Old Chinatown and Environs

We will look at the area bounded by the Manhattan Bridge on the east, Worth Street on the south, Lafayette Street on the west, and Canal Street on the north. When we say “Old Chinatown,” we mean the neighborhood of Mott and Pell Streets that was for a very long time Manhattan’s compact Chinatown, before the vast increase in Chinese immigration since the 1970s. That said, the tour will not neglect that increase, and we will discuss the tremendous expansion of Chinatown and the changing makeup of the city’s Chinese population. We will also look at the historic Five Points neighborhood, and how it has changed. Places of special focus will include Chatham Square and Columbus Park.