Gung Hey Fat Choy: Chinese New Year Celebrations, Part 2

Here's part two of our look at Chinese New Year celebrations across North America significant celebrations, east of the Mississippi.

Chicago

The Windy city holds its Chinese New Year festivities on January 29, with a parade beginning at 1pm and taking place at Wentworth from Cermak to 24th. Check out Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce (tel. 312/326-5320; www.chicagochinatown.org) for more information. The parade includes marching bands, floats, 100-foot mystical dragon, Miss Chinatown and Miss Friendship Ambassador. At press time, there were not any hotel promotions running for the New Year, according to Kensen Lam of the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. However, he could recommend Chinatown Hotel (tel. 312/225-8888; www.chinatownhotel.net), located at 22nd Place and offers small, budget-priced rooms (under $100) right in the neighborhood.

Throughout winter, although unrelated to the Chinese New Year, Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau is offering "Winter Delights 2006" (tel. 877/244-2246; www.877chicago.com/winter_packages.html) through February. Visitors can choose among packages at 26 downtown hotels and 39 themed weekend excursions. The promotions encompass animals, visual arts, food, Broadway shows, opera, sports and more, through the end of February.

Other places of interest to investigate while you are in Chicago include the Chicago Chinese American Historical Society (info@chinesechicago.org; www.chinesechicago.org), which offers hour-long walking tours. It's often too cold to lead a walking tour in January in Chicago, but society president Gene Moy suggests people contact them and inquire. Other resources for activities, special events and tours include Chicago Chinese Cultural Institute (tel. 312/842-1988; www.chicagocci.com).

New York City

Explore Chinatown (www.explorechinatown.com) is a good starting point for learning about the festivities, which start with the Flower Market, at Columbus Park (Mulberry Street), from 3pm-11pm on Friday January 27, and 10am-6pm on Saturday, January 28. It's common in Chinese communities to fill your home with fresh flowers in preparation and the market is hosted by the Museum of Chinese in the Americas (tel. 212/619-4785; www.moca-nyc.org). Organized by the Better Chinatown Society, the firecracker ceremony takes place on Sunday, January 29 at 12pm at Mott and Bayard Streets to celebrate the start of the lunar New Year and, traditionally speaking, ward off evil spirits. On February 5, the Lunar New Year Parade & Festival runs from 1pm-5pm. Floats, marching bands, lion and dragon dances, musicians, magicians, acrobats and more will clog the tiny streets of Chinatown. For more information, Explore Chinatown's web site has resources such as a PDF map, restaurant guide and a free coupon book for the neighborhood. An information kiosk is also located on Canal Street.

The Holiday Inn Downtown (tel. 212/966-8898; http://hidowntown-nyc.com) is offering a lunar New Year special, good January 27-February 6 for $209. The hotel is located on Lafayette Street just north of Canal Street, and just went through extensive renovations--all rooms have new furniture, carpeting, lamps, television, and marble bathrooms. Other nearby hotels with special rates include the new boutique hotel Clarion Solita Soho Hotel (tel. 212/925-3600; www.choicehotels.com), on Grand Street. They're offering a rate of $199 per room, plus tax, for single or double occupancy that's good January 27-February 2. Rates jump up to $219 to start at the end of February. Nearby Windsor Hotel (tel. 212/226-3009), on Forsyth Street, is offering a rate of $196 plus tax, single or double occupancy.

Comedian and Chinese-American Jami Gong (www.chinatownnyc.com) runs a series of walking tours that are popular and lists links to all kinds of useful information, including where to buy silk for a traditional dress, restaurant recommendations, and more. Jami runs public tours that begin at 9am Wednesdays (you must register first) and private tours are held on other days. He is the only licensed tour guide and native resident who specializes in Chinatown.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia's Chinatown escaped the wrecking ball a few years ago when the city threatened to put a new baseball stadium there, but residents and community leaders fought back. The neighborhood remains an integral, vibrant part of the city. According to the 2000 census, there are 67,654 people in the city of Philadelphia who are Asian; 17,783 are Chinese. In Chinatown specifically, there are 2,699 of Asian background, but nearby neighborhoods boast similar numbers, suggesting perhaps that boundaries are indeed becoming more fluid.

Right now, the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (tel. 215/922-2156; www.chinatown-pcdc.com) does not have any specific dates set aside yet for the parade, but officials there say there are usually two parades--one to close the old year out and one to usher in the new year and they start at 10th and Race Streets. More information should be available in the coming weeks; check their site or call. There are no special hotel promotions planned in conjunction with Chinese New Year but the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (tel. 215/599-0776; www.gophila.com) reveals a handful of promotions related some of which have been reported here already and pertain to Franklin's birthday.

Philly's Chinatown is the second largest in the United States East Coast, behind New York. The quirky Chef Joseph Poon, known as an unofficial ambassador to Chinatown, recently left a restaurant to open up his own Chef Kitchen (tel. 215/928-9333; www.josephpoon.com) on December 1. His new space is open by reservation only and Chef Poon will be cooking a three-course prix fixe menu designed for the New Year from January 8-March 4 that's priced at $35 per person plus tax and 18 percent tip. Complimentary dessert accompanies the meal; cash or check is the only accepted forms of payment. Now, on to the menu: the first course includes five Asian fusion appetizers and a salad, the second entails a stuffed lobster claws served with couscous. The main course is a saffron mushroom risotto with Chilean sea bass and sliced sirloin. The complimentary dessert comes in the form of oranges, which are believed to bring good luck, health and prosperity, and an Oreo cheesecake encrusted with black and white sesame seeds, with a mango coulis and garnished with a cartoon chocolate dog. On Chef Poon's web site you can also peruse information about "Wok and Walk" tour of Chinatown, which he runs nearly every day--check the website for more details. The tour includes a four-course meal--separate from the Chinese New Year menu.

Toronto

In addition to Toronto's historic downtown Chinatown, many Chinese have also moved into nearby Markham and Scarborough, says Gene Moy of the Chicago Chinese American Historical Society. According to 2001 Canadian Census, the city itself has about 259,710 Chinese, making them the largest minority. The city's Chinese New Year event is called Toronto Celebrates: Lunar New Year Festival 2006 (tel. 416/483-8218; www.torontocelebrates.com), runs from January 27-29 at the Automotive Building, Exhibition Place, and bills itself as the largest lunar new year festival in Canada. Tickets are $10 for adults; $8.50 for youth (ages 12-18). Activities include dance and musical performances, tai chi, kung-fu demonstrations, an arts and crafts bazaar, Asian food court, a cooking stage with live demonstrations, a flower market, lanterns exhibit and a whole area of games. As a side note, the website also has Chinese horoscopes.

The City of Toronto's Convention and Visitors Association (tel. 800/499-2514; www.torontotourism.com) is running a two-week special called Winter City festival from January 27-February 9. The festival entails an outdoor component with live music and performing arts, and the prix fixe winter dining promotion called "Winterlicious." Accommodations are accounted for--book with the Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre (tel. 800/905-0667), priced from $249 it includes overnight accommodation, a three-course, prix fixe meal at JW's Steakhouse, breakfast for two and parking. Ask for code PKGW. Or try the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Toronto (tel. 800/847-5075) package from $179, which includes full buffet breakfast for two at Younge Street Grille and valet parking. Ask for code PKGV.

Talk with fellow travelers about your Chinese New Year experiences on our Cultural Immersion Message Boards today.