I  NYC

nythroughthelens:

The Empire State Building seen from the middle of Little Italy, New York City.

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Little Italy is a small area in downtown Manhattan. Currently inhabiting a tiny section of Mulberry Street between Broome and Canal Streets the area recalls a rich history of immigration. The Little Italy Neighbors Association has an interesting history of Little Italy’s origins as well as key moments in history and film that made it (in)famous:

“Immigrants from Italy first settled in the Five Points neighborhood in the 1850s, spreading north into what is now Little Italy in the 1880s. For those unfamiliar with the area, the Five Points was New York’s original and most notorious slum. Located at the southwest corner of what is now Columbus Park — a few blocks below Canal at Baxter Street — the district teemed with gangs, prostitutes, criminals and street urchins. A target for reformers of all stripes and an embarrassment to civic planners, the dark and airless tenements of the Five Points were finally demolished in an early urban renewal effort.

Key scenes from The Godfather — Francis Ford Coppola’s mafia family saga — were filmed in Little Italy. These include the christening scene, in which Coppola’s family members acted as extras, and the set representing the interior of the Genco Olive Oil company, which was built on the fourth floor of an old loft building at 128 Mott Street, at the corner of Hester. (A year later, Joey Gallo was killed just across the street from this location.)

From the south, Little Italy has lately been colonized by Chinatown; its northern reaches now host fashionable boutiques, bars and restaurants. What remains of the visibly Italian side of Little Italy largely centers around Mulberry Street, with its numerous cafes and restaurants. The area’s many excellent bakeries, including the Parisi Bakery on Mott Street, are another indicator of its Italian heritage.” - Source