Cut through to Spofford Street, one of Chinatown’s narrowest and most historic alleys. Number 36 Spofford is where Dr. Sun Yat-sen lived while planning the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty in the early 1900s. The revolutionary meetings that helped shape modern China happened in a tiny apartment above what was then a newspaper office.
Before that, Spofford was known for its gambling halls and as one of the more dangerous streets in old Chinatown. Today it’s residential and quiet. On any given afternoon you might hear mah-jong tiles clicking through open windows. The alley connects Washington and Clay streets and is easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.