This Chinatown in western Brooklyn is the furthest thing possible from a tourist trap. It is a large and thriving community and well worth a visit.

To get there, take the N train to the 8th Avenue stop in Brooklyn and then just start walking north on 8th. When I went, I barely saw a single non-Asian person, and there was Chinese everywhere. It is a great place to practice one’s skills in a variety of Chinese dialects.

I visited the grocery New York Mart and W J Bookstore, passed all kinds of other Chinese businesses, and generally marveled at the array of fruits, vegetables, seafood, herbs, and miscellaneous unrecognizable foodstuffs for sale.