Walk Lower Manhattan's Dark Side, From Old Gang Turf to a Haunted House
A self-guided afternoon through Lower Manhattan's darker past, from old gang turf to a haunted house and a burial ground.
🗺️ Chinatown to the Village on foot
🕵️ Start at the edge of Five Points
Columbus Park sits on what was once Mulberry Bend, the stretch of tenements at the edge of the old Five Points that Jacob Riis photographed and campaigned to clear. The park that replaced it opened in 1897, and today it is a busy Chinatown commons, with people at the stone tables and games on the courts. Give it ten minutes to get your bearings, then head a few minutes east to Doyers Street. The whole walk takes about two to three hours on your own, not counting food or a museum visit.
🩸 The bend on Doyers Street
Doyers Street is a single short block with a sharp kink halfway along. In the early 1900s it saw repeated violence between rival tongs, and the blind corner earned it the nickname the Bloody Angle. Walk to the bend and notice how little you can see around it. Nom Wah Tea Parlor at No. 13 has served dim sum here since 1920, and it makes a natural stop for a plate of pan-fried dumplings before the walk north.
🍷 A 1908 bar on Mulberry Street
Walk north on Mulberry Street for about ten minutes, through what remains of Little Italy, to Mulberry Street Bar at 176½. It opened in 1908 as Mare Chiaro and keeps its original tile floor, wooden bar and pressed-tin ceiling. The Godfather Part III and The Sopranos both filmed scenes here. Stop for one drink at the bar, where the old details are easiest to take in.
🕯️ The Merchant's House on East Fourth
Allow about fifteen minutes to East Fourth Street. The Merchant's House Museum is an 1832 rowhouse where the Tredwell family lived for almost a century, and stories of the youngest daughter, Gertrude, lingering in the house have circulated for decades. Self-guided visits run Wednesday through Sunday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, with last entry at 4:30 PM. Tickets are sold at the door, general admission is 15.50 dollars, and during restoration the entrance is through Manuel Plaza at 35 East 4th Street. Plan on 45 minutes to an hour inside, and look for the Underground Railroad passageway, which is on view.
⛲ End above the old potter's field
Washington Square Park is about ten minutes west. From 1797 to 1825 the ground was a potter's field, and by some estimates as many as 20,000 people are buried beneath it. Finish with a slow loop of the fountain plaza and a look up at the arch. Empire Tours runs a separate paid two-hour walk through some of the same neighborhoods, daily at 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Its stops are not the same as this route.
