Chinatown
So the first place I'll be covering is Chinatown. I spent the day there and it was quite overwhelming at first. However, after I settled into the fast-paced environment, I started to find some awesome places.
I started at the Canal St. Subway stop between Lafayette and Centre Streets. Now I am a big fans of bubble tea, so of course I had to make a quick pit stop to pick some up. I popped into Chatime, a small, hole-in-the-wall type of place which only does teas. My favorite flavor is Tarot, so of course I picked up one of those, and it was excellent. I have to say though, the smaller size was definitely enough for me.
Next, I headed out walking down Canal St. just taking in the sights. There's a lot of small stores and vendors to check out, as well as some street vendors selling colorful moving toys. There's also a lot of jewelry stores with many pieces made from jade and other gemstones. If you're looking for some entertainment, head on down to Columbus Park where groups of locals sit to play cards and games. You also might see some musicians playing traditional songs on some very interesting instruments.
My ultimate destination was the Mahayana Temple. This is an absolutely gorgeous temple with, what I think, is the biggest Buddha statue ever. It's completely free to go into (they do take donations) and is a wonderful place to sit, be peaceful, and escape from the hustle and bustle of outside. There is also a BATHROOM there which like... never happens in NY, so there you go. Upstairs they have a collection of buddhist art. They have amazing carvings that are incredibly detailed, as well as some jewelry, tibetan bowls and bells, and some books!
I was definitely getting kind of hungry by this point, so I decided to go and find some dim sum; however, the place I ended up at wasn't all that great. Please let me know in the comments below if you know of any good dim sum (or another food genre) in Chinatown!
After lunch (or before...) you have to go to Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. They've got all kinds of unique (and delicious) flavors to try from Almond Cookie to Zen Butter. The only downside? You can't pick 'em all!
You can't go to Chinatown without getting some tea, and Silk Road Cafe has some great choices. After a long day of walking around, it's a great place to unwind. (And the tea wasn't too bad either!)
Some Lemongrass Ginger Tea for Two at Silk Road Cafe on 30 Mott St.
Overall, I liked Chinatown a lot. There isn't a ton to do, but there sure is a lot to see and eat! Please let me know below how you liked this post, or if you have any Chinatown finds you'd like to share, and as always... Happy Traveling!