Dumplings and Downtown: Exploring Chinatown Through NYC’s History

What do dumplings and Manhattan’s history have in common? For Pace University Librarian Steve Feyl, the answer lies in connection. His “Dumpling Tours” take students on a journey through Chinatown, blending delicious bites with stories of New York City’s past.

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He started offering these tours in Fall 2022, following the COVID-19 pandemic. “I wanted to get students to re-engage with the library and also the local community around the New York City Campus,” Feyl shares. Students gather with Feyl outside One Pace Plaza, making their way through Chinatown to pick up dumplings before settling in for a picnic. With every stop, Feyl invites students to explore the city and its history.

Feyl’s tour weaves through the rich history surrounding Pace’s downtown campus, touching on the Lenape, Manhattan’s original inhabitants, the story behind Philadelphia-born Benjamin Franklin’s statue outside One Pace Plaza (hint: it involves publishing!), and the lasting impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act on Chinatown, including its relevance to discussions about the proposed Chinatown jail.

All the ghosts of the strange and fascinating things that happened where Pace now resides! —Feyl

A favorite story of his involves P.T. Barnum, the Brooklyn Bridge, and an elephant named Jumbo! The people of New York did not have much faith in the newly constructed Brooklyn Bridge so in 1884, P.T. Barnum convinced the city to let him march animals from his circus, led by the famous elephant Jumbo, across the bridge to prove its safety. “I try and imagine the spectacle of all those animals walking up Park Row in front of where Pace Plaza now resides and across the bridge to show that the bridge was stable,” Feyl says. “All the ghosts of the strange and fascinating things that happened where Pace now resides!”

Namitha Hebbal ’25, pursuing her MS in Marketing, Social Media, and Mobile Marketing, attended one of the tours in October with her roommate. An international student from India, Namitha explored Chinatown, discussing the difference between the tour’s dumplings and food from home, and soaked in the history of New York City. “The tour was not only was a memorable experience for us students but also a great way to give back to the communities at Chinatown which Pace is so closely located to,” says Namitha. “I absolutely loved getting to witness the passion which Steve has for history and food.”

Sometimes a common bond over something like a love of dumplings is just what you need to spur on a new friendship. —Feyl

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And then, of course, there’s the dumplings. The tour group picks up a variety of different dumplings prepared different ways and enjoy a picnic, comparing their favorite flavors and styles. Sometimes even stopping at Nom Wah, Chinatown’s oldest dimsum restaurant, owned for generations by Pace alumnus Wilson Tang ’00 and his family. “Who doesn’t like dumplings!” Feyl says.

But really, the dumplings are just a means to an end. They are an excuse for the journey, providing openings for connection. “Sometimes a common bond over something like a love of dumplings is just what you need to spur on a new friendship,” Feyl says. He describes how after one of his tours finished eating their dumplings, they decided to stay in Chinatown for ice cream, despite having only just met. Feyl says, “As I watched them go off on their own it made me feel so happy that perhaps the tour was the mechanism to create a bond between those students who might have gone from strangers to friends that day.”

I hope that they take away a sense of curiosity, adventurousness, and exploration. —Feyl

The tours are all about connection—Feyl even invites “celebrity guests,” Pace staff and faculty who join the fun and connect with students. In October, Vice President for Strategy and Partnerships Jean Gallagher joined the group. Reflecting on the importance of these tours, Gallagher shared, “This is our neighborhood, and students are part of the neighborhood. Not only was it great to join them in exploring our community, I appreciate the opportunity to meet students and hear about their experiences at Pace.”

Feyl hopes for his tours to not only connect students to each other and their school, but to spark a sense of wonder and curiosity in his tour participants, inspiring them to connect with the stories and lives that have shaped the city. “I hope that they take away a sense of curiosity, adventurousness, and exploration,” he says. “New York City is one of the best cities in the world, so I really try and instill these qualities into the tour and hope that it catches on with them for other adventures.”