Chinatown is Base10's favorite neighborhood.
He does not say this because he works nearby. But rather because it has retained its character through major changes to the rest of the city.

Many neighborhoods are "hip" but usually the hipness is soon replaced by this trendoid immigration of young urban professionals trying to be cool. Think most recently of Williamsburg. The area used to be ratty. For a brief instant it became an "artist" community, but soon thereafter the followers came. Now while Williamsburg has not quite yet become a Disneyfi'ed Times Square, it is well on its way. When neighborhood businesses and families are being priced out, that tells you something. Think about when you were a kid. Greenwich Village, especially the East Village used to be cool. Years pass and now your lawyer lives there.

Base10 is not one of these NIMBY people that refuse to accept and actively protests even the slightest change in their neighborhoods. These New Yorkers cling to some idealized recollection of what the neighborhood "used to be." How many times have you seen a self-styled community activist on morning TV claiming the proposed Wallmart/Staples/condo-conversion/highrise would positively destroy the "character" of their neighborhood. It's as if they think it's possible to preserve some childhood snapshot of a NYC neighborhood in amber. Face it, this city changes every day. Base10's neighborhood has changed dramatically in recent years. Some of the changes he liked, some he didn't, but change was always the one constant.

This is not to say that there is no such thing as neighborhood "character." Otherwise we couldn't distinguish hip neighborhoods from others. But how does a neighborhood change? It seems to me that most cool neighborhoods are at least a little seedy. The loss of the seediness leads directly to Disney.

Disney is not always a bad thing. Base10 prefers the Disneyfi'ed Times Square much more than the Crack-and Heroin Square of a few short years ago. Maybe it's not the same, but hey, ESPN Zone is pretty cool! Base10 remembers Bryant Park in the early eighties. Even the staunchest of liberals must give credit to both the Police Department and Rudy Giuliani for the sea change. Remember, this was the City's red light district one hundred years ago! If only Nixon could go to China, only Rudy could have cleaned up Times Square.

Why do neighborhoods change? It's probably a combination of gentrification and simple supply and demand. Cool neighborhoods start out poor and affordable. Then they become creative hives for artists and students. Then come the hipsters, who still can't afford anything. But now of course the neighborhood is desirable and people with some money want to move in. And of course, real estate agents will create some bogus acronym for the neighborhood as a selling point like JUNOBA (JUst NOrth Of a Bad Area). Picture it, "You know you're priced out of JUNOBA, but there's a hot area nearby called JUSOBA that's really up and coming!"

Why isn't Chinatown gentrifying? Good question. Base10 thinks it is in fact gentrifying to a certain extent, but its largely commercial composition prevents complete yuppification. There is also a cultural thing--westerners still feel a little uncomfortable here. (Mrs. Base10 recently related an incident where she was about to go in to a shopping center under the Manhattan Bridge, but did not do so because she felt like an outsider. Mr. Base10 assured her that Asians are more than happy to accept money from Westerners). There is certainly an undercurrent of "ancient Chinese secrets" throughout the area. Indeed there are some: brothels, gambling dens, gang activity (not so much of that lately) to name a few. But what urban neighborhood doesn't have these things? It's just in Chinatown they're a little better hidden.

It's not surprising then that Chinatown has kept its slightly seedy feel. It is vibrant. It's fun to walk around. Columbus Park is the perfect example. A mix of old and new. Older folk play dominos and elderly ladies practice tai chi in the mornings. But youngsters play basketball and even touch football on the other side. (Base10 will never forget witnessing a touch football game among Chinese youth in the park where plays were being called in their native language. Base10 would love to know what "10 Mississippi" translates to in Mandarin). In the area there are stores that sell dried meat and herbs. There are others that sell the freshest fish in the city outside of the Fulton Fish Market (experts warn against shopping late in the day). Other stores sell produce that Base10, who is an experienced chowhound, simply cannot identify

Chinatown is still the only place in the city where you can get lunch for a dollar. (Now this still does take a bit of intestinal fortitude. Try the stand at Madison and Catherine Streets). Pork buns for $.60! How about soup with noodles and shrimp dumplings for $3? Unbelievable. When he retires, Base10 wants to write the exhaustive Chinatown restaurant guide.

Chinatown's food deserves extra special praise. Now if you cling to this suburban or outer borough view of Chinese food being sold from a storefront shop in a strip mall, Chinatown is not for you. Interestingly, the experience is not limited to Mott Street. Flushing has a larger Asian population, but Base10 simply does not know the area that well--perhaps this calls for a gastronomic research trip! Another vibrant neighborhood for cuisine is Elmhurst--there is probably more food diversity per block than anywhere else--hey, another trip!

But Chinatown is the progenitor. If you've had the thick egg rolls and the doughy dumplings of the storefront, the true cuisine will blow your mind. Soup dumplings, a Shanghai thing, are unlike anything you've ever had. How about congee porridge and a sweet roll for breakfast. Dim Sum--more a style of dining than a type food is common for lunch. Waiters bring around carts with small portions and the diner selects what he wants and eats until full. When the bill comes, the waiters count up the plates.

Not all Chinatown cuisine is so inviting. Base10 has heard horror stories about some popular Mott Street establishments and frankly, he has seen some items in restaurant windows he would have preferred not to have recognized. On the whole however, the good far outweighs the bad.

The strange thing about Chinatown is that it seems to be growing. The traditional border between Chinatown and Little Italy is Canal Street. But Little Italy is really gone but for a short stretch on Mullberry Street and Chinatown is expanding. While the area ends abruptly at the municipal center on Chambers Street to the south , its northern border is not so well defined. There are tendrils up north as far as Grand Street and even beyond.

Maybe there is a lesson here for urban planners. Why did Chinatown grow? Why has it retained its essential character for so long? Base10 does not pretend to have the sociological answer but merely suggests you go downtown for a visit (and spend a little money since downtown businesses are still hurting). Oh, and make sure you try the dumplings!
- posted by Base10 @ 11:05 AM