<Excerpt from New York Offbeat Walks: Upper West Side> Now start to walk along Riverside Drive. In the last few years of the 19th century, the Drive failed to attract many very wealthy residents, yet remained out of reach of middle class residents. However, a number of mansions were built, soon followed by upscale apartment blocks—by 1910 there were 24 ... Read More »
<Excerpt from New York Offbeat Walks: Midtown> Walk on, stopping outside (26) 1678 Broadway—approximately where the parking sign is today. This venue has an equally important place in modern music culture as its basement was home to The Birdland Jazz Club from 1949 to 1965. It was named for jazz pioneer and saxophonist Charlie Parker (1920-1955), whose nickname was “Bird.” ... Read More »
<Excerpt from New York Offbeat Walks: Hell’s Kitchen> On the right, you pass West 39th Street, which—between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues—was once as a notorious slum known as “Battle Row.” Long before the Westies, the 500-strong Irish American Gophers gang controlled the area from the 1890s until around 1910, finding rich pickings by stealing from the nearby train yards and ... Read More »
<Excerpt from New York Offbeat Walks: Chelsea> Continue on to Eleventh Avenue and the Hudson River to the west. Ahead is Pier 57, built in the early 1950s for shipping by the chemical business W.R. Grace and Company and later used as a bus station. In 1837, Thirteenth Avenue was constructed beside the Hudson River, but it was an unlucky ... Read More »
<Excerpt from New York Offbeat Walks: West Village> Continue along Bank Street to reach the junction with Washington Street. On the northwest corner is (34) the Westbeth Artists Housing complex. This incredible site originally comprised of 13 buildings was constructed for Western Electric in 1868, and later taken over by Bell Laboratories in the late 1890s. Demonstrations were held here ... Read More »
<Excerpt from New York Offbeat Walks: The Bowery > Ahead, cross over (4) Delancey Street and Kenmare Streets. Delancey Street was once known as a major shopping district for the Jewish community on the Lower East Side. Crossing Delancey is a play that was made into a successful film (1988), both written by Susan Sandler. Described as the ultimate Jewish ... Read More »
<Excerpt from New York Offbeat Walks: Civic Center, Chinatown & Little Italy> Follow the map (north), looking to your right (1) for the imposing David N. Dinkins Municipal Building. One of the biggest public buildings in the world, it has been home to many New York City public offices since 1913. It combines a variety of architectural styles, from Imperial ... Read More »
New York Offbeat Walks is a pocket-size guide containing 12 walks covering Manhattan. It is not a guide to the mainstream, but the quirkier side of Manhattan, for jaded residents who want to rediscover their city and explore areas they often overlook. This is NOT your typical guide—this book will show you the quirkier side of Manhattan. See where the ... Read More »
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