Day 10 - SoHo and the Fire House Museum

I took a walk today in the area south of Houston Street (SoHo).  It’s a great area with a movie-set feel filled with cobblestone streets and 19th century architecture.  It’s well known for it’s cast iron buildings, artist community, and world class shopping.  Development in this area started for the most part after 1775 with the extension of Broadway to the north of today’s Canal street.  By the early 1800’s the area became home to many wealthy families and soon after the middle class followed.  Rapid development attracted many businesses, hotels, theaters and elegant stores.  The section of Broadway between Canal and Broome St. was the Fifth Avenue of the day. Dozens of movies…some of my favorites… have been filmed in this area - Hitch and Ghost just to name a couple.
While I was strolling down Greene street to check out some of the cast iron structures this area is famous for (above) I stumbled across a great little gallery called the Pomegranate.  It’s one of many great galleries in the area to pop into.
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It’s a great area for shopping.  With the buildings so tightly nestled together, the next great designer is only a few steps away.  Many lower budget boutiques have moved into the area too making SoHo a great area for all kinds of fashion shoppers.  All of the cafes, restaurants and bars created a kind of sensory overload.  Plenty to choose from.  I need to keep moving today so I’ll come back with a friend soon to enjoy one of the wine bars I passed.
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One of the sites I want to see today is the New York City Fire Museum so I turned down Spring Street from Greene Street and headed west.  I just happened to stop for a red light (you can tell I’m still a tourist) when out of the corner of my eye I noticed the street sign - Thompson Street.  Now I have no idea why but the name seemed familiar so I took a quick peek south and I saw it…KEE’S CHOCOLATES!  Surely that needs to be investigated!  The Zagat article in the window said, “owned and run by ‘master of flavors’ Kee Ling Tong, whose ‘exotic’ fillings, many reflecting an Asian influence, are deemed ‘unforgettable”.  Good enough for me.  I watched some of the chocolate being made before going in and then when I just couldn’t take it anymore I bounced through the door.
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The choices were all so enticing it was a near impossible decision but after about 5 minutes I finally decided on 2 dark chocolate pieces…”Black Rose” and “Blood Orange”.  Neither one made it all of the way back to Spring Street (1/2 a block).  Every time I put another small piece of richness in my mouth I was stopped in my tracks.  I’m sure passersby were curious about why I would be standing statue-like with my eyes closed in the middle of the side walk but the flavor in each piece was so amazing it demanded my full attention.  Thanks Kee.  I’ll be back.
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The New York City Fire Museum was just another 5 minute walk.  It’s housed in a cool old firehouse built in 1904.  Of course there was the obligatory handsome firefighter at the front door to greet the visitors (and it was his birthday today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!) so that was a nice perk.  They gave me (and every other visitor) a great brochure about the museum that includes a map of lower Manhattan with lots of street level detail and suggested things to see.  I’ll be able to use this to plan out 4 or 5 more excursions to the area.  Thanks!
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Even though the firehouse is relatively small, it took me well over an hour to walk through the exhibit.  Every photo was full of interesting faces, buildings and history.  The artifacts from the late 18th century to present on display all called out for attention.  There were hand-painted leather fire buckets and pre-Civil war hand pumped fire engines.  The room dedicated to the events of September 11th was both educational and extremely emotional.  I never expected to be moved to tears when I walked in but there it was.
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The museum is FREE.  There is a “recommended” donation for each age group.  This exhibit is well worth supporting so I’m happy to contribute.  I think its nice that travelers on a small budget can enjoy it too and take some time to appreciate the dedication and sacrifice of firefighters of past and present.