The New York hotel specialists

Chinatown

Bigger than San Francisco's enclave of Chinese immigrants, Manhattan's Chinatown has grown so much the past few decades, it has absorbed areas of the Lower East Side, Little Italy and NoLIta. It is home to many immigrants hailing from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korean, Vietnam and many other Asian countries.

The area is popular with tourists looking for a bargain of popular knock-offs of designer handbags, perfumes and clothing. Canal Street, which borders Little Italy, is the popular commercial district lined with crowded open storefronts filled counterfeit goods that continue being sold despite constant police raids.

Other top attractions in the area include the Church of the Transfiguration and the Museum of Chinese in the Americas. Stop by early February and partake in the Chinese New Year celebration where the streets in Chinatown come alive with color and music.

In case you get hungry, stop by the Tasty Dumpling (212-349-0070), 54 Mulberry St., and bite into authentic Beijing-style dumplings. Fusing Chinatown with the nearby neighborhood of Little Italy, Silk Road Place (212-566-3738), 30 Mott St., is where you can enjoy bubble tea during the day and make your way to the basement at night for Teabag Open Mic.

Located only a few blocks from Chinatown Soho Loft offers apartment-style amenities at an affordable price. The Holiday Inn Manhattan Downtown is even closer at only one block to both Chinatown and Little Italy.