Feast Your Eyes on New York City

Little Italy has always been one of my favorite neighborhoods. It's like, well... it's like Italy. But more than that, it's the New York that existed years ago, before cell phones and Starbucks, before "Badda," and "Bing." It's one of the few areas that still seems untouched by the new millennium, still feels like the New York of my youth, the New York of my dreams.

Something I love to do each year is pay a visit to the beloved "Feast of San Gennaro," an annual celebration of the Patron Saint of Naples. The first Feast in New York took place on September 19, 1926 when newly arrived immigrants from Naples settled along Mulberry Street in the Little Italy section of the city. The people decided to continue the tradition they had followed back in their country, to celebrate the day in 305 A.D. when Saint Gennaro was martyred for the faith.

That's cool, but what we dig is all the incredible food and the vitality of the neighborhood...especially after the sun goes down.

Pictured on top are some of Annie's camp counselors we housed for two nights as they were en route from New Hampshire to their respective homes in Australia, New Zealand and Scotland. It's always good to have visitors from abroad; it forces us to see the city through new eyes. Click for large images.