Today, on our last day of the Gotham Experience: we began our day from our usual check point at Penn Station and headed downtown on the Sixth avenue line F train to Delancey Street. We exited the subway on Delancey and Essex with the Williamsburg Bridge in the backdrop, this bridge was at one time known as the Jews Highway. The Williamsburg Bridge got that name due to the heavily populated Jewish community and the poor living conditions the lower East Side offered. When the bridge was built, the Jewish community did not hesitate to cross over to Brooklyn and back again for services in the city.
Upon exiting the subway we immediately hopped into the Essex Street Market for a quick bite to eat; this was going to be a long day prior to lunch.
In the early 1900s the lower East Side was the most densely populated area in the entire world, one really has to think about this. The Lower East Side is a small area, to house that many people would have caused many problems including housing, jobs and infection, just to name a few. Where did the bodily excretions go? Where did the horse manure and the garbage go? There was no running water, outhouses were not plentiful and sewers did not exist. The only place for the excrement and garbage to go was in the street: the amount of people walking in this mess creates a scene in my mind that causes me to be grateful I did not share this experience.
The 1900s had many street vendors selling many different items such as meat, fruit and vegetables, pots and pans etcetera. The vendors went from 25 to 25,000 causing increased traffic problems; this included the police and fire department being unable to pass through the throngs of people. Mayor LaGuardia felt the best solution was to build an area for the vendors, thus allowing the flow of traffic to improve. This new area became known as the Essex Street Market. The market was renovated in the late 1990s-early 2000s and the products changed according to the community’s needs.
We passed the Bailey Stoker Synagogue on our way to the Henry Street Settlement and learned that Bailey Stoker was an area in the north east section near the Russian Polish Border. We also passed Saint Mary’s Church, according to our guide Jim; this is the third oldest church in the city. The Henry Street Settlement was created by Jane Adams and settled by Lillian Wald. Lillian Wald gained financial backing from Jacob Schiff, which was purchased from Alexander Hamilton Jr. Lillian Wald used the home to train nurses: she had a staff of ninety trained nurses sent to the tenement houses to treat the ill. Eventually this nursing service became known as the Visiting Nurses Service (VNS) as we know it today.
We proceeded toward Chinatown and Little Italy, passing the Forward Building which was the site the Jewish Newspaper” Forward”. The building has four radicals carved into the face: Carl Marx, Frederick Engle’s, Leidnect and Fredrick Salk. The building is now a luxury cooperative and condominium complex: 139 East Broadway between Rutgers and East Broadway is a terra cotta with Jewish stars engraved into it. It is here that one can almost envision what life must have been like in the 1900s, when the area was the most densely populated area in the world.
During the 1900s the lower East Side was the most densely populated area in the world; it was home to the Second and Third Avenue El. There were Trolleys then, and the roads were narrower than they are today: there were no sewage plants piping for waste. In addition, horse manure littered the street and garbage piled up.
The Manhattan Bridge seems to be the line where Chinatown begins, the architect who designed the New York Public Library also designed the arch entering the Manhattan Bridge. In 1870 the Chinese population was at 200 people, in 1882 the population reached 2000 people. In 1900 the Chinese Exclusion Act went into law and no other Chinese where allowed into the Americas. At that time, those already here were allowed to stay and out of the 7000 Chinese here only 200 were women. In 1942 Franklin Delano Roosevelt rescinded the act.
There was much prejudice against the Chinese people, to protect them physically and financially the Tong Association was formed. This association allowed the Chinese people to live in peace.
Little Italy was built on top of Five Points; this is the area the Irish were living in at one time. The population totaled 10,000 people then, today it is home to 5,000 people and the area is extremely congested. I was looking forward to going to Ferraro’s for a canola but the day was too filled to enable that treat.
The Amazing Race began at 1:45, I was in group C. Our first stop was to be the Central Park Zoo which opened in 1935. The zoo was designed by Olmstead and Vaux who disapproved of caging animals, yet when they began the park’s construction, live animals began arriving to the park (Blue Guide p. 285-286). Our second stop was Delacort Musical Animal Clock, this clock chimes on the half hour and animals circle the tower while a nursery rhyme plays every hour. We then proceeded to the boat pond which can provide a nice relaxing day with Bethesda Terrace and Fountain as the forward drop to the Central Park Lake. Jeffery Wrey Mould, according to the Blue Guide (p. 289) was the artist used in the stone carvings here and in many parts of the park. He additionally designed many houses and churches as well. Mould, a sculptor was a musician also who played the piano and composed songs. From Bethesda Terrace we raced to Strawberry Fields, a tribute to the late and great John Lennon who was assassinated in the courtyard of the Dakota apartments in 1980. The main tribute site is IMAGINE which is inscribed in colorful tile. The Blue Guide teaches on page 292 that the area was originally intended for Bing Crosby. The area is now known as the Peace Garden and is one of the most visited areas in the city. Our last destination was the place where John Lennon was shot. The Dakota Courtyard is watched over by security. If one is not either staying there or a guest, one cannot enter, so we took a picture and left to meet our group for lunch.
After a very nice late lunch at the Congee Village Restaurant, we walked over to the tenement museum and participated in the “Meet Victoria” tour. The tour was very informative, we spoke about the plight the new immigrants faced when coming to the Promised Land. The immigrant’s usual ship ride was approximately three weeks long, for those weeks they lived in the ships bilge. The people, while in an already crowded area with limited access to food, shared the bilge with cows and pigs without an opportunity to bathe or brush their teeth. Once reaching Ellis Island and reaching the front they were subjected to line inspections: this included visual and button hook checks for Trachoma, the inspections took about five hours. Once passing inspection the people took the short ferry ride to Manhattan, they now needed to find a job and a place to live. These people were often met by a person that would take them to a settlement house that they managed.
In the Living Museum, our tour guide Daryl pointed out the pressed sheet metal on the ceilings and the burlap on the walls. The metal was used to contain fires while the burlap on the wall was a design in 1905. Daryl played the role of the man who ran the settlement house on 97 Orchard Street who claimed the apartment on the fourth floor was empty; it is here where we meet Victoria.
Victoria Confino’s actor portrays a real person who lived in the tenement homes in 1910. She has been coached by the family, photographs and report cards which are some of the primary sources used to supply information to the public. The family consists of Spanish Sephardic Jews and speaks Ladino. In these times there were many Russian Jews who speak Yiddish; the Russian Jews frowned upon the Spanish Jews with many not willing to sell kosher products to them. Victoria explained what it was like living in a tenement in the early 1900s.It is not so surprising that once Victoria was able to speak enough English, she was told it was better for her to work and stay home to help clean and care for her brothers and sister. She was also advised that her brothers would be better off in school than her. It is known that up until the 1980s-1990s most women stayed home caring for the children, cleaning and cooking, while the husband was the sole provider of the household.
In the tenement home the average number of people in the small three room apartment was ten; the people slept toe to nose because feet smelled better then bad breath. She asked us if we had ever had soda and explained that she drank it with a stick. Victoria at 14 years old worked four ten hour days at work and three days at home cleaning and caring for her siblings.
The apartment’s rent were twenty dollars a month for the first floor and sixteen dollars a month for the fourth floor. The apartment did not come with a stove, the family needed to purchase one and they cost twenty-two dollars and fifty cents. Coal was supplied via a subscription and the boys had to collect it from the family’s bin and bring it to the home. Victoria became very excited when we asked about her favorite place which was the Grand Palace Dance Hall; there she would dance the Fox Trot, the Waltz and other dance steps. On a final note, Victoria explained that the boys used the chico liquo, this is an old term for peeing in a pot that she was responsible to clean.
The Living Museum forces one to step back in time to a place that may have been simpler in some ways but was more difficult in many ways too. It gives one a “real feel” of stepping back in time.
Upon exiting the subway we immediately hopped into the Essex Street Market for a quick bite to eat; this was going to be a long day prior to lunch.
In the early 1900s the lower East Side was the most densely populated area in the entire world, one really has to think about this. The Lower East Side is a small area, to house that many people would have caused many problems including housing, jobs and infection, just to name a few. Where did the bodily excretions go? Where did the horse manure and the garbage go? There was no running water, outhouses were not plentiful and sewers did not exist. The only place for the excrement and garbage to go was in the street: the amount of people walking in this mess creates a scene in my mind that causes me to be grateful I did not share this experience.
The 1900s had many street vendors selling many different items such as meat, fruit and vegetables, pots and pans etcetera. The vendors went from 25 to 25,000 causing increased traffic problems; this included the police and fire department being unable to pass through the throngs of people. Mayor LaGuardia felt the best solution was to build an area for the vendors, thus allowing the flow of traffic to improve. This new area became known as the Essex Street Market. The market was renovated in the late 1990s-early 2000s and the products changed according to the community’s needs.
We passed the Bailey Stoker Synagogue on our way to the Henry Street Settlement and learned that Bailey Stoker was an area in the north east section near the Russian Polish Border. We also passed Saint Mary’s Church, according to our guide Jim; this is the third oldest church in the city. The Henry Street Settlement was created by Jane Adams and settled by Lillian Wald. Lillian Wald gained financial backing from Jacob Schiff, which was purchased from Alexander Hamilton Jr. Lillian Wald used the home to train nurses: she had a staff of ninety trained nurses sent to the tenement houses to treat the ill. Eventually this nursing service became known as the Visiting Nurses Service (VNS) as we know it today.
We proceeded toward Chinatown and Little Italy, passing the Forward Building which was the site the Jewish Newspaper” Forward”. The building has four radicals carved into the face: Carl Marx, Frederick Engle’s, Leidnect and Fredrick Salk. The building is now a luxury cooperative and condominium complex: 139 East Broadway between Rutgers and East Broadway is a terra cotta with Jewish stars engraved into it. It is here that one can almost envision what life must have been like in the 1900s, when the area was the most densely populated area in the world.
During the 1900s the lower East Side was the most densely populated area in the world; it was home to the Second and Third Avenue El. There were Trolleys then, and the roads were narrower than they are today: there were no sewage plants piping for waste. In addition, horse manure littered the street and garbage piled up.
The Manhattan Bridge seems to be the line where Chinatown begins, the architect who designed the New York Public Library also designed the arch entering the Manhattan Bridge. In 1870 the Chinese population was at 200 people, in 1882 the population reached 2000 people. In 1900 the Chinese Exclusion Act went into law and no other Chinese where allowed into the Americas. At that time, those already here were allowed to stay and out of the 7000 Chinese here only 200 were women. In 1942 Franklin Delano Roosevelt rescinded the act.
There was much prejudice against the Chinese people, to protect them physically and financially the Tong Association was formed. This association allowed the Chinese people to live in peace.
Little Italy was built on top of Five Points; this is the area the Irish were living in at one time. The population totaled 10,000 people then, today it is home to 5,000 people and the area is extremely congested. I was looking forward to going to Ferraro’s for a canola but the day was too filled to enable that treat.
The Amazing Race began at 1:45, I was in group C. Our first stop was to be the Central Park Zoo which opened in 1935. The zoo was designed by Olmstead and Vaux who disapproved of caging animals, yet when they began the park’s construction, live animals began arriving to the park (Blue Guide p. 285-286). Our second stop was Delacort Musical Animal Clock, this clock chimes on the half hour and animals circle the tower while a nursery rhyme plays every hour. We then proceeded to the boat pond which can provide a nice relaxing day with Bethesda Terrace and Fountain as the forward drop to the Central Park Lake. Jeffery Wrey Mould, according to the Blue Guide (p. 289) was the artist used in the stone carvings here and in many parts of the park. He additionally designed many houses and churches as well. Mould, a sculptor was a musician also who played the piano and composed songs. From Bethesda Terrace we raced to Strawberry Fields, a tribute to the late and great John Lennon who was assassinated in the courtyard of the Dakota apartments in 1980. The main tribute site is IMAGINE which is inscribed in colorful tile. The Blue Guide teaches on page 292 that the area was originally intended for Bing Crosby. The area is now known as the Peace Garden and is one of the most visited areas in the city. Our last destination was the place where John Lennon was shot. The Dakota Courtyard is watched over by security. If one is not either staying there or a guest, one cannot enter, so we took a picture and left to meet our group for lunch.
After a very nice late lunch at the Congee Village Restaurant, we walked over to the tenement museum and participated in the “Meet Victoria” tour. The tour was very informative, we spoke about the plight the new immigrants faced when coming to the Promised Land. The immigrant’s usual ship ride was approximately three weeks long, for those weeks they lived in the ships bilge. The people, while in an already crowded area with limited access to food, shared the bilge with cows and pigs without an opportunity to bathe or brush their teeth. Once reaching Ellis Island and reaching the front they were subjected to line inspections: this included visual and button hook checks for Trachoma, the inspections took about five hours. Once passing inspection the people took the short ferry ride to Manhattan, they now needed to find a job and a place to live. These people were often met by a person that would take them to a settlement house that they managed.
In the Living Museum, our tour guide Daryl pointed out the pressed sheet metal on the ceilings and the burlap on the walls. The metal was used to contain fires while the burlap on the wall was a design in 1905. Daryl played the role of the man who ran the settlement house on 97 Orchard Street who claimed the apartment on the fourth floor was empty; it is here where we meet Victoria.
Victoria Confino’s actor portrays a real person who lived in the tenement homes in 1910. She has been coached by the family, photographs and report cards which are some of the primary sources used to supply information to the public. The family consists of Spanish Sephardic Jews and speaks Ladino. In these times there were many Russian Jews who speak Yiddish; the Russian Jews frowned upon the Spanish Jews with many not willing to sell kosher products to them. Victoria explained what it was like living in a tenement in the early 1900s.It is not so surprising that once Victoria was able to speak enough English, she was told it was better for her to work and stay home to help clean and care for her brothers and sister. She was also advised that her brothers would be better off in school than her. It is known that up until the 1980s-1990s most women stayed home caring for the children, cleaning and cooking, while the husband was the sole provider of the household.
In the tenement home the average number of people in the small three room apartment was ten; the people slept toe to nose because feet smelled better then bad breath. She asked us if we had ever had soda and explained that she drank it with a stick. Victoria at 14 years old worked four ten hour days at work and three days at home cleaning and caring for her siblings.
The apartment’s rent were twenty dollars a month for the first floor and sixteen dollars a month for the fourth floor. The apartment did not come with a stove, the family needed to purchase one and they cost twenty-two dollars and fifty cents. Coal was supplied via a subscription and the boys had to collect it from the family’s bin and bring it to the home. Victoria became very excited when we asked about her favorite place which was the Grand Palace Dance Hall; there she would dance the Fox Trot, the Waltz and other dance steps. On a final note, Victoria explained that the boys used the chico liquo, this is an old term for peeing in a pot that she was responsible to clean.
The Living Museum forces one to step back in time to a place that may have been simpler in some ways but was more difficult in many ways too. It gives one a “real feel” of stepping back in time.
RSS Feed