Day: March 28, 2017

We visited the Museum of the Chinese American again after the class took the trip a few weeks ago. It was very interesting to see the way that Chinese immigrants were portrayed in different ways, in an effort to prove their "dangerous" nature. Such photos are seen in the attachments. 

Columbus Park is a short walk from the Canal Street subway station and features many pleasant seating areas. When we visited, we saw a group playing soccer, a few men practicing karate, and many groups of people playing cards and checkers. It was very clear that these games of checkers are an integral part of daily life to those older residents that are retired or do not work during the day. 

The Mahayan Buddhist Temple was one of many religious facilities we saw in Manhattan's Chinatown and housed many sculptures of the religious figure - the Buddha. We noticed that Buddhism seemed to be the predominant religion practiced in the neighborhood, and it was here that we spoke with one of our interviewees about her experiences in Chinatown and her perspective of immigration to America. 

We visited the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association during our first visit to Chinatown, without really knowing what to expect. When we walked in, we were greeted by a member of the staff there who encouraged us to take pictures of the facility when we explained that we were students learning about the area. As seen in this photograph, there were a variety of Chinese decorations and artwork on the walls, and there was a seating area for patrons waiting to be called in. 

This small soft serve ice cream shop has gained popularity recently, which showed through the long line to be served. They feature ice cream flavors that are different than what you see at a regular ice cream shop, such as Ube and Macha. We decided to visit this Facebook famous destination after seeing great reviews across various social media platforms, and realizing how close it was to the other places we visited. 

The Chinese American Planning Council offers a variety of services to Chinese residents in the neighborhood, but unfortunately, we were unable to speak to anyone there because they were closed when we visited on a Saturday. The outside of the building featured many fliers about some of the services being offered such as a Young Adult Internship Program and HIV/STI testing. 

The East Broadway Mall featured many small businesses within one larger building which Brianna and I actually stumbled upon by accident. The mall is accessible through individual storefronts on the outside of the building, something which we did not expet after entering one of the buildings. 

We ate lunch at Audrey Bakery and Cafe on a Friday afternoon, and were surprised by the price of the food! We each paid less than $5 for a chicken sandwich and bakery treat - a deal you can't find in most bakeries in midtown! The style was self-serve, another characteristic that is uncommon among bakeries in much of Manhattan.