Elizabeth St, Chinatown

Elizabeth's run through Chinatown starts at Hester and only runs for a few blocks before the street ends entirely. The start of its run is a mix of Chinese restaurants and run off from the jewelry district that's on Canal street. The Canal street jewelry district is kind of like the cheaper and dirtier (if that's possible) version of the midtown diamond district. It's pretty ugly around these parts, but if you want a good deal on jewelry and some pretty good authentic Chinese food, then this is the block to hit. If you want to live on a cool neighborhood block with an array of restaurants, bars and trees, this is not your block.
The block after Canal is a very New York block that just happens to be catered to Chinatown. There's a school (the biggest Chinese school in the country), an NYPD precinct, a medical clinic, a Citibank (in a really pretty, old building), a church, a couple of Chinese restaurants and a couple of jewelry stores. It has just about everything that Chinatown has to offer all in one very packed block that smells funny.
There are a couple of condo buildings on Elizabeth and plenty of apartments but I wouldn't want to live here. There's no neighborhood energy and no green. Outside of the chinese restaurants, there isn't a bar and restaurant scene. And, it's a hike from good public transportation. I just really don't like Chinatown and Elizabeth is no exception.