Chicago Chinatown '09

This song comes to mind when I visit a Chinatown. One of the many things that occurs to me, but I have to like a song that begins, "I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand."

Lee Ho Fook is still around, according to ChinaWok.com. I remember in 1994 being startled in London's Chinatown to see that it was a real place. Maybe Warren Zevon had some good beef chow mein there once upon a time.

Chicago's Chinatown is larger than it used to be, even in the time since I first visited in the late 1980s. Chinatown Square, a residential and retail expansion, began in the 1990s, though the planning stretched back to when Harold Washington was mayor of Chicago. To reach the older core of Chicago Chinatown from Ping Tom Memorial Park, you walk through the newer development, first apartment (or condo) buildings, then the open-air mall.

"Framing each end of the square are imposing bronze gates depicting the 4 greatest Chinese inventions," says Chicagochinatown.org, but I wasn't able to check those out, since we were seeking out lunch after we arrived, and had a boat to catch when we were leaving. So I don't know what Chinatown Square considers the four greatest Chinese inventions. Gunpowder comes to mind right away, and it would be interesting to see that rendered in bronze somehow.

Wentworth Street is main street of the older Chinatown. We didn't eat at Won Kow, but I've always liked its marquee.

The other side of the street.

From there, the Pui Tak Center towers over the street, and the Sears Tower in the distance towers over it. "Built in the 1920s, the architecture showcases traditional Chinese design," notes Chicagochinatown.org, regarding the Pui Tak Center. "Imposing green and red pagoda towers topped with walls of terra-cotta flowers and mother lions truly represent the majestic traditions of China. Inside, the reception hall represented the one and only indigenous Chinese shrine in the Midwest. Originally constructed as the On Leong Association Building, this historical landmark became known as the Pui Tak Center (Pui tak means to cultivate and enhance virtues), which is a social service agency run by the Chinese Christian Union Church, a local Christian organization headquartered in Chinatown."