The Immigrant Experience
Yesterday I went with Anna and Lizzie to the lower east side to have a real immigrant experience. We started out at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum (tenement means ‘to hold in’) where our friend Jess gives tours and took us on the ‘garment industry’ tour of the tenements. These were tiny, 750sq foot apartments where nine family members would live alongside an at a home garment factory. In one family, there were four boys that slept with their heads on the couch and their legs on chairs. These tenements are spectacular, unaltered specimens.
We then headed over to the Russian Tukrish Baths on 10th street. The baths have been around since 1982 and were frequented by the garment industry workers. There, in between the Russian room, the Turkish steam room and the eucalyptus room I like to call ‘the halls of medicine’ I had some borscht with sour cream and a Baltic beer (strength, 9.5). They were out of onions and hearing. There’s nothing like eating hot soup shirtless, in your wet shorts and watching the Republican presidential debate.
Next time we’ll have to make it a trifecta and go to the newly reopened 2nd Avenue Deli.
