If you are planning on going to San Francisco and you want something different, check out Chinatown Alleyway Tours.  Its a locally run tour group operated by teens and young adults who live in the Chinatown community.  Rather than walking you through the neighborhood to see your standard collection of silk, watches, and handbags–these teens will give you a first hand look at the community itself.

What sets Chinatown Alleyway Tours apart is their passionate tour guides. You won’t just see the neighborhood–you’ll get to experience it. These types of tours remind me of the chef table at a restaurant–you get a first hand look at what really goes on, but more importantly you feel like you are a part of the restaurant staff.  After spending a couple hours with one of  the Chinatown Alley guides you won’t don’t just learn something different about the neighborhood, you’ll come away thinking you’ve lived there. Mary Ellen Hunt describes it best:

These are not your typical tours, pointing out only the cosmetic highlights of one of San Francisco’s oldest immigrant communities. The guides who lead the tours – usually a few of them at a time – are savvy, lively storytellers and knowledgeable politically, as well as historically. A couple of hours spent with them walking down the byways and alleys will help you get to know a side of the neighborhood behind the touristy side of the largest Chinese community outside of Asia.

You can read more of Mary Ellen Hunt’s article here.

Chinese New Year traditionally lasts from the first day to the 15th day of the New Year (which is Lantern Festival).The Chinese New Year is a chance to leave the problems of the previous year behind. It is important to start the New Year fresh, and this means cleaning up the house and buying new clothes.

Houses are decorated with red paper banners which have auspicious couplets written on them. These are hung around doorways and are intended to bring luck to the household for the coming year.

Red is an important color in Chinese culture, symbolizing prosperity. Many people will wear red clothing during the New Year celebrations, and houses will have many red decorations such as Chinese knot work.

Red Envelopes
Red envelopes (hóng bāo) are given to children and unmarried adults. Married couples also give red envelopes to their parents.

The envelopes contain money. The money must be in new bills, and the total amount must be an even number. Certain numbers (such as four) are bad luck, so the total amount should not be one of these unlucky numbers. “Four” is a homonym for “death”, so a red envelope should never contain $4, $40, or $400.

Fireworks
Evil spirits are driven away by loud noise, so Chinese New Year is a very loud celebration. Long strings of firecrackers are set off throughout the holiday, and there are many displays of fireworks lighting up the evening skies.

Chinatown Lunar New Year Festival 2010
The 11th Annual Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade & Festival winds throughout Chinatown along Mott, Canal, and Bayard streets, and along East Broadway. The spectacle features elaborate floats, marching bands, lion and dragon dances galore, Asian musicians, magicians, acrobats and procession by local organizations. Over 5,000 people are expected to march in the parade, which will start at Mott Street and promenade through practically every street in of Chinatown, finally dispersing at Worth Street. The parade is expected to conclude at 3 pm, at which time an outdoor cultural festival will take place on Bayard Street featuring more performances by musicians, dancers and martial artists.

11th Annual Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade & Festival
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 4 pm, Sunday, February 21, 2010
Place: Canal Street South

The goal of the new Museum of Chinese in America is to explore the experience of Chinese immigration and the evolution of Chinese communities in the United States. The museum takes a contemporary look at the impact of Chinese immigration to American culture. As you walk through the Museum of Chinese in America, in a warm and inviting new space designed by Maya Lin, you can’t see these objects and not be aware of the kinds of challenges these immigrants once faced. Such artifacts also reflect the expanded ambitions of the museum itself: it began as a community institution almost 30 years ago, dedicated to preserving and commemorating the history of Chinatown, and has now grown to a 14,000-square-foot space and national ambition.

With these ambitions the institution is joining an ever-lengthening roster of American museums of identity. All of them — whether they deal with Latino-Americans, Jewish-Americans, Nordic-Americans, Asian-Americans, Arab-Americans or African-Americans — are celebrations of hyphenated existence.

Museum of Chinese in America
215 Centre Street
New York, NY 10013

Hours:
Monday, 11am – 5pm;
Thursday, 11am – 9pm;
Friday, 11am – 5pm;
Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 5pm
Closed Tuesday & Wednesday

Admission:
General Public: $7
Seniors and Students: $4
Children and Members: Free
Free admission on Target Thursdays

mocanyc.org