Sunday, Feb. 16 marked the end of the Lunar New Year celebration with the first full moon of the new year at the Lunar New Year festival in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Although it was a cold, rainy day, the spirit of excitement and new beginnings was very much alive. New York City’s Chinatown was an excellent place to ring in the Year of the Snake — symbolizing wisdom, renewal and transformation. Chinatown never fails to provide traditions, a feeling of community and delicious cheap food.
The festivities commenced at 10:30 a.m. and ran through 3:30 p.m. The parade started at 1 p.m. at Mott Street and Hester Street, and traveled down East Broadway until Forsyth Street and Broome Street. You could hear traditional music, color floats, impressive performances and of course, the lion dance. Unfortunately, I was not able to assemble my fellow Fordham festival-goers at Chinatown until closer to 2 p.m. Arriving one to two hours before the parade commences would allow you to get an ideal viewing spot. Luckily, we were able to witness a few parade floats, including one with people dressed as princesses like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Each float was lined with people waving decorations and exploding confetti poppers. The floats were red, with advertisements for Asian restaurants plastered on the sides. The streets and air were filled with gold and rainbow confetti. A benefit to the rain is that it was less crowded than last year’s parade, allowing us more space to move and less confetti and litter on the ground.
I recently watched an Instagram reel about Chinatown detailing the best restaurants to go to, for example, Mei Lai Wah, known for their scrumptious pineapple roast pork buns. Despite the video making the bun look mouth-watering, I could not justify waiting in a block-long line on such a cold day. A friend had suggested Yunnan Rice Noodle House, but there was a similar issue. Upon walking into the restaurant, I was greeted with an essentially full house with a table for two open. This was not going to cut it for the group of seven we had.
Walking down Bayard Street, or any other avenue within Chinatown, be sure to keep your eyes open to take in the scenery. There are colorful lantern decorations and a unique ambiance here you will not find anywhere else in Manhattan. If you walk by too fast, you may miss something delicious, beautiful or both. To this point, I recall walking by a grid of glistening roasting ducks in a storefront. I ran across the street to check it out and noticed multiple large round tables inside with two open. Jackpot. I brought my freezing friends inside New Yue Wong Restaurant and we were immediately met with complimentary teacups and hot tea. If you are looking for a filling meal for cheap, I would recommend looking over the section that is meat over rice or noodles with soup. Food doesn’t have to be Instafamous for it to be good in Chinatown. There are plenty of cheap pastries all around.
I ordered roast pork noodle soup for $8.50. It was a bit salty for my taste, and the others agreed that they needed water afterward. I also ordered two roast pork buns that were at the front of my mind because of the line for Mei Lai Wah I had just seen. It took about 15 minutes for it to be prepared, but they were truly worth the wait. Not only were they two for $4, but they had a mouthwateringly juicy and warm taste. It was my favorite thing to consume there. Our table also ordered soup dumplings for $7, which were pretty decent as well. In the end, I was decently content with the meal and experience, especially since the restaurant allowed me to hide out from the rain.
When receiving the bill, it may be a bit confusing since there are only numbers accompanied by Mandarin on the receipt. You may be able to guess what your item is according to the price written. Bring cash, because some places either accept only cash or add a surcharge for card use. A heads up: they add an automatic 18% tip to the bill. Before leaving, they will give you some fortune cookies, and I’d recommend using their bathroom because those are rare to nonexistent in Chinatown.
For dessert, we went to Alimama Tea which served mochi donuts, cream puffs and various drinks. I ordered a brown sugar boba cream puff and passion fruit green tea. The cream in the puff had a light sweetness to it with tapioca pearls which was the perfect complement to the sweet tea. My friends also enjoyed the strawberry mochi donut and the brulee donut, which were chewy and tasty.
Overall, despite the cold, I enjoyed attending a less crowded but festive Lunar New Year Festival. I hope to return next year and explore the celebrations in the other boroughs!
