Mulberry St Between Prince St and Houston St

    

Mulberry Street is the perfect example for why I started this blog. While many are familiar with the stretch of Lafayette Street between Prince and Houston, most (including myself) have probably never ventured west or east of it to see what the surrounding blocks offered. It's incredible how much the major thoroughfares distract from the smaller blocks only a few feet away. This is where the hidden gems can be found. This is what the tourists fail to see. It's these supposed blocks of no consequence which give New York its flavor.

The block has a great atmosphere, consisting of a church and several old brick buildings. A plaque on one of the fences talks about how this stretch of road used to be a popular "play street" in the middle of the 20th century. I can see why; with few cars and a secluded (but not sketchy) feeling I could imagine a whole group of kids working on an intense game of stick ball on a hot summer day.

Maybe it's still prevalent in the outer boroughs, but I never see kids taking over streets to play games anymore – unless it's one of those neighborhood-planned block parties. What happened? Was it video games? Did the city crack down on rubber ball sales?

Comments

[andrea]

someone told me that is a market in that corner every weekend: It´s real?