Tuesday, August 30, 2016

The Lower East Side Tenement Museum: One of New York's must-see parks

A favorite tourist destination in New York is The Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Although called a museum, it is considered a national park by residents of the state because of its historical value and background. The museum is located at the heart of the lower east side and was home to around 7,000 people from 20 nations between 1863 and 1935. The tenement building serves as a reminder of the Jewish people who were forced to live in cramped living spaces.

There are several guided tours that one can choose from. Each of these tours aims to show how residents lived during this time. Most of these focus on living conditions, although there are tours that have tourists meeting costumed actors roleplaying on the streets to walking around the neighborhood to experience how immigrants survived.

Image Source: studentrush.org

One of the reasons why this is such a highly-recommended national park is that the entire area has been preserved and maintained. Full park tours even allow visitors to taste authentic food that completes the immigrant experience. A popular destination is the Jarmulowsky Bank where immigrants deposited all their life savings and lost it during the latter part of the war.

Image Source: tenement.org

The Lower East Side Tenement Museum is a fully interactive national park and serves as a testament to the lives of thousands of Jews and their precarious position during the 20th century. While a visit to the park is recommended for its entertainment value, it must also be remembered that New York was a city overflowing with different cultures and peoples.

Keith W. Springer loves visiting national parks in his hometown of New York City. Learn more by viewing this LinkedIn page.

5 comments:

  1. One of the reasons why I love New York!

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  2. This is also part of history. Glad people were able to preserve this place..

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  3. My family and I went there last year. The entire place was just amazing!

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