Resident Karen Moline gives you the ‘Cheapallonia’ guide to New York’s best Asian neighbourhoods – and they’re all child-friendly.
One of the most gratifying reasons to live in New York is being able to avoid the Disneyfication of Times Square – as well as the fact that in this great melting pot you’ll see so many different faces and hear so many different languages whenever you stroll down the streets. This is something to think about if you find yourself in the cleaned-up-so-it’s-teeming-with-tourists Times Square itself, especially if you become desperate to flee the long line for the indoor Ferris wheel or the sight of so much wasteful plastic packaging on a bunch of boring movie-tie-in toys at the enormous Toys’r Us flagship store on 44th St. and Seventh Avenue.
Being in the epicenter of multi-culti culture (and tolerance) means visitors to New York have no shortage of fabulous places to visit and even more fabulous things to buy, and I don’t mean in the aforementioned Toys’r Us (although the life-size animatronic dinosaur is a hoot.)
You won’t find any Disneyfication when you go in search of true ethnic enclaves. Even better, most Asian neighborhoods are usually much less expensive than surrounding areas, so the eats and the goods will be a lot cheaper than the more chi-chi places a mere few blocks away.
So here’s Cheapallonia’s inside guide to some favorite Asian places, all kid-tested and approved. The real Asian New York is so much more vast and enticing than the few blocks surrounding Mott Street in Chinatown that most tourists visit. That these places are often slightly off the usual tourist track makes a jaunt even more of an adventure, especially with the kids in tow. Getting there, particularly on an elevated outdoor subway train, is as much a thrill for visitors as the destination itself.
Two Chinatowns – Manhattan and Flushing, Queens
One of the most densely populated areas of Manhattan, Chinatown is also one of the most picturesque, with its winding streets, shops crammed full of goods, shoppers carefully inspecting the live fish (including many varieties you’ve never seen or smelled before) and piles of gorgeous fruits and vegetables crammed on the sidewalks, and gift shops selling anything from illegal Vuitton knockoffs to brilliantly carved jade pendants.
The best way to explore Chinatown is without an itinerary. Simply start walking. Explore the groceries and stock up on unusual spices. Buy trinkets as souvenirs. Try not to trip over the huge tubs full of live frogs, crabs, or turtles in front of the fishmongers, which will undoubtedly delight your kids while you avert your eyes.
When you get tired, stop in a Chinese bakery for a slice of sponge cake and a cup of sweet hot tea, or happily slurp down a bubble tea with chewy blobs of tapioca, or head for one of the countless cheap restaurants for plates of steamed dumplings.
Don’t limit yourself to Cantonese Chinese fare – you can find nearly every type of Chinese food with subtle or fiery spicing as well as meals from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, or Thailand. Cheapallonia is fond of the noodles from the street carts ($1.25 a huge serving – just point to what you want) scattered on various corners.
For the most authentic experience, head east of Chatham Square; once you’re on East Broadway, you’ll see fewer white faces and find less tourist-oriented restaurants. If one you’re scoping out is full of locals, and doesn’t have a decipherable menu in English, you can assume it’s pretty good.
New York’s “other” Chinatown is in many ways even more of a melting pot of Asian faces and places, as recent immigrants who’ve been priced out of Manhattan are flocking to Flushing, Queens, just past the site of the 1964 World’s Fair. As in Manhattan, simply start walking, and you’ll be amazed at the sumptuous variety of goods even cheaper than in Manhattan. Your kids will love the Magic Castle – a Korean pop culture mecca with toys – (136-82 39th Avenue.) Go for Hello Kitty, hair accessories and lots of fun cheap things. I’d buy souvenirs for the packaging alone.
Alternatively, head to the Flushing Mall for one-stop shopping and a great food court (133-39 39th Avenue near Prince St.)
One of the best Asian restaurants in the area, Spicy and Tasty (39-07 Prince St.) received two stars from the New York Times food critic, so be prepared for a Sichuan meal that will sear itself into your memory.
In Manhattan, the nearest subways are 4, 5, 6, N, R, Q, or W to Canal Street.
In Flushing, the nearest subway is #7 to Main Street, Flushing (last stop).
Big India – Jackson Heights, Queens
Cheapallonia’s curry-devouring son is fond of the curry joints in Manhattan’s Little India, but for the real deal, he’s always up for a quick hop on the subway to what he calls “Big India,” in Jackson Heights, Queens.
As with Chinatown, there are only a few blocks to wander up and down, so you can’t really get lost. If you’re in the mood for Indian-style gold jewelry, embroidered kurtas and shoes, saris and shawls, fabulous fabrics, Bollywood movies and music, or spices, you’re in the right place. We love Butala Emporium, which stocks anything from stick-on bindis, to CDs of meditation or chanting music, incense, and small statues of Hindu gods (36-46 74th St.) At most of the nearby beauty salons, kids will love getting their hands intricately designed with henna – called mehendi – that lasts for at least a week.
Come with an appetite, because it smells so good as soon as you head down 74th St. The Jackson Diner, at 37-47, might sound all-American, but it’s the best known of the local restaurants, and the buffet is a glutton’s paradise . If you can still find room after your meal, stagger down the street and around the corner to the Pakistani haven of deliciousness, Shaheen Sweets (7209 Broadway.) These desserts are so vividly colored and unusual that it’s best to just order a pound or so (they’re sold by weight) of different goodies and sample little pieces. Try the carrot halvah – you can at least pretend it’s got some nutritional value.
The nearest subway is #7 to 74th St-Broadway; E, F, G, R, V to Jackson Heights Roosevelt Ave.
The Asia Society and The Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art
The Asia Society is one of Cheapallonia’s favorite hangouts. Not only does the gift shop have a fantastic assortment of books, jewelry, bags, music, and objets d’art, but there are revolving exhibits and lectures year-round. The Rubin Museum is housed in what used to Barney’s – that mecca to conspicuous consumption that has since moved to the Upper East Side. It’s a world-class collection of Himalayan art that is particularly intriguing for children who don’t know much about Buddhist traditions but love looking at the paintings of fearsome deities, and there’s also a great gift shop.
Both the Asia Society and the Rubin Museum have fabulous events for families. At the Asia Society, the first Saturday of the month, from September through June, is Family Day, celebrating a different country each time, with hands-on craft activities, dance and performances, and puppet shows and readings. The Rubin Museum has Family Workshops every Saturday for kids five and up; other activities for younger kids take place during the week.
Check the websites for more detailed information: www.asiasociety.org and www.rmanyc.org.
The Asia Society is at 725 Park Avenue at 70th Street. Telephone 212-288-6400 . The nearest Subway is #6 to 68th St.
The Rubin Museum of Art is at150 West 17th St. at Seventh Avenue. Telephone 212-620-5000.
The nearest subway is #1/9 at 18th St and #2, 3, at 14th St.
Inspa
If you’re in New York for a longish stay, and you’re exhausted and frazzled and need to chill out with a massage – but don’t know how to do that without the kids interrupting you every five seconds – you’re in luck. Welcome to Inspa – 60,000 square feet of pure indulgent bliss.
Calling Inspa a Korean bathhouse is like calling the King Kong a mere gorilla. Actually, it’s a unique combo of Asian sauna, European spa, and American water-park on five floors of amazement for the whole family. It’s the only spa of its kind in America, and is likely to be the highlight of your stay in New York.
There are different varieties of enormous sauna rooms on the first floor (kids will love the Chroma-therapy sauna, with its ever-changing light display.) The second floor has vast pools with customized jets, waterfalls and fountains that will leave the kids dumbfounded with delight (and your shoulders relaxed after days of heavy shopping-bag lifting.) The third floor has a fitness center in case you feel energized after all the soaking.
If you’ve forgotten your swim gear, fear not – you can rent everything you need (suits, robes, slippers, caps, and tubes for the kids). Plan to stay long enough to have at least one meal of delicious Korean noodles, sushi, pizza or deli fare for less adventurous eaters.
Unless you have a car, getting to Inspa from Manhattan is a bit of a schlep, so factor the timing into your day. If you’re already planning to go to either Big India or Flushing, I’d suggest you try to combine them into an all-day jaunt. Call Inspa for more details.
You’ll find Inspa at113-10 11 Avenue, College Point, NY. Telephone 718-939-6300.
The nearest subway is #7 to Main Street, Flushing (last stop) then take the free shuttle bus in the city parking lot in front of the Woori America Bank (it leaves every half-hour).
