An entertaining and informative look at the famous and infamous courts and prisons of New York City. These architecturally significant and oft-filmed buildings have many stories to tell - from yesterday's Revolutionary war prisoners to today's terrorists and insider traders.
Your licensed tour guide, Linda, is a native New Yorker with 40 years experience working in the courts. The area is north of the financial district, west of the World Trade Center site and east of Chinatown.
See remnants of a Sugar House prison, a Beaux Arts courthouse designed to look like a Paris opera house, then we will observe court proceedings in the Criminal Court (Tombs). Leave your weapons at the door!
Stand on the steps of the "Law and Order" courthouse, check out where Judge Judy got her start, and learn a little about American justice. We will pass by the Marriage Bureau, Police Headquarters and the African Burial Ground, all important parts of the New York experience
I'm a native New Yorker, grew up in the Bronx and never missed an episode of Perry Mason. I was a teenage courtroom buff and became a court reporter - gaining insider entree to raucus public meetings, the Mayor's Office and some not-so-savory prisons. I currently work as an official in the Federal court, watching judges throw the book at the likes of Bernie Madoff, top bosses of organized crime and Al Qaeda operatives. In my spare time I'm a licensed new york city tour guide and I love turning people on to the rich history of the Civic Center - things even most New Yorkers are unaware of! Full profile
