From Doyers Street, a quiet alley surrounded by old, tenement–style buildings, 2023 looks an awful lot like 1923. This was one of the sites of opium dens and gang murders (in fact, the alley’s sharp bend gave it the nickname Bloody Angle). It was also the site of New York’s first, and longest surviving, dim sum spot, which opened in 1920. Is Nom Wah Tea Parlor the best food in the city? No. Is it one of the coolest spots to eat? Absolutely. Order the egg rolls and shrimp and snow-pea-leaf dumplings and bask in the history of the retro diner. —Clara Molot

Clara Molot is an Associate Editor at AIR MAIL