The title of this post is a line from the movie Chinatown.   John Lee, EP/writer/director on Delocated, hilariously said that he never understood what that line meant until we started working in Chinatown, then it all made perfect sense.  The Delocated production office is lovingly and disgustingly nestled somewhere in the heart of disgusting Chinatown.  Not the Chinatown from the movie Chinatown.  The Chinatown in New York. 

This past summer, New York Magazine called a block very close to our production office “The Smelliest Block in New York.”  Ever since John had the epiphany about that line from Chinatown, I will occasionally take a photo of the absolute filth that surrounds us each day, and send it to John, usually with the subject heading “It’s just Chinatown.”  Here now, in honor of our work neighborhood being named the smelliest in all of NYC, are some of those pics.  Enjoy getting to know what it’s like for us going to work every day.  Breathe it in.  Gargle its essence.   

I’m pretty sure this was the first one I sent John.  A container of wet, pukey looking who-knows-what, just left on the street corner.  Mmmm, just imagine drinking a teaspoon full for a thousand dollars.  

Chinatown citizen’s inner monologue:  ”I’m done with these noodles.  Guess I’ll just throw them in the snow instead of walking a few more feet and throwing them in the garbage can.  Other people are throwing their noodles, and also trash, in the snow and on the ground, so obviously it’s okay.”  

Chinatown citizen 1:  Hey, I’m done with my food and my wig hair.  What should I do with it?

Chinatown citizen 2: Just throw it on the ground, over on that pile of snow, with the other trash that’s been thrown on the ground.  That’s what I would do.  

“I’m done with my bag of chips.  Oh, there’s some trash on the ground, I guess that’s where garbage goes in this neighborhood.  Recycling, too.”

Citizen:  Why would someone throw their trash in the street when there’s a garbage can three feet away?

Chinatown citizen:  Because you are in Chinatown, that’s why.  

Citizen:  Oh, I see.  (throws noodles on ground)

“These crackers have ruined my appetite for my fried rice.  I don’t want to eat either of them anymore, and I don’t feel like taking them home.  This looks like as good a spot as any to leave them.  I guess I’ll throw them down on the ground with great force so as to make the biggest mess possible.”

Chinatown vendor’s inner monologue:  ”I hate this annoying trash on the sidewalk.  I’ll just sweep it into the street, where it belongs.” (hard to tell, but that’s exactly what this guy was doing)

In the middle of walking down the steps to the subway, you suddenly don’t feel like eating your fried rice anymore.  Do you:  A) simply walk back up a few steps and toss it into the garbage can you just passed.  B) just walk down a few more steps and toss it into the garbage can that is only several feet from where you are.  C) Drop it right where you are and don’t even think twice (or once) about it.  The answer is C.  C for Chinatown.    

From the NYC Department of Sanitation website:  ”A bag of garbage laying on the ground mere feet from a garbage truck in Chinatown is NOT ironic.  Neither is the loose garbage on the ground.  See the ending of the movie Chinatown for further clarification.”  

The debate for ‘best fries’ in New York is over.  It’s not Five Guys.  It’s not Pommes Frites.  It’s literally the streets of Chinatown.

EP Steve Ast got in on the fun and sent me this.  It’s the monolith from 2001: A Chinatown Odyssey.

Here’s a recent one.  Saw this nice collection of trash just sitting in the street.  A closer inspection revealed a couple nice details:

A disgusting array of cups, napkins and what look like noodles soaking in Chinatown gravy, 

…and a bottle resting under a blanket of hair.  

And finally, a smashed, intact set of baby back ribs that look like they were jettisoned from their packaging after being thrown to the ground.  

THANKS, CHINATOWN!