05/17/05

Chinatown's premier gathering spot for gossip, games and tai chi.

by Contributor

Background
Once a recreational hub for Italian immigrant workers, Columbus Park is now a meeting place for local Chinese residents. At the north end of the park stands an abandoned pavilion, built in 1897, painted bright red and adorned with gold dragons. A statue of Columbus that once stood among the trees now sits atop a pillar overlooking Central Park on 59th Street.

Features
Not long after sun-up, neighbors gather for tai chi practice on the weather-beaten concrete courts. But the park really livens up by afternoon: Men betting on dominoes, women playing mah jongg, fortune tellers offering palm readings to passersby. Preteens rule the basketball courts; while they may not have as much game as the North American Chinese Basketball Association players who shoot hoops here, the kids talk just as much trash as their older, more experienced counterparts.