My family and I decided to go to NYC for Christmas and we stayed in Chinatown. It was the neatest experience we ever had. Chinatown was buzzing from morning til night. At night as the weather got colder, the prices went down. We got some great deals and soaked up some great ambiance. If you like jewelry stores, this is the place to go. And the Chinese restaurants were very reasonable and had great food. On Christmas Eve we went to Jekyyl and Hydes restaurant in the Village. Another must do. I can't wait to go back.

This was a very typical experience. This is by far the biggest Chinatown I have ever been too, but in no way different to Montreal's or Toronto's Chinatown. The only difference is that its much bigger. Not much to see except souvenir stores and restaurants. Two of my friends bought swords which were overpriced but of great quality so they didn't mind. I wouldn't buy New York souvenirs here since you could find the same stuff in Times Square for much less. Overall it wasn't a bad thing to see once, but definately wouldn't return again, since its the exact same as other Chinatown's only bigger.

If you ever has a chance to go to the big apple, Chinatown in Manhattan is a must see. You will think you are in Hong Kong/China for some sense. NYC Chinatown looks and feels like old Hong Kong (I means it's just like any residential area in HK thirty years ago)

The produce market is a little stinky and dirty, but it definitely a good experience.

Hate to say it, but our trip to Chinatown was not that great. The streets are extremely crowded and trashy. We went to a Chinese restaurant and a bakery and the treatment we received was pretty poor -- the establishments really catered to Chinese and seemed mildly annoyed by our presence. The servers in both places spoke not a word of English leaving us to simply point at the items we desired, and even then they were baffled. At the restaurant half the items were not available, which is how I ended up with some horrific green soup/stew that was inedible. The server took great annoyance and my refusal to eat it. Little Italy is nearby and much better -- lots of restaurants that looked to be serving great food and were really eager for customers because there is so much supply. Go there and pick up a cannoli for desert.