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Home , 740 Park Avenue, Bryant Park, Campbell Apartment, Manhattanhenge, Patchin Place, Pomander Walk

THE IRREGULAR GUIDE TO CITY

By Kirsten Miller

Author of the KIKI STRIKE series TABLE OF CONTENTS

MEET THE DEAD

Introduction

1. Picnic in a Potter’s Field 2. The Secret Cemetery 3. A Kidnapped Corpse 4. A Headless Ghost 5. The Land of the Dead 6. Other Cemeteries to Visit: Tiniest, African, Quaker

POOP

Introduction

7. Outhouses and Privies 8. Toxic Muck 9. The Newton Creek Digester Eggs 10. The Houseboats of the Gowanus Canal 11. Bathing in Public

THE CITY BENEATH YOUR FEET

Introduction

12. Chinatown’s Bloody Tunnels 13. ’s Underground Cow Tunnels of Death 14. The Abandoned Subway Station 15. The Mystery of 16. The Rockefeller Escape Route

2 17. The (Almost) Invisible Stream 18. Other Underground Places to Visit: Atlantic Avenue

LOST AND FOUND

Introduction

19. The Town Swallowed 20. 21. Scenic Stops on the Underground Railroad 22. The Secret of the Brooklyn Bridge 23. When Horses Ruled the City’s Streets 24. Hidden Houses 25. Other Hidden Places to Visit: Grove Court, Patchin and Milligan Places, and

HAUNTED HOUSES

Introduction

26. The Voice in the Clock 27. The Little Old Lady Who Refuses to Leave 28. The Girl in the Well 29. A Haunting in Hell’s Kitchen 30. Other Haunted Places of Note: The Ear Inn and the Belasco Theater

GETTING MESSY

Introduction

31. The Earth Room 32. Rat Watching

3 33. Urban Foraging 34. Guerilla Gardening

RANDOM WEIRDNESS

Introduction

35. The Secret Mail Delivery System 36. Manhattanhenge 37. Manhattan’s Bermuda Triangle 38. The Tugboat Graveyard 39. A Trip Through Time 40. Wormholes: Brooklyn, Seaport, , Richmondtown

SPELLBOUND

Introduction

41. Manhattan’s Secret Library of Magic 42. The Speakeasy Bookstore 43. The Treasure Beneath Bryant Park 44. The Library with a Criminal Record 45. The Best Place to Reboot Your Brain

BIZARRE BAZAAR

Introduction

46. A Cabinet of Curiosities 47. Witchcraft Supplies 48. Chinatown

4

SCAVENGER HUNT

Introduction

49. Rooftop Houses 50. Sewer Alligators 51. The Green Man 52. Gargoyles, Grotesques and Caryatids 53. Ghosts of the Past

5 MEET THE DEAD

Millions of people call home. While you’re here, you’ll spend so much time trying not to bump into the living that you may forget to pay your respects to our dead.

In places like Brooklyn and , graveyards are often easy to find. However, if you visit Manhattan, you might not encounter a single tombstone. Where are all the cemeteries? You will wonder. People have been dying here for more than four hundred years. Where did they all go?

Don’t fret. The dead are still here. It’s just that most of their graves lie unmarked. Should you want to pay them a visit, you’ll first have to know where to look.

A PICNIC IN A POTTER’S FIELD

Washington Square Park is the perfect place for a picnic, so grab yourself a hot dog and hunt for an empty spot on the grass. Before you chow down, have a moment of silence for your unseen hosts. Because even if the park looks empty, you’re not alone. Over twenty thousand people are buried beneath you.

Many of Manhattan’s public parks share the same dark history. Before their trees were planted and playgrounds built, they were potter’s fields, where the bodies of the poor or unknown were laid to rest.

Washington Square Park houses many such unfortunate souls. (Along with at least one criminal who was hanged nearby.*) Most of the park’s deceased residents were victims of yellow fever, one of the many nasty diseases that ravaged New York in the nineteenth

6 century. Today, the bodies beneath the grass have been largely forgotten—even though their bones don't always stay buried. A few years back when the park was renovated, the remains of several people were unearthed, along with the tombstone of a man named James Jackson, who died in 1799. (Jackson himself was never discovered.)

* Hangman’s Elm stands on the Northwest corner of Washington Square Park. It’s believed to be the oldest tree in Manhattan—around 310 years old. Though there are no records of hangings taking place here, legends dating back to the nineteenth century claim that the tree was the site of executions.

THE SECRET CEMETERY

Before it was discovered by a band of girl geniuses, the Marble Cemetery was one of Manhattan’s best-kept secrets. Even now, few people realize that there is a hidden graveyard right in the heart of the East Village. Its gate is usually locked, so be sure to check the schedule on the cemetery’s website (marblecemetery.org). If you’re lucky, and the Marble Cemetery is open while you’re in town, you definitely won’t want to miss it.

The first thing you’ll need to do is find the cemetery’s gate on Second Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets. (Don’t get confused and go the other, less interesting, Marble Cemetery around the corner.) Past the graveyard’s entrance is a long, narrow . At the end of this passage, you’ll find a large, grass-covered lawn surrounded by an old stone wall (parts of which have collapsed). But you won’t find any tombstones. Why? Because the two thousand people who were buried here in the nineteenth century weren’t given individual graves.

7 Beneath your feet are 156 rooms. Each once belonged to a wealthy New York family whose members intended to spend eternity side-by- side in a cramped marble chamber. (The families’ names are inscribed on plaques set in the graveyard’s walls.) In order to enter the underground vaults, you’d have to lift one of the stone slabs that are set in the grass. (It’s not recommended—and probably illegal—but if you do, be sure to say hello to Augustus Quackenbush.)

A KIDNAPPED CORPSE

On the corner of 10th Street and Second Avenue, you’ll find St. Mark’s in the , the second oldest church in Manhattan. Beneath the St. Mark’s churchyards are stone burial vaults. One of these belongs to Peter Stuyvesant, whose spirit is rumored to haunt the vicinity. (If you see a ghost with a wooden leg, that’s probably Pete.) Inside another vault lie the remains of a wealthy businessman named Alexander Stewart, who was buried at St. Mark’s in 1876. Three weeks later, his corpse was stolen and held for ransom.

Grave robbing was quite common in the nineteenth century. Back then, if you paid a midnight visit to a New York cemetery, you were likely to spot groups of shovel-wielding thieves tiptoeing around in the dark. These might have been common crooks raiding coffins and pulling the rings off of skeletal fingers. Or they could have been medical students searching for fresh corpses to dissect.

But the grave robbers who stole Alexander Stewart’s body from St. Mark’s in the Bowery were after a much bigger prize. $200,000 to be precise. And they got their ransom from his grieving widow. No one knows for sure if the body that was returned to St. Mark’s actually belonged to Mr. Stewart. But rumor has it that his

8 family took special measures to ensure his remains would not be disturbed. It is said that if the vault is ever opened, the church bells will ring, alerting the city that grave robbers are on the prowl once again.

A HEADLESS GHOST

The oldest church in Manhattan is St. Paul’s Chapel. There are many reasons one might choose to visit this historic place of worship. However, I recommend a tour of its graveyard. Lots of well-known dead people are buried there. But only one of them is missing his head.

George Frederick Cooke (1756-1812) was a gifted actor with an unfortunate addiction to alcohol. He died penniless and was buried in a pauper’s grave in St. Paul’s churchyard. Somewhere between his deathbed and the cemetery, Mr. Cooke became separated from his head. Some say he sold his skull to science before he died in order to help pay his medical bills. Others claim Cooke’s doctor took the head as a souvenir. (He wasn’t the only physician to keep a piece of a favorite patient. The practice wasn’t uncommon in those days.)

The actor may have been in the grave, but that didn’t prevent his head from returning to the stage. Over the next century or so, Cooke’s skull often appeared in productions of Hamlet. Alas, Poor Yorick! Today, the skull is in the Scott Library at Thomas Jefferson University. Perhaps someone should tell poor Mr. Cooke. They say his headless ghost can still be seen wandering the St. Paul’s cemetery, searching in vain for its missing noggin.

9 THE LAND OF THE DEAD

As soon as you pass through the gothic gates of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, you will find yourself in the land of the dead. For almost two hundred years, this is where many of New York’s most famous (and infamous) citizens have been buried. Take one of the paths that snake through the 478 acres of woods and valleys and you’ll see bizarre marble tombs perched atop knolls, forbidding mausoleums built into the hills, and countless ghoulish monuments to the dead. You might even spot the entrances to Green-Wood’s underground catacombs if you know where to look. The cemetery is lovely, peaceful, and delightfully creepy. But few people seem eager to spend time with the dead. In fact, if you visit during the week, you probably won’t see another living soul.

What you will see, however, are large flocks of parrots. Smart, squawking, emerald green monk parakeets. Decades ago, a few of the Argentinean natives managed to escape from a container at JFK airport. Hundreds of their descendants now call Brooklyn home—and many of them live in Green-Wood Cemetery.

OTHER CEMETERIES TO VISIT

The Tiniest Graveyard in New York can be found on a triangular sliver of land on 11th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The cemetery was started in 1805 by the Jewish congregation of Shearith Israel, and was originally much larger. In 1830, 11th Street was built, and many of the graves were dug up and moved. (Or were they?)

In 1991, construction workers discovered the bones of over four hundred people buried in Manhattan’s financial district. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the site which is now home

10 to the African Burial Ground National Monument (290 ) was part of a 6.6 acre unmarked cemetery where freed and enslaved Africans were laid to rest.

Some people (including me) believe that Brooklyn’s is the most beautiful park in the city. Go through the entrance on 15th Street and Prospect Park West, walk toward the woods, and you’ll come across a rather unexpected sight. Nestled between the trees is a twelve-acre Quaker cemetery that dates from the mid- nineteenth century. Your mom might be interested to know that Montgomery Clift is buried there.

11 POOP

I know what you’re thinking. I can see poop anywhere. What’s so great about the poop in New York? Nothing—aside from the fact that we have an awful lot of it. So much, in fact, that it’s played an important role in the history of this city. Before we figured out how to deal with all the poop we produce, it poisoned our water, befouled our rivers, and spread diseases that killed hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. It’s the twenty-first century, and we still haven’t cleaned it all up. So grab a pair of nose plugs, and let’s take a look at how we got into this mess. I promise—it’s going be fascinating.

OUTHOUSES AND PRIVIES

Go for a stroll through Manhattan’s or Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by so many old houses that you may feel like you’ve taken a trip back in time. Many of the buildings you’ll pass were constructed in first half of the nineteenth century. Lovely, aren’t they? Now here’s something to think about: Most were built before indoor plumbing made its way to New York. So where did people go to the toilet, you ask? Why in the backyard, of course!

Take a peek behind any old house or apartment building in New York City, and you’re likely find a yard of some sort. Today, these little patches of ground are used for gardens or barbeque grills. But not long ago, they would have held an outhouse or privy. These structures came in all shapes and sizes. Some were quite fancy. Others were little more than a shack. But no matter how nicely an outhouse may have been decorated, it was still just an outdoor toilet built over a pit.

12 If you were rich, your family would have had its own outhouse. If you lived in an apartment building in a poor neighborhood like the Lower of Manhattan, you probably shared the same privy with more than fifty other people. Even the deepest pits tend to fill up rather quickly when that many people are making deposits. The filth would often overflow into the courtyard and seep into neighboring basements.

Keeping an outhouse or privy (somewhat) sanitary was a nasty business. Just like today, well-off New Yorkers hired others to do their dirty work. The pits beneath their outhouses were emptied by “necessary tubmen” who worked the nightshift. While the rich slumbered, the tubmen would fill their “night carts” with sewage which they later dumped in the city’s rivers. On hot summer nights, even the wealthy couldn’t escape from the stench that followed the tubmen as they made their rounds.

Want to visit a New York outhouse? There’s an original outhouse at the Merchant’s House Museum (see page 27) and a reconstructed privy at the Tenement Museum, located at 97 .

TOXIC MUCK

You may have seen a movie or two about Old New York in which women glided through the streets in beautiful, ground-sweeping dresses and gentlemen paraded around in perfectly polished shoes. Now I’m going to introduce you to a common (but often overlooked) feature of New York’s old houses that proves such scenes were pure fantasy. It’s called a bootscraper. Most nineteenth century homes in the city will have one. (You’ll usually find them built into iron railings that lead up the stairs to the front door.)

For most of the 1800’s, bootscrapers were an absolute necessity. Why? Because the streets were disgusting. If you’d taken a walk

13 through most parts of town, your shoes would have ended up caked with rancid muck. Until the 1880s, New York City didn’t have a sanitation department to collect garbage or shovel snow. So it stayed in the streets. Most neighborhoods still relied on privies that often overflowed—into the streets. And then there were the horses that pulled all those charming old carts and carriages. In 1881, horses left 2.5 million pounds of manure on the streets of New York every single day.

So think about all those beautiful, ground-sweeping dresses the women used to wear. And do remember that a proper lady would have never lifted her skirts to get past a nasty stretch of sidewalk. (She couldn’t risk a gentleman seeing her ankles.) Now aren’t you glad you waited ‘til the twenty-first century to pay New York City a visit?

THE NEWTON CREEK DIGESTER EGGS

Located on the scenic banks of one of the most polluted bodies of water in the United States is the Newton Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. The largest of New York’s fourteen wastewater plants, this is where much of the city’s poop comes to be treated. If you’re interested in sewage (and what explorer isn’t?) the plant is well worth the trip out to Brooklyn. There’s a Visitor’s Center where you can learn exactly what happens to the stuff you flush down the toilet—and a Nature Walk that lets you explore the grounds. But the plant’s incredible sludge processing Digester Eggs are what make it a first-class destination. Take a tour, and you’ll swear you’re on the set of a science fiction film. The Digester Eggs earned their name because they resemble eight enormous steel eggs. On top, glass enclosed catwalks stretch from one egg to the next, and at night, the entire facility is lit with blazing blue lights. In New York, we treat our sludge in style.

14 And the very best part? Once every month, the public is allowed to visit the Digester Eggs. Make a reservation at [email protected].

THE HOUSEBOATS OF THE GOWANUS CANAL

In a city like Amsterdam, which is famous for its canals, living on a houseboat is as good as it gets. However, as you may have already guessed, the canal in Brooklyn is nothing like Amsterdam’s. And yet it, too, has its share of houseboats.

Here's an exercise that will help you imagine what life might be like for the brave souls who choose to make a home on Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal . . . First get a little toy boat. Then locate the foulest, most disgusting public toilet around. (Gas stations are always a good place to start.) Drop your boat into one of the toilet bowls. Try to pretend that you call that boat home. Imagine the smells and sights one would endure. Pretty horrible, right? Well, believe it or not, there are worse places to live. Like the Gowanus Canal.

This is no exaggeration. Gowanus water is teeming with countless disease-causing pathogens. Cholera. Typhus. Gonorrhea. And every time there's a big rainstorm, New York City's ancient sewer system releases raw sewage directly into the canal, where it mixes with highly-toxic chemicals left behind by the factories, tanneries, and gas refineries that have lined the Gowanus for the past 150 years. Take a dip in the water, and you'd probably emerge with a little less skin. The Gowanus is also rumored to have been a mob dumping ground. Some might argue that such stories are pure fiction, but I honestly couldn't think of a better place to toss a body or a bag of guns.

15 One of my favorite spots along the canal is the boat dock. (Look for the boat-shaped "sign" that reads, "Brooklyn's Coolest Superfund Site.") There you’ll find a warning that urges boaters to avoid coming into contact with the water or sediment in the canal. Apparently the warnings haven't dissuaded the canoe club that meets at this site every Saturday from May to October. If you’re interested, members of the public are more than welcome.

If you’d rather stay dry and hunt for houseboats, try walking over the historic Carroll Street Bridge. There’s usually a houseboat or two moored between the Carroll St. and Union St. bridges. And believe me, they’re well worth a peek. (Especially if you like art involving giant octopi.)

BATHING IN PUBLIC

If you’re exploring the Gowanus Canal, you should pay a visit to Public Bath #7 on the corner of Fourth Avenue and President Street. Today, few such buildings remain, but in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, public baths like this one could be found all over the city. In those days, few people were lucky enough to have bathtubs in their homes. And only the wealthy had showers. If you were poor, a public bath may have been your only way to get clean. What better way to get to know the neighbors than to shower with them, right?

(Interested in learning more about what it was like to be poor back then? Just visit the Tenement Museum on the .)

Public Bath #7 is now known as the Brooklyn Lyceum, a multi-use space with a gym, theater, and café. These days, its swimming pool is empty, and it’s showers were removed long ago. But look closely, and you’ll spot ample proof of the building’s past. Grab

16 a snack at the café, take a peek under the benches, and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

If you’re staying in Manhattan, don’t miss one of the most beautiful public baths ever built in the city. (In fact you can even take a dip! The facility is still in use as a recreation center.) The Asser Levy Public Baths (built 1904-1906) are located on East at Asser Levy Place.

17 THE CITY BENEATH YOUR FEET

If you’ve ever thumbed through one of my Kiki Strike books, then you know they take place in a Shadow City under the streets of New York. You probably assumed I made it all up. I didn’t. Beneath your feet lies a subterranean world of secret tunnels, abandoned train stations, and forgotten rivers and streams. Only the bravest explorers would dare set foot in the real-life Shadow City’s dark, deserted passages. If you count yourself among them, grab a pair of boots and some rat repellant. I hope you’re not afraid of the dark.

CHINATOWN’S BLOODY TUNNELS

Long before Chinese immigrants began arriving in New York, the Manhattan neighborhood we now call Chinatown was know as Five Points. For much of the nineteenth century, it was most notorious slum in the United States. Giant pigs roamed freely, eating garbage right out of the gutters. Violent gangs with names like the Dead Rabbits and the Pug Uglies fought to the death in the streets. The air reeked of raw sewage and rampant disease sent countless residents to an early grave.

While most of the people who called the slum home were honest working folks, the Five Points had a reputation as a haven for criminals. Visitors who wanted a glimpse of the “dark side” of New York would often take a tour of the neighborhood. But only the bravest would have ventured into the tunnels beneath it.

Most of the mysterious tunnels under Chinatown probably date to the Five Points days. But by the late nineteenth century, Five Points had become Chinatown, and when the Chinese gang wars

18 erupted in the early twentieth century, the subterranean passages were used by Tong Gangs to ambush—or escape from—their enemies.

Today, many of these tunnels still exist, but few people have access to them. However, one passage is open to the public—and if you’re heading to Chinatown, you won’t want to miss it. Go to 5 . (A street once known as the “Bloody Angle” because so many men died there during the gang wars.) You’ll find an ordinary door with a staircase behind it. At the bottom of the stairs is the Wing Fat Shopping Mall.

This strange underground shopping center was once a dark, wood- lined tunnel lit only by kerosene lamps. The locked doors you’ll pass all lead to other tunnels. No one really knows how many there are—or what purposes they serve today.

MANHATTAN’S UNDERGROUND COW TUNNELS OF DOOM

Two hundred years ago, a strange parade took place in New York City almost every single night. If you’d looked out your window, you would have seen hundreds of cows trotting south to their doom. Then, in the mid-nineteenth century, New York made it illegal to herd cattle through the city’s streets. This presented a problem because most of the livestock lived on farms north of the city, while most of the slaughterhouses were located at the bottom of Manhattan island. The solution? Cow tunnels. These underground passages made it possible for farmers to drive their cows to slaughter without blocking street traffic. Eventually, the slaughterhouses moved out of town, and over time, the tunnels fell out of use.

Construction crews have been known to unearth strange wood-lined cow tunnels roughly ten feet wide and eight feet high. There’s one beneath on the of Manhattan. And

19 there are said to be two beneath 12th Avenue—one at and another at 38th. The rest have been forgotten—but they're probably still down there, just waiting to be explored.

THE ABANDONED SUBWAY STATION

The City Hall Subway Station was built in 1904 and closed to the public in 1945. And for the next sixty-five years, New Yorkers broke every rule trying to get a glimpse of one of the city's lost treasures. Why? Because City Hall may be the most amazing subway station in Manhattan, with arched ceilings, chandeliers, and fabulous skylights.

Until recently, one of the only ways to see the station (aside from infrequent tours) was to sneak onto a downtown #6 subway at the last stop on the line (Brooklyn Bridge). The #6 trains use the City Hall stop to turn back uptown, but for decades, passengers weren’t allowed to go along for the ride.

Fortunately, subway conductors stopped kicking people off the trains in 2010! Just stay on the downtown #6 after the last official stop, and you can ride through City Hall station without getting in trouble. And no one wants to get in trouble. Right?

THE MYSTERY OF TRACK 61

Underneath the luxurious Waldorf Astoria Hotel in lies a mysterious train station. Few people have seen it, and even fewer know why it was built—or who once rode in the private train car that still sits on the tracks.

20 Who was powerful enough to have a secret train station built beneath one of the fanciest hotels in the world? And why did he need his own private car?

In the 1940s, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was keeping a secret from the country. He’d contracted polio decades earlier, and the disease had left him unable to walk on his own. He didn’t want the world to know about his infirmary, so he kept it carefully hidden. The secret train station beneath the Waldorf Astoria was constructed so that he could enter and leave the hotel without being seen in a wheelchair.

A 1940’s era armor-clad train car (with bullet-proof windows) remains parked thirty feet below the New York streets, ready to whisk FDR out of the city at a moment’s notice. Rumor has it that the station itself still serves as an emergency exit for presidents and other dignitaries whenever they come to town.

THE ROCKEFELLER ESCAPE ROUTE

740 has long been considered the most prestigious address on the island of Manhattan. Built seventy-five years ago, it has been home to Vanderbilts, Bouviers, Rockefellers, and royalty. To purchase an apartment in the building, you must be more than just wealthy—you must be among the world’s super-rich.

For decades, has also been at the center of one of Manhattan’s most beloved “urban myths.” According to rumor, shortly after the building opened, John D. Rockefeller Jr. built an underground “escape route” beneath it. The tunnel is said to have led from the basement to nearby subterranean train tracks where the Rockefeller private train could carry John Jr. away from the city.

21 Most, including the , claim that the story is pure fantasy. Now, however, it seems that there may be more truth to the tale than previously thought.

In 2006, members of the NYC Water Works were working fifteen feet beneath the street outside 740 Park Avenue when they happened upon an old vault. Inside, the plumbers discovered a series of hidden chambers connected to the building’s basement. Each had an arched ceiling roughly ten feet in height and walls composed of old bricks. No one seems to know what purpose the forgotten chambers may have served, but some have suggested that they are part of a lost tunnel built not by the Rockefellers, but by their neighbors, the Vanderbilts.

(Of course this underground discovery wasn’t the first for the NYC Water Works. They say they’ve found everything from abandoned pools to forgotten barber shops deep beneath Manhattan.)

THE (ALMOST) INVISIBLE STREAM

The next time you’re in Greenwich Village, stop at the intersection of Minetta Street and Minetta Lane*. Are you there? Great. Now take a look around. Believe it or not, you’re standing on top of a roaring stream.

Over a century ago, before Manhattan was flattened and covered in asphalt, the island was a pretty soggy place. Much of downtown was marshland, and dozens of creeks and small rivers trickled all over town.

As the city grew, ponds and swamps were drained, and New York’s streams were buried beneath its streets. But these “subterranean waterways” never dried up. They’re still there, flowing beneath

22 our feet. (A good sign that you’re near one is the presence of a weeping willow tree.) There’s only one problem: very few people today know where they are. And if you start building on top of a forgotten spring, you’re going to end up with nothing more than a damp pile of bricks.

Fortunately, there’s a map that can tell you where to find all of Manhattan’s invisible waterways. Over five feet long and remarkably detailed, the Viele map shows all the rivers, streams, and ponds that no one has seen in a over a hundred years.

But there’s still one place where you can see Minetta Creek. Inside the lobby of an apartment building at 2 , there’s a clear plastic pipe that rises out of the floor. If you visit after a rainstorm, you may notice water bubbling up into the tube. Minetta Creek flows under the building, and sometimes when the weather is wet, it decides to make an appearance.

* Another interesting note about Minetta Street and Minetta Lane. At the end of the nineteenth century, this might have been the most dangerous intersection in New York. The author Stephen Crane called the Minettas, "two of the most enthusiastically murderous thoroughfares in the city." The Minettas had a dreadful reputation and were said to be home to killers and bandits with names like Bloodthirsty and Apple Mag.

OTHER UNDERGROUND PLACES TO VISIT

Beneath Atlantic Avenue, one of the busiest streets in Brooklyn, lies an enormous, abandoned railroad tunnel that was forgotten for over sixty years. It was rediscovered in 1981 by a nineteen- year-old kid named Bob Diamond. Before 1981, few New Yorkers would have believed there was a tunnel to be found. Bob proved

23 there was. Few believed Diamond when he insisted that there might be a perfectly preserved steam engine in an unexplored section of the tunnel. Now there may be evidence that could prove him right. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to join the search. Until recently, Diamond led tour groups into the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel. Then the city shut him down. But be sure to check online before you visit. It’s always possible that the authorities could have a change of heart.

24 LOST AND FOUND

In a city the size of New York, almost anything can be lost or forgotten. Wooden legs have been left behind in taxi cabs. Pet boa constrictors slither out of their homes and disappear into the sewers (only to emerge later on in somebody’s toilet). If you keep your eyes open while you’re visiting, you may find more than lost limbs and slippery snakes. A hidden town was once discovered in the middle of Brooklyn. And if an entire village can vanish in New York City, who knows what else you might find if you bother to look.

THE TOWN BROOKLYN SWALLOWED

Most people think that the greatest archaeological discoveries take place in far-away deserts or rainforests. But even in the biggest, most populous cities on earth, there are still hidden treasures waiting to be found. Case in point: Weeksville, Brooklyn.

In 1838, a free African-American named James Weeks started a small but thriving community in the part of Brooklyn that is now known as Bedford-Stuyvesant. Over the following decades, Weeksville served as a refuge for African-Americans fleeing persecution in other parts of the country. But as time passed, Weeksville’s residents died or moved away. Though it was located in the heart of Brooklyn, by the middle of the twentieth century, the little town had been swallowed by overgrown weeds and was utterly forgotten.

Then, in 1968, a pilot flying over Brooklyn noticed several tiny wooden houses in the middle of a large vacant lot surrounded by

25 housing projects. An entire town had been discovered in New York City. Since then, the four farmhouses that were spotted from the air have been renovated and are now open to the public. Not only are they an important part of American history—they should serve as a reminder to never take the familiar for granted. (Who knows what might be found in the vacant lots you’ll come across while you’re in New York!)

THE CAMPBELL APARTMENT

Grand Central Station in Manhattan is one of the most famous train stations in the world, and like many of New York's historic buildings, it has its own share of secrets. For instance, of the millions of people hurry through the station every year, most are unaware of the existence of a mysterious room called the "Campbell Apartment."

Tucked away in a hidden corner of the building, the magnificent space features an unusual mix of Medieval and Renaissance decor. There's an enormous fireplace, painted ceilings, and wood-paneled walls. This was once the strange and wonderful office of John W. Campbell.

A wealthy businessman, John Campbell built his Grand Central office in the early 1920s. He made sure his unusual workspace came with all the amenities—a kitchen, butler, pipe organ, and a Persian rug worth 3.5 million dollars in today's money. Very little is known about the eccentric Mr. Campbell, and some have suggested that he may have actually lived in the train station—a theory many experts reject.

When Campbell died in 1957, his "apartment" became the Grand Central jail. In the late 1990's, however, the space was restored

26 to its former glory and used to house a bar. Finding it may require a little searching, but it's well worth the trouble.

SCENIC STOPS ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

When the building that houses the Bialystoker Synagogue at 7-11 Willett Street in Manhattan was constructed in 1826, it was known as the Willett Street Church. The church’s founders included a rather unusual feature—a hidden door that could be accessed from the balcony. Behind the door, a ladder led to the attic, which was lit by two little windows. Many experts now believe that the church was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and that the secret space was used to hide runaway slaves as they made their way to freedom in Canada.

Another stop on the Underground Railroad was Duffield Street in downtown Brooklyn. Hidden in the basements of six old houses were mysterious rooms that might have concealed run-away slaves in the 19th century. Long-forgotten tunnels linking the buildings were also been discovered. Unfortunately, only 227 Duffield Street has survived the wrecking ball, and organizers are trying to turn it into a museum.

THE SECRETS OF THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE

In 2006, workers inspecting the foundation of Brooklyn Bridge made an astounding discovery. Near the entrance ramp to the bridge on the Manhattan side, they found a dark vault that hadn’t been opened in over forty years. The room was crammed, floor to ceiling, with food, blankets, drugs and other medical supplies. All of the items appeared to date from the late 1950s and early 1960s. At that time, the men who ran New York worried that the city might come under nuclear attack. When their emergency stash

27 was discovered decades later, it’s said that the crackers they’d stored were still perfectly crispy.

However, if I’d just survived a nuclear attack, I think I’d probably check out the other vaults beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Many of these vast, vaulted structures were once used to store wine and champagne. (You can see their entrances from the corner of Gold and Frankfort Streets.) And at least one of the vaults was briefly used as an apartment until the authorities discovered its resident and gave him the boot.

WHEN HORSES RULED THE CITY’S STREETS

Imagine New York without any cars, buses or trucks. A hundred years ago, horses were the city’s main form of transportation. And if you think that sounds charming, think again. The sound of horseshoes on cobblestones was said to be deafening. The traffic was even worse than it is today. And every time you needed to cross an avenue, you practically had to wade through horse dung. (The smell of which had to be nauseating.)

Those days are long gone, of course, but you can still see evidence of them all over town. If you’re especially sharp-eyed, you may discover a hitching post. (There’s one on West Washington Street near .) But it’s the horses’ old homes that are the easiest to spot.

Wander around one of Brooklyn’s older neighborhoods (Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill), and you’re bound to pass dozens of old carriage houses and stables. But if you’re staying in Manhattan, you’ll want to check out the charming rows of stables known as MacDougal Alley and The .

In the 1830s and 1840s, if you were very rich, you might have lived in one of the mansions on Washington Square Park. And if

28 you were a rich horse, you might have lived in MacDougal Alley or The Washington Mews. Cute little two-story stables line both lanes. The horses would have lived below and servants would have slept in the quarters above. (That’s how much respect servants got in those days.) Once cars replaced horses among the fashionable set, artists moved into the stables. A few may still be there today.

HIDDEN HOUSES

There’s a reason they’re called hidden houses. You can’t see them from the street. These remarkable dwellings are tucked behind other buildings, and most of the time, the only clue that you’ve found one is a door marked with an address that ends in an “a” or “1/2” or the presence of a “horse walk.”

There are said to be around seventy-five hidden houses in the area surrounding Greenwich village. Most are former carriage houses and workshops. There are even a couple that were once large privies! What they are now is anyone’s guess. The best way to see many of them is by using the satellite view on Google Maps. However, you might be able to get a peek of the hidden houses at 58A Charles Street and 7 Leroy Street. And if all that walking makes you hungry, there’s a hidden house in the courtyard of a restaurant located at 28 Cornelia Street.

When you’re done, make your way to the corner of Charles and Greenwich Streets, where you’ll find a strange little house that served as the inspiration for Kiki Strike’s hidden house! Probably a barn when it was first built, it’s at least 200 years old, and until 1967 it could be found on the corner of York Avenue and 71st Street (almost four miles from its present location).

29

OTHER HIDDEN PLACES TO VISIT

In 1848, a grocer on Grove Street decided to build housing for the people who worked for him. Find the passageway between 10 and 12 Grove Street. Peer through the gate and you’ll see what look like six fairytale cottages. Now known as Grove Court, the cul- de-sac used to be called Mixed Ale Alley

th Milligan Place and (both near 10 Street and Sixth Avenue) were built in the 1840s, when the Jefferson Market neighborhood was still a noisy, foul-smelling market. For the next seventy years, the buildings had no electricity or indoor plumbing. So it’s hard to believe that these two little hidden places later became home to some of the most famous writers in American history. (E.E. Cummings, Theodore Dreiser, Eugene O’Neil—heck, even Marlon Brando lived in Patchin Place for a while!) Patchin Place also boasts the only gas street lamp left in the city. Once all of New York was lit by flickering gas flames.

On the of Manhattan, you may stumble across Pomander Walk, a block-long lane between Broadway and West End Avenue. The sixteen miniature houses here look like they belong in a quaint English village. It’s been called the most charming street in New York—a title it might well deserve.

30 HAUNTED HOUSES

I’m about to introduce you to four New York ghosts you’ll be able to visit. But there are hundreds—if not thousands—of phantoms here that you won’t get a chance to meet. New York is an old city, and many of the buildings you’ll pass while you’re here are probably home to a spirit or two. My house in Brooklyn, for instance, is haunted by the ghost of a woman named Anne. Her father bought the building shortly after it was constructed in 1852. Anne was born a few years later, and she’s never really left. She’s a very playful ghost. She once threw a clove of garlic at my butt. Sometimes after I leave a room I’ve tidied up, I’ll return a few minutes later to find that Anne’s tossed a few items back on the floor. And late at night, I often hear her walking up the stairs. A previous resident claims to have seen Anne’s ghost. She hasn’t appeared to me, but there’s no doubt she’s here. And I’m glad Anne’s decided to keep me company.

THE VOICE IN THE CLOCK

A few years ago, I was in Washington Heights (just north of ), doing a little research at the old Morris-Jumel Mansion. (The mansion and the surrounding grounds are one of my favorite places in New York City. If you ever have a chance, take a bag lunch and enjoy it in the garden. It's lovely, quiet, and just a little bit creepy.) While I was there, I heard an interesting ghost story.

I was speaking with a woman who has worked at the mansion for decades, and I asked her if the building had any ghosts. (According to the Internet, the place is packed with spirits.)

31 She pointed to a grandfather clock on the first floor, and said, "About fifty men have heard a woman speak to them from inside that clock."

One visitor told her that he had first come to the mansion on a school trip when he was fifteen years old. His teacher had asked each student to pen a 200-word essay about an object in the mansion. This particular young man chose the clock. As he was scribbling notes, the little door on the front of the clock opened, and he heard a woman's voice call, "Come closer." Then the clock began to vibrate. The kid's teacher assumed that he was the one shaking the clock and yelled at him from across the room. That’s when the boy heard the woman say, "I want you."

It took the young man twenty years to work up the courage to visit the mansion again. He came with his wife, who refused to set foot inside the building. So he ventured in alone and stood in front of the clock for over an hour, but he never heard the woman's voice again.

THE LITTLE OLD LADY WHO REFUSES TO LEAVE

Visit the Merchant's House Museum, located in downtown Manhattan (29 E. ), and you'll find yourself walking through a bizarre time capsule. In 1835, a wealthy businessman named Seabury Tredwell purchased the house for his wife and seven children. His eighth child, Gertrude, was born in 1840. As her parents and siblings died or moved away, Gertrude refused to leave her childhood home. She expired in an upstairs bedroom in 1933.

It's an unremarkable story—except for one fact. Gertrude wasn't fond of change. Over the years, she never altered anything about the house or its furnishings. When the city purchased the

32 building after Gertrude's death, historians found that the house looked exactly as it had in the mid-nineteenth century. There were no "modern" conveniences of any sort—and an outhouse in the backyard was still in use.

Now, Gertrude's house is a museum, with the Tredwells' belongings (including their undergarments) on display. But for many visitors, Gertrude herself is the main attraction. They insist that she's still there, though perhaps a little harder to see. She’s most often spotted descending the stairs or standing by the fireplace in the kitchen. The piano has been known to play on its own, and guests have detected the scent of flowers, even when there are none around.

THE GIRL IN THE WELL

Two hundred years ago, the neighborhood we now call SoHo was nothing but countryside. And on the spot that now marks the intersection of Greene and Spring Streets, there was a brick well. Three days before Christmas in 1799, the body of a twenty- two-year-old woman named Elma Sands was found floating in the water. Most people believed the young woman’s fiancé had murdered her. His trial was the talk of New York, and though there appeared to be ample proof that he’d killed poor Elma, he was eventually found not guilty.

Two centuries have passed, and it seems Elma still hasn’t found justice—or peace. The ghost of a young woman in sopping wet clothes has often been spotted in or around the restaurant that now sits at 129 Spring Street. Neighbors have reported seeing Elma through the windows. Garbage men have encountered her spirit in the alley behind the building.

33 For years, no one could identify the dripping ghost of 129 Spring Street. Then, in the 1990s, when the restaurant was being renovated, they found something strange under the basement. It was the well in which Elma Sands had drowned. In fact it’s still there if you’d like a look.

A HAUNTING IN HELL’S KITCHEN

Hell’s Kitchen is a neighborhood just west of New York’s theater district. A while back, it was a pretty wild place, but these days, the area doesn’t really live up to its name. However, there may be one little patch of evil left in Hell’s Kitchen—in a hidden courtyard known as Clinton Court.

Look for a wrought-iron gate at 422 ½ 46th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. Past the entrance, an alley leads to an old carriage house/residence that was built around 1800 on the site of a potter’s field. One of the bodies buried below is said to belong to a sailor who was hanged for taking part in a mutiny. Known to Clinton Court residents as “Old Moor,” the sailor’s ghost is so terrifying that a young woman died trying to escape from it. According to legend, she tripped over her dress and fell down the stairs in front of the building.

Later, a little girl named Margaret died in the very same manner, and now all three spirits haunt Clinton Court together.

OTHER HAUNTED PLACES OF NOTE

The Ear Inn (326 Spring Street), a two-hundred-year-old house that’s been a bar for most of it’s existence, the Ear Inn in said to be haunted by the mischievous ghost of a sailor named Mickey. (He likes to pinch ladies, so beware.)

34 Many actors and performers claim that the spirit of the man who th built the Belasco Theater (111 West 44 Street) returns every night to enjoy the shows.

35 GETTING MESSY

New York has never been known for it’s cleanliness. It’s stinky, rat-infested, and plagued by puddles that aren’t filled with rain water. As far as I’m concerned those are three of the things that make this city so darn wonderful. And anyone who wants to experience the best of New York simply can’t be afraid to get a little bit messy.

THE EARTH ROOM

The Earth Room (141 Wooster Street in SoHo) is a 140-ton "interior earth sculpture" created in 1977 by artist Walter De Maria. What's an interior earth sculpture, you ask? In this case it's an enormous room filled with dirt.

Here are four reasons you might consider giving it a look:

1. It's really weird and wonderful in person. 2. It's worth over a million dollars. (If you can figure out a way to get it to your house.) 3. It's free to visit. 4. It's worm-free (for now, hint-hint).

RAT WATCHING

You can spot rats anywhere in New York, but if you want to see a whole army of rodents, just head over to Manhattan's beautiful . While your friends or family marvel at the majesty of New York’s two-hundred-year-old City Hall, have a seat on a park bench and train your eyes on the ground. You’ll see dozens of foul little beasties frolicking about in broad

36 daylight, just a few yards from the mayor's office. Watch as they scamper through the grass, weave between unsuspecting visitors' feet, and swipe food from innocent children.

According to rat experts, the abandoned subway station (see page 17) and tunnels beneath City Hall Park offer the rats an ideal shelter. Though they're usually nocturnal, these fearless rodents emerge in the afternoon as people flock to the park to enjoy their lunch. They steal whatever scraps they can, and then slink back to their underground lairs.

URBAN FORAGING

Some people use the term “urban foraging” as a synonym for “dumpster diving.” If you’re into that sort of thing, you’ll have plenty of fun here in New York. (In the summertime, you can literally dumpster dive when the city turns dumpsters into swimming pools during the Summer Streets Festival.)

However, I’m more interested in the brand of urban foraging that’s taught by one of New York’s most beloved eccentrics, Wildman Steve Brill. (The only person in the city who’s ever been arrested for eating a dandelion.) Sign up for a tour, and the Wildman will guide you through one of New York’s parks, showing you which plants, mushrooms, and fruits are edible, medicinal, dangerous or poisonous. It’s just the sort of class that every explorer should take. And it might prove particularly useful if you ever lose your way in .

GUERILLA GARDENING

While you’re visiting New York, there’s a simple way to make a lasting mark—and leave the city a little more beautiful. Just

37 keep your eyes open for a rather unusual type of vending machine. The contents will be roughly the same size and shape as a large gumball, but I wouldn't recommend chewing them. Instead of candy, these machines dispense seed bombs. Pop in a quarter, and you'll receive a ball made of clay, compost, and seeds. Toss it into any crack, crevice, or abandoned lot, and soon tiny plants will begin to sprout. Each seed bomb is guaranteed to make the world a little bit greener.

Interested? Go to greenaid.co for a map of seed bomb vending machine locations—not just in New York, but around the world.

38 RANDOM WEIRDNESS

I’ve witnessed some pretty strange things since I moved to New York. And that’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed. The unexpected is waiting for you around every corner here. If you pay attention, you’ll see something new every time you open your curtains or step outside. Why do you think so many writers live here? New York is a constant source of inspiration. So take good notes while you’re visiting. With all the random weirdness this city has to offer, you might just stumble across the subject of your own first (or next) book!

THE SECRET MAIL DELIVERY SYSTEM

Many old New York office buildings possess a curious feature. Fixed to a wall on each floor is a small, oddly-shaped box labeled "MAIL." They don’t look like ordinary letter boxes. Each is connected to a metal or plastic tube that stretches from ceiling to floor. None of them are still in use. But it’s clear that mail was once placed inside. Then it was supposed to GO somewhere—but where? And how?

Believe it or not, the boxes belong to a super-cool and mostly forgotten means of mail delivery: The pneumatic tube system.

More than twenty-seven miles of pneumatic tubes lie underneath Manhattan. The system, which is well over a hundred years old, was built at a time when New York's streets were even filthier and more congested than they are today. Aboveground mail delivery was difficult and time consuming, so the pneumatic tube system was built to deliver mail underground to post offices throughout New York City.

39 Shot by air pressure, cylindrical canisters filled with mail would whiz through the tubes at up to thirty-five miles an hour, arriving at their destinations within minutes. At one point roughly one-third of all the mail sent or received in the city was sent via the underground system. In fact, it was so successful that many office buildings adopted pneumatic tubes for their own internal mail.

Here’s the best part. The system is STILL DOWN THERE. What would it take to put it back into service? And what purposes (good or evil) might it serve? It seems to me that a secret means of delivering information or objects throughout New York could come in handy. I’ll leave it to you to figure out how.

MANHATTANHENGE

When the Druids built (possibly with the help of extraterrestrials), they arranged the rocks in such a way that the sun would put on a spectacular show every . But you don’t need to travel to Britain if you want to be dazzled. Twice a year, New Yorkers (and our guests) experience what we like to call Manhattanhenge. On one date before the and one date after, the setting sun lines up with the east-west streets in Manhattan. The effect is absolutely magical. Look west from any intersection on the island, and it will seem as if the heavens have opened up at the end of the street.

Manhattanhenge takes place in May and July, but the exact dates change every year. Be sure to do a little detective work before you plan your trip. If you’re here during the show, you should try to experience it.

NEW YORK’S BERMUDA TRIANGLE

40 If you drive to New York, be sure not to park your car near the . It's not the threat of pennies flung from the building by mischievous tourists—or the base jumpers who attempt to parachute from its upper stories—that should convince you to keep your distance.

According to news reports, the five-block radius around the Empire State Building is a Bermuda Triangle for cars. Engines stall. Batteries die. Car doors refuse to open. Over the past few years, hundreds of people have had their cars towed, only to discover that they function perfectly the minute they're out of the skyscraper's shadow.

Are radio transmissions from the building to blame? Is some sinister force at work in New York's greatest landmark? Or is it all just an urban myth? It’s time to find out for yourself!

THE TUGBOAT GRAVEYARD

Many visitors to New York who want a cheap, scenic boat ride will hop on the Ferry at the tip of Manhattan, take a round trip, and return to Manhattan without setting foot on Staten Island. They have no idea how much they’re missing.

If you head to Rossville on the southwestern coast of Staten Island (take the X19 bus to Arthur Kill Road), you’ll find an extraordinary graveyard. For over 100 years, the Witte Marine Equipment Company has been hard at work dismantling old boats and ships that once sailed through New York Harbor. It’s a slow process, however, and dozens of boats (mostly tugboats) have been waiting in the shallow waters for decades. Today, many are little more than ghosts of their former selves, which makes the site incredibly eerie. It’s as if the boats were lured to the shore by some malevolent force, then damaged and left for dead. If you’re

41 really adventurous, you might consider renting a kayak and touring the site from the water. But be sure to take your camera along. Once you leave, you may find it hard to believe what you’ve seen.

A TRIP THROUGH TIME

I love the Met and the Museum of the City of New York. But in my opinion, the most fascinating museum around is the in Brooklyn. (At the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street.) Let’s start with the fact that the entire museum is located underground in a decommissioned subway station. (If you’ve seen a movie set in the subway, there’s a good chance this was the station where it was shot.) Cool, right? It gets so much better.

The upper level of the museum has some great exhibits if you’re interested in the workings of the subway system. The bottom level of the museum will blow your mind. The station’s tracks are occupied by over eighteen perfectly preserved old subway cars. There are cars (complete with ads) from every decade since the subway first opened in 1904 (and a few that are even older than that). You can step into an elegant car from the 1920s or a futuristic-looking car from the 1960s, have a seat and pretend you’re on a trip through time.

The museum is quite inexpensive by New York standards. But even if they doubled the entrance fee, it would be worth every penny. If you’re looking for a weird and wonderful experience, you can’t get any better than the Transit Museum.

WORMHOLES

42 If you’ve read any science fiction, you know that a wormhole is a shortcut through time. Find one, and you can travel back to a different era in the blink of an eye. There are quite a few wormholes in New York City—spots that can make you believe that you’ve stepped right into another century.

Cobble Hill and Clinton Hill are two neighborhoods in Brooklyn that appear much as they did in the nineteenth century. You’ll find carriage houses, mews and stately mansions that look like nothing else you’ll see in New York. (Want fabulous? Check out the Charles Millard Pratt House at 241 Clinton Avenue or the Caroline Ladd Pratt House just down the street at 229.) Some of the mansions are even open for tours for one day every spring.

South Street Seaport in downtown Manhattan is a major tourist attraction. Skip the main drag (Fulton Street) and walk down the side streets. You’ll get a sense of what the New York waterfront was like in the days when sailors, gangs, and pirates ruled the docks.

If you visit the haunted Morris-Jumel mansion in Washington Heights (page 26), take a peek at nearby Sylvan Terrace. It’s a short cobblestone lane lined with perfectly preserved houses from the nineteenth century.

If you want to see what the city looked like in its early days, Historic Richmondtown is the place to go. The entire Staten Island town is a museum, with twenty-seven historic buildings, some of which date to the seventeenth century, and almost all are open to the public.

43 SPELLBOUND

There’s nothing I love more than libraries and bookstores. Without them, I probably would have landed in jail a long time ago. (When I get bored, I start causing trouble. Just ask my mom.) These days, every time I step into a library or bookstore, my brain begins to tingle. I can't help but imagine that there's some strange, magical book tucked away on the shelves, just waiting for me to discover it.

I couldn’t even begin to list all of the great libraries and bookstores in New York. Many (like Books of Wonder at 18 W. 18th Street) are known to book-lovers all over the world. So I’m going to introduce you to a few special spots you might not have heard of. In fact a couple are so secret that only the most persistent explorers will even be able to find them.

MANHATTAN’S SECRET MAGIC LIBRARY

Hidden on the island of Manhattan is a library with over 12,000 books on the subject of magic. It’s called the Conjuring Arts Research Center, and if you’re clever enough to locate it, you're welcome to visit. (And if you can’t, you can always check out the website at conjuringarts.org.)

Enter the rare books room, and you’ll find dusty tomes that date from as far back as 1480—and “mind reading” pamphlets from the 17th century. Many of the items collected are one of a kind. There’s even a book titled Valuable Secrets that I’d personally love to read. What kind of secrets, I wonder? And how valuable are they? If you find out, please let me know!

44 THE SPEAKEASY BOOKSTORE

Somewhere on the of Manhattan, on the second floor of a building in the East 80s is a secret (and technically illegal) bookstore known as Brazen Head Books. It’s run by a man named Michael Seidenberg who has turned his own apartment into a wonderland of used books. The store’s address is a secret, but those who find it are welcomed warmly. Once inside, there’s a chance you could end up rubbing elbows with some of New York’s best-known writers, but you’ll definitely leave with something you can’t wait to read.

THE TREASURE BENEATH BRYANT PARK

Bryant Park is a lovely public space adjacent to the main branch nd of the at 42 Street and Fifth Avenue. It’s a great place to have lunch or watch one of the free movies they show every summer. But whenever I visit, I find it hard to concentrate on food or films. I’m too busy thinking about the treasure that’s buried below.

Hidden beneath the park are the library’s archives—two vast floors with 120,000 square feet of space and well over one hundred miles of stacks. Every single shelf holds priceless treasures. Babylonian tablets. The trunks Herman Melville took with him to sea. Theodore Dreiser’s death mask. ’s recipe for beer. The archives’ contents are worth untold millions (if not billions) of dollars. I’d pay almost anything for little more than a look.

THE LIBRARY WITH A CRIMINAL RECORD

45 At the intersection of 10th Street and Sixth Avenue, on the site of a former market and fire tower stands . Built in 1877, the library may look like a fairytale castle, but it was originally a courthouse where some of the most famous murder trials in the city’s history took place. (In the basement, you can still see where the prisoners were held before they faced the jury!) Next door, on a plot of land that’s now a garden, stood a prison.

By the end of the 1920s, if you were a female criminal, this is where you were sent. The courthouse was used only for women’s trials. The actress Mae West visited in 1927 when she was charged with (and convicted of) “corrupting the morals of youth.”

THE BEST PLACE TO REBOOT YOUR BRAIN

The Housing Works Bookstore Café (126 Crosby Street) sells used books and coffee (the perfect combination). All proceeds go to help homeless people with HIV/AIDS. (And if you browse through the donated books, you’ll probably find one that once belonged to me.) The fact is, there are few bookstores like this left in New York. The store itself is gorgeous, with sliding ladders, spiral staircases, and mahogany balconies. The selection of titles is weird and wonderful. And the coffee is pretty great too.

46 BIZARRE BAZAAR

You can’t visit New York and not do a little shopping! But why come all the way here only to buy things you can get back at home? Whatever strange, rare or exotic item your heart’s always desired, there’s a store in this city that sells it. (Seriously— there’s a shop here that sells nothing but mayonnaise.)

A CABINET OF CURIOSITIES

There’s one store in this city I never leave without a shopping bag in my hand. Evolution (120 Spring Street in SoHo) is a one- stop-shop for skulls, beetles, taxidermy, and fossils. Have you been looking for a gorilla skull to decorate your mantle? They’ve got it. Would a framed dung beetle delight your dad? There’s a wide assortment to choose from. And if you’re in the mood for a snack, I recommend grabbing a box of the tasty barbeque-flavored crickets.

WITCHCRAFT SUPPLIES

On 9th Street between First and Second Avenues, you’ll find Enchantments, the city’s largest witchcraft supply store. I’ve never dabbled in witchcraft, but as a direct descendant of one of the Salem witches, I take the subject quite seriously. You should, too, if you intend to visit this store. You’ll find a wide variety of herbs, talismans, candles, and charms. If you have time, you can even sign up for classes. Feel free to ask questions, but it might be wise to avoid any mention of Harry Potter.

47 CHINATOWN

Chinatown, in downtown Manhattan, is the most wonderful place on earth. Tourists often find their way to , which is lined with little shops that are famous for selling counterfeit Rolexes and Louis Vuitton hand bags. If I were you, I’d save your cash and buy a few new experiences instead. Visit a fruit vendor and sample the spiky, notoriously foul-smelling durian fruit. (Which I happen to find quite delicious.) Stop by an herbalist shop and cure whatever may ail you. Pick up a few bags of dried squid for your friends back at home. (A good place to go for snacks of all sorts is A Ji Ichiban at 23 East Broadway.) Splurge on a few yards of silk embroidered with dragons. Just wander around Chinatown for a while. I promise, you’ll find a million things more interesting than a knock-off handbag.

48 SCAVENGER HUNT

Odds are you’re traveling with someone who has a few things she’d like to see too. Even if you end up being dragged to some terrible tourist trap, there’s no reason you can’t have a little fun on the way. New York is filled with fascinating sites that few visitors ever bother to see. Keep your eyes open and see if you can spot the following . . .

ROOFTOP HOUSES

If you live in New York, you know there's nothing more magical than a rooftop house. They're incredibly hard to spot. Some can only be seen from certain angles. Others can only be spotted if you're flying over the city in a helicopter. So when you happen see one, it's a very special occasion.

Okay, okay, Here are a couple of hints . . . Be sure to look up (to the east) when you’re passing the corner of 13th Street and . There’s a sweet wooden cottage with a pretty garden perched on top of one of the buildings. And check out the apartment building on the northeast corner of and 1st Street. It looks rather ordinary—until you realize there’s a Nantucket-style beach house built on its roof.

SEWER ALLIGATORS

Most New Yorkers will laugh at anyone who asks if there have ever been alligators in our sewers. That shows you how much most New Yorkers know. Seventy-five years ago, a teenager discovered an 8- foot alligator at the bottom of a manhole in Harlem. The event was even written up in .

49 According to a former superintendent of New York sewers (a man once known as the King of the Sewers), that eight-foot gator wasn't alone. When the gentleman went down into the sewers to investigate, he claimed to have found . . .

Alligators serenely paddling around in his sewers. [Their] length, on the average, was about two feet. Some may have been longer . . . [A] colony appeared to have settled contentedly under the very streets of the busiest city in the world.

Was he having a laugh at the city’s expense? Only the King of the Sewers knows. (And I don't think he's taking questions any more.)

THE GREEN MAN

Looking for a way to amuse yourself while riding a city bus or strolling down the street? Try searching the buildings above your head for the Green Man. (Not to be confused with “Little Green Men.”) It doesn’t matter whether you’re uptown or downtown—once you’ve spotted a Green Man, you’ll begin to see him everywhere. All over the city, he looks down from windows, watches over churches, and peeks out from garden walls.

Thought to be of Celtic origin, the mysterious Green Man is perhaps one of the most ancient deities in the Western world. Some Green Man carvings in Europe are more than a thousand years old. Usually depicted as a man’s face sprouting leaves or other vegetation (though there are a few Green Women, too), the Green Man represents the power and presence the natural world. He comes in thousands of shapes and sizes, and his personality can range from jolly to severe.

Even on short walks through Manhattan, I’ve counted dozens of Green Men. Sometimes it’s a little creepy to spot him looking

50 down at me. He’s hidden all over the city, but unless you have a sharp eye, you may never know he’s there.

GARGOYLES, GROTESQUES AND CARYATIDS

Green men aren’t the only ones watching, of course. Wherever you go in New York, devils and demons and fearsome creatures leer down at passersby. Giant stone women (caryatids) hold up balconies and entrances. The city is filled with magical creatures that are easy to find—but most people never even look.

GHOSTS OF THE PAST

All around New York, there are not-so-hidden clues to the city’s past. You may spot fading, century-old advertisements for stables, snake oil, or ladies’ corsets. The ghostly outlines of torn-down house can sometimes be seen on the sides of neighboring buildings. Cobblestones and trolley rails peek through the asphalt in older parts of town. And if you see something that looks ancient or out of place, just do a little research. Even a rusty metal bootscraper may have a great tale to tell!

51 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KIRSTEN MILLER lives in New York City where she spends her time drinking coffee, exploring the city, and writing. Kiki Strike was her first novel and was a Today Show Al Roker Book Club Pick. www.kikistrike.com

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