New York City (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [29]
It’s practically a crime to visit Little Italy without a stop into Ferrara (195 Grand St. | 212/226–6150), a fifth-generation business that was started in 1892. Grab a Baba Rum, an espresso, some gelato, and, of course, a cannoli. Because of the restaurant’s popularity, waits for tables—especially on summer weekends—can top out at an hour or more. An alternative is to hop on the to-go line (it’s usually significantly shorter), and have your sweets boxed to go to savor in your hotel room.
Speaking of crime, there’s a bit of food-related mob history at the corner of Hester and Mulberry streets, at what was once Umberto’s Clam House (now Da Gennaro Restaurant | 129 Mulberry St. | 212/431–3934), where in 1972 mobster Joey Gallo was gunned down by mob hit men during dinner. Although this was Little Italy’s most notorious whack job, there are less-well-known mob spots here, like John “The Dapper Don” Gotti’s former Manhattan headquarters at 247 Mulberry Street in NoLIta.
THE HEART OF LITTLE ITALY
St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral (263 Mulberry St.) was established in 1809, and described by the New York Gazette as “a grand and beautiful church, which may justly be considered one of the greatest ornaments of our city.” Step inside this Gothic Revival church, once the scene of race riots, vehement anti-Catholic protests, and other less savory bits of N.Y.C. history, to see a peaceful space with a grandeur that far exceeds what you might expect to find in this neighborhood (once Little Italy but is now technically in NoLIta).
TOP ATTRACTIONS IN LITTLE ITALY AND NOLITA
Most Precious Blood Church.
A replica of the grotto at Lourdes is the high point of the Most Precious Blood Church’s richly painted interior. The church becomes a focal point during the annual San Gennaro festival. | 109 Mulberry St., Little Italy | 10013 | 212/226–6427 | Mass Sat. noon, 5:30; Sun. 9, noon, 2 (Vietnamese) | Subway: N, Q, R, 6 to Canal St.; J, Z to Canal St.
Fodor’s Choice | St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.
If you’ve watched The Godfather, you’ve peeked inside St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral—the interior shots of the infamous baptism scene were filmed here.
The unadorned exterior of the cathedral gives no hint to the splendors within, including an 1868 Henry Erben pipe organ. The enormous marble altar surrounded by hand-carved niches (reredos) house an extraordinary collection of sacred statuary and other Gothic exuberance.
There’s a maze of mortuary vaults underneath the cathedral (older residents of Little Italy recall playing hide-and-seek in the vaults), and the outdoor cemetery is the final resting place for notable New Yorkers, such as the Venerable Pierre Toussaint, an African-American who was born a slave in Haiti and made his fortune as a New York hairdresser, and whose many charitable works have resulted in his consideration for sainthood. Also interred here is Bishop Hughes—better known during his time as “Dagger John,” a nickname he earned for his fiery temperament and the distinctive pointed cross he always scrawled after signing his name. | 263 Mulberry St., corner of Mott and Prince Sts., NoLIta | 10012 | 212/226–8075 | Hrs. may vary, usually open 8–5. Mass weekdays 8:30 am (Spanish) and 12:10 (English); Sat. 8:30 am (Spanish), 12:10 (English), and 5:30 (English); Sun. 9:15 (English), 10:15 (Chinese), 11:30 (Spanish), 12:45 (English), and 7 pm (English) | Subway: R to Prince St.; 6 to Bleecker St.
WORTH NOTING IN LITTLE ITALY AND NOLITA
New York City Police Headquarters.
Seen in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, this magnificent 1909 Edwardian baroque structure with a striking copper dome served as the headquarters of the New York City Police Department until 1973. Designed to “impress both the officer and the prisoner with the majesty of the law,” it was converted into luxury condos in 1988 and is known today as the Police Building Apartments. Big-name residents have included Cindy Crawford, Winona Ryder, and Steffi Graf. | 240 Centre St., between Broome and Grand Sts., Little Italy | 10013 | Subway: 6 to Spring St.; J, Z to Bowery.