Canal Street, New York

Back in the 1980s, this street in NYC was the place to go for electronics, as every month Popular Electronics would publish DIY plans for hobbyist projects, and if one took those down to Canal Street, one could find all the components. Over time, the electronics shops faded out and were replaced with industrial plastics and consumer good knock-offs like handbags, fragrances, jewelry, watches, and designer fashions 鈥� all made China and brought via container ships.

It's still a fun place to shop, with street vendors hawking coconut drinks, durian fruit, and vegetables, homemade noodles, and other Chinese specialties lining pretty much the entire south side sidewalk as far as the Manhattan Bridge. Also, virtually every doorway leads to a store, and there are some wonderful, exotic shops for handmade Asian ceramics here, but also a good number of (cash-only) small shops with many more typical souvenirs, at only a fraction of the price you would pay in Times Square. Since they hate seeing people walk away empty-handed, vendors will always bargain and there are some good deals to be found.

At 200 Canal St, the NEW KAM MAN Supermarket (9:30am鈥�7pm) offers 3 floors of Chinese grocery; Asian pottery; teapots; cast iron teapots; woks; rice cookers; handheld and decorative fans; chopsticks; traditional Chinese patterns of china; Japanese-style lunch boxes; cosmetics; loose and packaged teas; herbs; herbal medications and ointments. The upper level has been renovated to house an extensive Hello Kitty stationery; trinkets; sauce holders; sake bottles and cups; bags; blankets; lunch boxes; jewelry; wallets, etc., plus Japanese cosmetics and skincare.

There are also hundreds of exotic restaurants on Canal Street, and on nearby streets: mostly Cantonese, but also many others. Some of these can be authentic and/or VERY good. Usually, the prices at these eateries are reasonable for the quality of food they serve.

Tip:
Don't mind the weird whispers for backroom watches and handbags. If you're looking for a knockoff of a $1200 bag that is hit or miss close to real or totally cheap, this is your place for the low low price of about $20-$150. Again, haggling is taken to the extreme here and strange between-alley deals are happening all over the place. There's nothing intrisically dangerous about this 鈥� it's just a different world.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in New York. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The 51爆料网 App

Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Canal Street
Sight Location: New York, USA (See walking tours in New York)
Sight Type: Shopping
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

NYC's Chinatown and Little Italy Walking Tour

Walking Tours in New York, New York

Create Your Own Walk in New York

Creating your own self-guided walk in New York is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Brooklyn New York Walking Tour

Named after the Breukelen village in the Netherlands, Brooklyn, one of New York City鈥檚 five boroughs, occupies the western tip of Long Island. Its history began in the 17th century as a small Dutch settlement on the East River shore; Brooklyn Heights, or Clover Hill, is where the village was founded, in 1646.

By the 19th century, Brooklyn had grown into a sizable town. The iconic Brooklyn... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles

Midtown Manhattan Walking Tour

Welcome to the iconic New York City that so many tourists dream about before they visit 鈥� spectacular skyscrapers, iconic public buildings, large neon flat screens above ground level and the non-stop activity on city streets.

They say if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere, and Times Square, Broadway, is definitely a part of that slogan. Day time or night time, it鈥檚 one of the... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.1 Km or 2.5 Miles

NYC's Chinatown and Little Italy Walking Tour

New York's Little Italy and Chinatown were places that attracted Italian and Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s, with densely packed ethnic communities having grown around them, as they brought their customs, food and language. In the 1960s, however, right around the time that Italians stopped coming to the city in large numbers, Chinese immigrants did the opposite, hence why Little Italy... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles

Columbia University Walking Tour

Established in 1754, Columbia University is the oldest institution of higher education in the state of New York and the fifth-oldest in the United States. A member of the prestigious Ivy League, this renowned institution boasts a diverse campus designed along Beaux-Arts planning principles. Columbia's main campus occupies more than six city blocks in Morningside Heights, New York City, and is... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles

Best of Lower Manhattan Walking Tour

Every part of Manhattan is terrific, but if you are looking for one that showcases the best overview of New York City鈥檚 history and architectural styles, it鈥檚 Lower Manhattan. This is where it all started, where New Amsterdam was founded, where Canal Street used to be a canal, and where Wall Street used to be a wall marking the end of town. It鈥檚 also where the city has seen the most tragedy,... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles

NYC Greenwich Village Walking Tour

The tree-lined streets of Greenwich Village with its cafes, bars and restaurants, jazz clubs and Off-Broadway theaters amid the brownstones will enthuse you as a visitor. Writers and poets, artists and radicals, runaway socialites, and others seeking freedom from conventional lifestyles have long flocked to this spot, lit most famously by the counterculture figures of the 1950s and '60s: Jack... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles

View all walking tours in New York, New York

Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip

9 Best Drinking Places in Upper West Side, NY

With 鈥淏ar Tour of the Upper West Side鈥� sample a cross section from NYC鈥檚 great gamut of drinking establishments, including a Belgian Brasserie, a wine bar, Irish pubs, and one dive 鈥� just for fun! These spots offer something a little extra, like craft beers, inspirational artwork, a chance...

NY Villages Best Tea and Coffee

This is a guide to the best tea and coffee shops and houses in the East, West, Washington Square and Greenwich Villages of Manhattan. None of these are chains, so tourists looking to avoid Starbucks can find sanctuary in this app. All of these run the gamut between W and E 14th Streets, and down 1st...

NYC Souvenir Guide: 15 Authentic New York City Products to Take Home

In keeping with the song, one might think that, if they can make it in New York City, they can make it anywhere. Well, not always... Some of the things made in New York City aren't made anywhere else, and you'll definitely want to try or keep at least some of them to prolong your NYC...

Bar Tour of Lower East Side, New York City

The Lower East Side has been described the most livable neighborhood in NYC. Unique and dynamic, LES has boutique shops, cafes and restaurants alongside great bars and museums.In this historic neighborhood, residents strive to preserve its roots. Here, you can find young professionals who challenge...

NYC Beer Tour

There are many great places to drink in New York City. Still, discerning connoisseurs are likely to find themselves awash in a sea of mediocre beer without first gaining a proper lay of the beer land. For those whose curiosity and taste buds urge them to venture beyond ubiquitious draft staples like...