Well I’m back with another New York neighborhood video tour. Today I’m going to show you yet another fascinating New York neighborhood, Chinatown, which stands proud as a small city within The City. So what makes Chinatown so special? Let’s find out.
Chinatown is located on the East Side of Lower Manhattan. It’s constantly growing, over taking other neighborhoods and changing, but as of now it is roughly bordered by Broome Street to the North, Broadway to the West, Worth Street and East Broadway to the South, and Essex Street to the East.
Get the Flash Player to see this player. Click above to watch this video: Video Tour of Chinatown, New York.(5:02)
Chatham Square:
What better place to start our tour of Chinatown than in Chatham Square. Once a large open air market in the early 1800’s, it became a center for tattoo parlors, flophouses, and saloons in the mid 1800’s, but today has turned into a major intersection in Chinatown. You’ll find the Kimlau Memorial Arch dedicated to Chinese Americans in the name of freedom and democracy.
Chinatown’s History and Landmarks:
On Mott Street, just a few blocks away from Chatam Square, is where in 1858 the Cantonese businessman, Ah Ken, became the first Chinese to immigrate to Chinatown. He eventually opened a successful cigar shop and from that point on, a steady stream of Chinese started settling in the area.
When the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 was enacted the Chinese population in this small neighborhood exploded. Today Chinatown’s population is estimated around 100,000.

The apartments on the Lower East Side are an interesting array of old tenement buildings, storefronts that were converted to apartments before the retail scene in the neighborhood became lively again, and newer low- and high-rise buildings. New York Habitat’s mix of apartments in the area is similarly unique with offerings from studios to two-bedrooms. Here are a few examples:
Prices in the neighborhood vary depending on the features of the building and the size and quality of the space, but generally single rooms are available from $90 to $120 per night, studios and one-bedrooms begin at $125 and reach as high as $250 with most 2-bedroom apartments beginning at about $200 and topping out as high as $300.



