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one way to reinvigorate italian life into the area would be for the government to designate it as a special zone allowing for lower taxes/rent for first generation italians...
one way to reinvigorate italian life into the area would be for the government to designate it as a special zone allowing for lower taxes/rent for first generation italians...
The 2000 Census found that there were literally zero first-generation Italians living in Little Italy. Just let it go. It's over. No one moans about the loss of Little Germany, or Little Syria, or Little Spain, or countless other ethnic neighborhoods that have completely vanished.
The real reason Little Italy is vanishing is because Italian immigration to the USA vanished. Thanks to idiots like Sen. Ted Kennedy new immigration quotas were enacted in 1964 and European immigration to the USA was curtailed in favor of immigration from hispanic nations. Whenever someone asks me if I favor "immigration reform" I always say "yes, change the quotas back to the way they were."
Fortunately still live some historical stores as Albanese's, De Palo, De Rossi, Alleva, Umberto's Clam House, Taormina, Casa Bella, Cafè Palermo and so on....
In case anyone missed it, PBS is doing a great series on Italian-Americans the past few weeks. It speaks to the old neighborhoods such as Little Italy in NYC, South Brooklyn, etc...
In case anyone missed it, PBS is doing a great series on Italian-Americans the past few weeks. It speaks to the old neighborhoods such as Little Italy in NYC, South Brooklyn, etc...
And the guy making mozzarella in Little Italy in the documentary said you didn't move here from Italy to stay in the neighborhood for good. You were supposed to leave eventually, and as we see today, they did. Others living in sub-par conditions today should take note (e.g., you're not supposed to stay in the PJs generation after generation).
The real reason Little Italy is vanishing is because Italian immigration to the USA vanished. Thanks to idiots like Sen. Ted Kennedy new immigration quotas were enacted in 1964 and European immigration to the USA was curtailed in favor of immigration from hispanic nations. Whenever someone asks me if I favor "immigration reform" I always say "yes, change the quotas back to the way they were."
European immigration also vanished because Western Europe, including Italy is well off enough for them not to have to come to America to work for peanuts.
European immigration was also strong when NYC and other industrial cities were literally being built. The industrial age is over. The Hispanic immigrants are mainly in the service sector.
This really is a shame that an historical neighborhood like Little Italy is disappearing... I've been there last year, I studied and admired every single piece of street and building. I met the people the ran some store and restaurant over there, I talked to them... I saw that only few italian people still live over there, but somebody still resists.
On Mulberry Street the air is always the same italian air, people around in the bar and at the restaurant are often italian people, outside the bars you still find old italian men sittings at the coffee tables. Some bakery like Alleva are so Italian that even in Italy you could have troubles to find something so pretty original… and you can speak Italian with dealers.. Little Italy will never die
There are tons of Italian neighborhoods in the other 4 boroughs. Take a subway sometime and experience real NYC, not just transplant infested Williamsburg and Manhattan. Manhattan is just a corporate mall with no identity anymore, besides Chinatown.
The real reason Little Italy is vanishing is because Italian immigration to the USA vanished. Thanks to idiots like Sen. Ted Kennedy new immigration quotas were enacted in 1964 and European immigration to the USA was curtailed in favor of immigration from hispanic nations. Whenever someone asks me if I favor "immigration reform" I always say "yes, change the quotas back to the way they were."
Lots of working class WASPS weren't too happy with southern european and irish immigrants coming into America back in the early 1900's, and there was plenty of hate to go around back then.. let's not start a race thing again, with my people better than yours.. there enough of that on citi-data. we are all immigrants. my German ancestry having arrived in 1890's, and up into WW2, were looked upon as a kind of plague onto the fabric of America.
In case anyone missed it, PBS is doing a great series on Italian-Americans the past few weeks. It speaks to the old neighborhoods such as Little Italy in NYC, South Brooklyn, etc...
Saw it last week, it's more about Italians in America than NYC. Italians actually had their biggest role in shaping the country in San Francisco. I had no idea The Bank of America used to be the Bank of Italy and the founder saved the economy from the great SF earthquake
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