New York,United States - June 20, 2022 /PressCable/ —
By, L. Charm Tenenbaum
The origins of NYC’s Lower East Side, helping to create NYC is by far, more authentic than other parts of the city: Think the egg cream, knish, or a slice of mortadella, for sure. Historic Hotels of America have certainly taken notice of The Historic Blue Moon Hotel and its ode to Olde New York, having bestowed its award upon such pride in place within a neighborhood where almost every immigrant in the 1800’s found new roots here to forever trace.
In order to convey the importance of a word that best describes such authenticity within The Lower East Side of NYC, here is a tribute list showcasing a selection of neighborhood edifices and provisions offering their own unique history:
TENEMENT: A Narrow Low-Rise Apartment Building Rented To Multiple Tenants. Note the word, Multiple, as in having even as many as 5 families in one dwelling, separated by the ethnicities of the old country, yet united in their quest to become proud and patriotic Americans. That in and of itself, deserves a special Shout Out!
SALUMERIA: An Italian Delicatessen producing/selling various meats including, but not limited, to Gabagool (a cross between Prosciutto and Sausage.)
EGG CREAM: Said to have been invented in the early 1900s by Louis Auster, owner of Austers Candy Store, located on the corner of 7th Street and 2nd Avenue, New York City. According to Lionel Levy, the grandson of Harry Harmatz, founder of the renown Lower East Side Dairy Restaurant, Ratners: “Egg Creams at Austers cost $.07 cents; $.10 cents for a Lime Rickey; Pretzels were $.01 cent each.” A classic recipe for an Egg Cream: In A Tall Glass, pour 1/2″ Cold Whole Milk. Add Seltzer or Club Soda to within 1″ of the top of the glass. Sir with a long spoon, pour 2 tablespoons Chocolate Syrup, and Stir. (NOTE FROM L. Charm Tenenbaum: THE CHOCOLATE SYRUP MUST BE FOX’S U-BET. DITTO!)
KNISH: Legend has it that Max Green, an immigrant from Austria, invented the Knish in 1916, and sold them from his ‘eating house’ at 150 Rivington Street. The ingredients: Mashed Potatoes With Onions and a Sprinkling of Cheese all wrapped up like an apple dumpling, which he sold at $.05 cents a pop. Moreover, it appears that in 1916, there was The Great Knish War, which The New York Times covered in their article of January 27, 1916 “Rivington Street Sees War Over A Battle About The Succulent Knish”. Apparently it was a price war with Max’s knishes selling at $.05 each, then for pennies until it entered the free market in order to put the competition out of business. The competition was M. London, owner of United Knish Factory, located at 155 Rivington Street, directly opposite from Max’s Knish Store. When the Knish War really heated up, Max hired a German Band, and held a contest. One contestant is said to have eaten 20 knishes in one sitting, in order to win a pocket knife. NOTE: Eating 20 knishes in one sitting in 1916 was no doubt, the precursor to Joey Chestnut, eating 76 hotdogs at the Hotdog Eating Contest sponsored by Nathans at their Coney Island flagship on July 4, 2021.
PICKLES AND THE PICKLE WARS OF THE LOWER EAST SIDE: The 1930’s included A Tale of Betrayal, Madness, Jealousy and Rage. It’s not Greek Tragedies here, but PICKLES. Apparently, Essex Street was also known as Pickle Alley. Izzy Guss, who arrived as an immigrant from Russia opened his pickle emporium on Hester Street in 1920. Ultimately, there would be 80 other pickle vendors besides Guss. In 2001 a family named Baker, along with the Liebowitzes of the Bronx’s United Pickle went into the pickle business together. In 2004, Baker put the Lower East Side store up for sale. Patricia Fairhurst purchased the shop, however Liebowitz told her that he had the rights to the Guss name, which Baker denied. Fairhurst sued, saying the name hadn’t been trademarked. She then moved to Brooklyn, where she is the proprietor of Clinton Hill Pickles. NOTE: Crossing Delancey, the 1988 romcom featuring Amy Irving and Peter Riegert, was filmed at Guss, however, for the film, the shop had been given a new name: Posners.
GREEK SHUL: Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum, located at 280 Broome Street, is an Orthodox Shul of the Romaniote Rite. The history of the Romaniote began where Greek Jews from the Eastern Mediterranean, prior to the Spanish Inquisition) began calling themselves Romaniote, once Constantine moved the capital of Rome to Constantinople where these Greek Jews lived. In fact, St. Paul was, himself, a Hellenized Jew. The Congregation on The Lower East Side was organized in 1906 and was accorded NYC Landmark Status in 2004. Tours of the Synagogue are a Sunday feature from 11 A.M.-4 P.M.
ORIGINAL FORWARD BUILDING: The ten-story building was the setting of the offices of the Forverts Yiddish Language Daily of 1897. It is located at 173 East Broadway, and what remnant there is, have been converted to Condos.
SEWARD PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY: As one of the 92 public libraries and research centers comprising the New York Public Library System, the Seward Park Library, located at 192 East Broadway had its origins as the Aguilar Free Library Society, founded in 1886. Thank Andrew Carnegie for financing such a magnificent and educational construct–its architecture and holdings, a testament to Olde and New New York, right here on The Lower East Side.
ORIGINAL ESSEX MARKET: The original 1940 market, located at 88 Essex Street, boasted a selection of vendors under one roof. Today, the market has moved to Essex Crossing, where Essex and Delancey Streets converge. Now, the residents of the newly built condominiums can have their views and artisanal breads, too.
And Folks…The above is just a sampling. If it’s just steps away from the history sought, reserve a room at NYC’s Blue Moon Hotel, 100 Orchard Street.
HOME | Blue Moon Hotel NYC (bluemoon-nyc.com)
Contact Info:
Name: Randy Settenbrino
Email: Send Email
Organization: Blue Moon Hotel Ltd
Address: 100 Orchard Street, New York, New York 10002, United States
Phone: +1-646-787-5503
Website: http://www.bluemoon-nyc.com/
Source: PressCable
Release ID: 89077032
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