Tales of Vice: Exploring the Lower East Side's Former Red-Light District Walking Tour
Schedule
Sun Mar 22 2026 at 11:00 am to 01:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Lower East Side | New York, NY
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"If a woman hailed you as you walked down Allen Street, you knew she wasn’t calling you to a minyan” — Judge Jonah GoldsteinFrom the 1890s through the 1990s, Allen Street in New York's Lower East Side was the center of the neighborhood's vices, from its countless ciderstubes (dive bars/brothels) to cholents (Jewish prostitutes). But out of all the streets in the neighborhood, how did Allen Street become the hub for illicit activity? And what eventually became of it? It's time to turn the page in New York City history and uncover the lewd legacy of one of its most infamous red-light districts.
Join New York Adventure Club as we explore the rise, fall, and resurgence of the Lower East Side's red-light district, one of the most notorious thoroughfares in New York City history.
Led by licensed NYC tour guide Robert Brenner, our virtual experience surrounding the Lower East Side's scandalous past will include:
The incredible story of the Jewish detective who went undercover to smash the vice rackets
A look at the highest-profile crimes and criminals in the neighborhood's history, from gangs that controlled the streets, to a serial killer who stalked the working girls of Allen Street, to a mobster whose spectacular murder shook the neighborhood
A discussion of how societal issues of the day shaped the neighborhood's history, including anti-Semitism, mass transit, sexism, capitalism, urban renewal, and xenophobia
Tales of the two hardest working Jewish prostitutes in New York City — but never on Shabbat
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Where is it happening?
Lower East Side, 98 Division St, New York, NY 10002-6202, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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