Most affordable vibrant/walkable area with great Asian food (home, neighborhood)
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This is totally what I'm looking for. Nuggets like this. Thanks!! I feel STL "chinatown" may also have potential, although the Chinese numbers just aren't as strong there. Any insight?
Nice suggestion. I've been to Ann Arbor and could definitely see that possibility. Never been to the other two. This made me think of my own college town, Gainesville, FL and what that looked like. Seems it was around 7% Asian at the 2010 census. But the thing is aside from several borderline examples, all of the great Asian restaurants (which honestly numbered less than 5) were not in the downtown or midtown (campus) areas. That is, not walkable at all. Perhaps Ithaca and Champaign-Urbana happen to have good Asian restaurants in the walkable areas??
Yep. I ate at a few of these and think there's definitely potential.
Not sure about Champaign-Urbana, but Ithaca has restaurants in its Downtown and its Collegetown district near Cornell University.
I know in Syracuse, the Crouse/Marshall Street and Westcott Street business districts near Syracuse University has multiple Asian restaurants. Panda West, a Cantonese restaurant is one on Marshall Street that is pretty good.
Then, on the Northside, you have multiple Vietnamese restaurants(New Century appears to be a pretty good one), along with Asian markets as well.
Around the University it is largely students/staff affiliated with the colleges or hospitals nearby(mainly East and South Asian). On the Northside, it is primarily a Refugee/Immigrant based community(mainly SE Asian and some Bhutanese).
Downtown has some Asian restaurants as well.
East Lansing MI, which is about 11-12% Asian has some restaurants on Grand River Avenue.
Plano, TX? Not sure how walkable it is but I've seen a few Asian shopping centers no different than the types you find near Los Angeles there. And cost of living there is a lot more reasonable than LA.
Your post made me smile as those are two of my biggest criteria for moving too - yet I currently have both those things where I live! I live in Seattle which has an International District, we don't call it Chinatown like San Fran bc it's a mix of Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and Lao, not just one culture. I go there all the time to eat. We also have very walkable neighborhoods and/or lots of public transportation. So why am I thinking of leaving a place that meets some of my biggest criteria? Well costs here are now ridiculous, traffic is very bad (for places you have to drive to rather than walk or take the bus), rise in homelessness means you get panhandled everywhere, crime is increasing, etc. etc.
So for various reasons I have been looking at the South. Walkable in smaller towns only and most don't have lots of Asian food like the West Coast, but surprisingly I have been checking into Mobile, AL and it has both.
Its been my experience that the most walkable areas with a few exceptions (really NYC is the only one that leaps to mind) dont have the best Asian food.
Look at LA. The best Chinese food is not in the Chinatown, its in the San Gabriel Valley in places like Monterrey Park and Alhambra. The best Indian food is in Artesia, the best Vietnamese food is in Westminster and Garden Grove, and the best Cambodian food is in Long Beach. The only exception is that Koreatown is fairly walkable.
Look at Houston. The best Asian food across the board is in Southwest Houston which isnt walkable at all. But it is some of he best Asian food available in the US.
Look DC. The best Asian food is in Northern Virginia in areas that are dominated by strip malls.
Look at Chicago. Other than Devon Ave, Ive had way better luck outside the city for good Asian food.
I hear people bringing up St. Louis, Cleveland, etc. Im sure those cities do have a few good Asian options. You just wont find the variety and near the number of options as a NYC, LA, SF, DC, Seattle, Houston, Chicago, etc.
Its been my experience that the most walkable areas with a few exceptions (really NYC is the only one that leaps to mind) dont have the best Asian food.
Look at LA. The best Chinese food is not in the Chinatown, its in the San Gabriel Valley in places like Monterrey Park and Alhambra. The best Indian food is in Artesia, the best Vietnamese food is in Westminster and Garden Grove, and the best Cambodian food is in Long Beach. The only exception is that Koreatown is fairly walkable.
Look at Houston. The best Asian food across the board is in Southwest Houston which isnt walkable at all. But it is some of he best Asian food available in the US.
Look DC. The best Asian food is in Northern Virginia in areas that are dominated by strip malls.
Look at Chicago. Other than Devon Ave, Ive had way better luck outside the city for good Asian food.
I hear people bringing up St. Louis, Cleveland, etc. Im sure those cities do have a few good Asian options. You just wont find the variety and near the number of options as a NYC, LA, SF, DC, Seattle, Houston, Chicago, etc.
I'd day that SF has good Asian food in walkable settings. LA also does with Koreatown and Long Beach, though you're right that the best Chinese food is in the increasingly though usually not quite walkable SGV.
Chicago's best is Chinatown which is very urban.
Philadelphia is another good choice. The Asian population has been booming in the city. It's not just Chinatown, but also South Philly near and around the Italian Market with a lot of Vietnamese (often run by Chinese-Vietnamese) and Chinese. I haven't ate there in a while, but one of the best soup dumplings I've had stateside was a random restaurant along a bus tunnel in Center City Philadelphia which I tried on a lark when my chinatown bus was late for the return to NYC. I think Chicago and Philadelphia are probably the best bets for very, very walkable urban areas that are affordable compared to other large cities. The larger college town suggestion is also a good one.
I live in Seattle which has an International District...
So for various reasons I have been looking at the South. Walkable in smaller towns only and most don't have lots of Asian food like the West Coast, but surprisingly I have been checking into Mobile, AL and it has both.
Good luck and share what you find!
Yeah I stop in ID anytime I'm in Seattle. I do really like that it's on the rail line and just outside downtown.
Mobile? Very interesting. What good food have you found there? I've never stopped in, only see it from I-10 as I'm driving through, but have heard nice things about its historic area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cowboys fan in Houston
Its been my experience that the most walkable areas with a few exceptions (really NYC is the only one that leaps to mind) dont have the best Asian food...
Look DC. The best Asian food is in Northern Virginia in areas that are dominated by strip malls.
Your point is extremely valid and in fact many people would say Flushing Chinatown>Manhattan Chinatown. Also many people I know would prefer Rockville and other parts of MD to NOVA for Chinese food at least, although Korean and Vietnamese are extremely well repped in NOVA.
But honestly I am totally ok with the quality of those lesser Chinatowns (maybe not DC's faux one haha) If it's at my doorstep and I have access nearly every day, then I can accept the occasional trek out when absolutely necessary.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OyCrumbler
II think Chicago and Philadelphia are probably the best bets for very, very walkable urban areas that are affordable compared to other large cities.
For anyone curious, I think Canadian cities do extremely well here (minus the affordability factor). Toronto and Vancouver are lights out amazing. Granted their very best offerings are a bit less walkable/vibrant, but there is no shortage of good Asian (in this case I speak almost exclusively of Chinese) food in the walkable nabes. Meanwhile, Calgary and Montreal are more than adequate. And I think Edmonton and Ottawa may be ok too. I've been to some great walkable parts of Ottawa and also been to several excellent Chinese restaurants, but they didnt overlap so I don't know for sure. Never been to Edmonton but it seems to be decently walkable and has a very strong Chinese demographic there too.
Thanks! Being adjacent to downtown does this area get kinda vibrant? I am quite wary of the authenticity of the restaurants though after a quick look on yelp/google.
Thanks! Being adjacent to downtown does this area get kinda vibrant? I am quite wary of the authenticity of the restaurants though after a quick look on yelp/google.
General area and if you follow South Clinton north from there, you go through the South Wedge neighborhood before you get to Downtown: https://goo.gl/maps/wcYFMsnTwG12
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 06-06-2017 at 06:05 AM..
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