Our last walking tour with Ed O’Donnell took us the Lower East Side to learn about the historical immigrant area. This area as Ed points out is the true immigration station. As early as 1650, there were 500 people who spoke eighteen different languages; diversity at its finest. In the 1830′s you have an explosion of different ethnic groups claiming the community. There was Little Ireland, Little Deutschland, Little Africa, Jewish population and currently Chinatown which exploded in the 1960′s. We started out in five points, an area where five major streets cross. Those that saw Gangs of New York will be familiar with the area. This also the area where Jacob Riis exposed the slums in How the Other Half Lives; which included Mulberry street the worse slum block in the Lower East side. Interesting enough, the area was bulldozed and people had to scatter and in the 1990′s, excavation uncovered items from the slums. Unfortunately the items were being studied at the WTC when it was bombed destroying all the documents. The people who lived in this area went through many hardships, but it was their neighborhood and they were proud of it. Even though ethnicity changes in the Lower East Side, there is still remnants of all groups; like the Jewish gravesite that is now taken care of by the catholics and the churches that have changed from Protestant to Catholicism.
The area is now dominated by the Chinese who began to filtrate the Irish neighborhood in 1890. One would know they are in Chinatown by the cultural explosion that includes food, businesses, language and people. Also, as you go into this area, you will see a huge statue of Lin Zetu who was a pioneer against drugs and fought to stop the influx of opium. I did not realize how much area Chinatown covers and the influence they have in the area. They have taken over and you would not know that other cultures existed there unless you knew the history or took a tour with Ed O’donnell.
After Chinatown, we ate at the legendary Katz’s deli. The is iconic in New York and many movies scenes have been filmed there including When Harry Met Sally. Having ate at Carnegie Deli a couple of days before, Katz’s held up to its reputation and had the better pastrami sandwich. Seeing Howard sample all the sandwiches was impressive. It was also neat to see Brett help out the busing staff by clearing the table.
After a wonderful meal, our tour guide for the last three days said goodbye. Ed was a wealth of knowledge and taught us a lot about the city. Thank you for getting him as our guide it was well worth it.
The last stop on our tour today was at the Tenement Museum. The tenements were used between 1863-1935. There were five floors and consisted of four apartments each floor; two in the front and two in the back. They were about 325 square feet with three rooms. The apartments were occupied by families as large as thirteen people. Prior to 1905 the toilets were located outside until the Tenement Act which brought toilets inside. It was amazing to see how these people lived, so many people in such a small area. There were two apartments that replicated the time and one apartment that was in its original state. Many of the apartments also housed a garment factory in the living room. So imagine thirteen people plus a business being run out of the house. Times were definitely tough. One notable fact was that New York City was the first to have housing laws in the country. These people were truly the working class and set the stage for the working laws tha we have today. Students need to realize the contributions these people made to the working class. They made not of had a lot of money, but they stood up to the big businesses and were vital in creating laws to protect the worker. The progressive era was born because of the tenement workers and the corruption that was in the city.
After the tour I strolled town Mulberry street checking out the pastries in Little Italy. I found a quaint cafe called Sambucas Cafe. The ambience was nice and the customers friendly. I then went to visit ground zero. I was told about the firehouse across the street from the WTC. Engine Company number 10 was the first rescue group on the scene. The memorial was very somber. Thank you to the person who suggested to visit the site. It was well worth the trip.
It was amazing to see former Bronco John Elway strolling the streets of New York…..
Hey Mike…I didn’t know about the Hollywood history about Katz’s. But then again, real men don’t watch chick flicks like “When Harry Met Sally.” Just kidding, but I had to be rude because you dogged me about the sandwiches. Did John Elway recover from his toe transplant?
Howard