I've always loved the Lower East Side because it's one part of Manhattan that seems to retain a strong feeling of what it used to be like. It's also the place that a lot of our immigrant ancestors ended up when they first came to America.
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum will give you a slice of what life was like in the neighborhood 100 years ago - from the rich mix of cultures that poured in from across the oceans, to the horrendously cramped living conditions of the old-time tenements.
Displays in the museum offer educational films, a miniature of a typical tenement building and a number of day-to-day artifacts from the time.
The walking tours focus on various aspects of the area's history and are a good way to get an idea of what the neighborhood was like over the years. They also put what you see now into context. Great for kids!
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