Getting Lost on the Lower East Side
I enjoy getting lost on the Lower East Side of Manhattan where history is interwoven into every fabric of life. Walking on the cobblestone streets I imagine what it was like for the immigrants like my great-grandfather Moe, who jumped the tenement roofs as a teen. I imagine my great-great grandfather Sam, working a pushcart until he had enough money to open a clothing shop. Life was difficult, but they knew with hard work and perseverance they could succeed.
I begin my historical trip down memory lane at the Tenement Museum on Orchard Street. The tour takes me to the apartment of garment workers from the 1800’s. Afterwards I make a stop at Guss’ Pickles and bring home a container of pickled goodness for later. Of course no trip to the Lower East Side is complete without a visit to Katz’s Delicatessen, the oldest deli in New York (est. 1888) for the best pastrami sandwich EVER! Take a ticket and brave the lines, and don’t lose that ticket! Save a little room for a famous Yonah Schimmel knish two blocks from the deli. The store's been here since 1910 and my mom has come here since she’s a little girl with her grandmother who was born on the Lower East Side in 1914. Grandma Fanny used to order the sour-milk (a form of yogurt). Eating the foods that my ancestors ate in the places they frequented brings me closer to understanding who they were. I feel spiritually charged when I come down here. Through the smells, tastes and sights of this wonderful neighborhood I am lost in another time.
As I walk these streets I recall where my family came from. They came from Brody,Austria, from Litin, Ukarine, from Russia, from Lipno, Poland and from Linz, Austria. They came with as little as $14 in their pocket. They traveled on ships called the SS Rotterdam and the SS Zeeland. They came because of pogroms and in search of a better life for their children. I pass 240 Stanton Street, 26 Jefferson, 135 Delancy, and 19 Clinton Street; all places that my ancestors called home. Visiting these places I am reminded of the sacrifices they made for their children and their children’s children. It’s a humbling experience to walk in the shoes of those that came before you. It’s a humbling experience to get lost on the Lower East Side.