Chinatown to Chinatown

Are you in the mood for a bubble tea, a steamed bun, a vietneamese sandwich or perhaps a roast duck? You should head on over to Chinatown in Manhattan. The fish markets and piles of trash on the curb give the entire neighborhood a certain stench. The narrow sidewalks are often overflowing with people, making a three block walk seem nearly impossible. Despite all of the negative aspects of Manhattan's Chinatown- situated between Canal St to the north, The Bowery to the east, Worth st. to the south and Baxter st to the west--I often find myself fighting the crowds to get my hands on some delicious and wallet friendly eats.

This past Sunday I hopped on the 7 train and made my way to the Chinatown in Flushing, Queens, which is nearly as large as Manhattan's in population. Two transfers, and about an hour later I walked out of the subway and stepped foot in unforged territory. I was standing at the corner of Roosevelt Ave and Main St in the center of Chinatown. I had heard good things about Flushing's Chinatown, some people told me it was better than the one in Manhattan.

My excitement to reach Flushing grew throughout my train ride. We were stopped on the tracks by the Mets' stadium and I struck up a conversation with an MTA employee. He was middle aged, greying hair, and came over to talk to me as I peeked my head out the subway door to see what the problem could be. After explaining to him my reasons for making the trip out to flushing he gave me more hope for the possibility of a nice afternoon full of Chinese food. " I lived in China," he said, " and driving over here reminds me of Hong Kong."

I've never been to Hong Kong, but I always imagined the streets as crowded with cars and people. I was surprised when I began walking down the sidewalk and didn't have people bumping into me every other step I took. The atmosphere in Flushing was much nicer than Manhattan though, the air didn't feel recycled and the sun was shining bright. " Its cleaner and less crowded," the MTA man said, " the streets aren't small, winding and narrow." It was pleasant to be able to walk around comfortably and take in all that Chinatown had to offer.

The streets were not lined with small, hole in the wall food joints, but rather large and rather expensive looking stores. Furniture, electronics, and jewelry stores made up most of the retail. There were no peddlers trying to sell knock-off bags, but rather people holding signs I couldn't read advertising something. Banks were on almost every block. There were a handful of bakeries, a candy store, a few restaurants and a lot of fast food chains. I was disappointed, this was not the Chinatown I was searching for. I felt better once I found Hong Kong Supermarket, which also has a store in Manhattan. The shop is huge and has any ingredient you would need to make a Chinese inspired meal at home. But Hong Kong Supermarket wasn't enough to keep me in Flushing's Chinatown.

I got back to the subway station, caught the 7 train and took the long ride back to Manhattan. The roller-coaster like subway ride is always enjoyable; above ground trains often give some of the best views of the city. After transferring to the 6 train, I wound up in Manhattan's Chinatown. The streets are small and winding, there were too many people and the air felt stale; but once I got my steamed bun from my favorite little place on Mott St. everything was okay. I would take the crowded streets of Manhattan over the lack of excitement in Flushing any day.