Any place that has a long history and a large population has its fair share of ghost stories, and New York City is no exception. The city is home to a wide range of haunted sites, each with a unique and terrifying story. St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, a historic Episcopal church on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, has the distinction of being haunted by one of New York’s oldest European ghosts. The church was originally built on the estate of Peter Stuyvesant, the last director general of New Netherland and New Amsterdam, which is what this area was called when it was under Dutch colonial control. Stuyvesant, sometimes called “Peg-Leg Pete” due to the fact that he had a wooden leg, is buried beneath St. Mark’s, and was reportedly a stern, short-tempered man. It is not surprising then, that “one of New York's earliest ghosts came back from the grave, so the story goes, to complain about noise.” According to local legend, in 1865, Stuyvesant had become displeased with the growth of the city disturbing his land and his peace. One night, the townspeople were awoken by the sound of the church bell ringing. They raced to the church and found a terrified sexton claiming that the ghost of the former Governor had chased him through the night. Upon examining the church, within which the bell was still ringing, the townsfolk found the door locked. When they finally got inside, they discovered that the bell’s rope had been cut off high in the air, too far up for anyone to reach. They searched the building for whoever had rung the bell, but the only thing they found was a length of rope sitting on top of Stuyvesant’s crypt. Since then, stories abound of Stuyvesant’s ghost lingering around New York’s most haunted church, and some say that you can hear him wandering around, the distinctive tapping of his wooden leg echoing through the building.

“Mom-and-Pops of the L.E.S.” is a mixed media installation that celebrates small, family owned shops in the Lower East Side, most of which have shuttered. The wood frame structure, by architectural and interior photographers Karla and James Murray, features four nearly life-size and incredibly realistic photographs of a bodega, coffee shop/luncheonette, vintage store, and newsstand. In creating the piece, they wanted to recognize the “unique and irreplaceable contribution made to New York by small, often family-owned businesses” and celebrate places that “helped bring the community together through people’s daily interactions.” The installation is on view in Seward Park in the Lower East Side through July 2019.