Thursday, October 27, 2016

Chicago - China Town (Set 1)

This past weekend, I visited a place in Chicago I was unaware of. Imagine living "right next door" to Chicago and never having heard of the China Town district. I always thought it was a New York State exclusive. Now I'm finding many other states have similar communities. I suppose it makes sense, there is a large Asian population in the United States now. Following are a few more photos I took while in China Town. Hope you enjoy them.

Questions:
Which is your favourite photo?
Have you ever visited a China Town?
Ever been pleasantly surprised by a new discovery in your own home town or neighbouring city?



China Town - Not too far from the Willis Tower


One of the streets in China Town


Aji Ichiban - A well known sweet shop chain from Hong Kong with a Japanese sounding name.


At different times throughout the year, various street musicians play.


Another view of the street from an upper level.


Visit TBaar for the best Bubble Tea in town.


The largest selection of K-Pop I have ever seen can be found here.

26 comments:

  1. Now you have a new area to explore!
    I knew several cities had them. I think the biggest is the one in San Francisco.

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    1. If I ever make it to San Francisco, I need to visit it.

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  2. I could live without the K-Pop; but, how cool. I would love to visit.

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    1. I know several friends and family who absolutely LOVE K-Pop.

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  3. I've never visited a China Town, even though I've been to San Francisco. My favorite photo is one my daughter took of the back of my head as I looked in the window at City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco.

    Love,
    Janie

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  4. I used to ride the bus past Chicago's Chinatown on my way to and from work every day, and sometimes on Saturday. We used to eat at a restaurant called The Junk, a little further down Archer Avenue but still technically in Chinatown (food is great). There were a few other places we went to as well, but I can't remember the names.

    When we went to San Francisco after Dad died, we used to spend a lot of time there, but we were young and I don't remember much about it. Years later, we visited my brother and his family, and Mary had the great idea to visit a herb shop there. Unfortunately, the proprietress could speak hardly any English and we couldn't speak any Chinese, so it didn't work out so well...

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    1. I will have to explore more of China Town my next visit.
      The communication barrier is a hard one to get over.
      I've been studying a language from Myanmar for about three years now and I still have trouble communicating with people who speak it fluently.

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  5. I love the second picture with the old building in the foreground and the new city in the background. I do like the city views and the shops look so clean. There is a big China town in Toronto which Inhave ventured through more than once. The shops there don't look so clean but that's just me. The fresh fruit and veggies are really great.

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    1. I love that picture too. For a long time I never even knew Chicago had a China Town. I can use this as proof it does exist to anyone who is unaware of it also.
      Sounds like you've given me a reason to visit Toronto.

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  6. Thanks for sharing your trip to China Town. Just about every big city has one, including Toronto. Fascinating shops! That's a great shot of the brightly-coloured buildings.

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    1. I have a few more photos I will be sharing next month. I took more photos of the signage and miscellaneous items.

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  7. Hi Jeffrey - China Town in London .. and other cities ... fascinating to see another how they've interpreted their world in ours ... I think the first photo - where you see both sides of the city ... glad you had a happy experience .. cheers Hilary

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    1. You really don't need to give me another reason to visit London, but I'm glad you have. I just put this on my list for sites to visit on my next London trip. Which I hope is soon.

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  8. Hello,
    my favourite photo is the TBaar. It looks homey and comfortable. I have driven around Chicago but never actually been into the city.
    Shalom aleichem,
    Patricia

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    1. I don't blame you for not driving into the city. I hate Chicago traffic.

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  9. Even though I've lived near San Francisco my entire life, I've never been to Chinatown. I guess that is one of the things I should try to do, like walking across the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time on my 60th birthday. My favorite picture is the first one. I love the archway into a new "world." Thanks for sharing Jeffrey!

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    1. I wonder how long it would take to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. I didn't even know you could do that on foot.

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  10. I've always wanted to go to a China Town. I wrote about the one in San Francisco in Seismic Crimes and had a blast doing it. I felt like I was there. :) My favorite picture out of these is the one that shows the Willis Tower. I love buildings and architecture.

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    1. I've done research for places I've never been. After awhile it does seem like you have been there. It's even better after having written about a place to actually visit it. One of these days I shall visit Walla Walla, which became the destination for one of my characters. I did a lot of research on the city.
      PS - I love architecture too. The Milwaukee North side has many awesome building and the south side even has a Frank Lloyd Wright house. One day I shall do a photo session of Milwaukee buildings.

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  11. China Towns have the best restaurants! I've only been to New York's China Town, which was really interesting and culturally stimulating. I like seeing all the street signs in Chinese. The only thing I didn't like was the dead chickens hanging in the doorways. That was disturbing...

    Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

    Michele at Angels Bark

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    1. I've been to New York state a few times, but have yet to visit the actual city. I may have to do that at some point. Perhaps I can visit all the cities having a China Twon, or at least the most well known ones.

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  12. I visited Chicago's Chinatown in 1981 when a friend who lived in the western suburbs of the Windy City took me there. We each bought a case of almond cookies and fortune cookies. He was a big eater who liked to buy food in bulk. Those darn cookies lasted me for several months and my wife and I were eating them on a regular basis. We probably ended up throwing some out since we'd had them for so long. They were good, but a case of each was kind of overkill.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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    1. I think you should have had a party and set out the cookies for everyone to take. Yes, that's the problem I have with buying in bulk too, I tend to get tired of what I'm consuming or it goes bad. In the end, I think it's a waste of money for me.

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    2. The party idea would have been good except my wife and I were on the road touring with a theater company at the time as were my friend and his wife. We shared with the cast members until we were all sick of almond and fortune cookies.

      Bulk buying is especially bad for my wife and I now since it's just the two of us. We limit what we buy at Costco since much of it never gets finished. Some bulk buying will be a necessity during the Christmas holidays when our daughters and their families come to visit. Food all over the place I guess.

      Arlee Bird
      Tossing It Out

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    3. I suppose just throwing the cookies into the crowd would have been frowned upon? :D LOL
      This kind of reminds me of a story regarding my Brother in Law who works for a shipping carrier. One day they received a box damaged and opened. I don't know the ins-and-outs of it, but the delivery was refused and the company didn't want the items back. So he was allowed to take the shipment home. So, one day he had a party and for everyone attending, he had a gift wrapped package for everyone showing up. And I mean each individual person. Later at home, I opened the gift and found it to be a box filled with 10 toothbrushes. Which is the same gift he gave 20+ other people. He still has a few boxes from what I understand.

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