For many visitors to New York, a trip to Chinatown means heading to Lower Manhattan. The city has another Chinatown in the Flushing district of Queens borough, however: not as well-known, but just as vibrant.
It is a fun place to spend a day exploring, shopping and above all, eating.
You can also celebrate the Year of the Tiger here: Flushing's Lunar New Year parade takes place February 20th, 11am -1pm.
Typically some 4,000 people turn out for the spectacle to watch the dragon dancers, steel drummers and fireworks.
Getting to Flushing from Manhattan is a snap. Just take the No. 7 train from Times Square, Fifth Avenue or Grand Central to the last stop, Main Street. You will emerge from the subway into the heart of downtown Flushing at one of New York City's busiest intersections.
"If you come on a weekend, there's barely space to walk," said Shawn Choi, external affairs associate at Flushing Town Hall, a cultural centre at 137-35 Northern Boulevard, which sponsors performances, exhibits and educational programs. Events at Flushing Town Hall in honor of Lunar New Year include "Tigers in the House," an exhibit of tiger-inspired arts and crafts, February 12th - March 28th http://www.flushingtownhall.org.
Flushing's largest ethnic group is Chinese, with Koreans next. The first Asian-American elected to citywide office, John Liu, grew up in Flushing after immigrating from Taiwan as a child with his family. Liu represented the neighbourhood as a city councilman before winning a race for city comptroller in November.
Flushing's contemporary diversity is an appropriate legacy for a
neighbourhood that has been preaching tolerance for more than 350 years. In 1657, a group of residents sent a letter called the Flushing Remonstrance to Peter Stuyvesant, the governor of what was then the Dutch colony of New Netherlands. The letter demanded freedom of religion, and today there are signs welcoming visitors in many languages marking the Flushing Freedom Mile.
The trail includes historic landmarks like the Bowne House where, in 1662, John Bowne invited Quakers to meet in defiance of an order from Stuyvesant.
As you stroll Flushing's busy streets, the mix of East and West is striking. Candy Shop USA at 38-03 Main Street sells familiar treats like Kit Kats as well as wasabi-flavoured pistachios and sweets in "Hello Kitty" wrappers. The Xinhua bookstore, 37-19 Main Street, is described by the "Not For Tourists" guidebook series as offering everything from "Kerouac to Harry Potter" in Chinese. There also is a Macy's at 136-50 Roosevelt Avenue, as well as a Mango, an outlet of the fashion chain from Spain, at 38-21 Main Street.
The Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel advertises its "distinctly Asian
flair" at 135-20 39th Avenue where a pair of lion statues guards the hotel entrance. Around the corner, St. George's Church, on Main Street between 38th and 39th avenues, offers Episcopal and Anglican services in English, Chinese and Spanish. Low-flying planes headed to LaGuardia Airport create a startling image as they roar over the spire of the church's mid-19th century stone building.
Carpenter Tan, at 133-31 39th Avenue in the Flushing Mall, is part of a global chain of 853 stores, based in mainland China, that sells combs and brushes. Manager David Ho says different types of hair require different types of combs; the combs range from $6 to $200, with the most expensive items handmade from sandalwood and mother-of-pearl. Traditionally, the most elaborate combs were offered by suitors to prospective brides. "If the lady accepts, that means yes," said Ho.
In the food court of Flushing Mall, wide, hand-pulled noodles are made on the premises at Xi'an Famous Foods. (Xi'an also has locations in Manhattan's Chinatown and in the food court of another mall, nearby at 41-28 Main Street.)
Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain featured Xi'an on his "No Reservations" show for good reason: The noodle dishes, just a few dollars each, are delicious. Just be forewarned: Order something a "little spicy" here and it may well be the hottest dish you ever have eaten. A mall ice cream vendor can cool your taste buds with flavours like mango and green tea.
Save room, however, because there is more food to sample - so much more.
"It's hard not to find good things to eat in this neighbourhood," said Ellen Kodadek, executive director of Flushing Town Hall.
At Fay Da, a Chinese bakery with several local outlets including 136-18 39th Avenue, try buns stuffed with roast pork, bright yellow egg-custard tarts, and fried balls of dough covered with sesame seeds, filled with bean paste.
The goodies are $1 a piece or less. You will want to stop in at the Korean bakery, Koryodang, 39-02 Union Street, for scrumptious croquettes, called koroke, filled with curried meat, potato or tuna. While you are there, buy a bag of bite-size black walnut cakes, $5, to snack on later.
There are endless choices for full sit-down meals in Flushing, and many restaurants are moderately priced. The cavernous Gala Manor, 37-02 Main Street, is known for excellent dim sum, small savoury dishes like spring rolls, turnip cakes, stuffed eggplant, and shrimp-and-vegetable dumplings. Each plate is just a few dollars, and the offerings are served from a cart, rather than ordered off a menu. The best way to experience dim sum is with a couple of friends. Order adventurously, and share. For around $10 a person, you can have a fabulous brunch or lunch.
Any visit to Flushing also must include a stop at Joe's Shanghai, 136-21 37th Avenue, for the legendary soup pork dumplings. "We always come here whenever we are in New York," said Gerri Berlin of Massachusetts, as she lunched at Joe's on a recent winter day with her husband Andy Cohen. Novices, beware: Nibble the edges of the dumplings carefully when you take your first bite, as they're filled with steaming hot broth. (You also can sample the dumplings in Manhattan at Joe's restaurants at 9 Pell Street and 24 W. 56th Street.)
At Ten Ren, 135-18 Roosevelt Avenue, part of a Taiwan-based chain with more than 130 stores around the world, you can try trendy bubble tea, hot or cold, with bouncing pearls of tapioca. "It's chewable, like a Gummi bear," said company vice president Ellen Lii. "Young people love it."
Ten Ren sells many other types of tea, loose, to take home, or by the cup, including what Lii says is the finest and most expensive tea in the world, a seasonal oolong now selling for $110 for a bag containing about 11 ounces.
Ten Ren also sells ginseng, grown in, of all places, the US state of
Wisconsin, festively packaged with the roots arrayed in a star design. "It's a big-selling gift for the new year because it symbolises longevity," Lii said.
A tour of Flushing is inevitably followed by longing for more of the wonderful food you had, so before you go home, be sure to stock up at the Hong Kong Supermarket, 37-11 Main St. The store offers a huge variety of sauces, noodles, cookware and other ingredients and implements, allowing you to bring some of the flavours of Flushing back to your own kitchen.
AP