Discovering New York's hidden Chinatown

Leave an offering at a Buddhist temple
On the other side of the neighborhood is the Mahayana Buddhist Temple at 133 Canal St. It's a busy location, near the ramp to the Manhattan Bridge and next to the Fung Wah bus stop, where college students line up for cheap tickets to Boston.

But walk past the golden lions at the entrance and inside you'll find an oasis of peace. Here worshippers light incense, leave offerings of food and flowers, and fold their hands in devout prayer to Buddha, represented by a smiling golden 16-foot-high statue.

"They come to say 'Thank you for a wish come true,'" explained Molly Chen, who works in the temple, "or if someone in their family passes away, people ask Buddha to give them a better life in the next life." Chen said January is a busy month, as people seek good luck and protection for the new year.

The temple is open to the public. On a recent day, tourists from Holland, France and Ohio were among those buying paper fortunes for $1 and reading the story of Buddha's life in a series of illustrated signs on the walls.

Another side of Chinatown is best experienced outdoors. Many markets have open-air displays of fish, vegetables and fruit like the exotic green durian. Vendors sell bags of tiny sweet pancakes, cooked on griddles in streetcarts, for $1.50. A statue of Confucius can be found on Bowery Avenue south of Canal Street. A few blocks south of there stands a monument to Lin Zexu, who crusaded against the opium trade in the 19th century and whose statue describes him as a "pioneer in the war against drugs."

Near Mott Street, in Columbus Park, you might find seniors practicing tai chi or a man playing the erhu. He sells the instruments from a cart, $350 apiece. Look for the dragon head carved into the scroll of the neck.

Sara Delano Roosevelt Park is home to the Wah-Mei Bird Garden (near Chrystie and Broome streets), where bird owners bring their pets in ornate cages to get fresh air. On a chilly winter morning, four or five men hung cages from cross-poles there; one whistled to his bird and the creature trilled back. On a warm spring weekend, dozens of bird owners gather here.

Celebrate the new year
If you're up for more than a day trip to Chinatown, check out the Best Western Bowery Hanbee Hotel at 231 Grand St. and the Holiday Inn at 138 Lafayette St. Both have rooms around $200 — a bargain for Manhattan.

You'll find a good map of the area and lots of information about things to see and do at www.ExploreChinatown.com. Or stop by the Official NYC Information Kiosk at the triangle of Canal, Walker and Baxter streets, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., near the Canal Street subway stops on the N, Q, R, W and 6 trains. The neighborhood is also served by the F train to East Broadway, and the D or B trains to Grand Street.

If you're visiting in late January or early February, catch some New Year's festivities. There will be lion dances on Jan. 26 and Feb. 8 in and around the neighborhood, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and a ceremony with firecrackers Jan. 26, at noon in the Sara Delano Roosevelt Park soccer field near Canal and Forsyth streets by the Manhattan Bridge.

The Museum of Chinese in America offers New Year's Walking Tours, Jan. 17, 24 and 31, 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., with stops for shopping and tasting. Tickets are $15 (students and seniors, $12; children under 5 free). Tours depart from 70 Mulberry St., second floor; reservations at www.mocanyc.org or 212-619-4785.

A New Year's parade is scheduled for Feb. 1, beginning at 1 p.m., with a route that includes Mott Street, Chatham Square, East Broadway, Allen Street, Grand Street and Chrystie Street, and a performance in Sara Delano Roosevelt Park, noon- 4 p.m.

Cantonese Opera performances are offered at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, 62 Mott St., every weekend through March. The Museum of Chinese in America is sponsoring a family-oriented Lunar New Year Arts Festival, Jan. 18, noon-5 p.m. at the Children's Museum of the Arts, 182 Lafayette St., with workshops and performances in art, music, dance and theater ($10 admission).

More on Chinatown | Year of the Ox

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