A Misty Morning in Chinatown

I enjoy walking slowly through Centre Street in the morning. Sometimes I experience the hustle and bustle of the city, some other time there are only a few people on the street running north–south and crossing the Civic Center, Chinatown, and Little Italy neighborhoods of Lower Manhattan.

As late as 1821, there was no Centre Street in Lower Manhattan. The area was previously occupied by the Collect Pond, a body of fresh water that was the nascent city’s primary supply of drinking water. The pond was located just north of today’s Foley Square and just west of modern Chinatown. It had been drained and the new street grid built over it a decade earlier.

Today in colloquial usage, “Centre Street” may refer to the several courts and government offices along the street in the vicinity of Foley Square. So 1 Centre Street is the Manhattan Municipal Building. Due to the morning mist it is barely visible in the background as well as 8 Spruce Street Tower behind.

In my mind Centre Street is the very special location where I’ve eaten Lower Manhattan’s best breakfast to go because my friend Habib’s food truck regulary stood on the crossroads of Centre and Leonard Streets. I sincerly hope this has not been changed since then.

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Centre St., Chinatown, New York, NY