(DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New York City

NE W Y ORK CIT Y A T A GLANCE  49

The African Americans in September. Recently arrived
Perhaps the best-known black Russian Jewish immigrants
inner-city community in the have turned Brighton Beach
Western world, Harlem is noted into “Little Odessa by the Sea,”
for the Harlem Renaissance and the Scandinavians and
(see pp30–31) as much as it is Lebanese have settled in
for great entertainment, gospel Bay Ridge and the Finns in
music, and soul food. The move Sunset Park. Borough Park
of black African Americans from and Williamsburg are home
the South to the North began to Orthodox Jews, and
with emancipation in the Midwood has an Israeli-Middle
1860s and increased markedly East accent. Italians live in
in the 1920s, when Harlem’s black the Bensonhurst area.
population rose from 83,000 Greenpoint is little Poland,
to 204,000. Today Harlem is and Atlantic Avenue is
undergoing revitalization in home to the largest Arab
many areas. The African- community in America.
American population has also The Irish were among the
dispersed throughout the city, A woman celebrating at the Greek earliest groups to cross the
with the largest community in Independence Day parade Harlem River into the Bronx.
Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant. Japanese executives favor
Orthodox Cathedral on East the more exclusive Riverdale
97th Street (see p195). area. One of the most
The Melting Pot
distinctive ethnic
Other New York cultures are areas is Astoria,
not distinctly defined but are The Outer Boroughs Queens, which has
still easily found. Ukrainians Brooklyn and Queens are the largest Greek
gather in the East Village, by far the most culturally population outside
around St. George’s Ukrainian diverse boroughs of the mother land.
Catholic Church on East 7th New York. In Brooklyn, Jackson Heights is
Street. Little Tokyo can be Caribbean newcomers home to a large
spotted by the ramen noodle from Jamaica and Haiti Latin American
bars along East 9th Street. are among the fastest- quarter, including
Koreans own many of the small growing immigrant hundreds of
grocery stores in Manhattan, groups. West thousands of
but most tend to live in the Indians tend to Colombians. Indians
Flushing area of Queens. The cluster along also favor this area and
religious diversity of New York Eastern Parkway between nearby Flushing, a lively
can be seen in the Islamic Grand Army Plaza and neighborhood also
Center on Riverside Drive; the Utica Avenue, the route of the populated by thousands of
Islamic Cultural Center on 96th lavish, exotically expats from China,
Street – Manhattan’s first major costumed West A member of the Orthodox Jewish Korea, and other
mosque; and the Russian Indian Day Parade community in Williamsburg Asian countries.

NEWCOMERS WHO MADE THEIR MARK see also pp50–51.
The dates mark the year 1932 George
these immigrants entered 1906 “Lucky” Luciano (Italy), Balanchine (Russia),
the US via New York. gangster (deported 1946) ballet choreographer
1921 Bela Lugosi
1893 Irving Berlin 1908 Bob Hope (Hungary), star of
(Russia), musician (England), comedian 1933 Albert Einstein
Dracula (Germany), scientist
1894 Al Jolson 1909 Lee Strasberg
(Lithuania), singer (Austria), theater director
1890 1895 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940
1896
Samuel 1904 Hyman 1913 Rudolph
Goldwyn Rickover (Russia), Valentino (Italy), 1923 Isaac Asimov (Russia),
(Poland), developer of film star scientist and writer
movie nuclear
mogul submarine 1912 Claudette Colbert 1938 Von Trapp family
1902 Joe Hill (Sweden), (France), film star (Austria), singers
labor activist 1903 Frank Capra
(Italy), film director




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Remarkable New Yorkers

New York has nourished some of the best creative talents
since the beginning of the 20th century. Pop Art began here,
and Manhattan is still the world center for modern art.
The alternative writers of the 1950s and 1960s – known as the
Beat Generation – took inspiration from the city’s jazz clubs.
And, as New York is the financial capital, many leading world
financiers have made it their home.

Henry Miller (1891–1980) wrote
about his experiences in the
book Tropic of Capricorn (1939), Pop artist Andy Warhol
which was banned until 1961.
Jack Kerouac (1922–69), Allen York in the 1960s with Roy
Ginsberg, and William Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol
Burroughs all went (1926–87), who made some of
to Colum bia Uni­ his cult films at 33 Union Square.
versity and Keith Haring (1958–90) was a
drank at the San very prolific graffiti artist who
Remo Café in gained fame for his Pop Art
Green wich murals and sculptures.
Village. James Robert Mapplethorpe (1946–
Baldwin (1924– 89) acquired notoriety for his
Novelist James Baldwin 87), born in Harlem, wrote homoerotic photos of men.
Another Country (1963) on his Jeff Koons (1955–) was part
Writers
return to New York from Europe. of the Neo­Pop or Post­Pop
Much great American literature Ralph Ellison (1914–94) penned Movement of the 1980s,
was created in New York. Invisible Man (1952) in Harlem, while street artist Jean­Michel
Charlotte Temple, A Tale of Truth, while Richard Wright (1908–60) Basquiat (1960–88) still retains
first published in 1791 by wrote Native Son in Fort Greene. a cult following for his Neo­
Susanna Rowson (c.1762–1824), The city’s current list of writers Expressionist works.
was a tale of seduction in the city is strong: Jonathan Franzen,
and a bestseller for 50 years. Joshua Ferris, Téa Obreht, and
American literature won Jennifer Egan, among others. Actors
international recognition with High­profile émigrés like Martin In 1849 the British actor Charles
Washington Irving’s (1783–1859) Amis and Salman Rushdie also Macready started a riot by calling
satire, A History of New York (1809). call the city home. Americans vulgar. A mob
Irving coined the names “Gotham” stormed the Astor Place Opera
for New York and “Knickerbockers” House, where Macready was
for New Yorkers. He and James Artists playing Macbeth, police opened
Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851), The New York School of Abstract fire, and 22 rioters were killed.
whose books gave birth to the Expressionists founded the In 1927 Mae West (1893–1980)
“Western” novel, formed the first influential American art spent 10 days in a workhouse
Knickerbocker group. Edgar Allan movement. It was launched by on Roosevelt Island and was
Poe (1809–49) lived in the Bronx, Hans Hofmann (1880–1966) with fined $500 for giving a lewd
while Herman Melville (1819–91), Franz Kline and Willem de perfor mance in her Broadway
author of Moby Dick (1851), was Kooning, whose first job in show Sex.
born in Lower Manhattan. Henry America was as a house­ The musical has been
James (1843–1916) became the painter. Adolph Gottlieb, Mark New York’s special
master of the psychological novel Rothko (1903–70), and contribution to the
with Washington Square (1880), Jackson Pollock theater. Florenz
and his friend Edith Wharton (1912–56) Ziegfeld’s (1869–
(1861–1937) was known for her went on to 1932) Follies
satirical novels about New York popularize ran from 1907
society, such as The Age of this style. to 1931. The
Innocence (1920). Pollock, Kline, opening of
By the end of World War I, and de Oklahoma!
Greenwich Village had become Kooning all on Broad­
New York’s Left Bank. Poet Edna had their studios way in 1943
St. Vincent Millay, playwright on the Lower began the
Eugene O’Neill, and the writer East Side. Pop age of
E. E. Cummings all lived here. Art began in New Vaudeville actress Mae West musicals by




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NE W Y ORK CIT Y A T A GLANCE  51


the famous duo Richard emerged in the South Bronx,
Rodgers (1902–79) and Oscar with pioneers such as DJ Kool
Hammerstein, Jr. (1895–1960). Herc and Afrikaa Bambaataa.
Thousands of movies and TV Mos Def, Nas, 50 Cent, and Jay-Z
shows have been filmed in the are all still based here. Live rock
city since the 1930s. Audrey venue CBGB opened in 1973,
Hepburn moved audiences with launching the careers of punk
her role in Breakfast at Tiffany’s bands including the Ramones
(1961), as did Al Pacino in Dog as well as Blondie and the
Day Afternoon (1975), and Robert Talking Heads. In the early 1980s
De Niro in Taxi Driver (1976). The Madonna lived in the East Village
1980s saw classics such as Fame, and by 2001 the neighborhood
Ghostbusters, and When Harry was the epicentre of the garage
Met Sally. In 2006, The Devil Wears rock revival scene, led by groups
Prada offered a critical look at the such as The Strokes, Interpol, and
city’s fashion industry, while the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
more recently, Amy Schumer’s
Trainwreck (2015) was a break
from the traditional romantic
comedy. Iconic TV shows, such Rapper 50 Cent at the Billboard Music
as Friends, Sex and the City, Gossip Awards, Las Vegas
Girl, and Lena Dunham’s Girls,
have all been based and often as the grandfather of Wall Street,
filmed on location in New York. while property magnate John
Jacob Astor (1763–1848) was
once the richest man in America.
Musicians Modern entrepreneurs
Leonard Bernstein (1918–90) include Donald Trump, who
followed a long line of great became US President, Michael
conductors at the New York Bloomberg, three-time mayor of
Philharmonic, including Bruno Tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt the city, and George Soros, well-
Walter (1876–1962), Arturo Industrialists and known hedge-fund manager.
Toscanini (1867–1957), and
Leopold Stokowski (1882–1977). Entrepreneurs Architects
The soprano Maria Callas (1923– Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919),
77) was born in New York but “the steel baron with a heart Cass Gilbert (1858–1934),
moved to Europe. of gold,” started with nothing who built such Neo-Gothic
Harlem’s Cotton Club featured and died having given away sky scrapers as the Woolworth
Duke Ellington and other greats $350 million. His beneficiaries Building of 1913 (see p85), was
in the 1920s, while the Village included public libraries and one of the men who literally
Vanguard opened in the 1930s. universities through out America. shaped the city. His caricature
Sonny Rollins made a legendary Many other foundations can be seen in the lobby,
recording here in 1957, and John are the legacies of wealthy clutching a model of his
Coltrane followed in 1961. Bob philanthropists. Some, such as masterpiece. Stanford White
Dylan had his first professional Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794– (1853–1906) was as well-known
gig at Gerde’s Folk City in 1961, 1877), tried to shake off for his scandalous private life
while Jimi Hendrix began his their rough begin nings by as for his fine Beaux Arts
career at Café Wha? in Greenwich patronizing the arts. In business, buildings, such as The Players
Village and Lady Gaga was a New York’s “robber barons” did club (p124). For most of his life,
regular on the Lower East Side. what they liked with apparent Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959)
In the early 1970s, hip-hop impunity. Financiers Jay Gould spurned city architecture. When
(1836–92) and James Fisk he was persuaded to leave
(1834–72) beat Vanderbilt his mark on the city, it was in
in the war for the Erie Railroad the form of the Soloman R.
by manipu lating stock. In Guggenheim Museum (pp184–
September 1869 they caused 5). German-born Ludwig Mies
Wall Street’s first “Black Friday” van der Rohe (1886–1969),
when they tried to corner the who built the Seagram Building
gold market, but fled when (p173), did not believe in
their fraud was discovered. “inventing a new architecture
Gould died a happy billionaire, every Monday morning,”
while Fisk was killed in a fight although some might argue that
over a woman. J. P. Morgan this is just what New York has
Musical producer Florenz Ziegfeld (1837–1918) was referred to always done best.




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NEW YORK CITY
THROUGH THE YEAR

Springtime in New York sees Park Avenue of the orange-red colors of autumn. Then, as
filled with blooms, while Fifth Avenue goes Christmas nears, the shops and streets begin
green for St. Patrick’s Day, the first of the year’s to sparkle with dazzling window displays.
many big parades. Summer in the city is hot Dates of the events on the following pages
and humid, but it is worth forsaking an air- may vary. For details, consult the listings
conditioned interior to step outside, where magazines (see p371). NYC & Co., the city’s
parks and squares are the setting for free official tourism and marketing organization
open-air music and theater. The first Monday (see pp362–3), maintains a useful calendar of
in September marks Labor Day and the advent events on its website.

Spring
Every season in New York
brings its own tempo and
temptations. In spring, the city
shakes off the winter with tulips
and cherry blossoms in the
parks and spring fashions in
the stores. Everyone window-
shops and gallery-hops. The
hugely popular St. Patrick’s
Day Parade draws the crowds,
and thousands don their finery
for the Easter Parade down
Fifth Avenue.
Inventive Easter bonnets in New York’s Easter Parade
March
St. Patrick’s Day Parade (Mar 17), Easter Parade (Easter Sun), May
Fifth Ave, from 44th to 86th Fifth Ave, from 44th to 59th Five Boro Bike Tour (first Sun
St. Green clothes, beer, and St. Paraders in costumes and May), a 42-mile (68-km) ride
flowers, plus bagpipes. outrageous millinery gather ending with a festival with live
Greek Independence Day around St. Patrick’s Cathedral. music, food and exhibitions.
Parade (Mar 25), Fifth Ave, from Cuban Day Parade (first Sun May),
49th to 59th St. Greek dancing April a carnival on Sixth Ave, between
and food. Cherry Blossom Festival 44th St and Central Park South.
(late Mar–Apr), Brooklyn
Easter Botanic Garden. Famous
Easter Flower Show for Japanese cherry trees
(week before Easter), Macy’s and beautifully laid-out
department store. Annual floral ornamental gardens.
extravaganza with a different Tribeca Film Festival (Apr).
theme each year (pp130–31). Celebrates film, music, and
culture with more
than 100 films from
around the world Parading in national costume on Greek
(p342). Independence Day
New York City
Ballet Spring Season Ninth Avenue International
(Apr–Jun), New York Food Festival (mid-May), from
State Theater and W 37th to W 57th St. Ethnic
Metropolitan Opera foods, music, and dance.
House in Lincoln Washington Square Outdoor
Center (pp208–9). Art Exhibit (usually last two
Baseball (Apr–late weekends May; also Sep).
Sep/early Oct). Major Memorial Day Activities
league season starts (last weekend May). A parade
for Yankees and down Fifth Ave, and festivities
Yellow tulips and cabs shine on Park Avenue Mets (p354). at South Street Seaport.




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NE W Y ORK CIT Y THROUGH THE Y EAR  53


Average Daily Hours of Sunshine Days of Sunshine
New York enjoys long
Hours Hours
12 12 hours of summer sun
from June to August,
10 10 with July the month
of greatest sunshine.
8 8
The winter days are
6 6 much shorter, but
4 4 many are clear and
bright. Autumn has
2 2 more sunshine than
0 0 spring, although both
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec are sunny.

Summer Metropolitan Opera Parks
Concerts. Free evening
New Yorkers escape the hot concerts in parks throughout
city streets when possible, for the city (p345).
picnics, boat rides, and the Shakespeare in the Park
beaches. Macy’s fireworks light (Jun–Sep). Star actors take on
up the Fourth of July skies, and the Bard at Delacorte Theater,
more sparks fly when the New Central Park (p341).
York Yankees and Mets baseball NYC Pride March (late Jun).
teams are in town. Summer also The annual parade sets off Festivities at a summer street fair in
brings street fairs, outdoor from 36th St and goes along Greenwich Village
concerts, and free Shakespeare Fifth Ave to Christopher St past
and opera in Central Park. the Stonewall Inn (p349). throughout the city (p345).
Lincoln Center Festival (Jul).
July Dance, opera, and other arts
Macy’s Firework Display (Jul 4), from around the world.
usually the East River. This is
the undisputed high point of August
the city’s Indepen dence Day Harlem Week (mid-Aug).
celebrations, featuring the best Films, art, music, dance,
fireworks in town. fashion, sports, and tours.
Mostly Mozart Festival (end Out-of-Doors Festival (Aug),
Jul–end Aug), Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center. Free dance and
Policeman dancing in the Puerto Rican Lincoln Center (p344). theater performances (p208).
Day Parade NY Philharmonic Parks US Open Tennis Champion-
Concerts (late Jul–early Aug). ships (late Aug–early Sep),
June Free concerts in parks Flushing Meadows (pp354–5).
Puerto Rican Day Parade
(early Jun), Fifth Ave, from
44th to 86th St. Floats and
marching bands celebrate
people of Puerto Rican
descent living in the US.
Museum Mile Festival (second
Tue), Fifth Ave, from 82nd to
105th St. Free entry (usually
6–9pm) to the several museums
located along this stretch of
Fifth Ave.
American Crafts Festival
(mid-Jun–early Jul), Lincoln
Center (p208). Displays of
high-quality crafts.
Central Park SummerStage
(Jun–Aug), Central Park.
Music and dance of every
variety, almost daily, rain
or shine. Spectators at a warm-up match at the US Open Tennis Championships




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Average Monthly Temperature
Temperature
°C °F The chart shows the average
32 90 minimum and maximum
temperatures for each
24 75
month in New York. With
16 60 top temp eratures averaging
84° F (29° C), the city can
8 45 become hot and humid.
In contrast, the months
0 32 of winter, although rarely
below freezing, can seem
-8 18 bitterly cold.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

days of festivities
Autumn
and processions.
Labor Day marks the end of New York Film Festival
the summer. The Giants and the (mid-Sep–early Oct),
Jets kick off the football season, Lincoln Center (p208).
the Broadway season begins, American films and
and the Festa di San Gennaro in international art films.
Little Italy is the high point in a Von Steuben Day Parade
succes sion of fun neighborhood (third week), Upper Fifth
fairs. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Ave. German-American
Parade is the nation’s symbol that celebrations.
the holiday season has arrived. African-American Day
Parade (late Sep), Adam
September Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd,
Richmond County Fair (Labor from 111th to 136th
Day weekend), in the grounds Sts. The largest African-
of Historic Richmond Town, American parade in
Staten Island (p258). New York’s the country. Huge Abby Cadabby balloon floating above Macy’s
only authentic county fair. American Football Thanksgiving Day Parade
West Indian Carnival (Labor (season begins), MetLife
Day weekend), Brooklyn. Parade, Stadium, home to the Giants November
floats, music, dancing, and food. and the Jets (pp354–5). New York City Marathon
Brazilian Festival (early Sep), (first Sun). From Staten Island
E 46th St, between Times Sq October through all the city boroughs.
and Madison Ave. Brazilian Columbus Day Parade (second Macy’s Thanksgiving Day
music, food, and crafts. Mon), Fifth Ave, from 44th to Parade (fourth Thu), from
Festa di San Gennaro (third 86th Sts. Parades and music Central Park West and W 79th
week), Little Italy (p90). Ten to celebrate Columbus’s first St to Broadway and W 34th St.
sighting of America. A joy for children, this famous
Pulaski Day Parade (Sun closest parade features floats, huge
to Oct 5), Fifth Ave, from 26th to balloons, and even an
52nd Sts. Cele brations for Polish- appearance from Santa.
American hero Casimir Pulaski. Christmas Spectacular
Rockefeller Center (Nov–Dec), Radio City Music
Ice Skating Rink (Oct–Mar). Hall. Variety show, with
Skate beneath the famous the Rockettes.
Christmas tree.
Halloween Parade (Oct 31),
Sixth Avenue, Greenwich
Village. Brilliant event with
fantastic costumes.
Big Apple Circus (Oct–Jan),
Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center.
Special themes are presented
each year (p359).
Basketball (season begins),
Exotic Caribbean carnival costume in the Madison Square Garden. Local Revelers in Greenwich Village’s
streets of Brooklyn team is the Knicks (pp354–5). Halloween Parade




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NE W Y ORK CIT Y THROUGH THE Y EAR  55


Average Monthly Rainfall
mm Inches Rainfall
100 4 March and August are
the months of heaviest
80
3 rainfall in New York.
Rainfall in spring is usually
60
2 unpredictable, so be
40 prepared. Sudden heavy
snowfalls in winter can
1
20 cause chaos in the city.
0 0 Rainfall
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Snowfall
January
Winter
National Boat Show
New York is a magical place (Jan), Jacob K. Javits
at Christmas – even the stone Convention Center
lions at the Public Library don (p134).
wreaths for the occasion, and Chinese New Year
shops become works of art. (late Jan/Feb),
From Times Square to China- Chinatown (p91).
town, New Year celebrations Dragons, fireworks,
punctuate the season, and and food.
Central Park becomes a winter Winter Antiques
sports arena. Show (Jan), Seventh
Regiment Armory. Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown
NYC’s most prestigious
antiques fair. PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
February New Year’s Day (Jan 1)
Black History Month. African- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
American events take place (3rd Mon, Jan)
throughout the city. Presidents’ Day (3rd Mon, Feb)
Empire State Building Run-
Up (early Feb). Runners race Memorial Day (last Mon, May)
Statue of Alice in Wonderland in to the 102nd floor (pp132–3). Independence Day (Jul 4)
Central Park Presidents’ Day Holiday Sales Labor Day (1st Mon, Sep)
(Feb 12–22) Big department Columbus Day (2nd Mon, Oct)
December stores sales throughout the city. Election Day (1st Tue, Nov)
Tree-Lighting Ceremony Westminster Kennel Club
(early Dec), Rockefeller Center Dog Show (mid-Feb), Madison Veterans Day (Nov 11)
(p140). Lighting of the giant Square Garden (p131). Thanksgiving Day (4th Thu, Nov)
Christmas tree in front of the America’s most prestigious Christmas Day (Dec 25)
RCA Building. dog show.
Messiah Sing-In (mid-Dec),
Lincoln Center (p208). The
audience rehearses and
performs under the guidance
of various conductors.
Hanukkah Menorah
(mid–late Dec), Grand Army
Plaza, Brooklyn. Lighting of the
huge menorah (candelabra)
every night during the
eight-day Festival of Lights.
New Year’s Eve. Fireworks
display in Central Park (pp198–
203); festivities in Times Square
(pp142–3); 5-mile (8-km) run in
Central Park; poetry reading
in St. Mark’s Church. The giant Christmas tree and decorations at Rockefeller Center




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The Manhattan Skyline: Southern Tip

Lower Manhattan, as seen from the Hudson River, encompasses some
of the most striking modern additions to the city skyline, such as the
distinctively topped quartet of the World Financial Center. You will
also catch glimpses of earlier Manhattan: Castle Clinton set against
the green space of Battery Park and, behind it, Custom House. From
1973 until September 2001 the area also featured the World Trade
Center, a landmark destroyed in the September 11 terrorist attack. Locator Map
The One World Trade Center building (formerly known as Freedom The Southern Tip
Tower), on the northwest corner of the National September 11
Memorial and Memorial Museum site, was completed in 2013.

National September 11
Memorial and Memorial
Museum
Built on the site of the former
World Trade Center, the
National September 11
Memorial and Memorial
Museum pay tribute to the
nearly 3,000 people who
died in a terrorist attack on
the city (see p74).



























An Earlier View
This 1898 photograph
shows a skyline that
is now changed
The Upper Room beyond recognition.
This walk-around
sculpture by Ned
Smyth is one of many
works of art in Battery
Park City (see p81).

Detail from The Upper Room




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THE M ANHA T T AN SK Y LINE  57

26 Broadway
KEY The tower of the
former Standard Oil
1 Brookfield Place has at the Building resembles
heart of its complex the Winter an oil lamp. The
Garden – a place to shop, dine, interior is still
and be entertained, plus great decorated with
views of the Hudson River (see p71).
company symbols.
2 One World Trade Center was
completed in 2013. Numerous
other skyscrapers are still being
built on the complex.
3 Liberty View
4 Liberty Plaza
5 Bank of New York
6 East Coast War Memorial East Coast War
7 26 Broadway Memorial
In Battery Park, a huge
8 17 State Street bronze eagle by Albino
9 Castle Clinton Manca honors the dead of
World War II.
0 US Custom House






























American Merchant
Mariners’ Memorial (1991) Shrine of Mother Seton
This sculpture by Marisol is on Pier A, the last of The first US-born saint
Manhattan’s old piers. The pier also has a lived here (see p77).
restaurant, an oyster bar, and an outdoor deck.













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Lower Manhattan from the East River

At first sight, this stretch of East River shoreline, running up from the tip
of Manhattan Island, is a seamless array of 20th-century office buildings.
But from sea level, streets and slips are still visible, offering glimpses of
old New York and the Financial District to the west. On the skyline itself,
a few of the district’s early skyscrapers still proudly display their ornate
crowns above their more anonymous modern counterparts.
Locator Map
East River View







Vietnam Veterans’ Plaza India House
An engraved green-glass memorial The handsome brownstone
dominates the former Coenties Slip, Hanover Square at One Hanover
a wharf filled in to make a park in the The Queen Elizabeth II Square was
late 19th century (see p80). September 11th Garden completed for
commemorates the the Hanover
lives of the British and Bank in 1853.
Commonwealth
citizens killed during
the 9/11 attacks.

























Downtown Heliport
Air-Sea Rescue and sightseeing
flights operate from here.





Battery Maritime Building Delmonico’s
This historic ferry terminal serves This upscale steakhouse
only Governors Island (see p80). draws many carnivores.




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THE M ANHA T T AN SK Y LINE  59


New York Stock Exchange KEY
Although hidden from view by
more modern edifices, this is still 1 One New York Plaza
the hub of the hectic Financial 2 125 Broad Street
District (see pp72–3).
3 55 Water Street
4 One Financial Square
40 Wall Street
In the 1940s, the 5 New York Stock Exchange
pyramid-topped 6 Citibank Building (111 Wall St)
tower of the 7 28 Liberty
former Bank
of Manhattan 8 120 Wall Street
was hit by a
light aircraft.





70 Pine Street
Bank of New York Replicas of this
This serene 1928 interior is part elegant Gothic-
of the bank set up in 1784 by style tower can
Alexander Hamilton (see p25). be seen near the
Pine and Cedar
street entrances.



























100 Old Slip
Now in the shadow
of One Financial
Square, the
small palazzo-
style First
Precinct Police
Department was
the city’s most
modern police Queen Elizabeth Monument
station when it Carved medallion, The ocean liner that sank in
was built in 1911. 100 Old Slip 1972 is remembered here.




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South Street Seaport

Where the Financial District ends, the skyline, as seen from the East River
or Brooklyn, changes dramatically. The corporate headquarters are
replaced by the piers, low-rise streets, and warehouses of the old seaport
area, now restored as the South Street Seaport (see p84). The Civic
Center lies not far inland, and a few of its monu mental buildings can
be seen. The Brooklyn Bridge marks the end of this stretch of skyline.
Between here and Midtown, apartment blocks make up the majority Locator Map
of riverside features. South Street Area
KEY
1 28 Liberty Street
2 175 Water Street
3 4 World Trade Center
4 One Seaport Plaza
Pier 17
5 One World Trade Center The focal point of the
6 Transportation Building Seaport, this leisure pier,
7 The Beekman part-shopping mall, part-
entertainment complex, is
8 30 Park Place due to reopen in 2017 after
9 New York by Gehry extensive renovations.
0 Pace University
q Southbridge Towers
w Police Plaza
e Verizon Building






















Pier 15
With two floors of observation decks, offer- Titanic Memorial
ing brilliant East River views, Pier 15 is also The lighthouse on Fulton Street commemorates the
home to the Maritime sinking of the Titanic, the largest steamship ever built.
Crafts Center.












060-061_EW_New_York_City.indd 60 4/3/17 11:10 AM

THE M ANHA T T AN SK Y LINE  61


Police Plaza
5 in 1 (1971–4), in Police Plaza,
is a sculpture by Bernard
Rosenthal. It represents the
five boroughs of New York.



Municipal Building
Until 2009, this building was
where weddings “at City Hall”
actually took place. The copper
statue on the skyline is Civic Fame
by Adolph Weinman.








United States
Courthouse
Woolworth Building The Civic Center
The handsomely decorated is marked on the
spire marks the headquarters skyline by the
of F. W. Woolworth’s empire. Surrogate’s Courthouse golden pyramid
It is still the finest “cathedral (Hall of Records) of architect Cass
of commerce” ever built Archives dating back to 1664 Gilbert’s
(see p85). are stored and displayed here. courthouse.



























Con Edison Mural
In 1975, artist Richard
Haas re-created the
Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn Bridge
sidewall of a former Views of, and from, the bridge have made it one
electrical substation. of New York’s best-loved landmarks (see pp232–5).




060-061_EW_New_York_City.indd 61 4/3/17 11:10 AM

62  INTRODUCING NE W Y ORK CIT Y

Midtown Manhattan

The skyline of Midtown Manhattan is graced with some of the city’s
most spectacular towers and spires – from the familiar beauty of the
Empire State Building’s Art Deco pinnacle to the dramatic wedge shape
of Citibank’s modern headquarters. As the shoreline progresses uptown,
so the architecture becomes more varied; the United Nations complex
dominates a long stretch, and then Beekman Place begins a strand of
exclusive residential enclaves that offer the rich and famous some Locator Map
seclusion in this busy part of the city. Midtown

Grand Central Terminal
Now dwarfed by its neighbors, this
landmark building is full of period
details, such
as this fine
clock (see
pp152–3).







Chrysler Building
Glinting in the sun by day or lit up
Empire State Building by night, this stainless-steel spire
At 1,250 ft (381 m), this is, for many, the ultimate New York
was the tallest building skyscraper (see p151).
in the world for many
years (see pp132–3).


















United Nations
Works of art from member
countries include this
Barbara Hepworth
sculpture, a gift from
Britain (see pp156–9).

1 and 2 UN Plaza
Tudor City Angular glass towers
Built in the 1920s, this complex is house offices and
mock Tudor on a grand scale, with the ONE UN
over 3,000 apartments. New York Hotel.




062-063_EW_New_York.indd 62 06/04/16 12:39 pm

THE M ANHA T T AN SK Y LINE  63


General Electric Building KEY
Built of brick in 1931, this Art Deco
building has a tall spiked crown that 1 The Highpoint
resembles radio waves (see p172). 2 MetLife Building
3 Trump World Tower
4 100 UN Plaza
5 General Electric Building
6 866 United Nations Plaza
7 Citigroup Center (601 Lexington)













Rockefeller Center
The outdoor skating
rink and walkways of Waldorf-Astoria
this complex of office The splendid interior of one The Nail
buildings, shops, and of the city’s most historic hotels This exterior cross designed by
eateries are great lies beneath twin copper- Arnaldo Pomodoro resides in
for people-watching capped towers (see p173). St. Peter’s Church, which is
(see p140). located in one corner of the
Citigroup Center (see p173).





















Japan Society
Japanese culture, from ancient
art to avant-garde plays, can be
seen here (see pp154–5).
Beekman Tower
Now a complex of
corporate apartments,
this Art Deco tower
St. Mary’s Garden was built in 1928 as a
The garden at Holy hotel for women who
Family Church is a were members of US
peaceful haven. college sororities.
Queensboro Bridge and Midtown Manhattan skyline at dusk



062-063_EW_New_York.indd 63 06/04/16 12:39 pm

064-065_EW_New_York.indd 64 06/04/16 12:39 pm

new york

City


area by area





Lower Manhattan
and the Civic Center 66–85
Lower East Side 86–95
SoHo and TriBeCa 96–101
Greenwich Village 102–111
East Village 112–117
Gramercy and the
Flatiron District 118–125
Chelsea and the
Garment District 126–135

Midtown West and
the Theater District 136–145
Lower Midtown 146–161
Upper Midtown 162–177
Upper East Side 178–197
Central Park 198–203
Upper West Side 204–213
Morningside Heights
and Harlem 214–225
Brooklyn 226–241
Farther Afield 242–259

Seven Guided Walks 260–277
















064-065_EW_New_York.indd 65 06/04/16 12:39 pm

RIVER TERRA CE CH AM BERS S T R E E T B R O A D W A Y WHITE STREET
r Chambers St LEONARD ST
WARREN ST
e 1.2.3 LAFAYETTE STREET
v NORTH END AVENUE M U R RAY ST CENTRE STREET
i GREENWICH ST
R BARCLAY ST WEST BROADWAY Park Place READE ST
2.3
PLAZA
R
North Cove VESEY STREET City Hall ST CHAMBERS ANDREW'S PEARL ST
Yacht Harbor CITY Brooklyn PARK ROW
World Trade HALL Bridge-
n Center CHURCH STREET PARK City Hall
4.5.6
o BATTERY E Fulton St ST AVE OF THE FINEST
s PARK WE S TS ID E HI G H WAY 9A ( W ES T ST) FULTON A.C.4.5 NASSAU
d CITY
GOLD STREET
u SOUTH EN D AVENUE L I B ER TY Cortlandt St STREET ANN ST DOVER ST
H GREENWICH ST ST R Fulton St JOHN ST Fulton St
2.3
J.Z
PEARL STREET
TR I N I T Y PLA C E
ST
Wall St
FRONT STREET
4.5
South Cove WASHINGTON STREET Rector St EXCHANGE Broad St WILLIAM ST LEGION FULTON ST V I A D U C T Brooklyn
BROADWAY
PECK SLIP
SQUARE
1.R
J.Z
CEDAR
Bridge
Wall St
2.3
FIRST PLACE
WALL ST
E a s t R i v e r
Bowling BEAVER ST PL HANOVER STREET M A I D E N L A N E PIER 17
Green SQUARE FRONT STREET
PIER A 4.5 BROA D ST W AT E R S T R E E T S O U T H S T R E E T PIER 15
FERRIES TO LIBERTY B ATTERY PEARL
PAR K
AND ELLIS ISLANDS STATE ST WHITEHALL ST Whitehall St SLIP PIER 11 Wall St
OLD
Brooklyn – Battery Tunnel South Ferry 1 R PIER 6 Ferry Pier
SOUTH FERRY
PLAZA
Downtown
Manhattan Heliport
Staten
South Ferry
Island Ferry
FERRIES TO GOVERNORS ISLAND
AND WEEHAWKEN
066-067_EW_New_York_City.indd 66 4/3/17 11:10 AM

NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA  67

LOWER MANHATTAN AND
THE CIVIC CENTER


The old and the new con verge in Lower the new One World Trade Center soars 1,776 ft
Manhattan, where Colonial churches and early (541 m) above the city, with a spate of modern
American monuments stand in the shadow of office towers, hotels, and transport hubs
sky scrapers. New York was born here in the dotting the area. To the north, the Civic
1620s, and, with the emergence of Wall Street, Center is the axis of the police department
it has remained at the heart of the world’s and the federal goverment’s court systems,
financial markets. Since the September 11 while nearby South Street Seaport is a restored
attacks, there has been startling regeneration: dock area of shops, restaurants, and old ships.
Sights at a Glance
Historic Streets, Buildings, Museums and Galleries Parks and Squares
and Important Sites 4 Museum of American Finance t Bowling Green
1 Federal Reserve Bank 8 National September 11 o Vietnam Veterans’ Plaza
2 Federal Hall Memorial Museum f Battery Park
3 New York Stock Exchange pp72–3 w Museum of Jewish Heritage z City Hall Park and Park Row
7 National September 11 Memorial e Skyscraper Museum Boat Trips
9 9/11 Tribute Center y National Museum of p Staten Island Ferry
a Governors Island the American Indian
h Schermerhorn Row i Fraunces Tavern Museum Churches
j South Street Seaport d Ellis Island pp82–3 5 Trinity Church
k Criminal Courthouses Monuments and Statues u Saint Elizabeth Ann
l City Hall r Charging Bull Seton Shrine
c Woolworth Building x St. Paul’s Chapel
s Statue of Liberty pp78–9
g Castle Clinton Modern Architecture
National Monument 6 Brookfield Place
v African Burial Ground 0 One World Trade Center
National Monument WHITE STREET q Battery Park City & Irish
Hunger Memorial
RIVER TERRA CE WARREN ST B R O A D W A Y
CHAMBERS STREE T
r Chambers St LEONARD ST
e 1.2.3 LAFAYETTE STREET
v NORTH END AVENUE M U R RAY S T CENTRE STREET
i GREENWICH ST
R BARCLAY ST WEST BROADWAY Park Place READE ST Restaurants see pp294–9
2.3
PLAZA
R
2 Battery Gardens
North Cove VESEY STREET City Hall ST CHAMBERS ANDREW'S PEARL ST 1 Adrienne’s Pizza Bar
Yacht Harbor CITY Brooklyn PARK ROW 3 Delmonico’s
World Trade HALL Bridge-
n Center CHURCH STREET PARK City Hall 4 Fraunces Tavern
4.5.6
o BATTERY E Fulton St ST AVE OF THE FINEST 5 Les Halles
A.C.4.5
s PARK WE S TS ID E HI G H WAY 9A ( W ES T ST) FULTON NASSAU
d CITY 6 The Paris Café
GOLD STREET
u SOUTH EN D AVENUE LIBER TY Cortlandt St STREET ANN ST DOVER ST 7 SUteiShi
H GREENWICH ST ST R Fulton St JOHN ST Fulton St
2.3
J.Z
PEARL STREET
TR I N I T Y PLA C E
ST
Wall St
FRONT STREET
4.5
South Cove WASHINGTON STREET Rector St EXCHANGE Broad St WILLIAM ST LEGION FULTON ST V I A D U C T Brooklyn
BROADWAY
PECK SLIP
SQUARE
1.R
J.Z
CEDAR
Bridge
Wall St
2.3
FIRST PLACE
E a s t R i v e r
WALL ST
Bowling BEAVER ST PL HANOVER STREET M A I D E N L A N E PIER 17
Green SQUARE FRONT STREET
PIER A 4.5 BROA D ST W AT E R S T R E E T S OUTH S T R E E T PIER 15
FERRIES TO LIBERTY B ATTERY PEARL
PAR K
AND ELLIS ISLANDS STATE ST WHITEHALL ST Whitehall St SLIP PIER 11 Wall St
OLD
Brooklyn – Battery Tunnel South Ferry 1 R PIER 6 Ferry Pier
SOUTH FERRY
PLAZA
Downtown
Manhattan Heliport
Staten
Island Ferry
South Ferry
FERRIES TO GOVERNORS ISLAND 0 meters 500
AND WEEHAWKEN 0 yards 500 See also Street Finder maps 1, 2
Statue of Liberty monument, Liberty Island For keys to symbols see back flap
066-067_EW_New_York_City.indd 67 4/3/17 11:10 AM

68  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

Street by Street: The Marine Midland
Building rises straight up
Wall Street 55 stories. This dark glass
tower occupies only 40
No intersection has been of greater importance to per cent of its site. The
the city, past or present, than the one at Wall and other 60 per cent is a
Broad streets. Three important sites are located plaza in which a large
red sculpture by Isamu
near here. Federal Hall National Monument marks Noguchi, Cube, balances
the place where, in 1789, George on one of its points.
Washington was sworn in as president.
The New York Stock Exchange,
founded in 1817, is to this day a Trinity Building, an
financial nerve center whose ups early 20th-century
and downs cause tremors globally. Gothic skyscraper,
Nearby, Trinity Church is one of was designed to
the nation’s oldest Anglican complement nearby
Trinity Church.
parishes. The surrounding build ings
are the very heart of New York’s
famous financial district.
The Equitable Building (1915)
deprived its neighbors of light,
prompting a change in the law:
skyscrapers had to be set back
from the street.
5. Trinity Church
Built in 1846 in a
Gothic style, this is the
third church on this
site. Once the tallest Wall Street subway
structure in the city, (lines 4, 5)
the bell tower is now NASSAU STREET
dwarfed by the
skyscrapers that
surround it. Many
famous early New
Yorkers are buried B R O A D W A Y
in the churchyard.

T
One Wall Street, built in 1932, E
has an outer wall patterned to R E
look like fabric. In the lobby is E T S T
E X C H A N G E P L A C E
an Art Deco mosaic in shades E D
of flame red and gold. T R A
S O WILLIAM STREET
R
W
E B
N




3. New York
26 Broadway Stock Exchange
was built as the The hub of the
home of the world’s financial
Standard Oil markets is housed in
Trust. An oil lamp a 17-story building
rests on top of it. constructed in 1903.




068-069_EW_New_York_City.indd 68 4/3/17 11:40 AM

L OWER M ANHA T T AN AND THE CIVIC CENTER  69

The Liberty Tower is clad SOHO &
in white terracotta and is in TRIBECA LOWER
the Gothic style. It was later Hudson River EAST SIDE
turned into apartments. LOWER MANHATTAN
& THE CIVIC CENTER
Upper
Bay East River
LOWER
The Chamber of MANHATTAN
ELLIS I.
Commerce is a LIBERTY I. BROOKLYN
fine Beaux Arts GOVERNORS I.
building of 1901. 28 Liberty has the Locator Map
famous Jean Dubuffet See map pp16–17
sculpture Four Trees
located in the plaza.
Key
Suggested route
0 meters 100
0 yards 100

1. Federal
Reserve Bank
In the style of
a Renaissance
palace, this is a
bank for banks.
US currency is
issued here.

M A
I
D E
NASSAU STREET L I B E R T Y S T R E E T A N E
N L
Louise Nevelson Plaza is a
park containing Nevelson’s
sculpture Shadows and Flags.



C E D A R S T R E E T
WILLIAM STREET W A L L S T R E E T Wall Street is named
for the wall that kept
enemies and hostile
Native Americans out of
Manhattan – the street is
now the heart of the city’s
business center.







2. Federal Hall
Built as the US Custom House
in 1842, this Classical building
houses a fascinating exhibit
about George Washington. Wall Street in the 1920s




068-069_EW_New_York_City.indd 69 4/3/17 11:40 AM

70  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


1971 when President Nixon 3 New York
ended the trading of gold at a Stock Exchange
fixed price. Designed by York &
Sawyer in the Italian Renaissance See pp72–3.
style, the 1924 building occupies
a full block and is adorned with
fine wrought-iron grillwork.
Entrance to the Federal Reserve Bank, built 2 Federal Hall
in 1924
26 Wall St. Map 1 C3. Tel (212) 825-
1 Federal 6888. q Wall St. Open 9am–5pm
Reserve Bank Mon–Fri. Closed public hols.
7 8 10am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm Mon–
33 Liberty St. Map 1 C2. Tel (212) 720- Fri. = ∑ nps.gov/feha
6130. q Fulton St–Broadway Nassau.
8 1pm & 2pm Mon–Fri (tours only). A bronze statue of George
Free (register in advance). Washington on the steps of
Closed pub hols. ^ 7 Federal Hall marks the site where
∑ newyorkfed.org the nation’s first presi dent took his
oath of office in 1789. Thousands
This is a government bank for of New Yorkers jammed Wall and
banks – it is one of the 12 Broad streets for the occasion.
Federal Reserve banks, and They roared their approval when Exterior of the Museum of American
therefore issues US currency. the Chancellor of the State of Finance, Wall Street
You can identify bills originating New York shouted, “Long live
from this branch by the letter B George Washington, President 4 Museum of
in the Federal Reserve seal on of the United States.” American Finance
each note. The present structure,
Five stories below ground is renovated in 2006, was built 48 Wall St. Map 1 C3. Tel (212) 908-
one of the largest storehouses between 1834 and 1842 as 4110. q Wall St. Open 10am–4pm
for international gold. Each the US Customs House. It is Tue–Sat. ∑ moaf.org
nation’s hoard is stored in its one of the finest Greek Revival
own compartment within the designs in the city. Display Completed in 1929, this
subterranean vault, guarded by rooms off the Rotunda pay museum sits in the former
90-ton doors. Payments between tribute to the Washington main hall of the lavish Bank
nations used to be made by connection, and include the of New York & Trust building.
physical transfers of gold, until Bill of Rights Room. An ideal place to gain an
understanding of the city’s
financial trading rooms,
the museum explains
stocks, bonds, and futures
trading. Multimedia
presentations and exhibits
explain all there is to
know, and there are
several rare artifacts
on display, including a
bond signed by George
Washington in 1792, a
gold ingot from the 1850s,
and ticker tape from
the opening moments
of the Great Crash in 1929.
The first Secretary of
the Treasury, Alexander
Hamilton (c. 1755–1804),
was a financial pioneer
in his time, and there is
an entire gallery dedicated
to him at the museum.
Documentary films on
Wall Street are shown
Marble-columned rotunda within Federal Hall through the day as well.




070-071_EW_New_York_City.indd 70 4/3/17 11:10 AM

L OWER M ANHA T T AN AND THE CIVIC CENTER  71


6 Brookfield Place
230 Vesey St. Map 1 A2. Tel (212)
945-2600. q Fulton St, Cortlandt St,
Rector St. 7 0 - =
∑ brookfieldplaceny.com
A model of urban design by Cesar
Pelli & Associates in the 1980s,
Brookfield Place (formerly known
as the World Financial Center),
is an imposing 14-acre (6-ha)
shopping, dining, and business
complex. When it was first
inaugurated in 1988, the building
was hailed as the Rockefeller
Center of the 21st century.
Thereafter, following 9/11,
an ambitious $250-million
renovation took place, which was Main floor of the magnificent Winter
The peaceful graveyard at finally completed in 2014. Today, Garden, Brookfield Place
Trinity Church there are four office towers that
soar skyward, and house the leads down to the Winter Garden,
5 Trinity Church headquarters of some of the but this often doubles as
biggest financial companies in picturesque seating for free
79 Broadway at Wall St. Map 1 C3. the world, such as Merrill Lynch events. There are a variety of
Tel (212) 602-0800. q Wall St,
Rector St. Open 8am–6pm daily. and American Express. shows held at the plaza, ranging
5 8:15am, 12:05pm, 5:15pm Located within the Brookfield from concerts in classical and
Mon–Fri, 9am & 11:15am Sun. Place complex is the dazzling contemporary music to dance
8 2pm Mon–Fri; also Sun Winter Garden, a magnificent, and theater performances, all of
after 11:15am service. Concerts: 10-story public plaza. The ceiling which are listed on the website.
see details online. = - is made entirely of glass, of which There are two food halls that
∑ trinitywallstreet.org 2,000 panes were replaced after both adjoin the Winter Garden
the attacks of 9/11. The plaza is plaza – Hudson Eats offers
This square-towered Episcopal further complemented by 16 modern and popular eateries,
church at the head of Wall Washingtonia robusta palms from while Le District is a French-
Street is the third one on Florida, each standing at a height themed food court. The plaza
this site. Designed in 1846 of 45 ft (14 m) and replacing the then opens out onto the
by Richard Upjohn, it was palm court tradition of yesteryear. North Cove yacht harbor and
among the grandest churches A sweeping marble staircase promenade by the Hudson River.
of its day, marking the
beginning of the best period
of Gothic Revival architecture
in America. Richard Morris
Hunt’s design for the
sculpted brass doors
was inspired by Lorenzo
Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise
at the Baptistery in Florence.
Restoration has uncovered
the original rosy sandstone,
long buried beneath layers
of city grime. The 280-ft (85-m)
steeple, the tallest structure
in New York until 1890, still
commands respect despite
its towering neighbors.
Many prominent early
New Yorkers are buried in
the graveyard: statesman
Alexander Hamilton; steamboat
inventor Robert Fulton; and
William Bradford, founder
of New York’s first newspaper
in 1725, to name but a few. Brookfield Place viewed from the Hudson River




070-071_EW_New_York_City.indd 71 4/3/17 11:10 AM

72  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

3 New York Stock Exchange

In 1790, trading in stocks and shares took place
haphazardly on or around Wall Street, but in 1792
24 brokers who traded at 68 Wall Street signed
an agreement to deal only with one another: the
basis of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) was
formed. The NYSE has weathered a succession
of alternating slumps (“bear markets”) and
booms (“bull markets”), growing from a local
marketplace into a financial center of global
importance. Membership is strictly limited.
In 1817, a “seat” cost $25; in the “bullish” years
of the late 1990s, the prices ran as high as
$4 million. In 2006, the NYSE became a for-
profit public company, and all the seats were
exchanged for cash and stock settlements.
Traders now buy one-year licenses.


A Guide to the Trading Floor
As of January 24, 2007, all NYSE stocks have been
traded via an electronic hybrid market. Although
most trading is done electronically today, the
NYSE maintains the tradition of person-to-person
trading on the stock market floor. The stock market
floor comprises trading posts where traders buy
and sell the shares (or “stocks”) of listed companies.
The physical auction of stocks during the openings
and closings of market are managed by Designated
Market Makers (DMM), who specialize in specific
groups of stocks. Employees of NYSE member
firms, known as floor brokers, trade stocks for the
public. These include mostly institutions, hedge
funds, and other brokers. Supplemental Liquidity
Providers (SLPs) or the electronic traders, trade
only for their proprietary accounts. Orders are
processed via an integrated trading technology
platform, NYSE Pillar, which was launched in 2016.









Trading post



KEY
1 Computerized stock tickers Ticker-Tape Machine
flash a steady stream of prices as Introduced around
fast as the human eye is able to 1870, these machines
read them. printed out up-to-the-
2 Trading post minute details of
purchase prices on
ribbons of paper tape.




072-073_EW_New_York_City.indd 72 4/3/17 11:10 AM

L OWER M ANHA T T AN AND THE CIVIC CENTER  73


The 48-Hour Day VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
During the 1929
Crash, Stock Practical Information
Exchange clerks 20 Broad St.
worked nonstop Map 1 C3. Tel (212) 656-3000.
for 48 hours. Their Closed visitors’ gallery closed to
mood stayed the public for security reasons.
cheerful despite 8 for educa tional purposes
the panic outside. only. Highly restricted. 7
∑ nyse.com
Transport
@ M5, M15, M20 q 2, 3, 4, 5 to
Wall St; R to Rector St.















Trading Floor
On a typical day, billions of shares are traded for around 2,000
listed companies. The advanced electronics that support the
NYSE Pillar trading platform allows traders to connect to
the various NYSE equities and options markets.
Great Crash of 1929
On Tuesday, October
29, over 16 million
shares changed
hands as the stock
market crashed.
Investors thronged
Wall Street in
bewilderment, but,
contrary to popular
myth, traders did
not leap from
windows in panic.
Members’ entrance,
Wall Street


1867 Ticker-tape
1792 machines introduced 1903 Present Stock
Buttonwood Exchange building opens 2016 Dow Jones
Agreement 1844 Invention of 1987 “Black Monday” crash, Index hits 18,506.41
signed on the telegraph allows October 19. Dow Jones Index in July, an all-
May 17 trading nationwide drops 508 points time peak
1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 2050
1817 New York 1865 New Exchange 1929 Wall 2001 After 8 years of 2009 Dow Jones
Stock & Exchange Building opens at Wall St. Crash, bull markets, economy Index hits 6,547,
Board created and Broad streets October 29 falters after September 11 a 12-year low
1869 “Black Friday” gold 2006 The NYSE merges with Archipelago
crash, September 24 Holdings to become a for-profit public company





072-073_EW_New_York_City.indd 73 4/3/17 11:10 AM

74  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


Brody Bond, this underground
museum opened in 2014,
and is a thorough testament
to the events of 9/11. With
poignant exhibits, personal
accounts and videos, and
countless artifacts recovered
from Ground Zero, the museum
details the events of September
11, 2001 informing visitors of
both the events that led up to
the attacks, and after.
The cavernous Foundation
Hall sits at the exhibition level,
and contains the structural
Flowers laid for victims of the attacks at the National September 11 Memorial remains of the Twin Towers.
A section of slurry wall remains,
7 National known as the Survivor Tree, which today protects the site
September 11 which miraculously survived from the Hudson River. There
Memorial the collapse of the World Trade is also a crushed FDNY fire
Center. The tree was originally
truck, and the iconic final
Greenwich St, between Fulton and planted in the 1970s, and piece of structural steel to be
Liberty Sts. Map 1 B2. Tel (212) 266- suffered grave damage during removed from Ground Zero,
5211. q Fulton St, World Trade Center, the September 11 attacks. It was referred to as the Last Column.
Cortland St, Rector St. Open 7:30am– replanted in the Van Cortlandt The September 11, 2001
9pm daily. 8 ∑ 911memorial.org Park in the Bronx, where it Historical Exhibition is at the
slowly recovered, before it was center of the museum, and
The moving memorial was built returned to its original spot by contains a host of images,
to commemorate the 10-year the memorial, in 2010. recordings, and videos that
anniversary of the terrorist cover the events of September
attacks of September 11 2001. 8 National 11 almost minute by minute.
The process began in 2003, when There are phone calls made by
the Lower Manhattan Develop- September 11 passengers from Flight 93,
ment Corporation launched an Memorial Museum which crashed in Pennsylvania,
international competition to photographs of the burning
design the memorial. A year later, Greenwich St, between Fulton and towers, and radio recordings
the Israeli architect Michael Arad, Liberty Sts. Map 1 B2. Tel (212) 266- of firemen in the towers just
employed at the landscape- 5211. q Fulton St, World Trade Center, before the collapse.
Cortland St, Rector St. Open 9am–
architecture firm Peter Walker & 8pm Sun–Thu (last entry 6pm), Tickets to the museum can
Partners, was selected for his 9am–9pm Fri & Sat (last entry 7pm). be purchased three months in
work Reflecting Absence. & 8 9 ∑ 911memorial.org advance, or visitors can queue
The two vast memorial pools for entry on the day. Note
represent the footprints of the Designed by the New York- queues can be long.
original towers, each almost based architectural firm David
one acre (0.40 ha) in extent. 9 One World
To mute the sounds of the
city, 30-ft (9-m) waterfalls were Trade Center
contructed on either side. The 285 Fulton St. Map 1 B2. Tel (844)
bronze parapets that encircle 696-1776. q World Trade Center,
the pools display the names Cortland St, Rector St. Open Late
of 2,977 victims of the attacks, May–early Sep: 9am–10pm
along with the six people killed daily (last entry 9:15pm); early
during the 1993 attack on the Sep–early May 9am–8pm daily
World Trade Center. (last entry 7:15pm). n & 0
The surrounding plaza is ∑ oneworldobservatory.com
studded with 400 swamp
white oak trees, intended to The tallest skyscraper in the
provide a meditative oasis United States, One World
within the city for later years; Trade Center stands at an epic
the trees can grow up to a height of 1,776 ft (541 m), and
height of 80 ft (24 m) at maturity, is a grand pinnacle of steel
and live between 300 to 350 and glass. The construction
years. The plaza is also home M27 steel impact display at the National of the building began in
to a callery pear tree, better September 11 Memorial Museum 2006, supervised by architect




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L OWER M ANHA T T AN AND THE CIVIC CENTER  75


stands at 741 ft (226 m); and
Fumihiko Maki’s 4 World Trade
Center, which opened in 2013,
and stands at 978 ft (298 m).

0 9/11 Tribute
Center
120 Liberty St. Map 1 B2. Tel (866)
737-1184. q World Trade Center,
Cortland St, Rector St. Open 10am–
6pm Mon–Sat, 10am–5pm Sun. n
& 8 ∑ tributewtc.org

The 9/11 Tribute Center was
established by the September
11th Families’ Association, an
organisation set up by the
victims’ families. The center
aims to give a personal
understanding of the attacks
and its victims. Opened in
2006, while the nearby National
September 11 Memorial was
still under development, the
center stands separately and
houses just five small galleries.
Among its exhibits, the
center offers a model of the
1974 Twin Towers, and has a
section dedicated to the day
of the attacks. There are also
several videos and recorded
The remarkable One World Trade Center against the Manhattan skyline accounts of the survivors of
the attacks. The center offers
David Childs. The structure images of New York on a loop. daily walking tours for visitors,
incorporated the Tower of On the 100th floor, the Main led by family members, rescue
Freedom design, originally Observatory features the Sky and recovery workers, survivors,
created by Polish-born architect, Portal, a 14-ft (4-m) wide civilian volunteers, and
Daniel Libeskind. circular disc that provides residents of Lower Manhattan.
At the ground level of the dazzling views of the drop The tours also take visitors
building, there is a multimedia below. There are also several through the National
show entitled “Voices”, which dining options for visitors with September 11 Memorial.
takes visitors through the lives a ticket to the Observatory.
and stories of the people who The site surrounding One
built the tower. The Foundations World Trade Center swarms
exhibit, which is located here with workers involved in
as well, lays out the bedrock of construction projects, which
the land beneath the building. can be seen at various stages of
Five high-speed elevators, development. Although seven
known as Sky Pods, transport buildings were destroyed
visitors to the top of the during the 2001 attacks, the
building in just 60 seconds. area has seen a massive boom
From here, there are beautiful and much investment, thanks
views of the harbor, Staten to the focus on regenerating
Island, and Mahattan. Lower Manhattan. The entire
The One World Trade Center World Trade complex, which
Observatory occupies the 100th, includes five towers and an
101st, and 102nd floors, and arts center, is estimated to be
offers visitors an array of activities. completed by 2019. Structures
The See Forever Theater on the that have so far seen fruition
102nd floor screens a two- include 7 World Trade Center, A model of the Twin Towers, highlighting
minute video with bird’s-eye which opened in 2006, and the lives of victims




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76  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


r Charging Bull
Broadway at Bowling Green.
Map 1 C4. q Bowling Green.
∑ chargingbull.com
At 1am on December 15, 1989,
sculptor Arturo Di Modica
(b. 1941) and 30 friends
unloaded his 7,000-lb (3,200-kg)
Charging Bull bronze statue in
front of the New York Stock
Exchange. The group had eight
minutes between police patrols
to place the sculpture, but they
managed to in just five. The
bull was later taken away for
obstructing traffic and lacking a
permit. Public outcry ensued and
Arturo Di Modica’s iconic Charging Bull statue, at the southern end of Broadway the Parks Department gave it a
“temporary” stomping ground
q Battery Park City housed in a remarkable six- on Broadway, where it remains
& Irish Hunger sided building, symbolizing to this day as the unofficial
Memorial the six million Jews who died mascot of Wall Street.
under the Nazis, as well as the Di Modica created the sculp-
7 Battery Park City. Map 1 A3. six points of the Star of David. ture after the 1987 stock-market
q Rector St. The poignant and informative crash, to symbolize the “strength,
collection begins with the power, and hope of the American
Construction of the former World practicalities and rituals of people for the future.” It took
Trade Center resulted in a million everyday Eastern European him two years to complete, at
cubic yards of landfill, which was Jewish life, pre-1930. It then a personal cost of $350,000.
poured into the Hudson River moves on to the horrors of
to form a lovely neigh borhood the Holocaust, and ends with
of restaurants, apartments, the establishment of Israel and
sculptures, and gardens. The subsequent Jewish achieve-
1.2-mile (2-km) esplanade along ments. The audio guides are
the river offers spectacular narrated by Meryl Streep and
views of the Statue of Liberty. Itzhak Perlman.
Overlooking the Hudson at
the end of Vesey Street, the
Irish Hunger Memorial is a e Skyscraper
monument dedicated to the Museum
Irish who starved to death 39 Battery Pl. Map 1 A3. Tel (212) 968-
during the Great Famine 1961. q Bowling Green, Rector St.
of 1845–52. The centerpiece, Open noon–6pm Wed–Sun. & =
an abandoned stone cottage ∑ skyscraper.org
from Ireland, is set on a raised,
grassy embankment. Adjacent to the Ritz-Carlton
hotel, this museum celebrates
New York’s architectural heritage
w Museum of and examines the historical The charming fountain at Bowling Green,
Jewish Heritage forces and individuals that Battery Park
shaped the city’s skyline. There
36 Battery Pl. Map 1 B4. Tel (646) 437- is a permanent exhibition on t Bowling Green
4200. q Bowling Green, South Ferry. the World Trade Center and
@ M5, M15, M20. Open 10am– a digital reconstruction of Map 1 C4. q Bowling Green.
5:45pm Sun–Thu (to 8pm Wed),
10am–5pm Fri (to 3pm Nov–Mar) and how Manhattan has changed This triangular plot north
eve of Jewish hols. Closed Sat, Jewish over time, as well as temporary of Battery Park was the city’s
holidays, Thanksgiving. & 7 9 = exhi bitions that analyze the earliest park, used first as
- Lectures. ∑ mjhnyc.org various definitions of tall a cattle market and later as a
buildings: as objects of design, bowling ground. A statue of
This museum stands as a products of techno logy, sites King George III stood here until
memorial to the victims of the of construction, real-estate the signing of the Declaration
Holocaust. The core exhibition, investments, and places of of Independence, when, as
which covers three floors, is work and residence. a symbol of British rule, the




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L OWER M ANHA T T AN AND THE CIVIC CENTER  77




















An exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian
statue was hacked to pieces drawn from the permanent u Saint Elizabeth
and smelted for ammunition collection. The National Ann Seton Shrine
(see pp24–5). The wife of the Archives, located on the third
governor of Connecticut is said floor, contains a small exhibition 7 State St. Map 1 C4. Tel (212) 269-
to have melted down enough featuring a selection of original 6865. q Whitehall, South Ferry.
pieces to mold 42,000 bullets. documents from the National Open 7am–5pm daily.
The fence, erected in 1771, Archives, which are based in 5 8:05am, 12:15pm Mon–Fri; 11am
Sun. ∑ spcolr.org
is still standing, but minus the Washington, D. C.
royal crowns that once adorned Completed in 1907, and in
it – they met the same fate as use until 1973, the Beaux Arts Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774–1821),
the statue. The Green was Custom House is also a part of the first native-born American
once surrounded by elegant the attraction. The impressive to be canonized by the Catholic
homes. Beyond it is the start facade, adorned with elaborate Church, lived here from 1801 to
of Broadway, which runs the statuary by Daniel Chester 1803. Mother Seton founded the
length of Manhattan and, French, depicts the major American Sisters of Charity, the
under its formal name of continents, and some of the first order of nuns in the United
Route 9, all the way north to world’s great commercial States. After the Civil War, the
the State capital in Albany. centers. The magnificent Mission of Our Lady of the Rosary
marble Great Hall, and rotunda turned the building into a shelter
located inside, are beautifully for homeless Irish immigrant
y National Museum decorated. The 16 murals women – 170,000 passed through
of the American covering the 135-ft (41-m) on their way to a new life in
Indian dome were painted by America. The adjoining church
was built in 1965. The Mission
Reginald Marsh in 1937 and
1 Bowling Green. Map 1 C4. show the progress of ships into established and maintains the
q Bowling Green. National Museum the harbor. shrine to Mother Seton.
of the American Indian. Tel (212) 514-
3700. Open 10am–5pm daily (to 8pm
Thu). Closed Dec 25. 7 =
∑ nmai.si.edu
Cass Gilbert’s stately US Custom
House now houses the Smith-
sonian National Museum of the
American Indian. The museum’s
outstanding collection of about
a million artifacts, along with
an archive of many thousands
of photographs, spans the
breadth of the native cultures
of North, Central, and South
America. Exhibitions include
works by contemporary
Native American artists as
well as changing displays Front facade of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine




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78  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

s Statue of Liberty

A gift from the French to the American people, the
statue was the brainchild of sculptor Frédéric-
Auguste Bartholdi and has become a symbol
of freedom throughout the world. In Emma
Lazarus’s poem, which is engraved on the
base, Lady Liberty says: “Give me your tired,
your poor, Your huddled masses yearning . Golden Torch
to breathe free.” Unveiled by President In 1986, a new torch
Grover Cleveland on October 28, 1886, the replaced the corroded
original. The replica’s flame is
statue was restored in time for its 100th coated in 24-carat gold leaf.
anniversary in 1986. Public access to the
balcony surrounding the torch has been
barred for safety reasons since 1916.

The Statue
With a height of
305 ft (93 m) from
ground to torch, the
Statue of Liberty
dominates New
York harbor.



From Her Toes to Her Torch
Three hundred molded copper
sheets riveted together make
up Lady Liberty.

KEY
1 The original torch now stands
in the main lobby.
2 Museum
3 The pedestal is set within
the walls of an army fort. It was the
largest concrete mass ever poured.
4 354 steps lead from the
entrance to the crown. . Statue of
5 Observation deck Liberty Museum
6 A central pylon anchors the Posters featuring the
statue are among
200-ton statue to its base.
the items on display.
7 The frame was designed by
Gustave Eiffel, who later built the
Eiffel Tower. The copper shell hangs
on bars from a central iron pylon.
8 The crown’s seven rays represent
the world’s seas and continents.












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VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Practical Information
Map 1 A5.
Tel (212) 363-3200.
Liberty Island: Open 9:45am–
4:45pm; hours vary during hols.
Closed Dec 25. - =
∑ nps.gov/stli
Transport
q 1 to South Ferry; 4, 5 to
Bowling Green; R to Whitehall.
@ M5, M15, M20 to South Ferry,
then g Statue Cruises Ferry
. Ferries to Liberty Island from Battery Park every 20–30
Ferries cross New York harbor to Liberty Island, where mins, 9:30am–3:30pm in summer
the Statue offers some of the city’s finest views.
(winter hours vary).
Tel (877) 523-9849.
& Ferry fare includes entry to
Ellis and Liberty islands.





Portrait of
Liberty
Legend says that
Bartholdi's mother
was the model
for Liberty, but Making the Hand
the rumour is To mold the copper shell, the hand was
unfounded. made first in plaster, then wood.

Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi
The French sculptor who designed the Statue
of Liberty intended it as a monument to the
freedom he found lacking in his own
country. He said, “I will try to glorify the
Republic and Liberty over there, in the
hope that someday I will find it again here.”
Bartholdi devoted 21 years of his life to
making the statue a reality, even traveling
to America in 1871 to talk President Ulysses
S. Grant and others into funding it and
installing it in New York’s harbor.

A Model Figure
A series of graduated scale
models enabled Bartholdi to
build the largest metal statue
ever constructed.
Restoration
Celebration
On July 3, 1986,
after a $100-million
restor ation, the statue
was unveiled. The
$2-million fireworks
display was the
largest ever seen
in America.




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renowned railroad magnate.
The ferry has operated since
1810, carrying island com-
muters to and from the city,
while also offering visitors an
unforget table view of the
harbor, the Statue of Liberty,
Ellis Island, and lower Man-
hattan’s skyline. The fare is still
the city’s best bargain: it’s free.

a Governors Island
Governors Island, New York Harbor.
Map 1 A5–B. q South Ferry, Bowling
Green. Open late May–late Sep: 10am–
The 18th-century Fraunces Tavern Museum and restaurant 6pm Mon–Fri, 10am–7pm Sat & Sun.
∑ govisland.com
i Fraunces o Vietnam
Tavern Museum Veterans’ Plaza With its village greens and
colonial halls reminiscent of a
54 Pearl St. Map 1 C4. Tel (212) Between Water St and South St. college campus, this 172-acre
425-1778. q Wall St, Broad St, Map 2 D4. q Whitehall, South Ferry. (70-ha) island in New York
Bowling Green. Open noon–5pm Harbor makes for a great day-
Mon–Fri, 11am–5pm Sat & This multilevel brick plaza trip. Between 1794 and 1966,
Sun. Closed public hols. ^ features, in its center, an the US Army occupied the
8 groups only. Lectures, films. enormous wall of translucent island, and for the next thirty
0 = ∑ frauncestavern
museum.org green glass, engraved with years it was the US Coast
excerpts from speeches, news Guard’s largest base. Since
New York’s only remaining stories, and moving letters 2003, the island has been
block of 18th-century to families from servicemen shared between the city and
commercial buildings contains and women who died in the the National Park Service.
an exact replica of the 1719 Vietnam war between 1959 Along with a visitors center,
Fraunces Tavern where George and 1975. there is an artificial beach
Washington said farewell to his and a small museum. On the
officers in 1783. The tavern had north west corner of the island,
been an early casualty of the p Staten Castle Williams was built in
Revolution: the British ship Island Ferry 1811 to complement the
Asia shot a cannon ball through near-identical Castle Clinton
its roof in August 1775. The Whitehall St. Map 2 D5.Tel 311. q in Battery Park (see p81).
building was bought in 1904 South Ferry. Open 24 hrs. Free. 7 Used as a prison until 1966,
by the Sons of the Revolution ∑ siferry.com its cramped cells held up to
and its restoration in 1907 1,000 Confederate soldiers
was one of the first efforts to The Staten Island Ferry was during the Civil War. The island
preserve the nation’s heritage. the first business venture of also boasts plenty of green
The ground-floor restaurant promising local boy Cornelius spaces in which to laze in the
has wood-burning fires and Vanderbilt, who later became a sun plus a breezy promenade.
great charm. An upstairs
museum has changing exhibits
interpreting the history and
cul ture of early America.
George Washington’s famous
farewell speech took place in
the Long Room, which has
been recreated in the manner of
the time. The adjacent Federal-
style Clinton Room is a dining
room, decorated in rare French
wallpaper from 1838. There are
galleries of art pertaining to
the Revolution, such as the
Sons of the Revolution gallery,
which explains much of the
society’s history. Staten Island Ferry, a free mode of travel




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L OWER M ANHA T T AN AND THE CIVIC CENTER  81



















Castle Clinton National Monument in Battery Park
s Statue of Liberty g Castle Clinton and a section of the original
See pp78–9. National “Battery Wall” can be viewed
Monument here as well. Tickets to Ellis
Island (see pp82–3) and the
d Ellis Island Battery Park. Map 1 B4. Tel (212) Statue of Liberty (see pp78–9)
344-7220. q Bowling Green,
are also available.
See pp82–3. South Ferry. Open 8am–5pm daily.
Closed Dec 25. 7 8 Concerts. =
∑ nps.gov/cacl h Schermerhorn
Row
Castle Clinton was built in 1811
as an artillery defense post some Fulton and South sts. Map 2 D3.
300 ft (91 m) offshore, connected q Fulton St.
to Battery Park by a causeway;
but landfill gradually linked it This is the South Street Seaport’s
to the mainland. None of its 28 architectural showpiece.
guns was ever used in battle. Constructed in 1811 by
The fort was enclosed in shipowner and chandler Peter
1824 to become a fashionable Schermerhorn on land reclaimed
Beaux Arts subway entrance at the corner theater, where Phineas T. from the river, the buildings
of Battery Park Barnum introduced “Swedish were originally warehouses
nightingale” Jenny Lind in 1850. and counting-houses. With the
f Battery Park In 1855 it preceded Ellis Island as opening of the Brooklyn Ferry
the city’s immigration point, and, terminus in 1814 and then of
Map 1 B4. q South Ferry, by 1890, it had processed over Fulton Market in 1822, the block
Bowling Green.
8 million newcomers. In 1896, it became desirable property.
Named for the British cannons became the New York Aquarium, The Row was restored as part
that once protected New York, which moved to Coney Island of the South Street develop-
the park is one of the best in 1941 (see p259). ment in the 2010s, and it now
places in the city for views of A small exhibit on the history houses museum galleries, as
the harbor. The park is rimmed of the site is open to visitors, well as shops, and restaurants.
with statues and monuments,
such as the Netherlands
Memorial Monument and
memorials to New York’s first
Jewish immigrants and the
Coast Guard. The newer
attractions include the Pier A
Harbor House, headquarters of
the New York Harbor Police in
1886, which now hosts bars
and restaurants; the SeaGlass
Carousel, an aquatic-themed
merry-go-round; and Battery
Farm, which contains plots for
fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Restored buildings on Schermerhorn Row




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d Ellis Island

Around 40 per cent of America’s population can trace
its roots to Ellis Island, which served as the country’s
immigration depot from 1892 until 1954. Nearly
12 million people passed through its gates and
dispersed across the country in the greatest Main building
wave of migration the world has ever
known. Centered on the Great Hall or
Registry Room, the site today houses the
three-story Ellis Island Immigration
Museum. Much of this story is told with
photographs and the voices of actual . Baggage Room
immigrants, and an electronic database The immigrants’
traces ancestors. Outside, the American meager possessions
Immigrant Wall of Honor is the largest wall were checked here
on arrival.
of names in the world. No other place
explains so well the “melting pot” that
formed the character of the nation. Visit
early to avoid the crowds.








Rail Ticket
A special fare for
immigrants led many
on to California.












.Great Hall
. Dormitory Immigrant families were made
There were separate to wait for “processing” in the
sleeping quarters Registry Room. The old metal
for male and railings were replaced with
female detainees. wooden benches in 1911.

KEY
The Restoration
1 The ferry office sold tickets to
New Jersey. In 1990 a $156-million project by
the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island
2 The railroad office sold tickets Foundation, Inc., renewed several
onward to the final destination. ruined build ings, replacing the
3 The metal-and-glass awning is copper domes and restoring the
a re-creation of the original. interior with original fixtures.





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L OWER M ANHA T T AN AND THE CIVIC CENTER  83


VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Practical Information
Map 1 A5. Tel (212) 363-3200.
Open 9:30am–5:15pm daily
(extended hours during hols).
Closed Dec 25. & ferry fee
includes entry to Ellis Island
and Liberty Island. 7 8 9
0 -
∑ libertyellisfoundation.org
Transport
q 4, 5 to Bowling Green; 1 to
South Ferry; R to Whitehall, then
g Statue Cruises Ferry
from Battery Park. Departures:
every 20–30 mins 8:30am–4pm
in summer (winter hours vary).
Tel (877) 523-9849.




Main entrance











Arrival
Steerage passengers
crowd the deck, as
the ship approaches
Ellis Island.




















Medical Examining Rooms
Immigrants with contagious Immigrant Family
diseases could be refused An Italian mother and her
entry and sent back home. children arrive in 1905.




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84  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


l City Hall
City Hall Park. Map 1 C1. Tel 311.
q Brooklyn Br-City Hall Park Pl.
Open 10am Thu (free tours, book in
advance). 7 8 (212) 788-2656.
A gleaming marble palace, City
Hall features columns, arches,
and furnishings practically
unchanged since 1812. A stately
Federal-style building (with
some influences from the
French Renaissance), it was
designed by John McComb, Jr.,
the first prominent American-
born architect, and the French
émigré Joseph Mangin.
Marble cladding was not used
for the building’s rear, since it
The Ambrose lightship at a South Street Seaport pier on the East River was not expected that the city
would ever develop farther to
j South Street as a British training vessel in the the north. In 1954, a program of
Seaport 1930s. The museum also owns restoration remedied this, and
the schooner Pioneer, which the interior was refurbished.
19 Fulton St. Map 2 E2. Tel (212) 732- cruises the harbor in the Mangin is usually given credit
8257. q Fulton St. 7 8 Concerts. summer. To enjoy views of for designing the exterior, and
0 = ∑ southstreetseaport.com. the Brooklyn Bridge, visit the McComb for the beautiful
South Street Seaport Museum: 12 upper deck of Pier 15. interior with its fine domed
Fulton St. Tel (212) 748-8600. rotunda encircled by 10
Open Apr–Oct: 11am–5pm Wed–
Sun. & 7 8 Lectures, exhibits, k Criminal columns. The space beneath
films. 0 = ∑ southstreet Courthouses it opens onto elegant marble
seaportmuseum.org stairways, leading to the splendid
New York Court District: Centre St second-floor City Council
This district of cobbled streets and Chambers St. Map 1 C1–2 D1. chambers and the Governor’s
offers spectacular views of q Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall. Room, which houses a portrait
Brooklyn Bridge and the Open 9am–5pm Mon–Fri. 7 gallery of early New York leaders.
East River. Part of New York’s This magnificent entrance has
original dockyards, South Street Grand Neo-Classical buildings welcomed rulers and heroes
Seaport has been nestled dominate New York’s court district. for nearly 200 years. In 1865
here since 1966, with a The pyramid-topped Thurgood Abraham Lincoln’s body lay
multitude of restaurants and Marshall US Courthouse, designed in state in this hall.
shops. Since Hurricane Sandy by Cass Gilbert in 1936, soars at Stand on the steps and look
hit the area in 2012, the site has 590 ft (180 m), and serves as to your right to see a statue
been undergoing a multi-year a federal courthouse today. of Nathan Hale, a US soldier
redevelopment project. Plans The adjacent New York County hanged by the British as a spy
include the opening of the iPic Courthouse, opened in 1927,
Theaters in the Fulton Market is one of the state’s supreme
building and a new shopping courts. Its elaborate rotunda
mall on Pier 17. has Tiffany lighting fixtures, and
The South Street Seaport murals on themes of law and
Museum has a large collection justice by Attilio Pusterla.
of maritime art and artifacts, as Surrogate’s Court, completed
well as Federal-style warehouses in 1907, stands on Chambers
that date back to 1812. The Street. With an ornate-
main ticket office and galleries columned facade of white
are located on Schermerhorn Maine granite, the roof area has
Row (see p81), Fulton Street. figures by Henry K. Bush-Brown,
The museum owns six representing the different
historic ships that stand at stages of life from childhood to
nearby Pier 16. Those open to old age. The ceiling mosaic of
visitors include the Ambrose, the stunning central hall was
a lightship from 1908, and designed by William de Leftwich
the Peking, a massive German Dodge, and features the signs of City Hall’s magnificent early 19th-
merchant ship that later served the zodiac. century facade




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L OWER M ANHA T T AN AND THE CIVIC CENTER  85


in September 1776 during the dates back to 1766. One of is rich with filigree, sculptured
Revolutionary War. His last words the main attractions here is reliefs, and painted decoration,
– “My only regret is that I have Unwavering Spirit, a moving and has a high glass-tile mosaic
not more lives than one to offer exhibition on the September 11 ceiling that almost seems to
in the service of my country” – attacks. For eight months after glow. The lobby is one of the
won him a permanent place the episode, the chapel acted as city’s treasures. Gilbert showed
in the history books and hearts a sanctuary for rescue workers his sense of humor here, in bas-
of America. at Ground Zero. The pew where relief carica tures of the founder
George Washington prayed counting out his fortune in
between 1789–90 is also part of nickels and dimes; of the real-
z City Hall Park the exhibition. Akin to a shrine, it estate broker closing a deal; and
and Park Row has been preserved since the of Gilbert cradling a large model
time New York was the capital of the build ing. Paid for with
Map 1 C2. q Brooklyn Br-City Hall of the US, and even served as a $13.5 million in cash, the build-
Park Pl. foot-treatment chair for ing has never been mortgaged.
firefighters during the attacks. Woolworth’s went out of
Once a communal pasture in business in 1997. After several
the 17th century, City Hall Park years of the building being
has been the seat of New York’s c Woolworth closed to the public, guided
government since 1812. An Building tours resumed in 2014.
almshouse for the poor stood
on the site between 1736–97, 233 Broadway. Map 1 C2. Tel (203)
and it was later home to 966-9663. q City Hall Park Pl. Open v African Burial
protests against British rule. daily for tours (book in advance).
∑ woolworthtours.com
During the Revolutionary War Ground
(1775–83), the British used the Duane St. Map 1 C1. Tel (212) 637-2019.
nearby debtors’ prison to In 1879, salesclerk Frank W. q Chambers St, City Hall. Open 9am–
capture and hang 250 prisoners. Woolworth opened a new 5pm Tue–Sat. ∑ nps.gov/afbg African
Today, a memorial in honor kind of store, where shoppers Burial Ground Visitor Center: 290
of the "Liberty Poles" (symbols could see and touch the goods, Broadway. Open 10am–4pm Tue–Sat.
of revolt) stands in City Hall’s and everything cost five cents.
west lawn. The chain of stores that fol- This elegant, black granite
The Park Row Building was lowed made him a fortune monument occupies a portion
completed in 1899. At 391 ft and changed retailing forever. of a cemetery that previously lay
(119 m), it became one of The 1913 Gothic headquarters outside the city. Once the only
the tallest office buildings in of his empire was New York’s place African slaves could be
the world. Originally, behind tallest building until 1929. It set buried, the site was accidentally
the limestone-and-brick facade the standard for the great sky- discovered in 1991, with the
sat the offices of the Associated scrapers. Architect Cass Gilbert’s exhumation of 419 skeletons.
Press. Park Row runs along the soaring two-tiered design, After being examined, the remains
east side of City Hall Park. Once adorned with gargoyles of bats were reinterred here in 2003.
called “Newspaper Row,” it was and other wildlife, is topped The Visitor Center, located
lined with the lofty offices with a pyramid roof, flying around the corner, offers an
of the Sun, World, Tribune, buttresses, pinnacles, and four interactive exhibition that traces
and other papers. Printing small towers. The marble interior the history of slavery in New York.
House Square has a statue of
Benjamin Franklin with his
Pennsylvania Gazette.

x St. Paul’s Chapel
209–211 Broadway. Map 1 C2.
Tel (212) 602-0800. q Fulton St.
Open 10am–6pm Mon–Sat,
7am–6pm Sun. Closed most public
hols. 5 12:30pm Wed; 8am, 10am
Sun. 8 by appt. Concerts 1pm Mon.
Miraculously untouched when
the World Trade Center towers
collapsed in 2001, St. Paul’s is
Manhattan’s only extant church
built before the Revolutionary
War. It is a Georgian gem that The Georgian interior of St. Paul’s Chapel




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NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA  87

LOWER EAST SIDE

Nowhere does the strong ethnic flavor of a strange land. Since the 1980s, Chinatown –
New York come through more tangibly than Manhattan’s most densely populated ethnic
in the Lower East Side, where immigrants neighborhood – has pushed into Little Italy,
began to settle in the late 19th century. now a narrow strip along Mulberry Street.
Here Italians, Chinese, Jews, and, more Both are colorful neighborhoods with a
recently, Dominicans established distinct host of fun places to eat. To the north is the
neighborhoods, preserving their languages, Nolita, home to chic boutiques, restaurants,
customs, foods, and religions in the midst of and bars.
Sights at a Glance
Historic Streets and Buildings Shops and Markets Restaurants see pp294–9
1 Bowery Savings Bank 6 Ten Ren’s Tea 1 Beauty & Essex
2 Old Police Headquarters w The Pickle Guys 2 Congee Village
3 Little Italy and Nolita i Economy Candy 3 Dirty French
5 Chinatown p Essex Street Market 4 Freemans
q Orchard Street Churches and Synagogues 5 Ivan Ramen
r East Houston Street 8 Mahayana Buddhist Temple 6 Joe’s Shanghai
Parks and Squares e Bialystoker Synagogue 7 Katz’s Delicatessen
8 Lombardi’s
7 Columbus Park t Basilica of St. Patrick’s 9 Nom Wah Tea Parlor
Museums and Galleries Old Cathedral 10 Mission Cantina
4 Museum of Chinese in America o Angel Orensanz Center 11 Mission Chinese Food
9 Museum at Eldridge Street 12 Pho Pasteur
0 Lower East Side 13 Public
Tenement Museum 14 Russ & Daughters Cafe
y New Museum of 15 Sammy’s Roumanian
Contemporary Art 16 Spring Street Natural
u 247365 Gallery LAFAYETTE ST EAST HOUSTON ST 17 Stanton Social
a International Center Second Ave
MULBERRY ST
of Photography Museum PRINCE M O T T S T R E E T F
ST
Spring St ELIZABETH STREET PERETZ
6 SQUARE
LUDLOW STREET
C H R Y S T I E S T R E
A L L E N S T R E E T
CLINTON STREET
CLEVELAND PL SPRING STREET B O W E R Y FORSYTH STREET ELDRIDGE STREET ORCHARD STREET ESSEX STREET EAST HOUSTON ST
LAFAYETTE STREET GRAND STREET Bowery SARA D ROOSEVELT PARKWAY E T DELANCEY STREET RIVINGTON STREET
RIDGE STREET
KENMARE STREET
NORFOLK STREET
J.Z
SUFFOLK ST
S TA N T O N S T R E E T
BROOM E STRE ET
BAXTER STREET
Essex St
F
Canal St CENTRE STREET HESTER ST BROOME ST S T R E E T
6 Grand St Delancey St
MULBERRY ST CANAL ST B O W E R Y FORSYTH STREET ELDRIDGE STREET H E S T E R S T R E E T CLINTON ST BROOME ST P I T T ABRAHAM E
M O TT ST

Canal St ELIZABETH ST B.D J.M.Z DELANCEY STREET
J.Z
ORCHARD ST
LUDLOW ST
DELANCEY STREET SOUTH
G R A N D S T R E E T
B AYA R D S T
CANAL STREET
PELL ST
B R O A D W A Y
PARK
D I V I S I O N S T R E E T East Broadway F W H SEWARD H E N R Y S T R E E T KAZAN ST
E A S T
ST. JAMES PLACE OLIVER ST M A D I S O N S T R E E T RUTGERS STREET 0 yards 500 500
M O T T S T
WORTH STREET
PARK ROW EAST BROADWAY
MARKET ST
HENRY STREET
0 meters
MONROE STREET
P I K E S T R E E T
CHERRY STREET RUTGERS
PARK
WATER STREET S O U T H S T R E E T
CATHERINE STREET
SOUTH STREET VIADUCT Manhattan
Bridge
R F WAGNER SR PL
E a s t R i v e r
See also Street Finder maps 4, 5
A vibrant street in the city’s famous Chinatown For keys to symbols see back flap
086-087_EW_New_York_City.indd 87 4/3/17 11:11 AM

88  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

Street by Street: Little Italy and Chinatown

Manhattan’s largest and most colorful ethnic neighborhood is Chinatown, which
is growing so rapidly that it is running into nearby Little Italy as well as the Lower
East Side. Streets here teem with grocery stores, gift shops, and hundreds of
Chinese restaurants; even the plainest offer good food. What is left of Little Italy
can be found at Mulberry and Grand streets, where old-world flavor abounds. T
T E S T R E E

T
The market stalls
on Canal Street A F A Y E
have a wide range L G R A N D
of bargains in new
and used clothes T
and fresh produce.
C E N T E R S T R E E T




T R E E
S

R
E
A Y
Canal Street B
subway
(lines R, N, Q, 6)
The Eastern States C A N A L S T R E E T
Buddhist Temple
5. Chinatown
Home to a thriving – and still expanding at 64b Mott Street
– community of Chinese immigrants, contains over 100
this area is famous for its restaurants and golden Buddhas.
hectic street life. The area truly comes M U L B E R R Y S T R E E T
alive around the Chinese New Year in
January or February. B A Y A R D S T R E E T















7 Columbus Park P E L L S T R E E T
Once a slum, this park now fills
with residents playing mahjong.
Bloody Angle, where Doyers Street Chatham Square has a memorial dedicated
turns sharply, was the gruesome site to the Chinese-American war dead, and to
of many gangland ambushes during Lin Zexu, a Qing dynasty official, revered for
the 1920s.
his crackdown on the opium trade.



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L OWER EAST SIDE  89


2 Old Police EAST VILLAGE
Headquarters SOHO &
The dome of this Baroque TRIBECA
civic building towers over the
whole area. In 1973, the police LOWER EAST SIDE
moved out; 10 years later, the
building was turned into
T apartments. LOWER East Side
MANHATTAN
T E S T R E E Locator Map East River
& THE
CIVIC CENTER
T See map pp16–17
A F A Y E
L G R A N D





T
E S T R E E T
E 3. Little Italy
R
T The scents of Italy still waft from
S the restaurants and bakeries of

R this area, once home to thousands
E M O T T S T R E E T
A Y of immigrants.
B
Umbertos Clam House,
known as the place where
Mafia boss Joey Gallo was shot
in 1972, once occupied this
H E S T E R S T R E E T
location on Mulberry Street.
C A N A L S T R E E T
1 Bowery
R Y T Savings Bank
E E E Stanford White
W R designed this
O T in 1894. Today it
B S
E hosts private
I
T functions.
R Y S
H
C
B A Y A R D S T R E E T
T
E
E
R
T
S

E
G
P E L L S T R E E T
D
I
R
D
L
E
Key
Suggested route
Confucius Plaza is 9. Museum at Eldridge Street
marked by sculptor Liu 0 meters 100 Built in 1887, this was the first
Shih’s monument to the 100 large temple built in the US by
Chinese philosopher. 0 yards European Jews.
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90  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


1 Bowery “New York’s finest” came to Street, while the Sicilians stayed
Savings Bank work. During Prohibition, Grand on Elizabeth Street. Mott Street
Street from here to the Bowery was divided between people
130 Bowery. Map 4 F4. was known as “Bootleggers’ from Calabria and Puglia.
q Grand St, Bowery. Row,” and alcohol was easily However, after World War II,
obtained, except when many Italians relocated to the
Imposing inside and a police raid was suburbs and today the district
out, this Classical Revival due. The liquor is much smaller – Mulberry
building was built for merchants paid Street is the only remaining
the Bowery Savings handsomely for a Italian territory.
Bank in 1894. Architect tip-off from inside The most exciting time to visit
Stanford White designed Decorative detail police headquarters. is during the eleven-day Festa di
the ornamented lime- from Bowery The police moved San Gennaro (Feast of San
stone facade to wrap Savings Bank to different head- Gennaro) around September 19
around the rival quarters in 1973, (see p54). Italians from around
Butchers’ and Drovers’ Bank, and in 1987 the building the city meet at Mulberry Street
which refused to sell the corner was converted into a luxury for a wild celebration of the
plot. The interior is decorated apartment project. patron saint of Naples. The street
with marble pillars and a ceiling is full of stalls and Italian
scattered with gilded rosettes. snack vendors, and
By the mid-20th century, there is much music
the bank was a contrast to the and dancing.
Bowery with its vagrants and Many of Little Italy’s
flophouses. It is now the site restaurants offer simple,
of opulent Capitale, and open rustic food served in
only for private functions. friendly surroundings
at reasonable prices.
Some original cafés and
2 Old Police A street scene in Little Italy salumerias (specialty
Headquarters food stores) still survive,
3 Little Italy such as Ferrara’s at 195 Grand
240 Centre St. Map 4 F4. q Canal St. and Nolita Street. For more information
Closed to the public. about the history of the area,
Streets around Mulberry St. Map 4 F4. the Italian-American Museum,
Completed in 1909, this was q Canal St. ∑ littleitalynyc.com located in the former Banca
a fitting home for the city’s Italian-American Museum: 155 Stabile, is a great place to visit.
new professional police force. Mulberry St. Map 4 F4. Tel (212)
The main portico and end 965-9000. q Canal St, Grand St.
Open noon–6pm Fri–Sun.
pavilions have Corinthian ∑ italianamericanmuseum.org 4 Museum of
columns, and the dome Chinese in America
dominates the sky-line. Originally inhabited by the
Because of a lack of space, Irish, Little Italy and Nolita (or 215 Centre St. Map 4 F4. Tel (212) 619-
however, the headquarters had NoLita, shortened from “north 4785. q Canal St. Open 11am–6pm
to fit into a wedge-shaped of Little Italy”) saw an influx of Tue, Wed, & Fri–Sun, 11am–9pm Thu.
site in the midst of Little Italy. Italian immigrants in the 1800s. ∑ mocanyc.org
For nearly three-quarters of Natives from Campania and
a century, this was where Naples settled on Mulberry Visitors can learn about the
Chinese-American experience
from the 18th century to the
present day, at this compelling
museum. The mix of artifacts,
interviews, and multi media
displays provides an excellent
overview of the past. The
issues explored are historically
significant – among others, the
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882,
which forbade Chinese workers
entry for ten years; and the
immigration quotas imposed
in the early 20th century, such
as the 1924 National Origins
Provision (NOP), which
Stonework figures adorning the Old Police Headquarters building restricted entry further.




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L OWER EAST SIDE  91


Chinatown, step into the
incense­scented Eastern
States Buddhist Temple at
64 Mott Street, where offerings
are piled up before tiny
golden Buddhas.

6 Ten Ren’s Tea
75 Mott St. Map 4 F5. Tel (212) 349­
2286. q Canal St. Open 10am–8pm
daily. ∑ tenrenusa.com

This revered Taiwanese tea shop
was established in the 1950s,
A Chinese grocer tending his shop on Canal Street and has remained a tea­lover’s
paradise. From costly oolong
The exhibits flag various 5 Chinatown teas to cheap green teas, there
historical and cultural phases Streets around Mott St. Map 4 F5. is much to explore. The “Oriental
in the Chinese­American q Canal St. Eastern States Buddhist Beauty,” a heavily fermented
narrative – from the emergence Temple: 64b Mott St. Open 9am–6pm oolong with a delicious touch
of “Chop­Suey” restaurants and daily. ∑ explorechinatown.com of honey, is one of the best
so­called “Yellowface” movies available – some say it was
in the 1930s, to the evolution Since the 1850s, Chinese Queen Victoria who gave the tea
of identity after the 1960s for immigrants have been settling its name. You can sample teas
second­generation Chinese­ in this part of New York, making while you shop, and for a more
Americans. In 1965, the Chinatown one of the biggest contemporary tea experience –
Immigration Act did away and oldest Chinese districts in think bubble tea – visit Ten Ren’s
with the NOP, and almost the West. The neighborhood is Tea Time at 73 Mott Street.
20,000 Chinese immigrants divided by the east–west
arrived in Chinatown. thoroughfare of Canal Street,
The museum was designed with Mott Street cutting north–
by Maya Lin, best known for south. The streets around, which
her creation of the Vietnam include Pell, Bayard, Doyers, and
Memorial in Washington, D. C. the Bowery, are lined with fresh
Galleries are arranged around fish and fruit stalls, dim sum rest­
a sunlit courtyard, reminiscent aurants, souvenir and antiques
of a traditional Chinese house. stores, and tea­and­rice shops.
On the corner of Pell Street
and the Bowery lies Huang Serene Columbus Park, located in
Daxian Temple, one of the few bustling Chinatown
remaining Taoist temples, with
a converted shop front. Further 7 Columbus Park
along Pell Street, No. 16 is the Map 4 F5. q Canal St.
headquarters of the Hip Sing
Tong, once a secret society. The tranquillity of Columbus
During an attack in 1924, 70 Park today could not be further
people were killed when On removed from the scene near
Leong Tong, part of a criminal this site in the early 1800s. The
fraternity, attacked the building. area, known as Mulberry Bend,
Halfway along Pell is tiny, was a red­light district, part of
crooked Doyers Street, once the infamous Five Points slum.
known as the “Bloody Angle” for Gangs with names such as the
its role as battleground during Dead Rabbits and the Plug
the Tong Wars in the early 1900s. Uglies roamed the streets.
Today more than 100,000 A murder a day was common­
Chinese­Americans live here. place; even the police were
Many visit the neighborhood afraid to pass through. Partly
to sample the cuisine, but there as a result of the writings of
is more to do here than eat – reformer Jacob Riis, the slum
there are galleries, curio shops, was taken down in 1892.
Bright street signs along the roads and Asian festivals (see p55). The park is now the only open
in Chinatown To glimpse another side of space in Chinatown.




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92  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


dilapidation in the early 1970s.
Although the building is a
functioning house of worship,
its interiors can be explored
with the help of guided tours.
These begin on the lower
level, where the Bes Medrash
(House of Study) also serves
as a synagogue.


0 Lower East Side
Tenement Museum
97 Orchard St. Map 5 A4. Tel (212)
431-0233. q Canal, Delancey, Essex,
Grand St. Open for tours only.
8 every 15–30 mins; 10:15am–5pm
Mon–Wed & Fri (until 6:30pm Thu),
10:15am–5:15pm Sat & Sun. & ^
Lectures, films, videos. = (daily).
∑ tenement.org
This building, dating from 1863,
provides a rare opportunity to
experience the claustrophobic
and crumbling interior of a
historic tene ment. Guided
tours inside give a rare insight
Gold statue of Buddha on the main altar at the Mahayana Buddhist Temple into the carefully researched
lives of several families who
8 Mahayana 9 Museum at lived here. These include a
Buddhist Temple Eldridge Street German-Jewish clan in 1874,
an Orthodox Jewish family
133 Canal St. Map 5 A5. Tel (212) 925- 12 Eldridge St. Map 5 A5. from Lithuania in 1918, and a
8787. q Canal St. Open 8:30am–6pm Tel (212) 219-0888. q East Broadway. Sicilian Catholic family during
daily. ∑ mahayana.us Open 10am–5pm Sun–Thu, 10am– the Depression of the 1930s.
3pm Fri. & ^ 8 Every half-hour There were no indoor toilets –
Larger than its counterpart from 10am until 3pm. = two external toilets would
∑ eldridgestreet.org
on Mott Street, this opulent have instead been shared
Buddhist temple was built by
the Ying family, who are from Constructed in 1887, this
Ningbo, China. Constructed in was the first synagogue to be
1997, the temple boasts classic built by the Eastern European
Chinese designs, and the main Orthodox Jews in the US.
altar contains a massive gold In 2007, the site opened as a
idol of the Buddha, bathed museum, after an overhauling
in blue neon lighting and restoration. The facade is a
surrounded by candles. grand hybrid of Romanesque,
The 32 plaques along the walls Moorish, and Gothic influences
tell the story of Buddha’s life. in terracotta and brick, but the
A small shrine to Guanyin, the real attraction is the sanctuary
Chinese Goddess of Mercy, upstairs. Visitors can view
stands in the entrance hall. the stained-glass windows,
There is a small shop upstairs stunning chandelier, rich
that sells statues, books, and woodwork, and painted ceiling
other knick-knacks. within. The women’s balcony
On the other side of the offers a closer view of the
Bowery, the former Citizens detailed artwork. The rose
Savings Bank is a local landmark, window, an incredible Star of
its Neo-Byzantine bronze David roundel, looks stunning
dome completed in 1924. on the western wall. There
The building now functions are also displays that show Brick and terracotta facade of the
as a branch of HSBC. the synagogue’s state of Museum at Eldrige Street




092-093_EW_New_York_City.indd 92 4/3/17 11:11 AM

L OWER EAST SIDE  93


among four families. Tenements
also lacked any electricity,
plumbing, or heating.
Visitors can also go on
two-hour walking tours of
the neigh borhood. Tickets
are available at the nearby
visitor center, where an
introductory video offers
insight into the tours. There
is also a great bookshop.

q Orchard Street
Map 5 A3. q Delancey, Grand St.
See Shopping p314.
Jewish immigrants founded
the New York garment industry
on this street, named for the
orchards that once stood here
on James De Lancey’s Colonial
estate. For years the street was
filled with pushcarts loaded
with goods for sale. The
pushcarts are long gone,
and few of the shopkeepers
are Jewish, but the flavor
remains. On Sunday there is
an outdoor market, and
shoppers fill the street from
Houston to Canal, looking Shoppers walking along Orchard Street
for clothing bargains.
Orchard Street is also at are added, and the shop e Bialystoker
the heart of the Lower East operates to strict Kosher rules. Synagogue
Side’s gentrification. Popular The store also carries pickled
boutiques and vintage stores tomatoes, pickled celery, olives, 7–11 Willett St. Map 5 C4.
nestle along side bars, clubs, mushrooms, hot peppers, Tel (212) 475-0165. q Essex St.
restaurants, and the boutique sun-dried tomatoes, sweet u frequent services.
Blue Moon Hotel, formerly kraut, sauerkraut, and herring. 8 7–10am Mon–Thu (call in
advance). ∑ bialystoker.org
a tenement. It is run like a family business,
with a friendly, chatty atmos-
phere, which perpetuates This 1826 Federal-style
w The Pickle Guys the neighborhood’s traditions. building was originally the
Willett Street Methodist
49 Essex St. Map 5 B4. Tel (212) 656-
9739. q Grand St. Open 9am–6pm Church. It was bought in
Sun–Thu, 9am–4pm Fri. 1905 by Jewish immigrants
∑ pickleguys.com from the Bialystok province
of Poland, who converted
The scent of pickles permeates it into a synagogue.
this little section of Essex The synagogue has a
Street, just as it did in the early beautiful interior, with lovely
1900s, when Jewish pickle stained-glass windows, a
shops filled the area. True three-story carved wooden
to the old Eastern European ark, and murals representing
recipe, The Pickle Guys store views of the Holy Land and
their pickles in barrels filled the signs of the zodiac,
with brine, garlic, and spices; including an interesting
this mixture preserves the oddity: a lobster meant to
pickles for months on end. represent Cancer, the crab.
Pickle varieties include full There is also a memorial plaque
sour, three-quarters sour, to the infamous mobster
half sour, new, and hot. Barrels and cans of various pickles at Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, who
No chemicals or preservatives The Pickle Guys prayed here as a child.




092-093_EW_New_York_City.indd 93 4/3/17 11:11 AM

94  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA


r East Houston t Basilica of
Street St. Patrick’s
East Houston St. Map 4 F3, 5A3. Old Cathedral
q Second Ave. 263 Mulberry St. Map 4 F3.
Tel (212) 226-8075. q Prince St.
The dividing line between Open 8am–12:30pm & 3:30–6pm
the Lower East Side and the Thu–Tue. 5 8am & 12:10pm Mon–Fri;
East Village, East Houston 5:30pm Sat; 9:15am, 12:45pm & 7pm
between Forsyth and Ludlow Sun; Spanish: 11:30am Sun.
streets clearly demonstrates the ∑ oldcathedral.org
changing mix of old and new
in the area. Between Forsyth The first St. Patrick’s was con-
and Eldridge streets is the secrated in 1815, making this
Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery, one of the oldest churches in
a fixture since 1890, still with the city. When fire destroyed
its original showcases. Further the original in the 1860s, it was Stunning architecture of the New Museum
down the block is the Sunshine rebuilt much as it is today. When of Contemporary Art
Theater, constructed as a the archdiocese trans ferred the
Dutch Church in the 1840s see to the new St. Patrick’s includes an innovative Media
and later used as a boxing Cathedral uptown (see pp174–5), Lounge for digital art, video
arena and a Yiddish vaudeville Old St. Patrick’s became the installations, and sound works.
theater. Today it shows art films. local parish church, and it has The rotating collection at the
While much of the Jewish flourished despite a constantly New Museum, as it is more
flavor of the Lower East Side changing ethnic congregation. commonly known, features a
has disappeared, there are Below the church are vaults wide range of art, from large-
two survivors farther along containing the remains of, scale photographs of 1960s
East Houston. Russ and among others, one of New America to geometric abstracts.
Daughters is a culinary York’s most famous families of The museum show cases both
landmark, a third-generation restaurateurs, the Delmonicos. emerging and established
family business that began on Pierre Toussaint was also buried artists, including Mark Rothko
a pushcart, around 1907. At this here, but in 1990 his remains and Roy Lichtenstein.
location since 1920, the store were moved from the graveyard The striking seven-story
has seen its fortunes change beside the church to a more building, designed by Tokyo-
with the neighborhood. It is prestigious burial place in a based architects Sejima &
famed for traditional smoked crypt in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Nishizawa, is a notable addi tion
fish and herring, and has an Born a slave in Haiti in 1766, to this part of Manhattan. It rises
impressive stock of caviar. Toussaint was brought to New like a sculptural stack of glowing
At the corner of Ludlow York, where he lived as a free cubes and is the first art
Street is perhaps the best- man and became a prosperous museum to be built in down-
known and much-loved wig-maker. He was later devoted town Manhattan in over a century.
survivor, the bustling Katz’s to caring for the poor, tended It has 60,000 sq ft (5,574 sq m) of
Delicatessen (see p294), cholera victims, and used his exhibition space, a theater, store,
established in 1888 and still money to build an orphanage. café, and a rooftop terrace offer-
packing people in for pastrami ing stunning views of the city.
and corned beef sandwiches.
y New Museum of
Contemporary Art u 247365 Gallery
235 Bowery St. Map 4 E3. Tel (212) 57 Stanton St. Map 5 A3. Tel (212)
219-1222. q Spring St, Bowery. 995-5290. q Second Ave-Houston St.
Open 11am–6pm Wed–Sun (to 9pm Open noon–6pm Tue–Fri. 7 =
Thu). & free 7–9pm Thu. ^ 7 8 ∑ twentyfourseventhreesixtyfive.
Lectures, readings, music. = biz
∑ newmuseum.org
With psychedelic metal sculptures
Marcia Tucker left her post as the that give a foretaste of the pieces
Whitney Museum’s Curator of displayed inside, the entrance
Painting and Sculpture in 1977 to this gallery is hard to miss. It
to found this museum. Her aim is dedicated to showing emerging
was to exhibit the kind of work contemporary art in various
she felt was missing from more artistic disciplines, such as painting,
traditional museums. She created sculpture, photography, and video,
Beautiful interiors of the Basilica of one of New York’s most cutting- and works of artists such as Nick
St. Patrick's Old Cathedral edge exhibition spaces, which Payne, Bunny Rogers, and Jessie




094-095_EW_New_York_City.indd 94 4/3/17 11:40 AM

L OWER EAST SIDE  95


Stead. The gallery’s location gives vendors together and out of
it access to an underground art the way of traffic, especially
scene that uptown contemp orary police cars and fire trucks that
art galleries often neglect, and used the narrow streets.
it also offers lesser-known artists Two dozen meat, cheese,
the opportunity to exhibit their produce, and spice stalls fill the
work in a reputable gallery. market. Shopsin’s, an iconic
Many New York City artists who diner from Greenwich Village,
have been creating contemp- is among the stalls here. Also
orary art on the Lower East here are the Essex Restaurant,
Side for several decades have which serves Latin/Jewish fare,
already shown their work in and Cuchifritos, an art gallery
group exhibitions here. showing the work of the
Interior of the Angel Orensanz Center, neighborhood’s artists.
once a large synagogue
i Economy Candy
Reform Movement, and resem- a International
108 Rivington St. Map 5 B3. Tel 1-800
352-4544. q Second Ave-Houston bles Cologne Cathedral and the Center of
St. Open 10am–6pm Mon & Sat, Friedrich swerder sche Kirche Photography
9am–6pm Tue–Fri & Sun. in the Mitte district in Berlin. Museum
∑ economycandy.com After World War II and the
decline of Lower East Side’s 250 Bowery. Map 4 F3.
A Lower East Side landmark Yiddish population, the Tel (212) 857-0000. q 2nd Ave.
since 1937, this family-owned synagogue was one of many to Open 10am–6pm Tue, Wed,
candy store stocks hundreds close. In 1986, the building was & Fri–Sun, 10am–9pm Thu.
of varieties of candy, nuts, and acquired by Spanish sculptor Closed major hols. & 7
dried fruit. Lined with floor-to- Angel Orensanz, who turned it = 10am–5pm Tue–Sun. ∑ icp.org
ceiling shelves packed with old- into an art studio. It now serves
fashioned dispensers, the store as a spiritual and cultural center This museum was founded
is one of the few businesses with a program of events. by Cornell Capa in 1974 to
on Lower East Side that has conserve the work of such
remained almost unchanged in photojournalists as his brother
name and specialty throughout p Essex Street Robert, who was killed on
the neighborhood’s fluctuating Market assignment in 1954. The
fortunes over 50 or so years. collection of 12,500 original
This is due in no small part to 120 Essex St. Map 5 B3. Tel (212) 312- prints includes work by top
Jerry Cohen’s enterprise in trans- 3603/388-0449. q Essex St, Delancey photographers including Ansel
forming his father’s “Nosher’s St. Open 8am–7pm Mon–Sat, Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson,
Paradise” from a penny candy 10am–6pm Sun. 0 = and W. Eugene Smith.
∑ essexstreetmarket.com
store to a national company. The Special, temporary exhibitions
shop carries treats from all over are organized from the Center's
the world, as well as numerous This indoor market was created archive as well as from outside
food items dipped in chocolate in 1939 by Mayor Fiorello H. La sources. The museum moved
and 21 colors of candy-covered Guardia to bring pushcart into its current premises in 2016.
chocolate buttons.

o Angel Orensanz
Center
172 Norfolk St. Map 5 B3. Tel (212)
529-7194. q Essex St, Delancey St.
Open 10am–5pm Mon–Fri and by
appt. 7 ∑ orensanz.org
Built in 1849, this cherry-red Neo-
Gothic structure was once the
oldest synagogue in New York.
With ceilings 54 ft (16 m) high
and seating for 1,500, it was also
the largest in the United States at
the time. It was designed by the
Berlin architect Alexander Saelzer
in the tradition of the German Items on display at the indoor Essex Street Market




094-095_EW_New_York_City.indd 95 4/3/17 11:40 AM

PIER 40 HUDSON
W E S T S T R E E T W E S T S T R E E T
RIVER PARK
W E S T H O U S T O N
r S T R E E T
e Houston St
1
v KING STREET WEST HOUS
i WASHINGTON STREET
R VANDAM S T R E E T CHARLTON STREET
STREET
PIER 34 G R E E N W I C H S T R E E T VARICK STREET

Holland Tunnel STREET THE AMERICAS (SIXTH AVE)
STREET TON STREET Broadway-
n SPRING STREET Lafayette St
B.D.F.M
o Spring St SULLIVAN P R I N C E S T R E E T STREET
B R O A D W A Y
s C.E THOMPSON WOOSTER STREET
d CANAL STREET DOMINICK STREET GREENE STREET Prince St
u H U D S O N S P R I N G S T R E E T N.R
H WATTS STREET OF MERCER LAFAYETTE ST
AVENUE SOHO STR E ET
WATTS STREET
DESBROSSES STREET
Canal St W E S T B R O OME S TR
VESTRY STREET
1 Spring St
GREENE STREET
LAIGHT STREET 6
Canal St B R O A D W AY CROSBY
MERCER STREET E ET
A.C.E
PIER 26 H U B E R T S T RE E T ST. JOHN’s GRAND STREET
ST JOHNS
LANE
G R E E N W I C H S T R E E T FRANKLIN STREET FINN WHITE S T R E E T WALKER ST Canal St
PIER 25 BEACH ST H U D S O N S T R E E T PARK VA R I C K S T R E E T TRIBECA HOWARD ST LAFAYETTE STREET
CANAL STREET
NORTH MOORE ST
ST
LISPENARD
N.Q.R
PIER 21 SQUARE 1 Franklin St STREET CORTLANDT Canal St
C H U R C H
6
FRANKLIN ST
WASHINGTON JAY ST STAPLE ST LEONARD STREET ALLEY
MARKET PARK DUANE WEST BROADWAY
PARK WORTH STREET
C H A M B E R S S T R E E T
READ E
T H O M A S
S T R E E T
Chambers St DUANE STREET B R O A D W AY
1.2.3 S TREET
Chambers St
A.C
096-097_EW_New_York_City.indd 96 4/3/17 11:11 AM

NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA  97

SOHO AND TRIBECA

Shops, eateries, and architecture have enormous outdoor shopping mall, it is
transformed these formerly industrial scattered with bars and bistros. Named for
districts. SoHo (south of Houston) was its shape, TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal)
threatened with demo lition in the was once a wholesale food district. When
1960s until preservationists drew attention Robert De Niro set up his Tribeca Film
to its rare historic cast-iron architecture. Center in 1988, the area became one of the
The district was saved, and by the 1980s SoHo hottest neighborhoods in the city, attracting
offered a vibrant art scene. Serving as an galleries, boutiques, and restaurants.
Sights at a Glance
Historic Streets and Buildings Restaurants see pp294–9
1 Haughwout Building 1 Aquagrill 11 Tamarind
2 St. Nicholas Hotel 2 Balthazar 12 Tribeca Grill
3 Greene Street 3 Boqueria
4 Singer Building 4 Bouley
8 Harrison Street 5 Bubby’s
Museums and Galleries 6 Dos Caminos
7 The Dutch
5 Children’s Museum of the Arts 8 Hundred Acres
6 New York Earth Room 9 Locanda Verde
7 New York City Fire Museum 10 Odeon
Parks and Squares 0 meters 500
9 Hudson River Park 0 yards 500


PIER 40 HUDSON
W E S T S T R E E T W E S T S T R E E T
RIVER PARK
W E S T H O U S T O N
r S T R E E T
e Houston St
v KING STREET 1 WEST HOUS
i WASHINGTON STREET
R VANDAM S T R E E T CHARLTON STREET
STREET
PIER 34 G R E E N W I C H S T R E E T VARICK STREET

Holland Tunnel STREET THE AMERICAS (SIXTH AVE)
WOOSTER STREET
STREET TON STREET Broadway-
n SPRING STREET Lafayette St
o Spring St SULLIVAN B.D.F.M
B R O A D W A Y
s C.E THOMPSON P R I N C E S T R E E T
d CANAL STREET DOMINICK STREET GREENE STREET Prince St
u H U D S O N S P R I N G S T R E E T MERCER STREET N.R
H WATTS STREET OF LAFAYETTE ST
AVENUE SOHO STR E ET
WATTS STREET
DESBROSSES STREET
Canal St W E S T B R O OM E S TR
VESTRY STREET
1 Spring St
GREENE STREET
LAIGHT STREET 6
Canal St B R O A D W AY C RO SB Y
MERCER STREET EE T
A.C.E
ST JOHNS
PIER 26 HU B ER T ST R E ET ST. JOHN’s GRAND STREET
LANE
G R E E N W I C H S T R E E T FRANKLIN STREET FINN WHITE S T R E E T WALKER ST Canal St
PIER 25 BEACH ST H U D S O N S T R E E T PARK VA R I C K S T R E E T TRIBECA HOWARD ST LAFAYETTE STREET
CANAL STREET
NORTH MOORE ST
ST
LISPENARD
N.Q.R
PIER 21 SQUARE 1 Franklin St STREET CORTLANDT Canal St
6
C H U R C H
FRANKLIN ST
WASHINGTON JAY ST STAPLE ST LEONARD STREET ALLEY
MARKET PARK DUANE WEST BROADWAY
PARK WORTH STREET
C H A M B E R S S T R E E T
READ E
T H O M A S
S T R E E T
Chambers St DUANE STREET B R O A D W AY
1.2.3 STREET
Chambers St
A.C
See also Street Finder map 3, 4
Cast-iron facades in TriBeCa with Art Deco tower in the background For keys to symbols see back flap
096-097_EW_New_York_City.indd 97 4/3/17 11:11 AM

98  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

Street by Street: SoHo
Cast-Iron Historic District

The largest concentration of cast-iron architecture in the
world (see p44) survives in the area between West Houston
and Canal streets. The heart of the district is Greene Street,
where 50 buildings erected between 1869 and 1895 are
found on five cobblestoned blocks. Most of their intricately
designed cast-iron facades are in the Neo-Classical Revival
style, with Corinthian columns and pediments. Mass-produced West Broadway, as it passes
in a foundry, they were relatively inexpensive, and easy to through SoHo, combines
erect and maintain. Now they are rare works of industrial striking architecture with a
art, well suited to the present character of this district. string of art galleries, shoe
shops, designer boutiques,
and small restaurants.
72–76 Greene Street,
the “King of Greene
Street,” is a splendid
Corinthian-columned
building. It was the
creation of Isaac F.
Duckworth, one of
the masters of cast-
iron design.

T
The Broken Kilometer, at 393 West Broadway, is an
installation by Walter De Maria (see p101). Its 500 brass
rods are arranged to play tricks with perspective. Laid M E R C E R S T R E E
end to end, the rods would measure 3,280 ft (1,000 m). T
Performing Garage is a
tiny experimental theater W E S T B R O A D W A Y
that pioneers the work of T G R E E N E S T R E E
W O O S T E R S T R E E B R O O M E S T R E E T
avant-garde artists. S P R I N G S T R E E T


















Canal G R A N D S T R E E T
Street-Broadway
subway (2 blocks)
3. Greene Street 15–17 Greene
Of all Greene Street’s fine cast-iron 10–14 Greene Street dates from 1869. Street is a late
buildings, one of the best is 28–30, the Note the glass circles in the risers of the addition, dating from
“Queen,” which was erected by Duckworth iron stoop – these allowed daylight to 1895, in a simple
in 1872 and has a tall mansard roof. reach the basement. Corinthian style.




098-099_EW_New_York_City.indd 98 4/3/17 11:40 AM