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This two hour walking tour is a deep dive into the dirty history of the Five Points neighborhood in NYC, once called "the foul core of New York City's slums" and an area of "moral leprosy." In a way, it's also a ghost tour, as we'll be exploring a geography (streets and natural features) erased by development and redevelopment. We will uncover the lives of the people who lived in this area (now Chinatown) from 1800 - 1900, discussing how sewage, sex, and sickness pervaded a neighborhood filled with the "poorest of the poor" until it was razed and rebuilt starting in 1897. This is not a tour for the faint of heart!
Your guide for this tour is a graduate of the Sanitation Foundation's Trash Academy and has a Master's of Public Administration from Columbia University. This topic is her passion!
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
We will meet in Collect Pond Park on Leonard Street between Lafayette and Centre Streets.
We will end in Columbus Park on the corner of Baxter and Worth Streets.
Itinerary
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1
We will discuss how Collect Pond was transformed from a fresh water pond with a park to a reeking, polluted swamp to a foul landfill. In this spot, we will also discuss The Tombs (aka the Halls of Justice).
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Columbus Park
The tour will stop just east of Columbus Park on Worth Street. We will talk about the historic location and stories of Paradise Square, The Old Brewery, Cow Bay, and the intersection of streets that gave the Five Points neighborhood its name.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
3Chinatown
The tour will continue through the historic area of the Five Points, stopping at the former sites of Donovan's Alley, Chatham Theatre, Chatham Square, Park Street, Mulberry Bend, Bandit's Roost, and Bottle Alley. We'll visit the site of a former notorious brothel and see the oldest tenement in New York City. During the tour, we'll discuss sewage, sex, and sickness in the Five Points from 1800 - 1900.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Additional info
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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