WorldGallery

We are visiting NYC during the week of Chinese New Year and would like to build our schedule around an activity or two. I was looking at pictures of the Chinatown parade and it was totally packed, so I think this will be too hard for my mother-in-law. What are some alternative Chinese New Year celebrations that would appeal to teens through 65 and are not too crowded?

nytraveler

Sorry - everything interesting in NYC is crowded. There are 9 million people here and 25 million in the Metro area. So empty is usually only Sunday morning before 7 am.

nytraveler

Sorry - hit post too soon. Best for that type of activity is to see it on TV and visit places that are less crowded. (If Asia is a major interest - check out the Asia Society exhibits.)

nyer

nytraveler;
Really? REALLY??
"everything interesting in NYC is crowded. There are 9 million people here and 25 million in the Metro area"

Seems funny to me. Hello tourists, don't go anywhere, it's all too crowded, Very dismissive of you, in my opinion.

WorldGallery,
The Dragon Parade in Chinatown is crowded because the neighbrhood is tight with many small strees and alleys. You have to walk a bit to get to and from it, and stand a lot , Is that a problem for your MIL? You might want to drop into the area for a little while just to see the spectacle, but map out a path out of the area to another neighborhood that's less crowded.

What other events did you see listed that interest you?

WorldGallery

Yes, that would be a problem for her. I can visualize it well because we are from New Orleans and do go to some parades. It can be crazy just getting to the parade route.
These are two other things I saw sound interesting to me, though there were about 10 other things all around the area. at least on last year's calendar of events. Any input?:
1. Chinese New Year Celebration – Staten Island
Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanic Garden
This is the fest to hit if you're looking to expose the kids to Asian arts and culture. The lineup includes Tibetan, Mongolian and Miao dance, plus a traditional lion dance and tea in the serene Chinese Scholar's Garden.
OR
2. CHINATOWN LUNAR NEW YEAR Flower Market (My MIL loves flowers but want to make sure it isn't boring for the kids)
Date: 2/8/2013 to 2/10/2013
Location: Sara Roosevelt Park (Grand & Forsyth St.)

nyer

I haven't been to anything like the 2 other events you mentioned, but the second one is also right in Manhattan's Chinatown. I suspect it's a very small scale market and you'd have the general neighborhood crush to deal with.

Events at Snug Harbor can be interesting, but considering the amount of time you have for your trip and mobility issues,. I'm not sure it would be worth it for you to get there. You'd have to take a train (or taxi) to lower Manhattan to get the Staten Island Ferry (30 minute ride each way, plus waiting up to 30 minutes for a ferry). After the ferry ride, you'd have to get there, about 2 miles away,There's probably a bus that goes there or close, but is that too much traveling for your MIL? I don't know if car services are readily available at the ferry terminal(no taxis there).
If you were planning to take the ferry ride anyway for the view of Lower Manhattan, Statue of Liberty view etc, then you only have the extra bus rides and walking around at Snug Harbor to deal with, It's a relatively small botanical garden, not generally considered a major tourist destination so no crowds.

More events will be announced closer to the date so I would play it by ear.

ekscrunchy

What about reserving a special New Year's dinner at one of our many good Chinese restaurants? If this is of interest, I will be happy to share the names of some of my favorite places. You should have to book in advance because restaurants will be packed during that week.

WorldGallery

That is a good idea. This way, we know we will get in. Last time we visited, we went to Golden Unicorn for Dim Sum. That was our first time to try dim sum and we loved it. Is there place that does New Year's Dim Sum?

nytraveler

No one is saying not to go. There are a large number of activities in the city that are crowded and are well worth the time and effort. I think this is worth the time and the effort, The OP said she had seen pics of the parade and it was too crowded for her mom. I didn;t say it - she did.

That's why I suggested the Asia Society. That won't be totally mobbed.

And restaurants in Chinatown will be fine - except they - and the streets - will still be crowded.

ekscrunchy

The special New Year's meals are the dinners, I believe. For the very best food, you should take the trip on the subway, or the Long Island RailRoad, to Flushing. I've mostly given up on eating in Manhattan Chinatown because the food is so much better in Flushing. If that is a possibility for you, let me know and I will give you some names. The trip is a short one and the neighborhood is interesting.

SueNYC

Also visit the Museum of the Chinese in America http://www.mocanyc.org

mohan

The crowd is different ever year, sometimes not too bad.

During Chinese new year, you can expect to see lots of red decoration and dragon dance in Chinatown.

The idea is that the 'lion' brings prosperity wherever it goes. The way it works is that 'the dragon' goes from shop to shop to bring luck to the shop, in return the shop owner reciprocates by giving money in a red packet. Sometime the owner would 'play' with the dragon by putting the red packet in a hard-to-get place like hanging it on the awning. In that case the 'dancers' would do some acrobatic and 3-4 of them would pile up one on top of the other to get it. It's kind of fun to watch if you have never seen it . Plenty of photo opts. It is colorful and free, all kids and most adults would like it.

There are tons of cafe where you can sit as long as you buy a coffee. The desserts are real cheap and quite good and fresh from the oven, try the egg tart which is a Macau specialty.

Your mom and kids should have a cell phone on them.

Is it crowded? Very much so on the day of lunar new year and the day following. You can try to go on the third day where superstitious Chinese don't leave their homes or on a weekday where most people work.

The dance will go on for at least a week. If watching the celebration is your priority, I would do lunch there and walk around and not walk around and do dinner. I think it's too late.

As far as food goes, yes, Flushing and Brooklyn have much better food. For me it matters but most of my American friends can't tell the difference or they don't care enough to say so.

Don't know if Brooklyn and Flushing have elaborate celebration or not.

I find it hard to navigate in Flushing and esp. College point.
I go there in a zip car with a print map from map-quest and I get lost every time and I think I am a good navigator. We just drove a week in Turkey without problem. Could be just me.

Hope this helps.

WorldGallery

mohan - Thanks for the insights! I plan on reading about Chinese New Year with my kids before our trip. I didn't know all of this. So, you are saying that if we wait and go on either Tuesday or Wed. after the parade, we still may get to see the dragon or acrobats?

Thanks everyone. I am going to look into the other ideas mentioned also.

ekscrunchy - while Flushing sounds nice, we only have a week so I think we will pass this time.

mohan

WorldGallery, I will try to remember to look up info for you. I don't think there is anything out there yet since it is still early.
I didn't mean to discourage people from going to Flushing. My friends are not Chinese foodies, it's hard to convinced them to take the time to go out of Manhattan and Chinese food is better with a group. If you have the time, you can take the subway and get off in Jackson heights, you'll see women in Indian saris. Then continue the train to Flushing, you might think you are in S.E. Asia there.
ekscrunchy knows alot about restaurants, I am interested in her recommendation too.

WorldGallery

Okay, that sounds good. I am going to be checking this forum and asking more questions as I plan. Thanks!