Mott Street, one of the main streets of Chinatown, is filled with Chinese restaurants, Asian grocery stores and tea shops that cater to neighborhood residents, New Yorkers from all over the city and tourists. The primary cuisine is Cantonese, but there are restaurants that specialize in foods of other regions of China, as well cuisines of other Asian nations. If you like exploring curio shops, Mott Street is a good jumping-off point.
The Church of the Transfiguration, at 25 Mott Street, was constructed in 1815, when it was called the Zion Protestant Episcopal Church. It was sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1853. Today it is the oldest Catholic church in New York City, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This museum, commonly known as MOCA, was formerly located on the second floor of a community center. Thanks to a grant from the Carnegie Corporation, a new building was constructed for it, opening in early 2009 at 211-215 Centre Street.
This park has always been a shady retreat for residents of Chinatown as well as tourists. In the past few years it has undergone a major renovation that includes new fences, gates and landscaping. It is one of the best spots in the city for people watching.
The very wide, loud and busy Canal Street is renowned for its open-air bazaars, where exotic goods from all over the world are displayed side by side with cheap sunglasses, postcards and "designer" bags, watches and clothing of questionable origin. The prominent Pearl Paint touts itself as the largest art supply store in the world.
