New York City, 1930

Laundry day on the lower east side

“I looked at the other squares of yellow that climbed like ladders up the sides of

buildings” (pg. 35).

Park Avenue and 107th street – 1930(several blocks from Danny’s building)

“Sometimes [Pa] goes down to the New York City Free Unemployment Bureau and stands in line, fighting with the

five thousand other guys for the handful of jobs that come in every day” (pg. 18-19).

Waiting in an unemployment line…

Tenement building layout – a bird’s eye view

Sketch of a railroad apartment floor plan

Another bird’s eye view of a railroad-style apartment…

A lower-east side kitchen in 1935

“The city was quiet, the pushcarts weren’t even out yet…” (pg. 47).

--Potato & vegetable vendor (below)

“I like to see the city waking up, the milk wagon making its rounds” (pg. 50)

1930s pushcarts & street vendors

“Ned is the horse that pulls the ice wagon…” (pg. 59). *1930’s ice wagon

A Farewell to Arms – 1932 film with Helen Hayes and Gary Cooper.

“We both scrambled for the sidewalk, and stood breathing heavy as a gleaming yellow Pierce Arrow went by...the guy

behind the wheel was some fancy dude with a white hat and suit and spiffy black shirt” (pg. 136).

“Bootlegger,” said Mickey.“Gotta be,” I agreed. “Who else has that kind of

money?”

“I’ve had my eye on a box of Fanny Farmer chocolates…” (pg. 165)

“Mama and I sat by the radio and listened to his [Pres. Roosevelt’s] speech” (pg. 201).

“Amos ‘n’ Andy” came on the radio and had me laughing in no time” (pg. 89).

“Ma doesn’t usually care for politics, but she’s really riled up about this election…the Bonus March

business this past summer really turned her against Hoover” (pg. 132).

In 1932, WWI veterans marched on Washington to receive the bonuses they were owed to help them

get through the Depression.

A temporary camp set up by veterans on the way to Washington D.C.

Thus, the well-named “Hoovervilles”…(below – a New York City Hooverville / “shantytown”)

“I walked slowly, trying not to stare at the jungle of makeshift shacks. Some of them were made from

wooden packing crates, some from cardboard” (pg. 188).

“Your daddy was a poor farm boy back in Ireland…now he’s buildin’ the tallest building in the whole world. Ah, America – ‘tis truly the land of opportunity” (pg. 18).

Take a tenement tour... And see 1932 NYC from above.

• http://www.tenement.org/Virtual-Tour/index_virtual.html

• http://www.tenement.org/

• http://landlordrocknyc.wordpress.com/2012/09/22/iconic-depression-era-nyc-photo-lunch-atop-a-skyscraper-turns-80/