We all know where the traditional Little Italy is and where traditional Chinatown is. But Little Italy is no longer populated with Italians. In fact one day I saw a waiter in Little Italy trying to hustle some tourists for his restaurant. He first speaks to them in Italian but they weren't convinced; and then he starts a Frank Sinatra impersonation completely with a song and swing and that frightened them away. I'm not even sure he is Italian Italian. The The Brian Lehrer Show has a very interesting 15 minute segment ("The New Littles: Guyanans, Italians, and A Map!") on where Italians and other ethnic groups really are. It also features an interactive map so you can see where the ethnic enclaves are.
I think it's sad these neighborhoods have lost their ethnic distinctiveness. There is such a disconnect in modern urban life. Even in a huge city like New York City there was still a high degree of social cohesion and a sense of belonging in large part I think because of everyone in the neighborhood being from the same place, speaking the same language, the food, culture, religion. As a tourist I'd much rather visit such a place, say if I had a time machine, than the modern Littles where so much of that has been lost. Now it's all syle and no substance. Just a consumerist sideshow. Something has been lost. I've seen this happen in Pittsburgh though to a lesser degree.
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