A Night Walk in New York City

I love walking around in cities and towns. But exploring a city at night brings an entirely different view and experience. This week, I took a walk across Manhattan, from Chinatown to Tribeca.

New York’s Chinatown is a bustling neighborhood. It is full of local residents, other New Yorkers and tourists. The stores spill out onto the streets, with bright lights shining, and goods piled on tables and hanging from the awnings. Even those stores that are completely interior are lit to attract attention.

To the west of Chinatown is the neighborhood of Tribeca—Triangle Below Canal. Tribeca was an industrial area. The industries changed over the decades, from shipping and storage, to dry goods, to printing and advertising. Most of these businesses died out by the end of the 20th century. During the past 25 or so years, the buildings have been converted into fancy and expensive loft apartments. As the demographics have changed, so did the storefronts. High-end fashion and high-price restaurants have moved in to replace older shops. The streets are not as crowded and the lights are more muted than Chinatown, an incandescent yellow instead of garish bright neon.

Walking through a city at night offers a different view of life there. While you might miss many of the architecture features seen during the day, the play of lights on the street are beautiful. They can create a dream-like presence.