New York has a personality and grit that has carried over from its earliest days, but there is more to New York, much that is unseen or goes unnoticed, oddities that make this city live and breathe like no other. It’s worth taking a closer look if you really want to know New York City’s heart and soul.
Boat Graveyard and Blazing Star Burial Ground, Staten Island
Staten Island is often looked down on by the Manhattan elite, but for those who want to dig a little deeper into New York’s darker side, two distinctly different graveyards beckon. The boat graveyard is the final resting place of abandoned watercraft, many partially submerged along the shore in the shadow of the old dump. Nearby is the Blazing Star Burial Ground with graves dating back to the 1700’s. The area evokes an eerie sense of dread and yet a deep curiosity of its history and its people.
Sara D. Roosevelt Park, Lower East Side
For a contrast to the graveyards of Staten Island, Sara D. Roosevelt Park on Manhattan’s Lower East Side is a gem away from the concrete and steel of the bustling city. When the weather is warm, elderly Chinese men gather at the Hua Mei Bird Garden early in the morning, carrying songbirds in bamboo cages. The sounds of birds fill the air while most people just sit and listen.
The M’Finda Kalunga Garden is a memorial to a nearby African-American burial ground. Those buried there have since been disinterred and moved, and the graveyard was closed and developed. About twenty gardeners maintain the garden, a labor of love that has grown over nearly thirty years.
Abandoned Subway Stations of New York City
New York City is home to many tunnels that are abandoned or used as storage facilities. While some are fast deteriorating, others, like the IRT East Side Line located in front of City Hall, are a beautiful tapestry of glass tiles, skylights, arches, and brass light fixtures. You can catch a glimpse of the tunnel from the number six train.
The Worth Street Station offers a grittier view with its walls of graffiti and rusting signs. It runs under the sidewalk of Foley Square and can be viewed from the trains running between the Brooklyn Bridge and Canal Street. Urban explorers left the graffiti long after the station was closed. Though there are no tours into these abandoned tunnels, it doesn’t stop some from exploring them.
Erasmus Hall High School, Brooklyn
Founded in 1786 by Dutch settlers, the Erasmus Hall High School is a beautiful Federal-style building that was greatly expanded in the 20th century to accommodate a growing population. It has been a private school and a four-year public school and is now home to five smaller high schools, each run independently of one another. They do, however, share the lunchroom, gym, and other common areas.
Rupert Jee’s Hello Deli, Manhattan
Located on W. 53rd Street near the Ed Sullivan Theater, the Hello Deli has gained fame from its owner’s frequent appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman. Rupert Jee has participated in numerous sketches on the show and a recent advertisement of his deli in Times Square featured his head on Rod Stewart’s body, a joke conspired with the Late Show. Enjoy his many great sandwiches, including the Letterman, and buy a t-shirt or mug while you’re there.
There are many places to explore while in New York, places that aren’t always in the travel brochures. Find the pulse underneath the skin and you’ll discover a New York you never dreamed of.
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