’s Vegetarian Lunch

Discover Govinda's Vegetarian Lunch in Brooklyn, New York: Every dish is blessed in this basement eatery beneath a Hare Krishna temple.

2018

6.59km

‘Jumping Jack’ Power Plant

Discover 'Jumping Jack' Power Plant in Brooklyn, New York: A mysterious, abandoned building rotting on the Brooklyn waterfront.

2020

2.07km

Electric Lady Studios

Discover Electric Lady Studios in New York, New York: Jimi Hendrix's legendary recording studio in Greenwich Village.

2017

1.36km

Wall Street’s Fearless Girl

The bronze statue of a small but fierce girl stares down the iconic Charging Bull.

2020

2.64km

Le Boudoir

Discover Le Boudoir in Brooklyn, New York: Just your average Marie Antoinette–themed speakeasy in an abandoned 19th-century subway tunnel.

2019

9.9km

Avenue H Station House

Discover Avenue H Station House in Brooklyn, New York: This unusual subway stop was originally a real estate office.

3.86km

ZERZOUR Zachariah

2017

5.43km

Crown Heights Cheese Caves

Underground vaults of a former brewery in Brooklyn are now used to ripen cheese.

2019

3.22km

Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument

Discover Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in Brooklyn, New York: This beautiful Brooklyn monument over a crypt memorializes a grim and largely unknown story from the American Revolution.

2017

1.85km

Manhattan’s Hidden Historic Coal Hole Covers

Discover St. Luke's Place Coal Hole Covers in New York, New York: These ornate manhole covers were used for a now-forgotten purpose.

2019

8km

Albemarle-Kenmore Terraces

Discover Albemarle-Kenmore Terraces in Brooklyn, New York: These century-old townhouses contain some of the first car garages built in the United States.

2021

6.52km

‘Civic Virtue Triumphant Over Unrighteousness’

Discover 'Civic Virtue Triumphant Over Unrighteousness' in Brooklyn, New York: This controversial statue has migrated twice in its life.

2019

1.97km

The Narrowest Building in New York

Discover The Narrowest Building in New York in New York, New York: This slender three-story building has also had several famous residents.

2019

3.97km

Mary A. Whalen Oil Tanker

Discover Mary A. Whalen Oil Tanker in Brooklyn, New York: A retired oil tanker now offering amazing views of New York City.

2021

3.56km

Remains of the Morris Canal

Discover Morris Canal in Jersey City, New Jersey: Once considered a marvel of engineering, this 107-mile canal played an integral role in building New York City.

2018

1.38km

Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks

Unusual books on food and drink abound in this unassuming New York townhouse.

1959

0.17km

Chatham Towers

2017

0.93km

The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City

Discover Mysterious Bookshop in New York, New York: The world’s oldest and biggest bookstore stocking only mystery, crime fiction, espionage, and thrillers.