Hidden New York (eBook)

Despite its innumerable tourist attractions, New York City still has many secrets, hidden in the most unlikely places. There is the Edison Hotel in Times Square, where magicians gather 'round the Magic Table to socialize and compete. There is Hua Mei Garden in the Lower East Side, where elderly Chinese men meet to display exotic birds. And there is Sahadi's in Brooklyn, where the culinary arts thrive, and New Yorkers go for just the right ingredients for a Middle Eastern meal. This book details thirty-two unusual locations such as these and enhances them by including a cluster of additional, related spots. Hidden New York shows you why these places matter and guides you through the historical and cultural significance of each one.Many of them matter because of the opportunities they provide for socializing, such as the Empire Roller Disco in Brooklyn that attracts a community of skaters and the Cube sculpture on Astor Place, which is a meeting spot for homeless youth. Others matter because they are focal points for communities and the spaces are intertwined with how people share in each others' lives. Still others have been lost, like the house under the roller coaster in Coney Island, made famous by Woody Allen in Annie Hall.This book is not just about Manhattan, but covers all five boroughs in New York City. It is an invitation to visit, revisit, learn, and enjoy all that you didn't know the city has to offer. It will show you what's there, what used to be there, and why it will be there for years to come. The chapters, illustrated with appealing black-and-white photos, include first-person remembrances and commentaries from New Yorkers themselves. Each entry functions as a small travel essay, evoking how certain destinations are experienced. As a guide to the New York City that is less traveled, this unique book shows that some of the best places to visit are ones that you never even thought existed.The 32 Places That MatterHua Mei Bird GardenRussian and Turkish Tenth Street BathsBohemian Hall and Beer GardenThe Magic Table at the Edison HotelThe General Society of Mechanics and TradesmanWebster HallThe CubeStickball Boulevard and the Stadiums of the StreetThomas Jefferson Park PoolEmpire Roller Skating CenterChess HavensConey IslandThe Lemon Ice King of CoronaConey Island Bialys and BagelsSahadi's Specialty and Middle Eastern FoodsArthur Avenue MarketUnion Square GreenmarketThe Village VanguardCasa Amadeo Record ShopRichmond Barthe's Frieze at Kingsborough HousesQuirky Features of the LandscapeArt in the SubwaysGovernors IslandCasita Rincon Criollo, Magnolia Tree Earth Center, Liz Christy Bowery-Houston Community GardenThe Flower DistrictFishing around New YorkKehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and MuseumMasjid Al-TaqwaGanesha Hindu TempleOur Lady of Mount Carmel GrottoThe Memorials of the BatteryStrawberry Fields