Page 81 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

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q Museum at e Little Italy
Eldridge Street and Nolita
Map C5. 12 Eldridge St. Tel (212) 219- Map C4. Streets around Mulberry St.
0888. q E Broadway. Open 10am– q Canal St. ∑ littleitalynyc.com
5pm Sun–Thu, 10am–3pm Fri.
u Fri at sundown, Sat 10am Little Italy and Nolita (or NoLita,
onward. & ^ 8 half-hourly
10am–3pm. = ∑ eldridge shortened from “North of Little
street.org Italy”) became, home to southern
Italian immigrants in the late 19th
This Moorish-style synagogue century. They preserved their
was the first large temple built language, customs, and food,
in the US by Jewish immigrants making Mulberry Street lively with
from Eastern Europe, from the colors, flavors, and atmosphere
where 80 percent of American of Italy. Today the 10-day Feast of
Jews came. At the turn of the San Gennaro in September draws
century, it was the most crowds of joyful celebrants. Also
flamboyant temple in the on Mulberry Street is the Gothic-
neighborhood, and as many as Revival style Basilica of St. Patrick’s
City Hall’s stately 19th-century 1,000 people attended services Old Cathedral. It became a local
Georgian façade here. As congregants left the parish church when the cathedral
area, attendance waned and moved uptown (see p87).
0 Civic Center the temple closed in the 1950s.
The synagogue is now a
Map C5. q 2 & 3 to Park Pl; A, C National Historic Landmark
to Chambers St; R to City Hall.
Woolworth Building: 233 Broadway. and houses exhibitions.
q City Hall, Park Place. Open check
website for tour hours. City Hall: City w Chinatown
Hall Park. Tel (212) 331. q Brooklyn
Bridge–City Hall. 7 8 7 Map C5. Streets around Mott St.
∑ woolworthtours.com
q Canal St. Museum of Chinese
in America: 215 Center St. Tel (212)
Manhattan’s busy Civic Center 619 4785. Open 11am–6pm Tue,
is the hub of the city, state, Wed & Fri–Sun, 11am–9pm Thu.
and federal government court ∑ mocanyc.org ∑ explore
systems and the city’s police chinatown.com
department. The 1926 New Little Italy, once home to thousands
York County Courthouse is New York’s largest and of immigrants
adjacent to the 31-story, arguably most colorful ethnic
pyramid-topped 1933 US neighborhood is Chinatown, r Lower East Side
Courthouse. The Tweed where more than 200,000 Tenement Museum
Courthouse, constructed Chinese Americans live. The
by the infamous Boss Tweed, shops and sidewalks overflow Map D5. 97 Orchard St. Tel (212) 431-
a corrupt politician, is now with exotic foods and herbs, 0233. q Canal St; Delancey St;
home to the Department and gifts ranging from Essex St. Open 9am–6pm daily.
of Education. backscratchers to fine antiques. 8 11:45am–5pm Mon–Wed & Fri,
11:45am–6:30pm Thu, 10:30am–
The monumental buildings Most people, however, visit 5pm Sat & Sun (every 15–30 min).
here include the 1913 Gothic Chinatown to eat in one of ∑ tenement.org
Woolworth Building, the more than 200 restaurants
headquarters of Five-and- or shop for Asian delicacies. This 1863 building provides a
Dime mogul Frank W. Other sights here include rare opportunity to view the
Woolworth. Designed by the Eastern States Buddhist cramped living conditions and
architect Cass Gilbert, it was Temple, with its incense- crumbling interior of a tenement
the city’s tallest building until scented interior and more building. The apartments have
1930 and set the standard than 100 golden Buddhas. been re-created to reflect the
for future skyscrapers. In The Museum of Chinese in lives of its tenants in the mid-
contrast is the historic America, provides a historical 19th century, when indoor
Georgian building, City Hall, overview of the Chinese- toilets were rare and there was
the seat of government since American experience from no plumbing, electricity or heat,
1812. To its northeast, the 1784 to the present, through to the mid-20th century when
Municipal Building is a an engaging blend of many families ran cottage
wedding-cake fantasy of multimedia displays, artifacts, industries out of their homes.
towers and spires, topped and filmed interviews of The building’s past is brought
by the statue Civic Fame. real people. to life by themed guided tours.

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