Forsyth Street's southernmost portion, south of Canal Street, runs parallel to the Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown. On the west side of this block, a greenmarket operates in the shadow of the bridge.
Forsyth Street is interrupted north of Canal Street for one block due to a 20th-century schoolhouse, now housing Pace University High School and I.S. 131, built on the former route. From there it runs parallel to Chrystie Street that lies to its west, with Sara D. Roosevelt Park separating the two. Since October 2008 the parallel parking lane on the west side of the street is separated from the curb by a bicycle lane carrying traffic north from the Manhattan Bridge. The street traverses the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan.