Eric Ferrara is the Executive Director of the non-profit East Village History Project [www.east-village.com], a 4th generation native new Yorker, published author, and licensed tour guide. EVHP walking tours are free to the public, by donation.

Eric was New Yorker of the Month (August 2008) by AskaNewYorker
(http://askanewyorker.com/newyorker.php)

Excerpt from New Yorker of the month interview: Eric Yep. I’m a native New Yorker, fourth generation. My great grandmother on my mother's side settled here on the Lower East Side in the 1870’s from the Ukraine and my great grandmother on my father's side arrived from Sicily in the late 1880’s; they settled in Little Italy, then know as the Five Points . Both came at a very early age, like in their early teens. It is hard to imagine their experience. They both married someone much older, had a bunch of kids, and the rest is history. We have survived in this community for 130 years. [r2.gsa.gov]


Each week, Eric will answer select questions from visitors, on a variety
of topics

Where did Bob Dylan live while in NYC? Who were the most powerful
gangsters in the city during the 1920's? Did dogs really fight rats as
entertainment in the 1800's? Where was Tammany Hall located? Did a woman
really build the Brooklyn Bridge?

Send in your best questions and Eric will do his best to answer as many
as possible

Eric Ferrara
East Village Community Media
917-215-2575

[east-village.com]
Neighborhood Directory & Free Press

Lower East Side walking tours:
[LowerEastSideTours.org]

My new book, in paperback:
Gangsters, Murderers & Weirdos of the Lower East Side;
A self-guided Walking Tour
ISBN 978-1-4357-2507-2
[www.lulu.com]



Edited 16 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/2009 04:29AM by askanewyorker.

Hello and thanks for reading

And thanks to Kennedy and Ask A New Yorker, which is an invaluable resource.

To kick start the column, I have included some pretty facinating and historic NYC events that took place during the month of August throughout history.

Do you have anything to add?

-------------------------------------------->


August 29, 1645
A Peace Treaty is signed between New Netherlands Director-General William Kieft and local Native American tribes, after escalating violence caused heavy casualties for both parties. Eventually Keift was fired and replaced with Peter Stuyvesant.

August 27, 1776
The Battle of Long Island began in the area we now call Brooklyn. It was the first and largest battle in the Revolutionary War. By August 30th, George Washington and his Continental Army were forced back, and the Brittish took control of New York City.

August 3, 1859
Ny Times reports on the "alarming prevalence of the mania for self-murder". They give an example of 26 suicides which occurred on one night alone.

August 1, 1858
Irish gang The Dead Rabbits meet Nativist gang the Bowery Boys in a brawl on Centre and Worth Streets; as the fight was breaking up, the Dead Rabbits hit an innocent bystander over the head and killed him. All escaped.

August 5, 1884
The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty was laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor.

August 8, 1922
Small-time gangster Umberto Rocco Valenti orders a failed hit attempt on "The Boss of Bosses" Joe Masseria, outside of his own home at 80 2nd Avenue. Masseria escapes, but 6 people are shot in the ensuing getaway, 2 are killed.

August 11, 1922
Gangleader Joe "The Boss" Masseria had Umberto Rocco Valenti killed on the corner of 2nd Avenue and E.12th Street in retaliation for an earlier attempt on Masseria's life in front of his own home at 80 2nd Avenue. Lucky Luciano, a Masseria underling, was rumored to be one of the hitmen.

August 6, 1926
Warner Brothers premiered its "Vitaphone" sound-on-disc movie system in New York City; The NY Times reported on the screening of Don Juan starring Drew Barrymore: "sound to the movements of the lips of singers and the actions of musicians was almost uncanny"

August 1, 1943
Race-related rioting erupted in New York City's Harlem section, resulting in several deaths.

August 1, 1947
The first building of Stuyvesant Town is erected.

August, 1974
Blondie (Angel & The Snakes) and The Ramones make their debut at CBGB's

August 7, 1974
French stunt man Philippe Petit walked a tightrope strung between the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center.

August 9, 1977
Postal employee David Berkowitz was arrested in Yonkers, accused of being the "Son of Sam" gunman responsible for six random slayings and seven woundings. Berkowitz was convicted and is serving six consecutive terms of 25 years to life in state prison.

August 2, 1979
New York Yankees catcher Thurman Munson died in the crash of his private plane in Canton, Ohio.

August 14, 1980
The Democratic National Convention was held in New York City; President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale were eventually nominated for a second term.

August 6, 1988
A police riot erupted when police tried to evict hundreds of squatters from Tompkins Square Park; dozens of people were injured and arrested in the ensuing melee, including activists, neighbors and journalists.

August 2006
Possibly the last remaining squat on the Lower East Side, The Cave at 120 St. Marks Place was raided by police and squatters were forcibly evicted.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/2008 08:43AM by LowerEastSideTours.

this looks really cool, I look forward to more postings.

3rd August 1998

Not historic or eventful for anyone else but it was my first ever visit and the date I caught the bug.

I love the idea of this thread, fabulous.

Eric,
I am from Philly and my cousins from Italy are coming to NY, 8/27 - we are taking them to the Statue of Libery and Ellis Island (that's what they want to do), afterwards I was thinking of going to Bleeker St (West Village ?) for walking around and eating - can you give me some more information about that area?
Thanks.
Diane

Looking forward to September's notes of history.

I also look forward to a tour on my next trip out.

Hi and thanks for the kind words. I look forward to posting more (and learning more from visitors)...

In response to Diane from Philly... Greenwich Village is one of the most popular destinations here in Manhattan. The neighborhood (roughly University Place to the Hudson River east to west, 14th Street to Houston Street north to south), is one of the original Dutch settlements on Manhattan island, dating back to the 1600s. Actually, it goes way beyond that. The area was actually a Native American fishing village called Sapokanican, for nobody really knows how many (possibly hundreds) of years before the Europeans even arrived.

The term "Greenwich" dates back to as early as 1711, when the English were calling the shots, and remained a pretty exclusive and affluent neighborhood of small farms, mansions and wealthy estates, until the 1840s when small businesses started opening up.

This is when the area started gaining its legendary reputation as a center of arts and intellectualism, which continued for 150 years.

Washington Square Park is a popular (and central) destination for visitors and locals alike. It is hard to imagine that over 20,000 people were once(?) buried underneath the street performers, chess players, and people-watchers which make up the landscape today.

It was, up until 1828, a burial ground for the poor and victims of disease. Despite its macabre beginnings, Washington Square Park has been a melting-pot of people and ideas, and an inspiration to the craft of everyone from Washington Irving to John Lennon, for close to 200 years.

Here are just a few little known and interesting Greenwich Village facts/sites:
-69 W.8th Street: Jimi Hendrix opened Electric Lady Studios here in 1969. Everyone from Stevie Wonder to The Rolling Stones have recorded here.
-15 W.3rd street: Edgar Allen Poe wrote The Raven while he lived here
-66 Morton Street: Jim Belushi lived here while working on Saturday Night Live
-81 Horatio Street: Writer James Baldwin wrote at least three novels and three plays while living here throughout the 1950s and 60s
-45 Grove Street: John Wilkes Booth plotted President Abraham Lincoln's assassination out of an apartment here
-210 Greene Street: Billy The Kid (Henry McCarty) was born here around 1860
-17 Commerce Street: Was once home to Arron Burr, one-time Vice President under Thomas Jefferson, around the time he murdered Alexander Hamilton in a pistol duel
-105 Bank Street: John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived here in the early 70s, before moving uptown
-567 Hudson Street: The White Horse Tavern has been around since 1880 and served a lot of famous people throughout that time. This is where Dylan Thomas reportedly drank 18 shots of whiskey before dying from "Chronic alcohol poisoning"
-14 W.10th Street: Mark Twain lived here at the turn of the century

There is history on every single block here. In no way can it be encapsulated in a single column... If you are interested, there are plenty of companies who provide walking tours of Greenwich Village, so if you do a search you can come up with something. Otherwise, I would suggest [nyc.gov] event calendar, or a book by Robert Fogelnest called "The Streets of GreenWich Village; a self guided walking tour" (http://video.lulu.com/content/1918243)

Have fun! Enjoy the city... and impress your friends (and some strangers) with these tid-bits...

Eric,

My name is Marc Samuels and I run a tour business in NYC called PhotoTrek Tours. I just want to say how insightful I have found your column.

I am often asked by my guests for places to eat in different parts of the city. I really do not have any suggestions for The East Village. Can you provide 4 or 5 moderately prices places to eat in The East Village.

Thanks.

Marc

Hi Marc-

Congratulations on being New Yorker of The Month (Sept 2008) -- your tours sound great! I appreciate the hard work that goes into such a unique venture. Kudos...

To answer your question, the East Village boasts hundreds of distinctive restaurants; There are not many places in the world that you can get dozens of authentic culinary treats from around the globe within a 14 block span.

I usually recommend the old, established favorites -- but it is hard to overlook some of these newer local favorites, so here is a combination of both:


Italian food:
-John's, 302 E.12th St - http://www.yelp.com/biz/johns-restaurant-new-york#hrid:-1WYsBN_DLtelHPrQZBuTA/query:johns
-Sal Anthony Lanza's, 168 1st ave - http://www.yelp.com/biz/sal-anthonys-lanza-new-york#hrid:GTw7XC8O0J4s2KzlIZt5mw/query:lanzas
-Max's, 51 Ave B - http://www.yelp.com/biz/max-new-york
-Three of Cups, 83 1st Ave - http://www.yelp.com/biz/three-of-cups-new-york

Polish/Ukrainian/Eastern European:
-Polonia, 110 1st ave - avRAj8Q_rNV3ORIPipOug/query:polonia">http://www.yelp.com/biz/polonia-restaurant-new-york#hridavRAj8Q_rNV3ORIPipOug/query:polonia
-Ukrainian East Village Restaurant, 140 Second Ave - http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/ukrainian-east-village-restaurant/

Indian:
-India row, E.6th street between 1st and 2nd Aves -- There are a dozen restaurants to choose from. For under $10, you can get a beautiful 4-course meal and live sitar/tabla music (just remember to ask for the specials menu or they will try to charge you full price...)

Asian:
-Lan Japanese, 56 3rd Ave - http://www.yelp.com/biz/lan-japanese-restaurant-new-york#hrid:4i5eFwK_nxdZ3A3Oy3oylg/query:restaurant
-Soba Ya, 229 E 9th St - http://www.yelp.com/biz/soba-ya-new-york#hrid:js83qwiiMIdvtcZ2d7yEhA/query:restaurant
-Avenue A Sushi, 105 Avenue A - [url=http://www.yelp.com/biz/avenue-a-japanese-restaurant-new-york-2#hrid:AYHU9AzGlkXG4tCyVHdTOw/query:"avenue a sushi"]http://www.yelp.com/biz/avenue-a-japanese-restaurant-new-york-2#hrid:AYHU9AzGlkXG4tCyVHdTOw/query:"avenue a sushi"[/url]

Soul/Southern:
-Mama's, 200 E 3rd Street - [www.yelp.com]

Diner:
-Odessa, 119 Avenue A - [newyork.citysearch.com]
-Veselka, 144 2nd Ave - [newyork.citysearch.com]
-Stage, 128 2nd Ave - [menupages.com]

Vegetarian:
-Caravan of Dreams, 405 E.6th St - http://menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=0&restaurantid=2567&neighborhoodid=0&cuisineid=23
-Pukk, 71 1st Avenue - http://www.yelp.com/biz/pukk-new-york
-B & H Dairy, 127 2nd Ave - http://www.yelp.com/biz/b-and-h-dairy-new-york#hrid:-g6trWGObnvgIxgFTJnmdA/query:vegetarian


These are just a few I hope you find useful. Of course, this is still the great "melting pot", and it is reflected in our variety of culinary offerings. For an original egg cream, go to Gem Spa on the corner of St. Marks and 2nd Ave -- for inexpensive, hand made Empanadas which melt in your mouth, seek out a street vendor on Avenue C -- For a good hot dog, check out Criff Dogs on St. Marks near Ave A -- and a pastrami sandwich? Katz's Deli on Houston Street is an official delight...

Anyone else have any local favorites to suggest?

Eric,

Wow! Very helpful and I am certainly going to print up your recommendations and pass them along to my guests. The city just amazes me. I am a native New Yorker, like yourself, and there always seems to be new places to discover.

I will certainly be back in touch as I have more questions. Thank you again for your great recommendations!

Marc Samuels

My goodness...this thread has kept me occupied for hours (not easy!!!) especially the list of historical notes. Fantastic...thank you!

PS...Wasn't Five Points (mentioned above) the area featured in the film 'Gangs of New York'?

Eric: I am from Chile and I will be visiting NYC next week. I have been there a couple of time for work so I don't much about the city but I am going with my 4 kids (17, 15, 12 and 10) and I would really like they spend a great tome. We will go to the usual things for a first time tourist. The Moma, Museum of Natural History, Empire state, Statue of Liberty, Guggenheim, little Italy, Chinatown, Macy's, etc.. Any special recommendations about these?
Also we would like to go to see some shows. Apart from the booths in Times square and at the Pier end, any other recommendation to get good cheap tickets without loosing ours standing in line?

Also, i am worried about the "eating" part and I donmt want them to be eating fast food all the time. You know how a 15 and 17 year old boy eats so would you recommend some good spots to fill them up. I have been recommend the "chiplote" or something like that. Any other suggestion.

Thanks a lot of your advice.
Regards
Roberto

Hi Y'all.

I once had the pleasure of briefly lurking in on one of Eric's tours of our neighborhood, and it was terrific.

Eric, do you have a schedule of your tours online? I really must go to one.

I hope to add to this list as well. By way of introduction, I am the Vice President of the Guides Association of NYC (GANYC.org), and a contributor to our newsletter, GuideLines. My specialties include the World Trade Center, Santa Claus and NYC Christmas History, and the East Village's Community Gardens. I am interested in architecture, social history, community development, and culture.

Best regards,

Jared the TourGuide

[www.myspace.com]

jaredg(at)pipeline.com

Hey Jared-

Thanks for the kind words. Next time you listen in on a tour, introduce yourself! (I don't recall if we actually spoke or not...)

Our free tour schedule is located at [lowereastsidetours.org]

Contributions to this thread are always welcome. I hope to hear from you soon.

The East Village History Project
[east-village.com]

Congratulations Eric...the new site looks and works great!


[avenuea.org]

Eric,

Marc from PhotoTrek Tours (www.phototrektours.com) again...hope all is well!

I am often asked during my tours about places for live music. I am familiar with the venues on Bleeker Street (Terra Blues, Red Lion, etc.), however, would like to make recommendations in the lower East Side area. Can you please provide me with a few venues for live music that I can recommend for my guests.

Thank you!

Marc Samuels
PhotoTrek Tours

It's not the east side but do you ever recommend Village Underground? They have great live music, particularly on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Marea,

I have not recommended the Village Underground but will certainly do so in the future. Thanks for the tip.

Marc

Hey Marc-

Though the LES gave birth to everything from Tap Dancing and Yiddish Theater (in America) to Bebop (jazz) and Punk Rock (to name a few...), sadly our live music and entertainment opportunities are dwindling.

(Example: there are only two live stages, that I know of, which are left in the entire East Village... The Bowery Poetry Club and Webster Hall)

Some local LES faves you can safely recommend are:

-The Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, [www.bowerypoetry.com]
-Sidewalk Cafe - 94 Avenue A
-Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 236 E.3rd St, [www.nuyorican.org]
-Arlene's Grocery, 95 Stanton St, [www.arlenesgrocery.net]
-Pianos, 158 Ludlow St


Some larger, mid-size venues include:
-Webster Hall, 125 E.11th St, [www.websterhall.com]
-Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St, www.boweryballroom.com
-Mercury Lounge, 217 E Houston St, [www.mercuryloungenyc.com]


RIP: CBGB (now a men's designer store), Continental (now a bar), Brownies (now Hi-Fi bar), Coney Island High (now condos), The Scrap Bar, The Milk Bar, Max's Kansas City (now a retail store), The Living Room, Collective Unconscious, Detour, C-Note Cafe, Fillmore East (now a bank), Slugs, The Five Spot (now a bar), The Electric Circus (now a strip mall), The Ritz (now Webster Hall), The Palladium (now Trader Joe's/NYU), Club 57 (now a mental health clinic), St. Marks Bar (now a lounge), dozens of Yiddish and Vaudeville theaters, and many, many more...

I hope this helps!

The East Village History Project
[east-village.com]