Canal Street

While the hidden treasures of Chinatown are found on its tiny side streets, this wide avenue is the area’s pulsing artery, and a walk along it will be an exercise not only in frustration – the crowds will leave you at constant impasses – but also in excitement. You’ll pass open, stinky seafood markets hawking bloodied, slippery fish; mysterious little herb shops displaying all manner of roots and potions; storefront bakeries with steamed-up windows and the tastiest 50¢ pork buns you’ve ever had; restaurants with whole, roasted ducks and pigs hanging by their skinny necks in the windows; produce markets piled high with fresh lychee nuts, bok choy and Asian pears; and street vendors selling tiny, illegal turtles, as well as endless forms of knockoffs, from Gucci sunglasses and Rolex watches to faux Prada bags.