From the Lower East Side to DUMBO
Salim Edward was a little concerned about braving the chilly mid-November weather in New York City.
Understandable, given that he had traveled from his home in Barbados where fall temperatures are typically in the mid-80s. That concern vanished quickly, thanks to a warm welcome from Big Apple Greeter volunteer Rob Coppersmith who showed Salim around Manhattan’s Lower East Side before the pair headed to Brooklyn.
Salim met Rob at Essex Market, located at the corner of Essex Street and Delancey Street near Rob’s home on the Lower East Side.
Offering a mix of fresh foods and community events, Essex Market descends from a market that appears on NYC maps as early as 1818. By the late 19th century, covered markets had given way to pushcart vendors selling wares in crowded streets.
In the 1930s, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia began to plan a network of indoor public markets in the city, and the new Essex Community Market opened in January 1940. The market lost business due to the rise of supermarkets starting in the 1950s, but city economic development funds allowed renovation and renewal of the space in the mid-90s. In 2019, the current Essex Market opened right across the street from its original location.
A walk through the Lower East Side and the nearby Chinatown and Little Italy neighborhoods gave Salim a chance to take in diverse architecture and public art. Bronx-born graffiti artist Hektad’s work, including the “Love” series, adorns many Lower East Side buildings.
The Chinatown Mural Project, a collaboration between activist Karlin Chan and artist Peach Tao, aims to draw foot traffic to the area in an effort to support Chinatown’s recovery from COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns of restaurants and other businesses. Sara D. Roosevelt Park offers a green respite from the dense surrounding area, and hosts several playgrounds and polo matches featuring players on bicycles.
After a quick stop at Zarin Fabrics, which has offered upholstery and drapery fabrics to New Yorkers for more than 80 years, Rob introduced Salim to Economy Candy.
A sweet lover’s paradise, the shop on Rivington Street has been around since 1937 and was dubbed “the best and craziest candy store in NYC” by the Serious Eats website and blog. Rob and Salim took a quick look around the FMN General Store, a local favorite for tacos, drinks, and watching European football matches, and then walked a bit further to admire the façade of Nine Orchard. This luxury hotel is housed in the renovated Jarmulowsky Bank Building, which opened in 1912. A walk along Broome Street showcased two of the area’s many religious institutions: Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral and the Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum, the only Greek Jewish Romaniote synagogue in the western hemisphere.
Next, it was back to Essex Market to catch the F train at the corner of Essex and Delancey.
It’s just two stops from there to York Street in DUMBO, a trendy Brooklyn neighborhood whose name is an anagram for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Originally a ferry landing with industrial and warehouse buildings, in recent years DUMBO has become the most affluent neighborhood in Brooklyn. While housing prices have gone up, anyone can enjoy the area’s cobblestone streets.
Large crowds of visitors make a trip to Washington Street between Front and Water Streets to take photos of the iconic view of the Empire State Building framed by the Manhattan Bridge.
Visitors are welcome to stop in Gleason’s Gym on Water Street.
Known as the Cathedral of Boxing, Gleason’s has hosted training sessions for many boxers, including Jake LaMotta and Muhummad Ali, and been featured in numerous films and TV shows.
DUMBO boasts several high-end restaurants, but eating there doesn’t have to break the bank. Rob and Salim stopped for a snack in the Time Out Market at 55 Water Street, which offers a variety of dining options, bars, and art installations.
Fortified by delicious scones, they headed for a walk along the Promenade in Brooklyn Bridge Park before admiring the stately brownstones that line the “fruit streets,” Cranberry, Orange, and Pineapple Streets, in Brooklyn Heights.
To head back to Manhattan, Rob and Salim returned to the NYC Ferry’s Fulton Ferry/DUMBO station, the site of the original East River Ferry stop.
After a 30-minute ride, the pair were back on firm ground at East 34th Street in Manhattan, a little cold but energized by the sights of an autumn day in New York City.