Yesterday we were enveloped into the world of late 19th Century/early 20th Century living at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. We had a Swiss woman as our tour guide with a fantastic accent, who really made the squalid living conditions alive in our mind yet managed not to completely depress us. My fav part of the tour was in the last apartment, when we stood in the kitchen and listened to a former tenant speak of her memories of living at 97 Orchard St. (from an interview on CD). As she spoke, citing certain products she remembered her mom using and how her dad taught she and her sister card games, we looked around the room at all those things sitting around the room and the whole family came alive around us.
Afterwards we ate at an Italian restaurant that seems to be a permanent fixture and marveled at the ease of our lifestyle (while eating some fantastic pasta). Highly recommended tour to all y'all.
Posted by zippy at March 20, 2004 11:06 AM