Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Whereas
Little Italy
, once a truly authentic pocket of Italian people, culture and eater-
ies, is constantly shrinking (Chinatown keeps encroaching). Still, loyal Italian Americ-
ans, mostly from the suburbs, flock here to gather around red-and-white-checked table-
cloths at one of a handful of longtime red-sauce restaurants. Join them for a stroll along
Mulberry Street, and take a peek at the
Old St Patrick's Cathedral
(263 Mulberry St)
,
which became the city's first Roman Catholic cathedral in 1809 and remained so until
1878, when its more famous uptown successor was completed. The former Ravenite So-
cial Club, now a fancy shoe shop, is a reminder of the not-so-long-ago days when mob-
sters ran the neighborhood. Originally known as the Alto Knights Social Club, where big
hitters like Lucky Luciano spent time, the Ravenite was a favorite hangout of John Gotti
(and the FBI) before his arrest and life sentencing in 1992.
Museum of Chinese in America
MUSEUM
( 212-619-4785;
www.mocanyc.org
;
211-215 Centre St near Grand St; adult/child $10/free;
11am-6pm Tue-Wed & Fri-Sun, to 9pm Thu; N/Q/R/W, J/M/Z, 6 to Canal St)
Strikingly de-
signed and cutting-edge interactive exhibits trace the history and cultural impact of
Chinese communities in the US. Lectures, film series and walking tours as well.
Lower East Side
First came the Jews, then the Latinos, followed by the hipsters and accompanying posers,
frat boy bros, and the bridge and tunnel contingent. Today, this neighborhood, once the
densest in the world, is focused on being cool - offering low-lit lounges, live-music clubs
and trendy bistros. Luxury high-rise condominiums and boutique hotels coexist with
public-housing projects (read Richard Price's novel
Lush Life
for entertaining insight into
this class conflict). Nevertheless, 40% of residents are still immigrants and two-thirds
speak a language other than English at home.
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
MUSEUM
( 212-982-8420;
www.tenement.org
; 103 Orchard St; tours from $22; visitor center
10am-5:30pm, tours 10:15am-5pm)
There's no museum in New York that humanizes the
city's colorful past quite like this one. The neighborhood's heartbreaking but inspiring
heritage is on full display in several recreations of turn-of-the-20th-century tenements.
Always evolving and expanding, the museum has a variety of tours and talks. And while
the main portion of your visit is the tenement tour, during which you'll have the oppor-
