Little Italy, little snapshots. Little bits of signs, little bits of menus. Little bits of food, little bits of life.
During the day, on weekdays, when there aren't men harassing you and attempting to get you into their restaurants, Little Italy is charming. The storefronts are pretty, and the touristy stores have fun, cute, and sometimes lewd wares that are entertaining to peruse. At night, the place is a total zoo, but during daylight, it is so lovely.
It's a little slice of Europe, in a way. Not that there aren't other European neighborhoods of New York City- there definitely are. But, this one is commercial, touristy, and kind of silly in some ways. Yes, the restaurants are mostly classy Italian upscale fare, but some are decorated to look so mafia-tastic, that it is hard not to imagine a Don sitting in the back, smoking a cigar, and conducting business. Sometimes, you don't even have to imagine- they are there, doing just that. However, almost no Italians actually live in Little Italy any more, due to the fact that, you know, the Italians thrived, mixed in with everyone else, and moved wherever they felt like it instead of staying in their own stereotypically ethnic and mafia-associated neighborhood. Many of the employees in the restaurants aren't Italian either- most of them are Eastern or Central European, but are from countries like Albania, Montenegro and Slovenia. Some waiters are even from Puerto Rico and Cuba. Not that that is a bad thing, I frankly find that kind of neat. But, tourists can't really tell the difference a lot of the time. They hear a foreign accent, see some dark hair, the sign painted in the colors of the Italian flag, the ravioli on their plate and just assume that they are being treated by some seriously real Italians. If the waiter says something to them in Italian, or corrects their pronunciation of "gnocchi," it's all over- they've been duped. The food is rather authentic though, and I've never had bad service, so I'd say it's not a dupe worth complaining about!
Little Italy is fun. Loud, boisterous, and entertaining... but not particularly Italian any more.
It's a little slice of Europe, in a way. Not that there aren't other European neighborhoods of New York City- there definitely are. But, this one is commercial, touristy, and kind of silly in some ways. Yes, the restaurants are mostly classy Italian upscale fare, but some are decorated to look so mafia-tastic, that it is hard not to imagine a Don sitting in the back, smoking a cigar, and conducting business. Sometimes, you don't even have to imagine- they are there, doing just that. However, almost no Italians actually live in Little Italy any more, due to the fact that, you know, the Italians thrived, mixed in with everyone else, and moved wherever they felt like it instead of staying in their own stereotypically ethnic and mafia-associated neighborhood. Many of the employees in the restaurants aren't Italian either- most of them are Eastern or Central European, but are from countries like Albania, Montenegro and Slovenia. Some waiters are even from Puerto Rico and Cuba. Not that that is a bad thing, I frankly find that kind of neat. But, tourists can't really tell the difference a lot of the time. They hear a foreign accent, see some dark hair, the sign painted in the colors of the Italian flag, the ravioli on their plate and just assume that they are being treated by some seriously real Italians. If the waiter says something to them in Italian, or corrects their pronunciation of "gnocchi," it's all over- they've been duped. The food is rather authentic though, and I've never had bad service, so I'd say it's not a dupe worth complaining about!
Little Italy is fun. Loud, boisterous, and entertaining... but not particularly Italian any more.
Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
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