My parents are in town visiting and we woke up to the usual weekend question of “what are we going to do today?”. It sounds silly in a city like New York, that a person would even have to think twice about this question but sometimes having too many options can be extremely daunting. So, there we were sitting at breakfast trying to think of something to do that would engage three generations of, well, stubborn critics. After another big gulp of caffeine, I went to my trusty new resource “Time Out New York For Kids”. It was there that I found out that the Feast of San Gennaro (street fair) was being held in Little Italy.
Yesterday was a beautiful late summer, early fall day in NYC. The skies were slightly overcast and the temps were warm, a perfect day to enjoy a classic weekend street fair. A NYC street fair is a must see. They happen on most weekends in alternating parts of the city. Roads are closed off to cars so that pedestrians can meander down the middle of the block checking out various vendors that range from jewellery, t-shirts, artists, crafts, local shops and food. Did I mention FOOD? It is hard to wander by a street fair without checking it out because the food alone, will entice even the most jaded New Yorker. So, we piled into the subway and made our way down to Little Italy to check out the Feast.
Little Italy in NYC basically consists of one glorious street- Mulberry Street. I know that there are other wonderful Italian neighbourhoods in NYC, but the classic “Little Italy” is on Mulberry Street wedged in between Chinatown on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It is an exciting street filled with culinary and cultural delights.
Mulberry Street
As a family, we navigated the crowds and were entertained by the various sights and sounds. I still can’t get the song “Mambo Italiano” out of my head. And then of course, there was the food. Here is just a small sampling of some of the incredible offerings:
Deep Fried Oreos, Anyone?
Sausage?
A Feast Of Pasta
Don't Forget Dessert...
The hardest part of the walk was trying to figure out which delicacy to try. The kids made it easy and wanted to try one of everything. The big hits of the day were the homemade Cannoli, Lemonade and Icies. And of course, the rides. Although, there IS something a bit un-nerving seeing a ferris wheel (even a mini-one) placed in between buildings in Manhattan.
A Mini Ferris Wheel on Grand Street
It was definitely a fun way to spend the afternoon and I don’t think we scared the parentals too much except when we hit the crowds on Canal Street to get home. HA! It really is always an adventure… One that even Snooki and The Situation would have approved. 😉
Enough Said.
It's Always An Adventure 
China town is a very interesting place to be at. You can find so many places to shop and eat. The great thing is its cheap.