Boston/Chinatown
Boston's Chinatown was built on a landfill, though this is no longer apparent; what now identifies this area is the truly mixed uses of land. Residential properties co-exist with family owned and operated businesses and local institutions.
Travel to Chinatown-4, visa requirements
Chinatown is bordered by Essex Street to the north, Stuart Street to the south, Tremont St. to the west, and Interstate 93 to the east. Due to its central location, it is well served by public transportation, and can easily be accessed by car as well.
By train
There are several subway ("T") stations located in or near Chinatown.
- MBTA Red Line: South Station is located near the northeast corner of Chinatown, and is convenient to the Chinatown Gate on Beach Street. From the Downtown Crossing stop, the northwest corner of Chinatown is about a 5 minute walk down Washington Street.
- MBTA Orange Line: The Chinatown stop is located at the northwest corner of Chinatown, and New England Medical Center is near its southwest corner.
- MBTA Green Line: From the Boylston stop, the northwest corner of Chinatown is a brief walk down Boylston Street.
South Station also serves as a hub for most Amtrak trains entering Boston and commuter rail trains coming from the south or west of the city.
By car
From the Massachusetts Turnpike eastbound, take Exit 24A. From Interstate 93, take Exit 23 (if going southbound) or Exit 20 (if going northbound). Driving in Chinatown is not recommended, as the streets are narrow and on-street parking is almost all by permit only, but there are parking garages around the South Station and Downtown Crossing areas that can be used. Also, the parking garage under the Boston Common is no more than a 10-15 walk from Chinatown.
Buses to Chinatown-4
The MBTA Silver Line bus rapid transit service connects with several of the T stops listed above. Note that there are two Silver Line routes; these routes are separate, and do not connect.
- Silver Line Washington Street stops at New England Medical Center, Chinatown, Downtown Crossing, and Boylston stations.
- Silver Line Waterfront stops at South Station. If you are coming from Logan Airport, this is the Silver Line route you will take.
Other MBTA buses serve Chinatown as well: for more information on the closest bus stop to a particular address in Chinatown, see the 'Service Nearby' tool on the MBTA's web site.
Interstate buses (e.g. Greyhound) arrive at South Station, as well as all Chinatown buses. The Chinatown buses formerly departed from the streets of Chinatown, but the city forced them to move a couple blocks west to South Station.
Chinatown-4 attractions and sightseeing
- The Chinatown gate at the corner of Beach Street and Surface Road (T: South Station). Note that the area is currently under construction: a park surrounding the gate is being built as part of the Big Dig highway project.
- Four community murals and old ads still adorning the sides of brick buildings.
City tours
While there are not many tourist attractions per se in Chinatown, a walk through the neighborhood is a cultural and historical journey through the past.
Shopping, Chinatown-4 souvenirs
If you're a martial artist (or want to become one), the Silky Way shop (38 Kneeland St., +1 617-451-5719, M-Sa 10 AM-7 PM, Su 10 AM-5 PM) offers a variety of martial arts uniforms, books, videotapes, and weaponry. The prices are a little on the high side, but the selection is superb. The martial arts shop is on the second floor: the first floor has various pieces of Chinese bric-a-brac available.
Good restaurants and cheap meals
For authentic Chinese cuisine, you can't do better than Chinatown (although you may wish to stay away if you prefer the Americanized dishes served at most Chinese restaurants in the U.S.). Chinatown is also known for having a number of restaurants that stay open late on weekends (3 or 4 AM). Many of these restaurants have been cutting back their late night hours, so call ahead to confirm closing times.
Budget
- New Saigon Sandwich, 696 Washington St., Phone: +1 617-542-6296. Daily 8AM-7PM. Dirt cheap bánh mì, i.e. Vietnamese submarine sandwiches on baguettes ($2.25-$2.50), and boxed lunches for $3. No tables, but you can walk over to the Boston Common and eat your lunch there.
- King Fung Garden, 74 Kneeland St., Phone: +1 617-357-5262. Daily 11AM-10PM. A small place that looks run-down from the outside, but is widely regarded as serving some of the best food around. Very few tables, so take-out many be best.
Mid-range
- China Pearl, 9 Tyler St., Phone: +1 617-426-4338. Daily 8:30AM-11PM. Great food, great value, has many loyal patrons. Particularly well known for its dim sum: many regard this as the best place for dim sum in Chinatown. If you come during peak time (Sundays from 11 AM to 1 PM), expect at least a half hour wait.
- Chau Chow City, 81 Essex St., Phone: +1 617-338-8158. Daily 8AM-4AM. Seafood on the first two floors, dim sum on the third floor.
- Empire Garden, 690 Washington St., Phone: +1 617-482-8898. Daily 8:30AM-10PM. Also known as Emperor Garden. Located in a former theater, so the dining room is vast. Serves dim sum on the weekends: due to the large dining room, waits here can be shorter than at other places.
- Hei La Moon, 88 Beach St., Phone: +1 617-338-8813. Daily 8:30AM-11PM. Just outside of Chinatown proper...but only just. Hei La Moon is relatively new on the Chinatown restaurant scene, but it has already established itself as a worthy competitor, particularly in the area of dim sum.
- Grand Chau Chow, 45 Beach St., Phone: +1 617-292-5166. Daily 10AM-3AM. Fresh seafood prepared in the Cantonese style.
- Peach Farm, 4 Tyler St., Phone: +1 617-482-1116. Daily 11AM-3AM. Creative seafood dishes.
- East Ocean City, 25 Beach St, Phone: +1 617-542-2504. Su-Th 11AM-3AM, Fri-Sat 11AM-4AM. Authentic. Chefs will make a custom dish from something you select from the live tank.
- Jumbo Seafood, 7 Hudson St., Phone: +1 617-542-2823. Su-W 11AM-1AM, Th-Sa 11AM-2AM. Freshest seafood.
- Apollo Grille, 84 Harrison Ave, Phone: +1 617-423-3888, Mo-Fr 11:30AM-2:30PM, 5PM-4AM; Sa-Su 5PM-4AM. Located in Chinatown, stop by for some Korean and/or Japanese cuisine. The sushi selection is vast, and they're all great. Comfortable environment, open late, friendly service, and relatively inexpensive.
- Imperial Seafood, 70 Beach St., Phone: +1 617-426-8439. Daily 8:30 AM-4AM. A mix of fresh seafood and Chinese-American dishes. Serves dim sum on the weekends.
- Buddha's Delight, 5 Beach St., Phone: +1 617-451-2395. Mo-Th,Su 11AM-9:30PM; Fr-Sa 11AM-10:30PM. A dream come true for vegetarians, as the entire menu is vegetarian here. Features fake meat dishes (e.g. "chicken", "pork") as well as arguably more authentic vegetarian creations. Second location in Brookline.
Chinatown-4 nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
Hotels, youth hostels, lodging
Chinatown is a neighborhood of residential buildings and small businesses, so there are no hotels in Chinatown itself. The hotels listed here are directly adjacent to Chinatown.
Mid-range
- Doubletree Hotel Boston Downtown, 821 Washington St. (T: New England Medical Center), Phone: +1 617-956-7900, [1]. Designed in accordance with feng shui principles. Complimentary access to the facilities of the adjacent YMCA.
Splurge
- Ritz-Carlton Boston Common, 10 Avery St. (T: Boylston), Phone: +1 617-574-7100 [2]. Built a few years ago, this is one of the most luxurious hotels in Boston, with all the modern amenities you would expect from such a place.
Stay safe
Chinatown was formerly bordered by the Combat Zone, Boston's red-light district. The Combat Zone is generally a thing of the past these days, but vestiges of it linger on, particularly near the intersection of Washington and LaGrange Street.
Chinatown is perfectly safe during the day, but becomes sketchier at night. If you go at night, e.g. for late-night dining, travel in groups and stick to the main streets. Wandering off into the side streets of Chinatown at 3 AM is a very bad idea, and may result in your getting mugged or worse.
Contact
The Sampan Newspaper[3] to learn more about the history of Chinatown.
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