Visit New Yorks Mobster Haunts

New York is not the dangerous place it was, so if you want to visit the famous mob haunts of the Big Apple and live to tell the tale read on:

The idea that if you step outside your hotel at night, you will become instant muggers prey is no longer true. New York is actually safer than the popular Californian holiday destinations. Violent crime in New York has fallen by two-thirds in the past ten years putting it amongst the 10 safest cities in the US.

Organised crime is still alive and well in the Big Apple, with according to the FBI the mafia involved in a broad spectrum of illegal activities, including murder, extortion, drug trafficking, corruption of public officials, gambling, labour racketeering, loan sharking, prostitution, pornography, tax fraud and stock manipulation, to name but a few.

Shows such as The Sopranos about a New Jersey mafia boss are delighted because they are never short of material, as reality proves more bizzarre than fiction.

Tourists though can feel secure in the knowledge that they are not included in these gang wars and the city is relatively secure for the thousands of film and television fans drawn to New York's mean streets purely because of their mafia connection, that date back from the late eighteen hundreds to the present day.

Vistors can explore the old mobster haunts to find out whether the characters who inspired mob films are still casting their shadows over proceedings.

Try Rao's, on the corner of 114th and Pleasant in East Harlem, run by Frankie Pellegrino, the restaurateur-turned-actor who incidently takes the part of an FBI agent in The Sopranos. Rao's was originally the haunt of the more famous of the mob, now its the dive of celebrities such as Bill Clinton, Robert De Niro and actors from The Sopranos.

Though you may be lucky and one of the old crowd slide back, during 2002 a known mobster shot dead, a businessman with reputed mafia links, in front of stunned diners. Apparently the former had been heckling a performer, and after being told to exercise some restraint, which he ignored an altercation took place culminating in the person being shot. This event has had an incredible effect on business with the restaurant now almost constantly fully booked.

With so many of the plots and murders planned in restaurants its not suprising that so many New York eating places were the scene of gangland hits because crime bosses returned predictably to the same restaurant and the same table, so there is no shortage of places for the avid gangster follower to visit.

Others include Sparks Steak House on East 46th Street where Paul Castellano, boss of the Gambino family, was gunned down while standing outside in 1985, the restaurant now claims the biggest and best steaks in New York, and some of the original staff are happy to recount the shooting to the hungry vistor. The murder is reconstructed in the Gotti biopic about the mobster. Gotti ordered the hit on Castellano, then calmly watched from across the street, he was jailed and died in prison in 2002.

Then theres Little Italy, a district of lower Manhattan a stones throw from the financial district and Chinatown, with its authentic Sicilian feel and Don Corleone dialogue. Now though the with most of the original Italian eateries having sold up and moved out those that remain are just overpriced tourist traps.

For genuine ones that still remain try Umberto's Clam House at the northern edge of Little Italy on Mulberry Street, at the junction with Broome, less well known as the place where Joey Gallo, a local mafia boss, was shot dead as he celebrated his 43rd birthday.

At the lower end of Little Italy is Il Cortile, serving up the best Italian food outside Italy, so far, the only customer to have expired there choked on an olive, though it was the model for Nuovo Vesuvio, the fictional restaurant where Tony Soprano and his gang planned their waste-management business as well as a number of murders.

Take The Sopranos Tour a relaxing way to take in mob locations from the inside of a tour bus. It leaves from the corner of 39th and Seventh Avenue. The bus exits Manhattan and emerges from the Lincoln Tunnel into New Jersey playing the Sopranos theme tune. Instantly recognisable is the grey industrial landscape of incinerator stacks and giant storage tanks that set the scene during the opening credits of the TV show. The tour guide points out the fictional mob's haunts: Satriales Pork Store, New Skyway Diner, Pussy's Garage and more.

The tour also takes in Bada Bing, the topless bar where Tony Soprano hangs out. Bada Bing is a real-life strip joint called Satin Dolls, though the tour time is before evening show, but the brief visit is enough to give you a feel for the New Jersey underworld.

Getting There

Flights: Direct From London Heathrow, Manchester, Glasgow,

Best Eatery

The Michelangelo Hotel, 152 West 51st St, has authentic Italian atmosphere and an excellent Italian restaurant; www.michelangelohotel.com.

Best Hotel

The Affinia Dumont, 150 East 34th St (481 7600), has doubles from $350 if you want to feel like a crime boss; a room with ensuite sauna starts at $500; www.affinia.com.

Tours

Scene on TV has a four-hour weekend Sopranos tour, starting at 2pm; www.sceneontv.com.