What neighborhoods are best for cock fights?

Weird Al's got more Chins than Chinatown.

Is the dateline on this story 1998? 

It started losing its edge about 20 years ago, when a lot of the factories disappeared.  9/11 almost killed it.  But its current reincarnation is as a tourist place.  Pretty soon, it's gonna be like San Francisco's Chinatown.  Its main shortcoming, from my point of view, is the lack of a nightlife.

The lack of nightlife is the only thing protecting the area right now. The moment the clubbing scene gains a foothold in the core of Chinatown, it'll be curtains for the old neighborhood, just like Soho, Tribeca, the Meatpacking District and other areas all lost their distinctiveness.

Actually, there used to be a fairly sizeable club at the base of the Manhattan Bridge. I think the reason it closed was because people felt it was too out of the way.

Define "nightlife".

Giggity.

Let's get serious here, folks.  Manhattan Chinatown is the last 'underdeveloped' neighborhood below 125th St. Remember the EV, LES?  Now it's Chinatown's turn.  Real estate interest salivate and, if they can only push out the 'smelly', they make a fortune.  Manhattan is only for rich people nirvana; don't you know that?  After all, as our Mayor said, New York is a luxury brand, which, it might be added, you can't afford. So everyone else, be banished to Flushing.

I lived on Allen between Grand & Hester for 4.5 years, from 2004 to mid-2008.  My building was about 2/3 non-Chinese, and the landlord was doing she could to get rid of these last few Chinese tenants (who were paying less than $200/month and were living in unrenovated shitholes; meanwhile my rent was a still-reasonable $1200-$1500).  

While the neighborhood definitely became more "gentrified" while I was living there (i.e. more bars, restaurants, and apartments with ridiculous rents), that's nothing compared to what's happened since 2008...but, that being said, the Chinese will resist any sort of greater influx of non-Chinese until the bitter end.  Unlike my building, many of the buildings down there are owned by the Chinese, and they won't rent to non-Chinese or even speak to them (seriously...and actually there are tons of businesses down there where no one speaks ANY English). So while I agree with you that compared to other parts of Manhattan Chinatown is "underdeveloped," I think the Chinese population will try to keep it that way as long as possible -- and to a certain degree, they have the power to do so.

Just to make sure that, perhaps, Gwinny or others do not misunderstand my intent, the word 'underdeveloped' is in quotes to denote ironic usage.

I think it was pretty clear... but there was some truth in your post which is what I was responding to.

Chinatown is less Chinese due in no small part to the infllux of young non-Chinese who move in for the "edginess" and cheap (for Manhattan) rent.

Chinatown is edgy???

Sure. To them, it's a little strange and exotic, not safe and homogeneous like Park Slope or the Upper East Side. Almost like living in a foreign country but only a subway ride away from everything else.

welcome to NYC. Flushing has been the largest "Chinatown" in the city for years and its growth shows no sign of abating as the community expands into Elmhurst, Whitestone, College Point, et al.

Just like how it went from Sunset Park to Bay Ridge, Dyker, etc. 

I'm OK with this, spread the Dim Sum wealth.
mmmm dim sum and buffets.

Dim sum in NYC isn't very good, Vancouver, Toronto, and the SGV have us totally beat.

I'd kill to find decent dim sum in NYC.

East Harbor in Dyker Heights is killer, as is New World Tong Seafood in Bensonhurst (last time I went they were renovating tho...)