Chinatown, Mott Street Betwen Mosco and Pell Streets, Bayard Between Mott and Elizabeth Streets

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………… …..........……………….. click to enlarge

Go to Yelp to read 19 reviews of Silkroad Place. Okay, don't go, I'll just report what they say. The food is okay at best, basically tea and other drinks and sweets, but there's something about this place . . . the ambience, or the friendliness of the waiters, or, or, oh yeah, they have internet access out front. Yes, outside the actual restaurant!  If that doesn't hook you, I don't know what would.

You see that clump of kids to the left? Can you make out the guitars? I don't know whether they're there because of the internet access (but why?) or because of the stools. They weren't performing. Kids. Who can figure.





Mary Sargent © 2009 …………….............…… ………………….. click to enlarge

And now it's still not time for lunch. About 25 more minutes. Just about enough time for a nice foot massage. The ready availabilty of cheap foot massages just when you need them is one of the things that makes New York great. Ten minutes for ten dollars. Plus tip.






Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………… ………………….. click to enlarge


In this case, the reclining chair was almost as great as the massage.




 

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………..........................………… ………………….. click to enlarge

And now to Nice Green Bo, formerly New Green Bo. Myra was already there and we lost no time in ordering. Pork and crab soup dumplings (they call them tiny buns), shrimp fried in their shells, and sauteed pea shoots, one of my favorites.

The dumplings were great. You know soup dumplings? Where the soup is inside the dumpling. Bill and I trekked out to Goody's in Queens quite some time ago and had them for the first time. This was before they existed in Manhattan. Those were the pioneer days, kids. Anyway, we realized we had found something way worth the trek. Later Goody's opened a branch on East Broadway. Shanghai Joe's dumplings got all the buzz, but I thought Goody's were better. I was just going to lament the closing of Goody's in Manhattan when I saw a notice that they'd reopened on Fulton Street. Must check out.


Anyway, back to Nice Green Bo. I didn't much like the shrimp because of the too sweet sauce they were in. Myra begged to disagree. We both thought the dumplings and pea shoots were wonderful and thought we should return and try other things.

And now this walk is OVER. At last.



P.S.  Apologies for the last two inadequate photos.  When I start to actually have experiences, I tend to lose my dedication to the Project.  If you go to Google maps, street view, you will see a full photo of Green Bo when it was New, not Nice.

Chinatown, Mott Street at Mosco Street

Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………… .. click to enlarge


The Transfiguration Church was built in 1801 and has been a church for immigrants, first Irish, then Italians and finally Chinese until now it is the largest Chinese Catholic church in the country. Services are conducted in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. This New York Times story from 2007 has some background.

Do you notice those two little blemishes by the tops of the windows? By magnifying the photo I was able to see that they are strung on a wire that's running across the street. One looks like a tiny sock. I didn't notice them at the time. Just something I thought you should know.

See map.

Chinatown, Mott Street Between Worth and Mosco Streets

Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………. click to enlarge

Starting up Mott Street. Remember when the weather was really warm? What happened to summer?







Mary Sargent © 2009 ……..............…………… ……....…………….. click to enlarge


I was reading up on Wo Hop; New York Magazine says it's old-fashioned Cantonese (chow mein and egg foo yung), but good and comforting, and its readers (4) gave it a perfect 10, which I have never seen before. But then it seems that the Wo Hop they're talking about (established in 1938) was down the stairs you see there. Revel in New York says we mustn't confuse the Wo Hop at 15 Mott Street with the Wo Hop at 17 Mott Street. Can't imagine why that would ever happen. Anyway, click on the link and you'll see the entrance to 17 Mott Street. Now look back at this sad sight. Did you ever see anything that looked more closed?

Here's Robert Chin's photo showing this site in October 2007, two years ago. Check out his interesting website. All things Chinatown.

Don't think, however, that the 1938 Wo Hop closed the downstairs restaurant and moved upstairs. There are too many references to there being two of them.

I'm not satisfied.  Nothing will do but I have a meal there and ask a few probing questions.  Can't you just imagine those waiters having a long chat with me?

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In other news, it seems I must apologize to a bank. Could anything be more galling?  Citibank did not build that glass building we saw last night. According to the Songlines website, a Hong Kong businessman built it as office space around about 1979. A Chinese person built it. Okay, I'm sorry.


See map.

Nolita, Mott Street at Prince

Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Another day of good intentions unfulfilled. You know how time can take you by surprise? As in, WHAT? How could it be 5:30 already?

I was going downtown tonight to meet some artists to celebrate Elizabeth's birthday. The same Elizabeth of a few nights ago. We were meeting at The Kitchen Club at the corner of Prince and Mott at 7:00, and I planned to leave home at 5:30 so I would have time for a photowalk as I walked from the subway to the restaurant. Perfect. Except time took me by surprise. Not only didn't I leave at 5:30, I didn't leave at 6:00. I left at 6:10. Which meant that when I got off the subway at West 4th, I was late, so I took a cab, arrived a little late, but took the time to get one shot. Probably should have taken a few seconds more so it would be in focus. But it's all I got.

Tomorrow is another day.

The Kitchen Club was fun and the dumplings were as good as the awning leads you to believe. (It says Dumpling Diva on the front, in case you can't read it.) But I think I made a mistake in the interest of economy in ordering the prix fixe. The salmon was fine but too ordinary. I probably should have gotten a big plate of dumplings. Yeah.

See map.

Chinatown, Mott Street Between Bayard and Pell Streets

Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge



Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

Here are two tea cafés on one little block, both specializing in bubble tea and snacks and sweets. The Teariffic Cafe and the Green Tea Café. More regrets. I've never had bubble tea. Why didn't I . . . ? Well, I had just eaten lunch. Still . . .

Bubble tea is a recent phenomenon and I assume these cafés are part of that trend. Notice how they don't look or sound like old Chinatown? The photo below will remind you of where you are.



Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge


See map.