97 Orchard Street

The Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side is a favourite place of mine; not only does it appeal to the history geek in me but it’s a great place to take out-of-town visitors. The one downside is that photography is not allowed. So when I heard about “Snapshot,” a one-night event during which people would be allowed to shoot anywhere in the building, I jumped at the chance.

The museum is centered around a former tenement at 97 Orchard Street. Built in 1863, it originally consisted of 22 flats and a basement-level German beer saloon. Roughly 7,000 people would call it home over the years until 1935 when the last residents were evicted and the building boarded up. Purchased in 1996 by the Tenement Museum, the building is used to educate visitors about the immigrant experience in New York.

A sampling of different patterns found at 97 Orchard Street.

Normally, visitors to the museum take a tour with a guide who tells the tale of one or two of the families who lived in the building. On this night, although there were staff members on hand, we were able to roam at our own pace. I began in the saloon, which I had toured earlier this year, and worked my way up to each floor. While the rooms were interesting, I was drawn to the layers in the building—paint, flooring, wallpaper that remain as evidence of different decades and times at 97 Orchard Street.

For more info about the Tenement Museum, visit here. All photos by Michele.

Speakeasy Revisited

Faux speakeasies have been a trend in New York in recent years. Although I have often scoffed at the idea (hello, prohibition is over) tonight some friends and I decided to try one out—the Back Room—on the Lower East Side.

To find the place, we had to look for a sign that read “East Side Toy Company.” We then went down a set of metal stairs and through an alley to get to the unmarked door for the Back Room. Filled with red velvet sofas, large portraits of Victorian-era women, and a glowing fireplace, the place is surprisingly large and intimate at the same time. It even has a hidden back room that only friends of the owner can hang out in. We sat at the bar, and I ordered a Rob Roy, which was served in a white teacup. One of my friends had a beer that was served in a coffee mug. I have to admit I felt a bit like Dorothy Parker while I sipped my scotch. Of course, one can never really know what drinking at a real speakeasy felt like but it was pretty fun nonetheless. 

Photos from chow.com.