MORGAN COOLEY

18 February 2011
Cultural Trip
IAS 31242

FIVE POINTS

I was always interested in visiting Five Points in New York City. What had caused

this urge was the famous movie Gangs of New York. I had forgotten about this wanted

curiosity until recently, when I was given the learning opportunity to official visit where it

was located.

Five points is situated in lower Manhattan, New York. It operated in Manhattans 6 th

Ward during the early part of the 19th century. The reason it was called “Five Points” is

because five streets cornered each other there. Those streets are Mulberry, Anthony, Cross,

Orange and Little Water. Today many of those street names have changed or do not exist.

This area was built on top of an old swamp. The swamp was back filled with garbage and

soil. This swampland was not strong enough to hold the buildings that were build on top of

it and eventually they started to shift. The ground became saturated with water and that

attracted bugs especially mosquitoes which carried dieses.

I started my adventure here at sun down. I was looking for trouble! I wanted to

compare the nightlife of its nourtious past to the future. So I arrived around six pm hoping

to just catch the start of its nightlife. However, to my surprise there was nothing

notoriously dangerous going on just a hurried civilized few hurrying to catch their uptown

trains. The area was desolate expect for those economical tourist walking around freezing

like me taking pictures I was alone. The streets were even abandoned but for some pieces

of trash blowing around. A taxicab would pass by me and honk with their lights on hoping I

would be a passenger. The major population of people who are normally here had gone and

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MORGAN COOLEY
18 February 2011
Cultural Trip
IAS 31242
left the scene. That told me something about this area. This area must not be a residential

neighborhood but a workspace.

The other sign that gave that away was those wonderful historic architecture

buildings. They looked like they were building for people with oodles of money. What an

oxymoron that today the five points area is full of justice and it use to be the worst place in

Manhattan where there was no laws.

Continuing on my walk around five points I felt ashamed to be walking on the space.

I felt that it was a sacred space that should be treated with more respect because, of all the

history that it has in its ground roots. Looking for recognition to show case this history, I

found, there was very little evidence. Once, this space was so treacherous and horrible no

one with money wanted to associate with it but now the space is very majestic and

imperial.

The Five Points intersection itself is not very large. It is less then a block around yet,

where all its street fingers branch out is rather large. My journey lasted three hour. As I

searched the streets I found that when I ventured around there were many shops and

parks near the government establishments. Yet still they were closed too. There were way

to many streets to look down. I did not go down all of them because I was freezing and the

streets are confusing to walk through. .

Persistent to capture the essence of this historic community I discovered that I was

thankful that this area was so very beautiful and safe. The only trash I saw there was an area

that was designated for trash pick up. The place was very well kept and orderly.

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MORGAN COOLEY
18 February 2011
Cultural Trip
IAS 31242
I wondered how could at one point this area, being made from a swamp that housed the

most dangerous people area in Manhattan, become one of the prettiest and quietest places to

stand in Manhattan at night?

Taking a last view around, picturing what the municipal area would have looked like

with the smaller tenement building, I imagine it was possible to see the water on both

sides. (I am a big fan of the ocean. It must be a trait from growing up in Florida.) I imagine

even though the neighborhood was rough the view was beautiful.

Not only had the buildings in the area change so had the people in the neighborhood. What

use to be was a melting pot back in its height it certainly was not tonight. The local community

was not very diverse. A small fraction of the population in the area was Black. I witnessed

them earlier dressed in professional attire. I assumed then that they must work in the

private and public offices surrounding this area. A lot of Black people had gone home or did

not come down here at least past normal business hours. The majority of the population walking

around was white people. Conversely, traveling back to the train I saw one other black

person.

In closing, after finishing the work I needed for my background research and investigating

several areas of interest, so I could “get a sense of history to enrichment my stay” I felt well

prepared for my excursion. In spite of that, I was not at all prepared for the feeling I was to feel. I

felt very overwhelmed with a sense of a living history. The area really came alive to me and I felt

very disrespectful for walking on this area that was so full of New York City history. I was

shocked, too. I was shocked at how lackadaisical Manhattan had gone to not to draw any

attention to the area and I was shocked to realize how much I cared. I found a little treasure.