Chinatown Roundabout

Or A Walker in New York (I)

The bus is heading for New York and my destinations are the museums and exhibits; yet the ten minutes I spent in downtown and Chinatown Philadelphia were no less fascinating. Arriving East Broadway where the bus stops, I am exposed to the inter-urban Chinatown networks. I am awed by the liveliness of the street—its vendors, sidewalk, food products, signs, crowds of people, the noise of the elevated train, people talking and cars run through. This is perhaps the remnant of nineteen-century urbanism still at work. The time is 3:30PM and the museums are about to close. The exhibits are what draw me here, but then I am hesitant. I have been working everyday in the Archive. Do I come here only to find myself in another cultural institution? What is it that we seek when talking about the experience of the city?