On our first full day in NYC we walked around Park Avenue. We walked into the Louis Vuitton where we all know the prices are high. They have specialty bags that our local Louis Vuitton store does not have. Wow, Oh Wow!! I was in Heaven. Then we walked into Tiffany & Co. Big Mistake!! But I'm not spending all of my money in one store so...off to Chinatown!! Those same LV bags were 5% of the price as the ones on Park Avenue!! Oh and they not only had Louis Vuitton but also Gucci, Hermes, Chanel, Coach, Prada, Burberry, and Tory Burch bags for like $60!! Now those are good prices!! Oh and Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses were only $5!! When I was in Tiffany & Co. I found a beautiful necklace and bracelet. I go into Chinatown and find the same necklace and bracelet for $35 each!! Okay, Okay. I know that they are knockoffs but come on!! Who can tell unless they are looking very close? What is so funny is the people selling their wares on the street will tell you not to worry if you get caught with the contraband because you will only spend 2 hours in jail. These are hardworking Chinese-Americans who I think should run this country. They can talk you into anything and they get it done!! You walk away happy and feeling like you got an amazing deal. Just don't waste their time. I love these people!!
You walk past the people selling handbags and jewelry and you see fruit stands. There's fruit on these stands that I have never seen in my life. Some of it had spikes and bumps and looked really scary. Some of it looked really good though. It was just unusual looking fruit. I don't think we have that stuff at the local Harris Teeter.
Then you cross the street to the meat markets. There are ducks, chickens and who know what other types of foul hanging in the windows. I thought that was just in Asia!! I had no idea that you could do that in America!! Of course, you feel like you are in a foreign country in Chinatown so for some reason it doesn't seem that strange. Two doors down from the meat market is the seafood market. Let me tell you, there is no fresher seafood than this seafood. The crabs were still crawling all over one another. The smell was overwhelming. My son had to cover his nose but it really is something that he will never forget.
There were very unusual buildings. The McDonald's sign is even written in Chinese. The only other place in the world where that is done is in China. There was one building which was 3 stories high. On the first floor there was a 99 cent store. On the second floor was a Buddhist Temple. The third floor is a Jewish Community Center. NO JOKE!!! We also saw another building which was a Starbucks on the first floor and the top four floors were a Buddhist Temple. I have pictures of these places. I swear it is a true story!
Anyway, Chinatown is a place not to be missed if you visit NYC. There is not one square inch of that place without something interesting in it. I hope you get to go there and get that handbag that you have always dreamed of and have never been able to afford. And remember, if you get caught you will only spend 2 hours in jail!! It's so worth it!! Totally worth it!!
Come back tomorrow for more...
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