Which of these cities have the best Chinatown? Round 2 (place, south, food)
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Why is Seattle not getting enough love? No way Boston or Philadephia should be ranked higher. Seattle has a top 5 Chinatown in America.
You could make an argument that Seattle is last on the list above. Very nice city but the ID/Chinatown was very underwhelming when I visited. I was expecting alot more.
You could make an argument that Seattle is last on the list above. Very nice city but the ID/Chinatown was very underwhelming when I visited. I was expecting alot more.
But Boston and Philadelphia Chinatown better? I highly doubt that. I've been to all three and Imo they are not better than Seattle's chinatown. There is a reason why USA today rated Seattle's chinatown better than those two. I am not saying Seattle's chinatown is the best because it's far from that and imho San Francisco and Vancouver has a better chinatown but to put Boston and Philly ahead of Seattle and Chicago is a joke.
I was in Philly this weekend for the first time in awhile. I had fresh eyes - and yes, went to Chinatown. The actual business part of Philadelphia's Chinatown is kind of similar to the old Chinatown part of Chicago's. Chicago's Chinatown overall is definitely bigger (contrary to what someone in Philly told me - it is not the #3 largest Chinatown in the US) and I'd give Chicago an edge, but it's somewhat close in and of itself. However, Philly has an advantage because it's basically next to downtown and very easy to get to if you're there.
You could make an argument that Seattle is last on the list above. Very nice city but the ID/Chinatown was very underwhelming when I visited. I was expecting alot more.
I don't think Seattle is known at all for having a Chinatown. When I've been, it's been called the International District, and I recall it being fairly Vietnamese, not so much Chinese.
I don't think Seattle is known at all for having a Chinatown. When I've been, it's been called the International District, and I recall it being fairly Vietnamese, not so much Chinese.
The cool thing about Seattle's International District is that it's not just a Chinatown, there's also an old Japantown with a few remaining businesses(some of the oldest Japanese stores and restaurants on the West Coast) and a mix of Chinese, Vietnamese and other Asian groups(Cambodian and Korean restaurants) in the rest of the area--plus a big Japanese grocery Uwajimaya (with other Asian foods available and a great food court). So coming from a half-Chinese guy from Vancouver, I actually like that it's not just a Chinatown, while it is fairly small.
I sort of find the fixation on old Chinatowns sort of interesting though--I guess it's sort of an curious remnant of a certain time in many North American cities(and also segregation), but I find it interesting when non-Chinese find a Chinatown not authentic enough for them because there's Vietnamese businesses in it(not calling you out, just something I've heard on these Chinatown threads a few times). But the official Chinatown designations were often for the likes of preserving the neighborhoods for tourism as it is(only the later immigration since the 1960s really brought much back to the bigger old Chinatowns). In other ethnic neighborhoods, groups just moved on and the next group moved in and that was that.
Yes, that's nice. But the only three officially recognized Japantowns left in the US are Little Tokyo in LA, Japantown in SF, and Japantown in San Jose. The ones in Tokyo and SF being the largest, and are about as "Japan'ey" (if that's a word) as Chinatown in SF and Manhattan are Chinese-ey. In other words, they are still quite Japanese, and are meant to look and feel Japanese, and you know you are in a Japanese neighborhood when you're there...you won't find Vietnamese or Chinese restaurants in Japantown in SF, for instance, and you will find a lot of Japanese people still living there, Japanese architecture, Japanese businesses, Japanese festivals (like the Cherry Blossom festival), etc etc.
There is really only one Korean neighborhood that matters from the same perspective - Koreatown in LA. Though there is a Korean area in Manhattan too, and well known suburban Korean areas in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, DC, etc.
As much as I love to love on Seattle for being a great city, one of my favorite in the US, these ethnic enclaves, even Asian ones, aren't its strong suit. It's too "new". Even though there are a lot of Asians, you don't get the same [Asian] enclaves you do in the Bay Area or LA or New York City.
Yes, that's nice. But the only three officially recognized Japantowns left in the US are Little Tokyo in LA, Japantown in SF, and Japantown in San Jose. The ones in Tokyo and SF being the largest, and are about as "Japan'ey" (if that's a word) as Chinatown in SF and Manhattan are Chinese-ey. In other words, they are still quite Japanese, and are meant to look and feel Japanese, and you know you are in a Japanese neighborhood when you're there...you won't find Vietnamese or Chinese restaurants in Japantown in SF, for instance, and you will find a lot of Japanese people still living there, Japanese architecture, Japanese businesses, Japanese festivals (like the Cherry Blossom festival), etc etc.
There is really only one Korean neighborhood that matters from the same perspective - Koreatown in LA. Though there is a Korean area in Manhattan too, and well known suburban Korean areas in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, DC, etc.
As much as I love to love on Seattle for being a great city, one of my favorite in the US, these ethnic enclaves, even Asian ones, aren't its strong suit. It's too "new". Even though there are a lot of Asians, you don't get the same [Asian] enclaves you do in the Bay Area or LA or New York City.
Do you look at all ethnic enclaves as a competition? I just said the ID had some nice aspects to it. San Francisco Japantown is nice too, but it's basically a touristy hub as well(there were really no real residential Japantowns after the internment era of World War II, everyone moved further out).
I grew up Chinese in Vancouver and Richmond, BC, so I know plenty about what it's like to live in a truly Asian area, but I don't need to judge other places for not being "Asian" enough.
Considering the goal of 99% of these threads is which is biggest/best/most notable/most..., yes, this is a thread about which Chinatown is bigger/better than the others posed in the OP. I don't understand why people get all bent out of shape when people do get competitive about it (a thread asks which is bigger/better, someone says x is better, then people call said person a booster...weird dialogues continue to go on, and no I know you're not calling me a booster, but that's what happens all too frequently).
But truth be told, I wasn't trying to be all competitive, but Seattle's was brought up, and I, along with several other posters, mentioned that we found it underwhelming. That notion perfectly suits this thread. A small Chinatown that's kind of Chinese, kind of Vietnamese, kind of Korean, etc is not going to compete well with other Chinatowns that are larger and more Chinese, look more Chinese, and function more like Chinese neighborhoods. Smaller/more mixed might be more pleasant to you and others, but if we're talking about what the largest/best Chinatowns are, then that's not going to be a trait that gets a lot of love.
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