Hidden New York : a guide to places that matter / Marci Reaven and Steve Zeitlin ; photographs by Martha Cooper and other great photographers of New York City's splendid places ; research and interviews by Elena Martinez ; contributors Caitlin Van Dusen ... [et al.].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Reaven, Marci, 1954-

Contributor:

Zeitlin, Steven J.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

New York (N.Y.)--Guidebooks.

New York (N.Y.).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (392 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, N.J. : Rivergate Books, an imprint of Rutgers University Press, c2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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 Matter Hua Mei Bird Garden Russian and Turkish Tenth Street Baths Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden The Magic Table at the Edison Hotel The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesman Webster Hall The Cube Stickball Boulevard and the Stadiums of the Street Thomas Jefferson Park Pool Empire Roller Skating Center Chess Havens Coney Island The Lemon Ice King of Corona Coney Island Bialys and Bagels Sahadi's Specialty and Middle Eastern Foods Arthur Avenue Market Union Square Greenmarket The Village Vanguard Casa Amadeo Record Shop Richmond Barthé's Frieze at Kingsborough Houses Quirky Features of the Landscape Art in the Subways Governors Island Casita Rincón Criollo, Magnolia Tree Earth Center, Liz Christy Bowery-Houston Community Garden The Flower District Fishing around New York Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum Masjid Al-Taqwa Ganesha Hindu Temple Our Lady of Mount Carmel Grotto The Memorials of the Battery Strawberry Fields

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

URBAN GATHERINGS

CITY PLAY

URBAN PALATE

ART AND MUSIC, CITY STYLE

METROPOLITAN MEANDERINGS

URBAN NATURE

CITY SPIRITS

URBAN REMEMBRANCE

Notes

About the Authors and Contributors

Planning an Outing

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [361]-367) and index.

ISBN:

1-281-24428-7

9786611244286

0-8135-4124-7

OCLC:

476144463