Address: | 103 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002, USA |
Phone: | +1 212-982-8420 |
Site: | tenement.org |
Rating: | 4.5 |
Working: | 10AM–6:30PM 10AM–6:30PM 10AM–6:30PM 10AM–8:30PM 10AM–6:30PM 10AM–6:30PM 10AM–6:30PM |
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Chris Riffle
This was our second visit to the Tenements Museum and it did not disappoint. Our first visit about 5 years ago was excellent, and since then, theyve made some great enhancements and improvements. We spent some time in the museum store/gift shop where they have a great collection of books and media dealing with the subjects such as immigration, the evolution of the lower East Side and NYC, of course the tenements and a smattering of "regular museum gift shop stuff"... If you decide to visit, make sure and allow time to watch the movie they show in their small theatre. The movie lasts about 30 minutes or so and is definitely worth taking the time to view. (It loops continuously) We took the "Shop Life" tour, which focuses on the businesses that occupied the street level spaces at 97 Orchard street. It was a 90 minute tour, but the time seemed "run out too soon". The tour is very interactive and informative. There are plenty of chairs for everyone on the tour to sit down during the interactive sessions, so dont worry about standing around for 90 minutes. Also, the entire tour takes place indoors, so its still a good bet on a rainy day. We look forward to our next trip to this exceptional museum. Id say it might the most enriching excursion weve made in NYC - at least as far as historical/cultural education is concerned... Many thanks to the great and super-friendly staff that made us feel so welcome. See you again soon!
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Arthur Williams
For all the whiners, bitchers, complainers and other negative folks out there- forget for a moment that youre in the 21st century with all of your creature comforts and conviniences. Put yourself in the shoes and lives of these poor immigrants, coming to a place they knew next to nothing about, may not have had any family or friends waiting to welcome them in NYC, no money worth anything in America, not able to speak any or much English, or with a heavy accent that branded you as "foreign" instantly... No job opportunities or the lowest-paying, nastiest working conditions possible, for abusive bosses/supervisors, long, hard hours of back-breaking labor, only to come "home" to a potential deathtrap of a residence... Take all that into consideration, and if it doesnt elicit some kind of sympathy/empathy for what they had to deal with, maybe youre on the wrong planet. Im a Brooklynite by birth and raising, and thank God we lived in a house instead of tenements or apartment buildings growing up, but Ive personally seen "housing" like that. It broke my heart. And I dont come from immigrant stock; my folks are Black Floridians who moved north in the 50s and 60s. Count your blessings, but always remember those less fortunate.
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Julie Lampe
I took my daughter to the "Hard Times" tour the day after we went to the Ellis Island Museum. First off, it is the perfect follow-up to the Ellis Island experience. However, you need to do them on separate days. Give yourself some time to absorb. Secondly, Ive been to NYC many, many times and this is one of the best things Ive ever done in the city. My only regret is that I wish we had more time to do another tour. I was so impressed with the depth of knowledge about the building, its occupants, and the neighborhood. Lastly, my daughter is almost 9 and loved every second of the tour. She was made to feel very welcome by our tour guide. That being said, the tour guide was so passionate. The people working in the store were very helpful and polite, even though it was very busy. The museum is a living work as new information about the former occupants is being discovered and added to the tours all the time. This is such an authentic experience. The stories are moving and poingiant. You will walk away with a greater compassion for all immigrants, both historical and contemporary. I can guarantee that I will plan some time to do another tour or two the next time Im in the city!
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kimberly sarcinello
Outstanding experience from start to finish. We took the "Hard Times" tour. Interesting, very educational and informative. Our educator Scott was excellent, interacting with the group and answering any questions we had. The tour gives a great sense of the hardships immigrants endured. The tour was approximately 90 minutes and included tours of each room of two familys apartments. The apartments and tour area are NOT air conditioned, so going on a very hot day is not a good idea. The weather was dry and in the 70s so it was a perfect day for the tour. Everything is NO TOUCHING or leaning. No gum or food allowed, only bottled water is acceptable. There are a few chairs in some of the rooms, but visitors are welcomed (and encouraged) to sit on the floor, since you spend about 15 minutes in each room. Before or after your tour, there is a multi-roomed gift shop and an informative film that runs on a loop. A variety of tours are offered, including walking tours. Restrooms are available as well as lockers to store large bags or coats.
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Esther Gopin
The history and the tour are fascinating, but its very expensive and you only get a 1-2 hour tour. Everything is in good condition and they have documents and other resources to help show what life was like in the tenement, but I wish it included more--for example, the hard times tour doesnt show the outhouse, which I would have loved to see. Also, the group was big which made it harder to see everything. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and took the time to answer questions, was very receptive to the group. She really knew what she was talking about. Very interesting, informative tour. (Note that you must book a specific tour before you come--you cant tour the museum without a group and guide.) Theres a 30 minute video that plays on loop thats pretty interesting, I learned a lot. I was a bit confused, though, because some of the things the guide told us contradicted with what was said in the video. Overall a great trip but for the money spent, I wish they offered more.
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Rod Cookson
This is a good, worthwhile museum which we caught on a bad day. The project is sound, showing what life was like in typical NYC tenements in the late 19th and early 20th century. Our experience was marred by a poor guide who distracted from that story. She had limited historical knowledge, which made it difficult for her to explain the context of peoples lives there, and unfortunately corrected things visitors said which were correct. When I asked, for example, how much shorter people were in the 1870s (to understand relatively how large the living space was), I was told that it was a common misnomer to think that people we shorter in the past and that they were actually the same size as now. This is nonsense. The guide also ignored many questions from the group (either not addressing them or giving an answer to a completely different question), which made for a rather silent, awkward atmosphere by the end. Despite that, this is worth visiting.
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Manuel Neace
This tour focuses on the exploitation of late 19th century/early 20th century mostly Russian Jewish immigrants by the garment industry. I found it ironic they were making a lot of fuss about how those immigrants were exploited as they were exploiting tourist, from all over the world, who came to see 2 rooms for $25 per person. Additionally, its a bit chaotic in the store (where you have to pick up your will-call tickets) and they dont provide any instructions at all once they hand you the ticket. We tried to get into 97 Orchard only to find the doors locked. So we walked back to the store and asked where the tour starts. It starts in the store, which makes it all the more crowded in there. They should have told us that when they handed us the tickets. Just one more irony, the first Russian Jewish synagogue that was mentioned during the tour burned down a few hours after our tour. It was located just 3 blocks from 97 Orchard.