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Looking for a unique and delicious way to explore New York City’s history? Sample dishes from both Chinatown and Little Italy with Ahoy New York Food Tours on a guided walking tour of these two historic and culturally rich neighborhoods.

A food tour of Chinatown and Little Italy offers a glimpse into the history, culture, and traditions of these immigrant communities that have shaped New York for generations. Along the way, you’ll stop at different locations to sample a variety of dishes: dumplings, noodles, cheese, cannoli plus a sit-down lunch with beer, wine, or non-alcoholic choices.

You’ll visit landmarks such as the oldest church in Manhattan, the former Five Points, and the site of the first pizzeria in the USA and learn about the famous and infamous characters that lived and worked in these areas, including politicians and gangsters.

On a sunny Monday morning, we met our Ahoy New York guide, Hanna, and the other six travelers at the Silk Road Cafe in Chinatown for a pot of tea. Hanna explained that tea is an essential part of Chinese culture and that China produces six main types of tea, each with its own characteristics and health benefits. The delicate jasmine green milk tea we enjoyed aided digestion.

Nom Wah Tea Parlor, Chinatown, New York — Nom Wah Tea Parlor photo credit: Sherel Purcell

From there, we walked to Nom Wah Tea Parlor, the oldest dim sum restaurant in New York. We snacked on their original egg roll, which looked quite different from the usual egg rolls. It was crispy on the outside and filled with chicken and vegetables.

Sponge Cake on Doyers Street, Chinatown, New York

We next sampled a Hong Kong-style sponge cake, which was light and fluffy with a subtle pandan flavor. The fluorescent green color of the sponge cake is not from food dye but is naturally colored and flavored with the pandan plant.

We enjoyed a picnic snack of Beijing dumplings in Columbus Park. Beijing-style dumplings are richer flavored, heartier dumplings with thicker skin and a fried bottom. A natural raconteur, Hannah told us the park, previously Dutch farmland, was named by local Italians and was the site of The Five Points, one of the roughest neighborhoods in NYC’s history.

Piemonte Ravioli, Little Italy, New York — Piemonte Ravioli photo credit: John Cameron

We then walked along Mulberry Street to our first stop in Little Italy, Piemonte Ravioli. Piemonte has been serving fresh pasta since 1920. We munched on tender ricotta gnocchis with a rich homemade marinara sauce.

Our next destination on Grand Street was Di Palo’s Fine Foods, which has been selling Italian specialties since 1910, way before Eataly. We tried two kinds of cheese, a Piave, my favorite, and a Pecorino with some Castelvetrano olives, the perfect martini olive.

Di Palo's, Little Italy, New York — Di Palo’s photo credit: John Cameron

We then visited Benito One, where we traded travel stories with our new friends over a lunch of Eggplant Rollatini with a marinara sauce, accompanied by a glass of red wine.

The final stop of our food tour of Chinatown and Little Italy was Ferrara Bakery and Café, where we enjoyed a traditional Sicilian dessert, cannolis – a crispy shell filled with sweet ricotta cream.

Ferrara Bakery and Café, Little Italy, New York — Ferrara Bakery and Café photo credit: Sherel Purcell

The Ahoy New York Food Tour lasts about three hours and covers two miles on foot, so comfortable shoes are advised. Bring your appetite too. We were so full we skipped dinner. If you love food and culture, take this opportunity to explore two of the tastiest neighborhoods in New York on this fun and informative walking tour.

The Whitney is one of many museums included with the New York Pass. I never have enough time in NYC and hate spending it in a queue. The New York Pass fast tracks your sight-seeing by skipping the line.

Just 26 at the time of his second Castelli show in 1962, Frank Stella’s striped and shaped paintings were a revelation in the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Minimalism. Eight years later, The Museum of Modern Art in New York presented a retrospective of Stella’s work, making him the youngest artist ever to receive this honor.

Now 79, Frank Stella’s current retrospective at The Whitney is the most comprehensive presentation of his career to date, showcasing his prolific output. From the irreverent Benjamin Moore series of the late fifties to the Protractor series, painted in the palette of the sixties, to recent sculpture from 2014, this show lives up to the hype. Jointly curated by the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Whitney, with input from Frank Stella, the show moves to Texas after its Whitney debut.

The exhibition fills the entire fifth floor, an 18,000-square-foot gallery that is the Whitney’s largest space for temporary exhibitions. The exhibition is not hung in a simple chronology. Artwork created 20 years apart are shown in close proximity, creating juxtapositions of color, form and process, revealing Stella’s creative evolution as an artist.

Frank Stella on making art:

The one thing I learned is not to say anything about my own paintings. You just have to make your own art, and whatever categories it falls into will come later.

Designed by Renzo Piano, the impressive nine-storey Whitney at 99 Gansevoort Street in the Chelsea Meatpacking district, opened in May 2015. Walk the High Line towards Chelsea and exit at the southern tip. The Whitney’s former New York home, the Marcel Breuer designed building on Madison, will be leased by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Don’t miss Frank Stella: A Retrospective, on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, now in its final month until 7 February 2016

Active City Travel

Category Archives: New York City

A Taste of New York’s Chinatown and Little Italy

Frank Stella at The New Whitney

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