White St, Tribeca

White Street is really cool and really creepy at the same time. I feel like if Vampires actually existed, they would totally hang out here. There is a ton of history to White Street and that's the cool thing about downtown neighborhoods: despite being commercial and often ugly, it is the oldest part of New York. So, what has been preserved is beautiful.
There are two restaurants on the corners of Church and White that have the same owner and are both fantastic: Arqua and Petrarco. Ok, I'm lying about the Petrarco -- I've only been to Arqua and loved it, but people rave about Petrarco too. Just down the street used to be a place called the Mudd Club which was just as famous as CBGB in its heyday . . . but, now people only seem to remember CBGB. It was a punk and new wave club in the 80's and if I had been around then, I would have been there for sure. Weirdly, the place is named after the doctor whom treated John Wilkes Booth. And, Mudd is the actual name of the doctor who would later become HH Holmes, America's first serial killer. I wonder if the two Mudd's were relatives . . . There's another gorgeous, historical building on White and Lafayette that housed a less somber situation. The chateau looking thing at the corner was a Fire Dept and the building was actually built for that very purpose. It was a working firehouse until the '70's, I believe and it is not only incredibly out of place on a stretch of modern tall guys, but it doesn't resemble a fire dept building at all. It kinda looks like a castle.
The street ends with an atrocious looking building that certainly ups the creep factor of White: The tombs. It's a jail that is meant to look like a mausoleum. It has housed people from Sid Vicious to P. Diddy. A ton of songs and books reference the tombs. And, I think it is a bizarre place to have a jail indeed. I guess the Tombs is why there isn't a lot of bustle to White Street in comparison to other historical blocks, but White Street has a bizarre air to it even during the day. I like the creep factor, but I don't really hang out here. Ya know, prisoners and ghosts don't mix well.

If you've ever seen Law and Order, you've probably heard of the Tombs, the macabrely named jail block that houses prisoners awaiting arraignment. The Egyptian mauseoleum-like structure dominates much of White Street, giving the place a somewhat depressing feel (although The Tombs has plenty of historical cachet for the interested tourist: plenty of famous criminals, from John Lennon's assassin to Puff Daddy, have been arraigned here). The rest of this street is similarly downbeatt, with a branch of the New York City Rescue Mission sharing the street with the Civil Municipal Court building. While the street shows some signs of stirring the old bohemian life that dominated this area once (the Mudd Club was one such club immortalized in the songs of the Talking Heads), they're somewhat few and far between: the Flea Theatre is on this block, as is the artsy/trendy eatery Cucina E Vino Petrarca. While this is far from the next up-and-coming district, its combination of arty holdovers and downmarket grit might be a welcome relief for those sick of the East Village's prepackaged bohemia.

Not for nothing is New York described as a party town and if you want to go where some of the best clubs are then White Street should be high on your list of priorities. There are a number of clubs you can visit and although the street doesn’t look up to much if you view it during the day, come around after night falls and its like being transported to a completely different street.

White Street is in the heart of Chinatown/ SoHo area and is extremely convenient, boasting businesses, some coveted housing options, and a really fun atmosphere. On White Street you'll find various businesses and a few restaurants as well. This street is really easy to find as the 1 train is at Franklin Street and the N, Q, R, and W trains are available on Canal Street. Great neighborhood, great street!

White Street is not as interesting as its surrounding streets, but given it vicinity to just about everything this part of the city has to offer, I’d say this is a good place to hang your hat. If you want something more eventful, it won’t be too hard for you to find, though the cleanliness can’t be beaten. The recycling bags were even clean!


This village is best accessed by the followed Metro Stations: 1,2 Houston Street, A,C,E, Spring Street, Prince St N,R,W, Broadway-Lafayette, B,D,F,V, Bleeker St, 4,6 2nd Ave- Lower East Side F,V, Canal St 1, 2, Canal St, A,C,E, ...N, Q R,W,... 4, 6,... J, M, Z, Grand St, B, D Bowery, J, M, Franklin, 1, 2. It is also very well accessible by the bus system!