Little Italy next to Chinatown

I might have talked about this before. If so, I forgot.

I heard that Little Italy is next to Chinatown in New York. Literally across the street. I'm guessing then that the Mob is on one side of the street and perhaps Triads on the other. Anyone ever heard of any scruffles between the two? Maybe there are no Chinese gangs there, but I doubt it, and it seems to small an area for Cosa Nostra and Chinese gangs.

They're more than just next to each other, they're basically comingled now, with the Chinatown portion increasing, and Little Italy shrinking.

For years the traditional dividing line was Canal Street, a wide shopping street that runs East-West. The Chinese were below, The Italians above.

But for at least the last 20 years or so, The Chinese have been moving across Canal Street, and buying up real estate like crazy, ostensibly with money from people fleeing Hong Kong.

Now there are Chinese businesses side by side with the Italian restaurants, which is really all that's left of "Little Italy". A few blocks with restaurants and souvenir shops side by side.

I don't know about any gang warfare, though. I think that the Chinese gangs pretty much prey on their own people and leave the Italians alone. I doubt if they're going into the Italian restaurants and shaking down the owners for protection money.

For a decent treatment (altho not an extensive one) of the Italian-Chinese organized crime connection, see Michael Cimino's "Year Of The Dragon" with Mickey Rourke.

I live in NYC, when you go to LIttle Italy you see all these chinese walking around taking our old neighborhood. My grandfather would be furious. BUt hey I dont discriminate bu ti still think Little Italy should be Little Italy. Little Italy in the Bronx is also overun more by albanians than anyone. Things change what can you do but people don't really both the italians like that the albanians the chinese fight each other

As plawrence pointed out, the two (Little Italy and Chinatown) are virtually the same now. Little Italy hardly exists anymore, and its been shrinking since the 60's.

When "The Godfather" was filmed (in 1971) Little Italy was the backdrop for a few scenes, including the one in which Vito was gunned down. Here's a picture (below) of the current location of the building which housed Genco Pura Olive Oil headquarters (and in front of which Vito was shot). As you can see, its a Chinese storefront now:

So then...what proximity is the area where the San Genaro Feast is held? Would it be that same 'L' blocks where Ferrara's and Columbo's is?

(Bear with me...I haven't been there in quite a while).

Apple

I'm not sure of the exact location, but the feast is not in what would be considered Little Italy.

I seem to recall it being held around Sullivan, Thompson, or McDougal Streets, just south of Houston St.

That would be several blocks north of Canal St, and several blocks west of Little Italy proper.

I understand that Litte Italy used to be basically the hot spot for Mob activity in New York. I think I remember my relatives talking back a long time ago about how the Italian districts of New York, namely Little Italy were beginning to shrink and should be left alone and even defended. I lot of Italian-Americans all across the country now have heritage stemming from Little Italy after they made their way in from Ellis Island. Maybe the Italians should take the erea back. That is disconserting that the famous Genco building is now a Chinese store. That place deserves to be preserved as Italian.

I feel ashamed that the Italian community in New York do not help keep Little Italy italian, but theres more than 1 little italy in New York, theres several all over the place, so maybe the italian people in that certain area felt to move, while the chinese did not want to, so they took over what the Italians left behind. Its Darwins theory at work people..

In other words....MONEY talks !!!

Apple

The Feast's main activities are centered on Grand Street on either side of Mulberry Street (from Mott to Baxter), and on Hester Street (from Mott to Baxter).

Actually, Italian-Americans tend to be far more stable in neighborhoods than most other American ethnics. But Little Italy is one of New York's most ancient neighborhoods. What's left of Little Italy's population is aging rapidly, and the younger people want to move to the 'burbs, just like everyone else. Meanwhile, immigration from Asia far outstrips immigration from Italy, so Asians are taking over the perimeters of what used to be Little Italy. This is happening in other NYC neighborhoods, too, such as Sunset Park in Brooklyn, and Elmhurst and Woodside in Queens.