The Tourist Continuum: Little Italy, Chinatown, and Flatbush

By: Teressa Cali, Nick Mercuri, Zach Sandman, Adrian Savage

Our group walked around and through the adjacent neighborhoods of Chinatown and Little Italy, in addition to completing the Flatbush tour done in class. All three neighborhoods are pretty distinctive, but our group noticed one distinction in particular: it seemed that each neighborhood was a point on a “tourism” continuum, with Little Italy being the most tourist oriented, Flatbush the least, and Chinatown somewhere in the middle.

Little Italy, much shrunk since it’s beginning and heyday in the late 1800s, now puts off the impression of showiness when a person walks through. There are signs around, informing you that this is a historic district. There’s a museum, “The Italian-American Museum,” which is an obvious attraction for a tourist. It’s been reduced to a few streets of restaurants or small food stores, and when you walk by, maître-des with “Italian” accents invite you inside. Who knows if the accents are authentic, but the neighborhood has apparently wised up to the monetary advantages of inviting easily impressible tourists to come try the cuisine.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Flatbush, the West Indian neighborhood. Established in the 70s and 80s (with some settlement as early as the 60s), at this point in its life Flatbush is still operating as a “function over fashion” district. The goal of businesses isn’t to capitalize on tourist attraction. Tourists rarely pass this way, foot traffic is mostly West Indian. The businesses are there to provide a service to West Indians looking to sustain their old way of life.

In the middle sits Chinatown (Established around 1860) which possesses some showy elements as well as maintaining product intended just for those preserving the old way of life.  It’s function and fashion.

Little Italy began in the same way Flatbush has: it was an area where Italian immigrants settled en masse and began businesses reminiscent of the homeland. They were businesses meant for the Italians and served as a functional part of their community.  So our group is wondering: Are Chinatown and Flatbush destined to follow the same route as Little Italy? Will they eventually shrink, establish museums, and pander to tourists?

Click the picture below to start the slideshow:

This sign is the first marker that a person is entering a toured area. It's making a point to let visitors know that they are in "Historic Little Italy." This exemplifies its "touristy" feel.

The Italian American Museum, formerly a bank in Little Italy's heyday, presents visitors with insight into the lives of Italian immigrants. It also recognizes Italians that have contributed to America's history. Museums exist to be toured, so this museum is another proof of Little Italy's tourist status.

One of the many Cafes found in Little Italy. Tourists can enjoy a taste of Italian cuisine or sample some delicious Italian desserts.

The ambiance of the restaurants draws in tourists who are eager for a taste of Italy. Tables are outside of almost every restaurant, inviting people to eat while enjoying the "italian" environment.

A display of Italian food and dessert in front of a restaurant to lure the crowd in.

"La Nonna" is a widely recognized Italian phrase meaning "The Grandmother," stressing the idea that Little Italy has become more of a tourist attraction through its use of Italian words that would be understood by most tourists.

Yet another eatery, festively decorated in the American idea of Italian style. Signs advertise the cuisine, and the chef stands in the doorway to invite people in.

Italian ices are a staple of Italian-American culture and especially of American culture as a whole. This cart ensures the customer that they are purchasing the "real thing", just what a tourist wants.

Here is a sign for visitors indicating that they are indeed in Chinatown.

This strikingly-painted building displays the Chinese colors of red and yellow. This might be a simple expression of pride in the proprietor's heritage, but may also be a way of making the neighborhood more exciting and alluring for visitors.

The banks and hotels at this corner, with Chinese signage, are clearly in this community to attract the Chinese residents to be customers.

This is one of the many bus lines that cater primarily to the Chinese community in Chinatown. Like many of the "Chinatown buses," Fung Wah travels between New York's Chinatown and the Chinatowns of other cities on the East Coast.

The abundance of Chinese signage in this storefront instantly gives the impression of foreign-ness and makes it feel exotic. Yet, the box that reads "California Pistachios" indicates that this store isn't dealing as much in exotic produce as they are trying to make its Chinese-speaking clientele feel comfortable shopping.

This restaurant does have its name written in English, as a fairly prominent feature of its sign, indicating that perhaps it is seeking non-Chinese customers.

There is no English signage, indicating that this establishment has little interest in appealing to a clientele beyond the Chinese community.

Here is a remnant of decor from the Chinese New Year celebration: probably heavily attended by Chinese Americans and tourists alike.

The products here look like they would serve the specific tastes of the community, such as the Chinese films and music being sold.

This outdoor display offers many Chinese delicacies for sale. However, there is no information and no signs to assist those unfamiliar with the cuisine.

The brilliant colors of these exotic fruits dazzle passers-by. Perhaps, in addition to drawing in Chinese shoppers looking for these species of produce, the display is meant to appeal to non-Chinese as well.

Places like this, a sewing store, can be indicative of the functions being served by businesses in Flatbush: this is obviously not a tourist attraction and it serves mostly West Indians, providing for their needs in bridging the gap between America and their home countries.

This isn't a fancy or showy space, but a very organic one--essentially a market or bazaar just with a roof over it. It serves the needs of the community in a bazaar-like fashion that's reminiscent of the caribbean.

A wide selection of the products important and useful to West Indian households and cuisine.

"West Indian Style Chinese Food" doesn't reflect what a tourist or outsider would be interested in to experience West Indian culture, but does reflect the tastes of the community.

A further example of a business that stocks food catering to the tastes of the community, and without showy advertising to glorify the product in a tourist's eyes.

Here we see fish for sale which are more on the exotic side. They are tropical fish, and would serve the purchaser as a nice taste of home.

From the same meat market, the hooves here are displayed matter-of-factly, ready serve the West Indian community in a recipe from home. There are no signs here to tell tourists that hooves are a delicacy in the West Indies, or to show one how to eat them. It is expected that West Indians will shop there and that they know what to do with hooves.

The window is covered in signs, so that you cannot see inside. Outsiders to the community might be more interested in seeing the selection of meats available, but community members are probably more interested in prices and deals.

In a market set-up that's fairly common around Flatbush, we find a serve-yourself salted meats dispensary. No signs are around to indicate what exactly the product is or what one should do if one wants some.

No signs indicating type of food...probably because customers already know exactly what it is.

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