My kids think Chinatowns are very cool and fun, but if my husband never visits another Chinatown it would be fine with him. I admit that the shopping is kinda fun and I like any restaurant where they bring me hot tea without me having to ask.

If you could visit Chinatown in only one of these cities (for a bit of shopping and a meal) would you choose New York or Boston?

(Is there a PC name for "Chinatown"? It felt odd typing it so many times.)

Boston's Chinatown is much much smaller than New York's. It does have a decent variety of restaurants, a couple good bakeries and some other shops. It sounds like your husband might be happier with Boston, your kids - if young - might be content with Boston. However, if you want more than a meal and a hour's worth of walking around and shopping, New York's Chinatown is the place.

I love Boston and prefer it to New York City, but there isn't much to Boston's Chinatown.

In Seattle "Chinatown" is known as The International District or "ID."

NYC's ID is the one to visit.

It's hard to say... Boston's Chinatown is much smaller so it's easier to navigate.

NY's Chinatown is huge, always packed with people, and with lots of knock-off goods.

I personally prefer Boston's.

The problem is that if you ask for directions in New York to the "International District" no one will know where you mean! Little Italy, Little India, Koreatown (aka K-town)...I don't think you should feel odd about "Chinatown"--it isn't like using the word "Oriental" after all.

Not wanting to turn this into a discussion of semantics--I'll answer your question. Having lived in both Boston and New York and gone to both Chinatowns--NYC definitely! You should also check out Pearl River Mart in SoHo--used to be in Chinatown but they moved up to a more modern space. It's walkable from Chinatown and filled with great merchandise.

http://www.pearlrivermart.com/v2/storelocation.html

Id go to New York's Chinatown. Honestly, I never even knew Boston has a "Chinatown", per se, although many large metropolitan areas feature some sort of an asian heritage district anyways.

NYC's Chinatown is called that on the various maps of they city, including official ones. It's growing, gradually absorbing nearby zones like much of Little Italy.

In Boston, Chinatown is hemmed in by immovable objects like highways, medical centers, and Boston Common, so it can't grow; the Chinese population is spreading out along the transit lines, with a growing population in the nearby city of Quincy.

IMHO, Pearl River ain't what it used to be since it relocated; the prices are much higher and the merchandise much trendier, although the exotic medicines, kitchenware and groceries are still intriguing.

Fret not. "Chinatown" is not considered a derogatory term: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown

Pearl River sounds like Sam Moon in Dallas....I used to go there a lot when it was in an old strip center in a questionable part of town. But they became so popular that they built their own new strip mall and raised their prices.

BTW, the main reason I picked Boston's Chinatown is because the last thing I'd call enjoyable is going to NY's Chinatown on a hot summer afternoon. The heat, the crowds, the dirt, the smell... NO THANKS!

Any restaurant in Boston's Chinatown will bring you hot tea without you asking. But shopping? Not much in Boston.

If you like Vietnamese food, go eat at Pho Pasteur in Boston's Chinatown. It's the original Pho Pasteur (it's a chain now) and the prices are cheaper than the newer, fancier Pho Pasteurs.

Maybe I'll be very disappointed. A few years back I went to a seminar in San Francisco in July. I went a day early. I have such fond memories of walking through Chinatown on Sunday morning, looking at all the fruit stalls, produce, etc.

I tend to skip Chinatown in NYC.

Pearl River even moved out.

New York. Chinatown there is large and growing, and there are plenty of streets to walk down with fruit stalls and interesting grocery stores.

Funny you should mention San Francisco. I'd heard so much about its Chinatown I expected it to dwarf New York's. However it was smaller, more orderly and much more tidy. Big let down. New York's Chinatown is an assault on the senses. I wouldn't miss it.

Boston's Chinatown is so small and inoffensive I can't imagine it bothering your husband. Stop for lunch or dinner,

I haven't been to Boston but I live in NY and I think Chinatown is absolutely disgusting. So I guess I'd try Boston's.

Boston Chinatown, small and easy to navigate quickly. A fun way to spend an hour.

NYC-huge, very fast paced and crowded and more exciting, with many more choices.