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Is Chinatown Fair, Famed NYC Arcade, Closing?
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 20, 2011
Modified Feb 25, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 20, 2011
Modified Feb 25, 2011
Share
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Several places are reporting that Chinatown Fair, the famed NYC arcade and one of the last of its kind still in the city, is shutting its doors for good very soon. Arturo Sanchez, a Chinatown Fair regular, spoke with arcade manager Henry Cen, who said that CF "lost it's lease after decades of being in business" and will be closing on the 23rd (there's some confusion as to whether that means February 23 or March 23). However, we spoke to CF manager Valentino, who told us the whole thing was a giant rumor: "people have been saying that we've been closing down for five or six years," he told us.
Chinatown Fair, which has been open since at least the 1950's, is located on Mott Street, in an understated storefront with a "strange purplish light spilling out onto the street," as Scouting NY put it. Inside, there are tons of vintage and new arcade games, costing no more than a couple quarters each (you can see more fantastic photos of the arcade at Scouting NY).
Ripten says that there are other reports about a possible move to Brooklyn, the Bronx or other parts of NYC, if the place is closing. Furthermore, they add that Editor in Chief of EmpireStateGaming, Ashley Faro, confirmed the shuttering to them. Hopefully Valentino was right, and this is all just rumors running rampant, but it may be a good idea to take a visit to the long-running arcade very soon, just in case.
Below, you can see a classic video for Ol' Dirty Bastards "Brooklyn Zoo", which takes place partially at Chinatown Fair:
Tagged
arcade
chinatown fair
closing
games
manhattan
mott street
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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