Canal St, Tribeca

Canal is an insanely busy street that marks the beginning of Tribeca. It's a bizarre street because it takes on so many different things depending on what block you happen to be standing on. There are a lot of kiosks on this street and little storefronts that are constantly changing. It seems like an American version of a Mexican market place in a lot of areas because the businesses are so transient and full of tourists. Canal actually used to be a canal and there is still flowing water underneath the road.
Canal at Washington actually has 4 historical row houses which is really rare for a street this busy. And, Tribeca doesn't have a lot of historical landmarks so these homes are really special and they are lovely to boot. Even though there are businesses on the ground level of the homes, this part of Canal is one of the few chunks that isn't swarming with traffic and people. It's the only part that feels like a neighborhood street. As you go down towards Renwick, the buildings become condo buildings and businesses like the Village, but the street still feels like a neighborhood street. Once you cross Hudson, that's all over.
There's an immediate shift to massive commercial spaces, cars, and luxury high rises once you cross Hudson. The 92Y Tribeca is right on the corner across the street from a massive college building. Across Varick, you do get the benefit of two parks on one block which is nice, but the traffic makes it a little lackluster and the only building in the midst of these parks is . . . .a Chase bank. How quaint, right?
Across 6th you get several blocks of some of the ugliest buildings in the neighborhood and some of the most bizarre, tiny stores in the city. There are like five electronics stores on the block of 6th and Canal alone . . . coupled in with a graffiti tool store and an alarm shop.
Down through West Broadway there are shopping gems such as a plastics store, a rubber store, more electronics, jewelry and car stereos. It is the most motley crew of shops ever. And, I have no idea how they stay in business.
Throughout Canal there are few things you can be sure that you won't be for lack of: knock handbags, perfume or a bank. They are lining the streets outside of the tiny storefronts. There are, legitimately, dozens of little knock off kiosks so if you're into that, this is the spot to be. I don't enjoy any of the buildings on this street, and there's nothing in the way of good restaurants or bars. You combine that with the sheer number of people and cars and it is a recipe for a crappy street to live on. Canal is huge so it's kind of unavoidable, but I would only go to Canal for a purse or in a cab on the way to somewhere else.

It's not the most scenic of streets, but you can surely find some bargains if you keep your eyes open. Home to many chinese immigrants nowadays, Canal Street is also home to Chinatown. Along Canal, you can find jewelry stores, shops that sell everything from t-shirts, plastics, sunglasses, knock off bags, perfumes and colognes, as well as art supplies (at renowned Pearl Paints).

If you're hankering for some lunch, look for the many quaint lil chinese dumpling shops. They may not look like much from the outside (or inside for that matter) but the taste (and price), superb!

Word to the wise, don't bring you kids with you unless they absolutely have a PASSION for walking.

That's the thoughts going through your head when you first turn onto Canal Street. Wow, this is crazy. I never thought it would be this congested. Anyone trying to drive through this is awfully courageous. Streets stalls line most of the blocks up to 5 pm, which is when they pack it up and the streets become empty except for the garbage. It stinks - sure, that puddle you stepped in is definitely not water, but only on Canal St. can you rent a DJ Soundsystem, buy a mini pet turtle, and end your day with fresh Chinese food. Worth a look.

This street is always popping and lively. Businesses line the side of the street from top to bottom. Looking for something, this is without doubt the place to go. Not only is it a prime area for shopping, but this street is also lined with wonderful Chinese food restaurants just waiting to serve its patrons. A must see for tourists visiting New York.

Canal Street got its name because back in the day of horse-drawn carriages and primitive sanitation systems, the street actually had an open sewer running down the middle of it. It can't be hard to imagine how the less than adequate sanitation of the time might have led to several typhoid epidemics over a number of the summers of the late eighteen hundreds. “The City” back then meant mostly whatever's below SoHo, with the north part of Manhattan still a swampy wilderness. These days, Canal Street is a non-stop traffic jam, with car traffic that pours in from Jersey via the Holland Tunnel, and pours out on the other side at the Manhattan Bridge. It's just non-stop unpleasantness, really. You can go shopping here, for a distinct type of cheap merchandise, including “Rolex,” “Gucci,” and “real pearls, guarantee!” hawked by vendors who pack their wares into tiny street-side cubicles. One recent trend was for young women by the droves to stand around with laminated pictures of “designer” handbags. I'm guessing you would pay too much for one, and then either follow them to another location to get your handbag, or else some peon would go fetch it from a stash around the corner. In any case, I heard there was a raid a couple of weeks ago and the police pretty much swept the street for illegal vendors, so they've vanished overnight. I'm sure it won't take long before a new trend emerges.

Every kid who ever passed through the halls of an art school in the city of New York has heard of the fabulous Pearl Paint on Canal Street, a six-story wonderland of art supplies for students and professionals alike. There are also a couple of specialty Asian grocery stores I like to go to, but for the most part I try to avoid this smelly, congested street as much as I can.

Canal St. runs from the Hudson River to E Broadway. It is famous for its good deals on about everything one might need. On its western part, there are shops selling from jewelries to computers. I personally prefer the Chinatown part of Canal Street. It is a busy street with good Chinese markets and food. At the corner with The Bowery, there is a bright yellow building – the Mahayana Buddhist Temple – that is definitely worth a visit. After The Bowery, Canal Street becomes quieter.

Canal street is what most people associate with Chinatown and it's certainly one of the most crowded areas in the city. Canal street is notorious for great food and small stores that offer a variety of goods. Street vendors are common on Canal St. and many native New Yorkers flock to the neighborhood to find discounted goods.

Many of the shops hock souvenirs and tee-shirts to the tourists who flock into the area, however further browsing will reveal some beautiful Asian treasures; everything from paper lanterns to kimonos. The industrial plastic shops that dot the area also offer some fairly interesting finds and are absolutely worth a second look.

The food in the area can be absolutely amazing. Travelers need not be scared away by the “hole in he wall” appearance of most of the establishments. Some of the best the city has to offer can be found here

Canal streets has a significant problem with illegal vending and counterfeit goods. Tourist should be advised that street vendors who have set up makeshift stands on corners are usually running an illegal business of counterfeit goods.

Plan to spend the day. You get to go through Chinatown, enjoy lunch at any of the many choices of excellent Chinese places. Canal will take you to Little Italy, where you can have the best thin-crust pizza and a cannoli. Along the way, you shop your head off. There are knock-offs of all the high-end brands; Prada and Chanel bags, designer clothes, jewelry galore. You can shop at open air stalls for anything from food to shoes, or check out the little shops. If you are looking for authentic items, you can find them, but be careful. There are a lot of fakes out there.

Canal strreet is always the place I went to for electronics. They have everythign you need there at prices you thought were impossible to find. When I needed a scientific then a graphic calculator and was told tit would cost about 200 dollars, my mother took me straight to canal street, where we looked around at a few stores and bargained until we found a brand new one for just 80 dollars. Of course they love when you pay with cash.

On canal street, right off the Williamsburg Bridge, you can find very cheap school uniforms as well.

The disadvantage of shopping here would be that it is very crowded and looks unorganized. You must be tough and be ready to hav eot push through a crowd. While some prefer to do their shopping in a mall where they knwo where everything is and know they will find parking, I love the excitement of going somewhere different and having storied to tell and beign able to brag about how much less I paid for the same item as the classmate next to me.

Perhaps the ONLY street in New York that I think is great for visitors and locals. Tourists love to gawk at the crappy merchandise on stands and go home with stories about going to the backs of stalls on Canal Street. But seriously, this street offers great, delicious, authentic Chinese food. I'm surprised the neighborhood hasn't been gentrified yet and promoted as some sort of "authentic" New York experience for high rises and condos and whatnot. I better stop writing before I jinx it.

Canal Street is the long, exciting edge of New York's Chinatown and it's one of my favorite bargain hunting streets.

There are so many tiny perfume and fashion shops on Canal that it's difficult to visit them all on the same day. Luckily there are also enough cafes and excellent Chinese restaurants (have some dim sum!) that I have never had a problem taking a little break.

I've also managed to get some very good deals on costume jewelry here. It's a bit busy and crowded, and I imagine there might be some pickpockets and street crime going on, but the police have a pretty visible presence, and I've never been robbed here! This is as close as I have found to a bustling old-style market in New York, and I love it very much.

Canal Street is like a lot of streets in New York and has a number of different faces. Of course there is Chinatown, where you can of course get great bargains even if a good majority of what they sell is knockoffs, fakes and illegal. Lots of good Chinese food of course, both in restaurants and Chinese groceries. Very very crowded sometimes, difficult to navigate even on foot. And the further west you get the more upscale it gets; Canal Jeans used to be a place where you could get a vintage dress from a bin on the street for a dollar or two, no more! But as always plenty of places to spend your money and lots of atmosphere. Enjoyable.