Marie

OK, I feel foolish enough asking this question, so please be kind. We are coming to NYC next month (from small town USA)and my 16 year old son, who is totally into the rap scene, wants to see a real NYC HOOD, his words. Can anyone suggest some area we could check out that would satisfy his curiosity and would be relatively safe. I'm not looking for trouble. At the same time I am interested in seeing the many diverse neighborhoods in the city. Lower Eastside, Chinatown, Brooklyn, etc...

Suzy

Sign up for the Gray Line all-loops tours, it's a two-day hop-on-hop-off bus with 30 stops on two different routes (uptown and downtown) plus a night tour (not hop-on-hop-off). The uptown loop drives through the famous parts of Harlem -- see the Apollo theater, Bill Clinton's office and the new mall, plus the sorts of neighborhoods your son wants to see but you don't want to walk through! The downtown and/or night loops go through the other places you mentioned, including parts of Brooklyn.

Kid

You may try Flatbush, Bushwick, East New York, or Red Hook. They are all located in Brooklyn. Another suggestion would be to go way uptown to Harlem, Spanish Harlem. Yes, I think Lower East side could work too. In Queens, you could try Queensbridge (where the projects are) or Corona. In the Bronx you can head over to SouthBronx. These are just my suggestions (provided that you are asking a serious question). As for looking for trouble, that could happen anywhere. Hood or no hood.
Hope this helps.

Elfie

Take him up to Harlem, take a west side subway line to 125th Street and wander around there. I wouldn't recommend going into Bed Stuy or East NY or any other neighborhood outside of Manhattan, you don't know the city, you can easily get lost and frankly I don't think it's real safe for tourists. Harlem's fine though, that should give him his "hood" fix.

jorge

Ok try the south bronx where rap was born with the Africa bombada and the gange.. Yankee stadium is in the bronx..

Just ask him.. he may BE into the QB (queens bridge) or Brooklyn crew. (ROCHOFELA)

but seriously you shouldn't go too these places just too see the projects, not the safest place in the world too be... hut if you want too take a cab and have it circle around these area..

He'll find the rap sceen everywhere in NYC... there will be people Husling mix tapes all over the place and offering him weed..

OH YAH 106 and Park, he'll now what I mean if he watches BET..

Merilee

You'll be fine during the day if you go to the West 125th Street area from west to east or east to west...the area is busy during the day and your son will be satisfied...there are also many shops and restaurants to stop in along the way...you'll pass the famous Apollo theater where many artists started out...this also the area where Bill Clinton now has an office...I think this neighborhood is one of your safest otpions and it can be easily reached by bus or subway.

xxx

You do not want to take your 16 year old to an actual hood. Kind of like going to Central Park in the 1970's after dark.

Alex

125th street is the way to go--authentic historic Harlem, and safe to visit. Lots of shopping and eating opportunities too (think chain stores along with local businesses)

mk64

There are plenty of very cool neighborhoods to see in NYC (I've lived here 17 years)- just walk all over the city! I find it offensive that the media has portrayed a "hood" as something to be glamorized - talk to someone from those kind of neighborhoods (I live in one)and believe me, life is NOT glamourous, especially for kids. However, I will get off my soapbox as this is not the place for it. Enjoy your visit and I do encourage taking the double decker bus for an overview but please point out to your son that violence and poverty in is alive and well in those areas his favorite rappers sing about.

w

Take the #1 train UPTOWN to 168th St. and Broadway. Walk down Broadfway to 145th St. Walk is about one mile and you will be going through a predominantly Dominican neighborhood. At 145th take the #1 to 125th St. Get off and walk along 125th to Lenox AVe (Harlem) where you gey back on the subway to get back to midtown (#2 or #3 train.). Perfgectly safe yo do these walks.

westside

Ok, take the A train to Brooklyn--probably see a lot of kids who he thinks are hoody on it. You can then hang out on Fulton Street for awhile in front of the music stores (some gang kids killed each other there couple yrs ago). Frankly, I think that you should take the bus tour suggested above and not encourage your son too much in this regard. Maybe if he just goes to the big
Virgin record store on 14th st and listens to some samples on the headphones it will be enough. You could eat at Sylvia's famous soul food place in Harlem but I doubt there are any
rappers there--never know though.

suzanne

Fulton Street would be a good idea - I walk down it all the time with by boyfriend...every time we've always been the only white people (couldn't help but notice) but we've never felt the least bit unsafe. Fulton Street is a pedestrian street with lots of shopping. While you're there, stop at Junior's and try the world's best cheesecake and some excellent sandwiches!

Little Red Riding Hood

Why do white kids like to go check out the black neighborhoods like they're junior anthropologists, but black kids don't ask to take a trip out to the Hamptons to see how the rich white kids live or, on the flipside, to Arkansas to see an "authentic" trailer park?

Poor neighborhoods are not an amusement park, tell your kid to pull up his pants and wear a belt!

a

If you are from a small town USA, then you do not want to be wandering in the outer boroughs look for the Hood. Your son will most likely be just as impressed with Manhattan. He probably will think that Midtown feels genuine enough.

If he does feel compelled to search farther afield, I agree with other posters who mentioned Wash Heights and Harlem. Since you are interested in seeing diverse neighborhoods, these destinations will be perfect.

xxx

lower east side. old jewish neighborhoods, new hippy hangouts, low income housing, people of all backgrounds. can get shady at night. real melting pot stuff. stop at katz deli for lunch

meeeeee

Re: Little Red

Who said the kid was white?

Mara

Suzanne -
Next time you see an almost middle-aged five foot tall white woman on Fulton Mall come over and say hello to me!
Mara
ps Have you eaten in Junior's lately - a couple of people told me it's gone downhill (except for the cheesecake).

suzanne

Mara - LOL...I'll be sure to say "hi"!

Junior's still seems great to me. I've only been going there for 2-3 years so I don't know if it's gone downhill. I don't even go for the cheesecake (unless I'm buying one for a party)...I go for lunch - those reuben sandwiches are to die for!