Ok so I'm a long-time resident of Brooklyn's Chinatown and honestly I never knew it was considered Chinatown until now.. but I'll try my best to describe what this Chinatown is.
This Chinatown is cluttered and I mean CLUTTERED with street vendors and markets full of fruits, fishes, dry herbs, shoes, cheap fast fashion clothing, even more! They have their own spark of uniqueness, it has it's own rural feeling despite it being urban personally. In the early morning it'll feel like a walk in a ghost town with a breeze of cold air with some cars, and buses running here and there, then in late morning to the rest of the day it just gets crowded and busy from there. Tons of foreigners from China yelling out their products, spitting onto the ground, children going haywire, you get used to it if you live very close to this Chinatown. But as a tourist it gets to you one way or more which is understandable, this place isn't known for etiquette or manners, they're known for being bustling and full of markets that you can visit and check out a sample of what China would be since it has herbs, exotic fruits, and spices you wouldn't think exist (Durian, Goju berries, dried seahorses, dried and salted fish, Starfruit, Dragon's Eye, Lychee)
Food here ranges from "Oh wow this looks like dung but tastes amazing" or "Oh wow this looks like dung and tastes like dung" so it's really hit or miss, unless if we're speaking about bakeries then they're mostly a hit as it's delectable but has quite a price too (looking at you Tous Le Jours, Paris Baguette, and Xin Fa)
If you're going to Brooklyn's Chinatown for jewelry shopping though then I can't say much except for jadeite jade here is extensive with my personal opinion, not the greatest quality for the price tag (you're alot better of going to the Manhattan part of Chinatown)
Overall for someone like me who lives close to Chinatown and is Asian-American, it hits close to what China is with it's urban setting with a mix of rural elements here and there. Food is ok (you can get better at 7th Avenue and 5th Avenue in my opinion), residents who live there can range from no etiquette of all ages to ok mannered. read more