While all the immigrant groups we looked at clumped together in neighborhoods, the Italian and Chinese immigrants’ areas in New York are the strongest known today. One can walk through Little Italy and see the spirit in the bright green-white-red in signs; similarly, one who walks through Chinatown and sees ubiquitous Chinese characters.
The two groups both have had their food Americanized and popularized. I would venture to say Italian food and Chinese food are two of the most iconic/popular food types. One can find either type of restaurant easily scattered around the city, but in Little Italy and Chinatown these restaurants are more concentrated. Generally, the strongest cultural aspect left over in Little Italy is the Italian food. One can easily find restaurants in Chinatown that have stuck more closely to authentic Chinese food.
Another piece of cultures that the two areas still have strong are the celebrations. The San Gennaro Festival is the most Italian-spirited event of Little Italy: green-white-red, Italian music, and booths of Italian food is all around. The Lunar New Year celebration is very spirited as well: the parading dragons and the red and gold are all around.
As we discussed in class, there are little to no Italians still living in Little Italy. This is largely in contrast to Chinatown, where thousands of Chinese live. It is interesting that there could be such strong opposites right next to each other. While Chinatown is still going strong (and even spilling into Little Italy}, Little Italy is becoming just a shell of the Italian community it once housed
