Ellen Levitt - Walking Manhattan : 30 strolls exploring cultural treasures, entertainment centers, and historical sites in the heart of New York City

Walking Manhattan: 30 Strolls Exploring Cultural Treasures, Entertainment Centers, and Historical Sites in the Heart of New York City

Copyright 2015 by Ellen Levitt

Editor: Adrienne Onofri

Project editor: Ritchey Halphen

Cover and interior photos: Copyright by Ellen Levitt, except where noted

Cartographer: Scott McGrew

Cover and interior design: Larry B. Van Dyke and Lisa Pletka

Proofreaders: Emily C. Beaumont, Rebecca Henderson

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN: 978-0-89997-763-8; eISBN: 978-0-89997-764-5

Manufactured in the United States of America

Published by:	WILDERNESS PRESS
An imprint of Keen Communications, LLC
PO Box 43673
Birmingham, AL 35243
800-443-7227; fax 205-326-1012

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Distributed by Publishers Group West

Cover photos: Front, clockwise from top left: statue of Washington and Lafayette, near Morningside Park; Empire State Building, Midtown; trinkets for sale, Chinatown; Apollo Theater and West 125th Street, Central Harlem; Little Red Lighthouse, Inwood; Trump Unisphere, Central Park West. Back, top to bottom: 455 Central Park West (former New York Cancer Hospital); 1 World Trade Center, Financial District; Low Memorial Library, Columbia University.

Frontispiece: 1 World Trade Center

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews.

SAFETY NOTICE Although Wilderness Press and the author have made every attempt to ensure that the information in this book is accurate at press time, they are not responsible for any loss, damage, injury, or inconvenience that may occur to anyone while using this book. You are responsible for your own safety and health while following the walking trips described here. Always check local conditions, know your own limitations, and consult a map.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I INTERVIEWED AND SPOKE WITH a number of people while working on this book. Special thanks are extended to Howard Dankowitz, Jessica and Michelle Dankowitz, Janet Dankowitz, Ben Levitt, Willie DeVries, Mindy Braunstein Weinblatt, Mark Weinblatt, Georgette Asherman, Kenny Chin, Sherryl Feinblum Eluto, Jacqui and Barry Elkayam, Cheryl Mamiye Shayo, Leah Krakowski, Cindy Mazer, Nora Walsh-DeVries and Joan Walsh, Josh Sayer, Frank Jump, Charles Bowe, Elliot Schechter, Patrick Lam, Renee Limongelli Natoli, Julian Voloj, Mario Perez, Nico Collazo, Erik Lieber, Neil Abraham, Dan Evans, Ed Foxxe, Arthur Swerdloff, and Ron Schweiger.

Thanks also to staff members at the New York City Municipal Archives, the New-York Historical Society, the Museum of the City of New York, the New York Public Library, and the Brooklyn Public Library, as well as my former colleagues at Murry Bergtraum High School, Manhattan Comprehensive Night High School, and Abraham Lincoln High School.

If I neglected to acknowledge you, please let me know (nicely). A bibliography of my main print and online sources is at the back of the book.

Ellen Levitt

AUTHORS NOTE

AT THE PROUD AGE OF 50, I have done many things in Manhattan, for I have lived my whole life in New York City. I am a native and resident of Brooklyn, but Ive spent an enormous amount of my time in Manhattan (certainly more than in Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island, although I have enjoyed being in them as well).

Should anyone doubt my street cred, I proffer the following incomplete list of things Ive done in Manhattanmany positive, some not:

Whew!

Yet I dont know it all when it comes to Manhattan. Researching this book helped me to learn so much more about this amazing island. I am humbled by how much one can do and learn here and still never fully grasp its deep importance. Manhattan has changed vastly over the years, even during my lifetime. But there are many trends that resonate, many themes that are constantly being reworked, and many places that people go to time and again. I hope this book will introduce you to places both well known and obscure. I implore you to do more reading and traveling of your own.

This book is intended for many people: newcomers who want to see the main attractions and old-timers who want a fresh look, repeat visitors who want to see something they missed previously, people who will be here for a limited time working or attending school, and anyone else who has a sense of wonderment and a thirst for adventure.