For a very long time I'd come to New York and I would wonder - where is the culture? Where's the place where underground artists live and thrive? Now, I have an answer. The place is Alphabet City
I could tell that this was a place like no other. It was a special little place where art dominates commercialism. Unlike the rest of New York, this place is very authentic. As John pointed out, it seemed like all of the people walking around the area actually lived there, instead of being annoying tourists. The place was covered in graffiti (and I don't mean just peoples signatures, I mean large pieces of art). Gardens were spread throughout the entire area, some which you could actually enter. It's probably one of the greenest areas of the city.
Probably the best part of visiting the city though was when my group visited a condemned building. All outside the building were paintings stacked in piles, sparse furniture, and a fake mummie of some sort. Inside was even more interesting. Throughout the room that I entered were various paintings and sculptures. Masks were on the walls, along with paintings on cardboard, fans, candles, everything. The building had paintings and objects for every religious. I saw some Egyptian characters, as well as what looked like to be Hindu images (don't quote me on that though because I really have no idea).
Basically what I love about Alphabet City is how real it is. It's where artists live and struggle together, away from normal society. Hopefully one day I will be lucky enough to live there. You can always hope, right?
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