Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
4
New York City Fire Museum
MUSEUM
In a grand old firehouse dating from 1904, this ode to fire fighters includes a fantastic col-
lection of historic equipment, from gold, horse-drawn firefighting carriages to early rescue
gear like stovepipe firefighter hats. Exhibits trace the development of the NYC firefight-
ing system, which began with the 'bucket brigades.' The New York Fire Department
(FDNY) lost half of its members in the collapse of the World Trade Center, and memorials
and exhibits have become a permanent part of the collection.
(
212-219-1222;
www.nycfiremuseum.org
;
278 Spring St, btwn Varick & Hudson Sts; adult/child $8/5;
10am-5pm;
;
C/E to
Spring St)
5
St Patrick's Old Cathedral
CHURCH
St Patrick's Cathedral is now famously located on Fifth Ave in Midtown, but its first con-
gregation was housed here, on the northern edge of Little Italy, in this 1809-15 Gothic
Revival church designed by Joseph-François Mangin. In its heyday, the church was the
seat of religious life for the archdiocese of New York, and an important community center
for new, mainly Irish, immigrants. Its ancient cemetery out the back is a beautiful respite
in the midst of city chaos.
(
www.oldsaintpatricks.com
;
263 Mulberry St, entrance on Mott St;
8am-6pm;
N/R to Prince St)
6
Columbus Park
PARK
Mah-jongg meisters, slow-motion tai chi practitioners and old aunties gossiping over
homemade dumplings: it might feel like Shanghai, but this leafy oasis is core to NYC his-
tory. In the 19th century, this was part of the infamous Five Points neighborhood, the
city's first tenement slums and the inspiration for Martin Scorsese's
Gangs of New York
.
(Mulberry & Bayard Sts;
J/Z, N/Q/R, 6 to Canal St)
7
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay & Lesbian Art
MUSEUM
GOOGLE MAP
