Is China Town a good place to go the 1st weekend in November on a Sunday? Also, we were told to shop Canal St for great knock-offs. Is this true and exactly which part of Canal? Are there any other great do-not-miss streets for shopping it that area? Is it feasible to visit the Trade Tower sight in the same day? My girl friends and I are in NYC for the first time and we cannot waste time, we have only 3 days. Thanks

Sunday is fine. But the "knock-offs" are not great - they're obvious and generally very poor quality. Basically - if you buy a $25 imitation - it's worth $25 - and looks it.

(And be aware that the police are cracking down on the vendors of the "real" knock-offs - the ones that look fairly similar and are much more costly - and have closed down some shops temporarily - for copyright infringement.)

Basically Canal st with a few blocks east and west of Broadway is wehre most of the activity is. I doubt you would spend all that much time there. It's a bit of a zoo (the sidewalks are packed), and the knockoffs aren't all that great. Mott St is the main street with restaurants, and Mulberry St turns into Little Italy.

Walk south on Broadway, about 8 blocks to get to teh WTC sight. Stop in St. Paul's church on the way and check out the exhibit. You can easily do this and Canal St in a morning or afternoon.

I love Chinatown and there are several good restaurants. Dim Sum is lunch there, and if you have not had Dim Sum before, it's small plates served on carts. If you like the looks of the plate ask what is in it. The price per plate is around $3.00 at most spots.

The best Dim Sum places to me are Mandarin Court on Mott St, HSF on The Bowery just south of Canal St, and Golden Unicorn, across the street from Confucious Square close to The Bowery.

Canal St is fun for shopping, and you can bargin for everything. Have fun!!

Canal Street is a great place to visit on a Sunday, but it will be really crowded.

The knock-offs vary in quality, so take a close look and bargain.

If you don't see what you want, be sure to ask. Often the "best" goods are in the back.

My favorite stretch of Canal is between Mulberry & Broadway. Have lunch in Little Italy (Mulberry Street) then continue south to Chinatown (Canal Street).

For lunch, I suggest Il Fornaio.

Enjoy!

I've gotten some relatively attractive bags on Canal. You'll have to go to the back rooms and pay more, but it's worth it. To avoid screaming "fake purse", don't pick the bags that feature logos (Gucci, Louis Vuiton, etc.) or intricate stitching or harware.

My favorite restaurant in the "Chi-taly" neighborhood is neither Chinese or Italian. It's O'Nieal's Grand Street, on Grand b/t Mulberry and Lafayette, one block from Canal. If you and your friends are Sex and the City Fans, it's the real life location of "Scout", Aidan and Steve's bar. Excellent cocktails and wine list, great American food, plus it's historically significant. It has an underground secret tunnel that links the bar to the old police headquarters. More than one "interrogation" was conducted at the bar ;-)

Don't go into back rooms, please.

WTC is within walking distance and if you're going there (and have a strong shopping urge), just go to Century 21 and legally buy nice bags.

Lizziea06, Onieal's looks great! Never heard of it. Thanks!

Green Bo for Shanghai cuisine on Bayard St. Great dumplings! Across the street is Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. I love the almond cookie ice cream.

I second both dimsum and CHINATOWN ICECREAM FACTORY. Their icecream is my all time favorite (I usually get green tea, pistachio or lychee). I always make a pit stop there after lunch/dinner.
Entire Canal St. are vendors with knock-offs. It's hard to miss. Also VERY CROWDED. I personally do not buy anything (maybe cheaper perfume?) but you should try just for experience.
Hop onto the A train downtown for World Trade. It's really not far. You could even walk if you could spare 30-40 minutes.