Our First Chinatown Visit
I can’t believe I’ve been here almost 3 months and haven’t been to Chinatown until today. It’s only about a 10 min. walk away- I can see it from my office window. So today, White Dog, a friend of mine (who is Vietnamese) and I go for lunch to Chinatown. Of course, I forgot the camera, and I will go back soon and take pics now that I know what I am looking at (there are at least 2 distinct regions there, and various markets/malls that have historical significance).
A couple of interesting notes- the Jackie Chan movie “Rush Hour” was filmed there, and one restaurant had it prominately noted on it’s sign. Another herb store had huge pics of the owner with Sylvester Stallone and Mellanie Griffith (and a few more).
We went down a “marketplace” which was basically smaller than an alley in Tijuana with little booths on both side and a six foot wide aisle down the middle. This was fun to navigate with Isis (White Dog) at about noon- she was on the shortest leash and it was still hard navigating (lots of little kids).
We had lunch outside at a Vietnamese restaurant (my friend did not pick it based on that, but there were a few tables outside where we could sit with Isis) and I enjoyed the spring rolls… Isis was a little hyper but it was a great experience- you really feel like you are in a different country. My friend bought a few little things and we made it home in just under 2 hours- pretty long in the hot midday sun but good exercise (we had walked 2 miles to gym earlier and than another 2+ miles right after that, and at “Isis Speed” which is full speed ahead!
I really recommend a Chinatown visit to anyone that wants a little cultural change… do a little research and you’ll find the nice restaurants and marketplaces, and they are all within a 3 block radius.
The one interesting note that my Vietnamese friend pointed out was that the place was relatively disorganized and messy compared with Little Tokyo (very true). I will be going to Chinatown many more times, but Little Tokyo is still my favorite place locally.
On the way to Chinatown, we had to pass through “Old Ciudad” which is a very cool area for Mexican (and Los Angeles) history. It’s just so amazing to be within walking distance to 3 different seriously ethnic neighborhoods and White Dog and I enjoy interacting with all the various people and cultures. Pics to follow soon…