Three of Manhattan’s favorite hotspots can be visited all at one shot in just one day with this itinerary. These neighborhoods are located right next to each other toward lower Manhattan.

Little Italy stretches down Mulberry Street between Broome and Canal streets. There is a line of authentic Italian restaurants, street vendors, and gelato stands. If you are around during the month of September, check out the Feast of San Gennaro, a traditional street fair lasting 11 days in the middle of the month.

The borders of Chinatown are currently Delancey Street from the north, East Broadway in the East, and Broadway from the west bordering Tribeca. Chambers street marks the end of Chinatown from the south. The area is home to over 200 Chinese restaurants and many underground stores and factories.

SoHo is a neighborhood south of Houston and north of Canal Street. It is a haven for shoppers not just on a local level, but from all over the world. The name “SoHo” is an acronym for “South of Houston Street.”

Breakfast

Vesuvio’s may be SoHo’s best kept secret for great coffee and brunch. We recommend their specialty lattes (either their tiramisu or nocello hazelnut cocoa) as a morning beverage, and their bacon, cheddar, and tomato omelettes for a meal.

Morning Activity

Shop ‘til you drop down the block of Soho’s finest boutique shops, department stores, and handmade jewelry and T-shirt stands. There are some great hidden stores if you travel down all the neighboring streets in a zigzag, rather then just going straight down one block. If you are willing to splurge, some recommendations we have are Legacy (109 Thompson St.) and Burrow (31 Crosby St.). The most popular discount clothing store is Uniqlo (546 Broadway), a trendy Japanese import store.

Visit four luxurious and unique chocolate boutiques and learn about the history of chocolate and the many ways it can be made. Sign up for the NYC New Cuisine Chocolate Walking Tour and you will also enjoy complimentary tastings of the finest chocolates in Manhattan. Shops include Vosges Haut-Chocolate, where the chocolatier is famous for the use of spices like paprika and curry powder in their recipes, Kee’s Chocolates where you’ll have the chance to see the owner, Kee Ling Tong, make exotic Asian-style chocolates before your eyes, and MarieBelle Chocolates holds the most beautiful interior, whose walls match the colorful array of the chocolates displayed out front. Last but not least, the tour ends with a visit to Jacques Torres Chocolate Factory, where you will actually witness the cocoa beans being transformed into chocolate bars. If you’re lucky, you may receive a sample of their famous hot and/or iced chocolate.

The tour must be booked 48 hours in advance. Pocket money (optional gratuity) and comfortable shoes are recommended. Rain or shine, the tour is still on.

Directions
$70 for 2 hours (approximately) on Sundays – 1.5 miles walking
Departure: Meet at 132 Spring St. (cross street Greene) in SoHo at 12 noon

Lunch

Shanghai Café is a local favorite. The portions are always generous and the prices low. While most tourists visit the famous Joe’s Shanghai restaurant for their authentic Shanghai soup dumplings, we actually like the taste of Shanghai Café’s  a lot more (and they come bigger and cheaper, too). Their chicken flat wide noodles  are also the chef’s specialties.

Afternoon Activity

Didn’t find that bag you wanted in SoHo? Or was it just too expensive? Well, you are in luck because Chinatown (a haven for cheap, almost-designer bags) is just around the corner. Even Little Italy which is a block away sells discount bags that can pass for a hundred bucks. As for the men: ties are sold here for just $3 a piece, and if you buy more, you can haggle a discount. No wonder Chinatown is one of the busiest tourist spots in NYC.

If you chose to take the chocolate tour route and missed out on Soho, now is a good time to browse around there as well.

Dinner

Vincent’s offers what is arguably the best sauce in the city. They have three versions: sweet, medium, and hot and they will add it to any dish they have. Locals drop by on a regular basis not to dine in, but to pick up jars of “the sauce” from the front counter and make their dishes at home. We recommend their homemade meatballs, baked ziti, or angel hair pasta tossed with a sauce to your liking.

Dessert

The best place for dessert in Little Italy. Grab a cone of their fresh gelato to go or dine in and share a platter of mini homemade desserts with your friends. Try the mini Italian cheesecake called “Pasticciotto Ricotta”, their “Chiminee” which is a chocolate chimney filled with chocolate and vanilla mousse and a berry, and of course, their chocolate cannoli hand-dripped in dark chocolate.