Chinatown (#atozchallenge)

Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City 2009 on Pell Street, looking west towards Bayard and Mott. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chinatown

       The generic term "Chinatown" has been applied to areas of Asian influence throughout the world beginning in the early 19th century.   Many cities in the United States have a district known as Chinatown--some of the most famous being those in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and, of course, Manhattan.   In fact the metropolitan area of New York City has at least a dozen communities with large Chinese populations and Manhattan's Chinatown is home to the largest concentration of Chinese peoples in the Western Hemisphere.

       Originally the Chinatown areas were transitional points for new Chinese immigrants or those of Chinese descent who were fleeing persecution in other parts of the country.  Manhattan's Chinatown began developing in the 1850's in Lower Manhattan in the area of the Bowery and along the thoroughfare of Broadway.

        With the arrival of the new Chinese immigrants came Chinese businesses and inexpensive tenement housing to house the newcomers.  Chinatown became a city within a city with Chinese dialects spoken by the people and business signs written in the language Chinese characters.  The exotic nature of that part of town made it a natural draw for tourists and curiosity seekers.

         For many decades two of the main industries of Chinatown have been tourism and restaurants.  Bus tours typically include a stop in Chinatown.  Tourists flock to the shops and eateries to get a sense of what visiting China might be like.   There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in Chinatown--over 300--and they offer a range of the many culinary styles of China and other parts of Asia.  If you're looking for Chinese food then Chinatown is a go to place for what you're craving.  Then after you've eaten you can hang around visiting the many shops until you're ready for the next restaurant stop.  It's often said that shortly after eating Chinese food you're hungry again and in Chinatown there's no need to go hungry for Chinese food for very long.

         Just ask Mee Magnum, blogger from The Chinese Quest.  When I posed the question about Manhattan in my January blog post, Mee commented, "Manhattan to me is home sweet home. Born and raised in the great City. Like no other place in the world. And home, of course, to some of the best Chinese restaurants on the planet! :)"   Mee's not doing the Challenge this year, but last year he offered a great series about Chinese restaurants in the NYC area.   If you want to know more about great Chinese restaurants and other knowledge about Chinese food Mee's blog is for you.  I regularly read it and dream about places I'd like to eat one day. 

  The Question of the Month

             The Question of the Month is hosted by Michael G D'Agostino from A Life Examined. The first Monday of each month I'll be answering a question posed by Michael prior to event day. Click on the link to his blog for more participants. 

            



       Michael has made it easy on all of us who are participating in the April A to Z Challenge.  Here is this month's question:

  What's your favorite thing that begins with the letter "C"?

        After all this talk about Chinatown, my first answer would be Chinese food.  I've liked almost all Chinese food that I've eaten though I don't eat it very much anymore since my wife is not much of a fan of the cuisine.   But given the chance I'll gladly go to a Chinese restaurant when the offer comes my way.

         Thinking about the letter "C" though I can't forget chocolate.   I love chocolate in all incarnations whether it be for eating or drinking.  Oh, and thinking about drinking I should add coffee.

           Reading my initial answer you'd think life was all about food.  There are, after all, other things in life.  As a blogger (or not) I do like my computer a great deal.   For comfort sake I'd have to add chairs.  Could we get by without chairs?   Or my car for that matter?  These days, especially where I live in Los Angeles, a car is almost a necessity though I do know a few people who get around without driving.  Personally though I'm hooked on cars even though I officially drive a van--it's still essentially a car.

           These favorites questions are always tough.  How do I pick just one of everything I mentioned here not to mention the things I didn't mention?   My favorite "C"?   I guess it depends on how hungry I am or what I have to do.   My favorites in anything always seem to be changing.

           Do you have a Chinatown near where you live?  Have you ever visited a Chinatown anywhere?  What is your favorite Chinese dish?


     

Related articles

• Mr. Bing in New York City brings Beijing street crepes to Manhattan
• Takeout Shakeout: 10 Abandoned Chinese Food Restaurants
• We Ate Beef Tongue And Fish Balls At The Mala Project
• The Unlikely Boom of Chicago's Chinatown
• Awesome Fare with Asian Flair at Annisa Restaurant NYC

Bowery to Broadway: Manhattan (#atozchallenge)

Photograph of Steve Brodie's Bar at 114 Bowery, New York City, owned by Steve Brodie (1861-1901), famed for supposed jump from the Brooklyn Bridge in 1886.
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bowery to Broadway

         The story of Manhattan as the city we know begins in the section of town known as The Bowery.  In 1624 the Dutch began to settle in what they called New Amsterdam.    The name Bowery comes from a Dutch word meaning "farm".  Over the years this area experienced urban expansion as the farm lands disappeared to the development of the city.

          At first much of the Bowery neighborhood became elegant and highbrow, but near the mid-nineteenth century the area degenerated into a poor rough place.  The Bowery became famous for its bars, brothels, pawnshops, and flophouses.   Gangs ruled their individual turfs and sometimes clashed in violent confrontations.  For over a hundred years the Bowery retained a bad reputation that was known the world over.

        In more recent years there has been a move toward gentrification with an attempt to attract new business and tourism.  There are a number of places of historical interest to visit in The Bowery as well as art galleries, museums, night clubs, restaurants, and other upscale establishments.

         Samantha Redstreake Gearysaid:   "... Whenever I think Manhattan, I think of the theaters on Broadway and the fabulous FOOD!"

Broadway show billboards at the corner of 7th Avenue and West 47th Street in Times Square in New York City
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

          From The Bowery we can follow Broadway, once  the Wickquasgeck Trail used by the native peoples who inhabited the area prior to the arrival of the Europeans.   Broadway spans the entire Manhattan Island and then beyond.  As one of the most famous streets in New York City, many known landmarks can be found along the route.

          Broadway has become synonymous with The Theater and most notably, Musical Theater.  The Great White Way, as Broadway is also referred to as  the street passes the bright lights of the Theater District, has been the subject of so many movies that many people associate Manhattan with the theater first and foremost.

            The only time I've been to a musical in a Broadway theater was in 1976 when I saw The Magic Show with Doug Henning who was a popular hippie styled magician for a number of years.  I'd seen his first television magic special the previous December and was very impressed.  Seeing him in the Broadway show that had first catapulted him to fame was a special treat for me.  I was working on a touring magic show at the time and had developed a special interest in magic stage productions.  This is a musical that will doubtfully be performed by many stage companies in the future due to the nature of the illusions and the right performer to present them.   Doug Henning died in 2000 at age 52.

           Have you been to any musicals or theater productions in the Manhattan Theater District?   Have you visited the Bowery?    Have you seen the movie Gangs of New York? 


        

Related articles

• A walk down Broadway
• New York's most charming holdout buildings
• Review: From the Bowery to Broadway
• 10 Free Things to do in New York City

Attack! First We Take Manhattan (#BOTB)(#atozchallenge)

Attack on Manhattan

September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City: View of the World Trade Center and the Statue of Liberty. (Image: US National Park Service ) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

        When asked what Manhattan brings to mind, just about any adult in the United States will at some point think about the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.  This terrible event is one of those things most of us will remember where we were and what we were doing when we heard what had happened in New York City on that fated morning.  In my case, I was fixated by the television images and the reports on the radio.  My business came to a near standstill on that day and for a couple days to follow.   We had never witnessed anything quite like that event and hopefully never will again, but I'm sure more is yet to come.

        Now the years have passed and the world has changed in many ways as a result of the catastrophic attack on Manhattan.  The current generation can certainly never forget what happened on that fateful day.  It's likely to be remembered long after all of us are dead and gone.

         The attack on Manhattan was horrible and yet Manhattan remains an extraordinarily wondrous place.  It is a lure to dream seekers.  With so much to see and do, the island city attracts millions of visitors from around the world.  Perhaps you are planning a visit to the city sometime in the future.  During the month of April this blog will be exploring the city and contemplating some of the things the city and what the name "Manhattan" evokes in our minds.

           Manhattan is a city of sights and sounds; people, cars, and buildings.  More than anyone can take in over the span of a day, a week, a year, or even a lifetime.  Manhattan is more than a city in New York.  Manhattan is also a concept and a descriptive term.  We'll take on Manhattan during A to Z Challenge and we'll barely even scratch the surface.

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event hosted by Far Away Series and  StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens twice each month on the 1st and 15th.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.



First We Take Manhattan

        Written by Leonard Cohen, "First We Take Manhattan" was first recorded by Jennifer Warnes for her 1987 Famous Blue Raincoat album which consisted of all Cohen songs.  The song is prescient in its near prediction of Manhattan attacks that were to come later.  Concerning the meaning of the song, Cohen admits that it is about terrorism, but he suggests that it relates also in a metaphorical way to psychic or intellectual terrorism (1).

        After the release of the recording by Jennifer Warnes, Leonard Cohen released his own version in 1988.  Cohen gives the song a unique synth-pop treatment that is uncharacteristic of his typical style and quite different from the two versions I'm presenting in my Battle to be found below.  Don't vote on Cohen's version but if you're interested in hearing it you can click here.

        I first purchased Warnes' Cohen tribute album when it came out in 1987.  In the front of a large record store in a mall in Toronto there was a promotional display advertising the release of the album.  Since I always spent a lot of the money I made in Canada so I wouldn't have to exchange it going back across the border, I always bought a lot of cassettes while I was there.  Though I wasn't overly familiar with the work of Jennifer Warnes, this album was receiving a lot of hype while I was in Canada so I figured it would be worth buying.  I was glad that I did.  It's a fine album with several good Cohen songs capably performed by Ms. Warnes.

       When I hear this song by any artist my eyes can't help but water up as I feel a creeping chill beneath my skin.  It's probably mostly due to what happened on 9/11, but even before then there was an eerie aspect to the song that made me consider the implications of what the song says.  Now that we've seen 9/11 and in more recent times the influx of refugees into Germany and the rest of Europe, the concept of Berlin being the next take down seems far more a possibility than back when the song was first released.

        Here are two very fine versions of "First We Take Manhattan":

   
Jennifer Warnes "First We Take Manhattan"  (1987)

        This version includes some outstanding guitar work by Stevie Ray Vaughn who is also seen in the original music video which I am using here.  Also making a brief appearance in the video is Leonard Cohen, the composer of the song. (2)






Joe Cocker "First We Take Manhattan"  (1999)

       This version of the Cohen song comes from Cocker's album No Ordinary World.  The video I'm using is not an "Official Video" as it is wrongly labeled, but the images depict the terrible events on 9/11.







Time to Vote!

        This is one of the tougher Battle picks for me, but the choosing is in your hands.  I like both of these versions a great deal.  What about you?  Let us know what you think about these versions. There must be one that you prefer over the other.  If you're visiting a Battle of the Bands post for the first time then let me briefly explain.  Please give each song version a fair listen to decide which one you prefer over the other.  If you don't like either then at least tell us which recording was least innocuous to you. This comes down to your preference and it's as easy as that.

     Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

‘FAR AWAY SERIES’ 

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

 ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ 

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

DC Relief Battle of the Bands

The Doglady's Den 

Angel's Bark  

Cherdo on the Flipside  

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Janie Junebug Righting & Editing.
  
J. A. Scott  

Quiet Laughter

Holli's Hoots and Hollers

Be ReInVintaged



Results on Friday April 8th

       I'll be announcing the results of the voting on this Battle next Friday April 8th. Since we are embarking on the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, there will posts every day except Sunday on Tossing It Out. I hope you'll stop in to check some of my posts about Manhattan--you might even see yourself featured in some of them since many of the posts are based on comments left on my January post What Does "Manhattan" Say to You?.

       Next Battle of the Bands post will be on April 15th with another song about Manhattan.
      
         What you doing when you heard about the events of 9/11?   How did 9/11 affect you at the time that it happened?   How did the event affect you in the years afterwards?