Nexis4Jersey Posted November 8, 2011 #1 Posted November 8, 2011 A few of my Friends don't seem to think it is , but if you compare it to parts of Harlem and the South Bronx it is ghetto looking. I know the crime levels are different and maybe that's why people don't view it as a ghetto , but look at the way there area looks. Super dirty , even by NYC standards and messy and the living conditions are horrid....
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted November 8, 2011 #2 Posted November 8, 2011 LOL... Well next time don't hold back eh... I don't know about it being a ghetto, but I do find it very dirty down there, even by NYC standards. The sidewalks are black from the dirt. I don't see why so many people go down there. Must be the cheap Made in China sweatshop goods that they can't get enough of. lol The thing is though parts of Chinatown are being redeveloped since the area is good in terms of location.
Roadcruiser1 Posted November 8, 2011 #3 Posted November 8, 2011 Nope. Chinatown is not Ghetto. You haven't traveled much, because if you do you would know exactly what neighborhood is Ghetto and that is not Chinatown. A neighborhood that would be Ghetto would be East New York, and Brownsville. Chinatown is dirty but not Ghetto.
B35 via Church Posted November 8, 2011 #4 Posted November 8, 2011 Chinatown, for the most part, aint all that residential... so just on that alone, no it isn't a ghetto.... shit's just filthy down there... makes you wonder how few trucks (or how often) garbage collection takes place....
MHV9218 Posted November 8, 2011 #5 Posted November 8, 2011 Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters
lilbluefoxie Posted November 8, 2011 #6 Posted November 8, 2011 LOL... Well next time don't hold back eh... I don't know about it being a ghetto, but I do find it very dirty down there, even by NYC standards. The sidewalks are black from the dirt. I don't see why so many people go down there. Must be the cheap Made in China sweatshop goods that they can't get enough of. lol The thing is though parts of Chinatown are being redeveloped since the area is good in terms of location. i used to go there to eat at this one Chinese restaurant, but it just took away too much time i could be riding around the subway and gettin photos, so now i just go to mcdonalds' and wendy's near the stations, or if im railfanning metro north i eat at grand central.
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted November 8, 2011 #7 Posted November 8, 2011 i used to go there to eat at this one Chinese restaurant, but it just took away too much time i could be riding around the subway and gettin photos, so now i just go to mcdonalds' and wendy's near the stations, or if im railfanning metro north i eat at grand central. The last time I was down there walking around was years ago. Of course I pass by a lot but not on foot. I was working with the at the time doing a summer internship and I had my paycheck and me and my Chinese buddy from high school needed to cash our checks, as he too had a summer internship somewhere. We made our way through the filthy streets and eventually found a place after having to walk a ways after we picked up our checks over at that school by One Police Plaza Downtown there. We stopped at that Burger King over on Canal St and ate there.
peacemak3r Posted November 8, 2011 #8 Posted November 8, 2011 Like others said, Chinatown is not all that residential, more commercial. Most of Chinatown's residents I'd assume lives in Lower East Side and Seward area? I haven't been to Chinatown in ages, I guess you could say I'm in Brooklyn's Chinatown more often, in and around 8th Ave in Borough Park.
Roadcruiser1 Posted November 9, 2011 #9 Posted November 9, 2011 Many Chinese residents live nearer to the Alphabet City area, and close to the Bowery/Delancey Area. That is what I remember before moving to Brooklyn when I was 4 or 5.
KNIGHTRIDER3:16 Posted November 9, 2011 #10 Posted November 9, 2011 I am CHATHAM SQ /Mott st. approved and I love it down there ,Little Italy near Mulberry is A family spot I love canal st. with it's many Treasures:tup: Car equipment ,Games ,Clothes hell you name it canal has it:tup: Now if I see jabroni near smith PJ's then I'll drop;) I know Mad heads that would love to give you a tour:tup:we could ride the elevator . Chinatown is not for everyone but KR fully supports it down there.
MattTrain Posted November 9, 2011 #11 Posted November 9, 2011 I'm just curious, how do you guys define a "Ghetto"? I do agree that Chinatown is a very popular spot though.
B35 via Church Posted November 9, 2011 #12 Posted November 9, 2011 We stopped at that Burger King over on Canal St and ate there. ....and ya'll still living..... wow... must have an intestinal linings made of plat'num or some'n.... I know of 4 people that's gotten sick at that place (2 of em were co-workers at the time).... and sometime back in the early 2000's, I remember that BK was on the news for something health related.... the one I'm talkin about, is the one over by broadway.... That's why I would say (and did) go to the BK on 34th st/8th av for lunch, a couple months back, when I would say so in the shoutbox chats & what not..... I NEVER go to that one on canal....
SubwayGuy Posted November 9, 2011 #13 Posted November 9, 2011 it's not a ghetto but it's absolutely filthy in every chinatown. the stank of fish at all hours of the day (even after dark!) is absolutely disgusting.
SoSpectacular Posted November 9, 2011 #14 Posted November 9, 2011 I'm just curious, how do you guys define a "Ghetto"? I do agree that Chinatown is a very popular spot though. I define a ghetto as any area that is poverty stricken and run down, riddled by high crime and chaos
checkmatechamp13 Posted November 9, 2011 #15 Posted November 9, 2011 I define a ghetto as any area that is poverty stricken and run down, riddled by high crime and chaos Actually, Chinatown does have a high poverty rate, and it is pretty run-down, but the crime rate isn't that high.
B35 via Church Posted November 9, 2011 #16 Posted November 9, 2011 Actually, Chinatown does have a high poverty rate, and it is pretty run-down, but the crime rate isn't that high. .....because it isn't heavily residential (before you even say it.... lol... yes, I get that you're curtailing your reply based on his definition) ....of course, someone can always jump up & say "uh, well, Asians aren't violent people... like that"
Nova RTS 9147 Posted November 9, 2011 #17 Posted November 9, 2011 Actually, Chinatown does have a high poverty rate, and it is pretty run-down, but the crime rate isn't that high. Crime doesn't need to be high to make a ghetto a ghetto. The question of "is Chinatown a ghetto" can be answered by the question of social mobility; are the people in Chinatown there because they want to be (they like the schools/ease of commute/ect) or are they there because they have to be (its the only thing they can afford). From my anecdotal knowledge of the area, its the latter. The area has always been known for having huge amounts of poverty and living conditions thats reminiscent of the Lower East Side a century ago.
SoSpectacular Posted November 9, 2011 #18 Posted November 9, 2011 They've been making Flushing their next big Chinatown, and they seem to be living great!
Trainmaster5 Posted November 9, 2011 #19 Posted November 9, 2011 I would say that Chinatown IS a ghetto by strict definition of the name. All Chinatowns are ghettoes. Bedford-Stuvesant is a ghetto, as is Harlem, by definition. Unfortunately the term is frequently used to describe an area's crime rate, but that is not what makes an area a ghetto. Basically a ghetto is an area mainly populated by one ethnic group. Watch the History Channel or Military Channel where the Warsaw Ghetto is frequently shown or mentioned. IMO any area where people are confined by law, economic situation, or race would be a ghetto. The Japanese internment camps during WWII were most certainly ghettos but I've never heard of them being dirty or crime-ridden. I'd really like to know what the OP was referring to with the title of this thread. Ghetto has a different meaning in some people's minds.
Cait Sith Posted November 9, 2011 #20 Posted November 9, 2011 Many Chinese residents live nearer to the Alphabet City area, and close to the Bowery/Delancey Area. That is what I remember before moving to Brooklyn when I was 4 or 5. Waaah? There's more chinese residents at the Bowery/Delancey area than there is around Alphabet City. There's more Spanish folk living around Alphabet City than Chinese folk.... Chinatown really isnt a ghetto and this is coming from someone who has lived in that area for 15 years (then again, my ways at looking at a place being ghetto is basically an area infested with hood rats and such....). It looks run down because that place is full of old building and shit, its basically history right before your own eyes and its something I've always wanted to see kept that way, but eventually, its gonna change. And I disagree about "All Chinatowns are ghetto"....D.C's Chinatown is ghetto because its not really a Chinatown to begin with unlike ours. In D.C, you can't help but having to look behind your back at night around there. Over here, it's rather safe and there is very little crime. It might LOOK ghetto, but it really isnt. One thing I will say, it is rather filthy, especially on Grand between Bowery & Chrystie, thats the worst spot to walk through because it always stinks. Chinatown is a residental/commerical mix. Where I used to live, it was more residental than commerical, but now its becoming less residental because of new owners buying buildings and kicking tenants out, I was a victim of that and it sucks....And it aint just Chinese folk living in Chinatown, you got your Indians, Whites, Blacks, Hispanic and ect living around the area....lately its been more whites moving in.
Grand Concourse Posted November 9, 2011 #21 Posted November 9, 2011 You hit it right on the head. Time to time I will be in the Chinatown area to do some errands and other than the trash piled up on the streets or the horrid smell of fish, it's not as horrible as people are making it out to be. Plus there have been some new construction going on in the area. While Little Italy has been shrinking, Chinatown has also been shrinking due to the new condos and such going up. Now as for unsafe Chinatowns: I was at the LA one in 'old chinatown' and while I didn't get mugged, i did feel a bit unsafe since there were some hispanic groups around and at the time I did worry they were part of a gang or such. I only stayed around the more 'crowded' areas and stayed away from the isolated parts. Here in NYC, I know I'm perfectly safe and have walked the blocks for several years now and never had any major incidents. So to me ghetto is more about crime - so Chinatown here is NOT ghetto.
INDman Posted November 9, 2011 #22 Posted November 9, 2011 While Chinatown may not be a "ghetto" it is a discusting area of the city that needs to be cleaned up.
B35 via Church Posted November 9, 2011 #23 Posted November 9, 2011 And I disagree about "All Chinatowns are ghetto"... I also disagree with that... philly's chinatown aint a ghetto either; it's actually more commercial than ours.... You hit it right on the head. Time to time I will be in the Chinatown area to do some errands and other than the trash piled up on the streets or the horrid smell of fish, it's not as horrible as people are making it out to be. Plus there have been some new construction going on in the area. While Little Italy has been shrinking, Chinatown has also been shrinking due to the new condos and such going up..... ....Here in NYC, I know I'm perfectly safe and have walked the blocks for several years now and never had any major incidents. So to me ghetto is more about crime - so Chinatown here is NOT ghetto. Nah, I'd say our chinatown is growing (in terms of territory/coverage).... and I wouldn't say that ghetto's are more about crime, but I do think crime is one of the determining factors... I would say it's more about the (high number of ppl that are) poor of those that live w/i it, along w/ how decrepit an area is..... (of course, you go on a site like city data, and ppl. there'll have you think any neighborhood that's predominantly black &/or hispanic is a f***in ghetto) Other than that, I agree... There hasn't been a day in my life when I had to hesitate & watch my back while walkin through chinatown; night or day..... hell, I do it when I decide to walk over the manhattan bridge comin from work... now that it gets darker faster (meaning it gets cooler), I might start doin more walks over the bridge.....
Trainmaster5 Posted November 9, 2011 #24 Posted November 9, 2011 @ Cait and Grand Concourse I was trying to give a literal definition of the word ghetto. As such any neighborhood named " Chinatown", " Koreatown", and the like were at one time ghettoes. Time passes and the original residents may have moved on so circumstances change but the name remains. Hood rats may exist in such a place. Poor housing stock may exist there as well as poverty. Neither one automatically makes a place a ghetto. I'll give you the example of Brownsville in Brooklyn. One ethnic group predominates, poverty and crime are widespread, plenty of unemployment. I consider it a ghetto by any definition, as you probably do. I used to live there 50+ years ago. Guess what? It wasn't considered a ghetto then. I went to PS 150 and the majority of my classmates were Jewish, at least until the 4th grade. But...30 years before I lived there one ethnic group predominated , crime and unemployment were rampant and the housing stock was worse than in my time. Nobody called Brownsville a ghetto then. It was a " Jewish enclave" For some reason I think people today say ghetto and mean "black" and I'm trying to clear up that misconception.
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted November 9, 2011 #25 Posted November 9, 2011 ....and ya'll still living..... wow... must have an intestinal linings made of plat'num or some'n.... I know of 4 people that's gotten sick at that place (2 of em were co-workers at the time).... and sometime back in the early 2000's, I remember that BK was on the news for something health related.... the one I'm talkin about, is the one over by broadway.... That's why I would say (and did) go to the BK on 34th st/8th av for lunch, a couple months back, when I would say so in the shoutbox chats & what not..... I NEVER go to that one on canal.... lol... Very interesting... Well we didn't have much... Just those hash browns (assuming they still serve that stuff) and I think an egg and sausage sandwich or something. In any event, now you see why I don't eat at those places. This was in the 90's though and I think it was the one on Canal by Broadway.
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