Canal Street: First Stop in America

Welcome to Canal Street: First Stop in America.

Less than a mile long, Canal Street is one of the dirtiest and noisiest, but also among the most vibrant and dynamic, streets in New York City. For over a century, new immigrants have expected Canal Street to furnish the American Dream, to give them a place to work hard and build a future.

Emmy® Award-winning director/producer Keiko Tsuno and Asian-American issues specialist Peter Kwong take us on an insiders-only journey into life on this make-it-or-break-it street. From the bustling underground world of counterfeit goods to street vendors, shanty towns and sweatshops, hardworking people subject not only to the difficulties of their labor, but also to a street with a law of its own, struggle not only to survive but to make their dreams come true.