I've been here in New York City since Wednesday night. I'm attending the Asian American studies conference. It's been good to see some old friends and acqaintances, as well as make new ones.
(I must criticize my mingling skills. I need the practice. Either I don't engage people real well, or talk their heads off. )
I made it down to the South Street Seaport, and joined a tour in progress, led by Jack Tchen of the NYU Asian/Pacific/American Institute. He talked about the history of New York City, particularly Manhattan.
When I caught up with the group, he was talking about the Dutch settlement. By the time the tour ended, he ended with ante bellum origins of American pop culture around Catherine St. (Hope I got that right.) I think the span of time covered was about 200 years.
The temperature must've been around 40 degrees. And the wind chill factor, made it feel quite a bit colder.
Towards the end, the tour gathered at a corner of Columbus park, on the edge of Chinatown. That was the site of the so-called Five Points area, which I want to say, gained notoriety in the 1830s. (It was portrayed in the Scorcese film, Gangs of New York.) This was before there was a New York Chinatown.
Posted by raacluse at April 6, 2007 11:57 PM