Follow in the footsteps of New York’s most notorious gangsters as the Godfather turns 50
Fifty years ago, the world began to see horse heads in a new – and truly horrifying – way.
The 1972 film The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino as the boss of the ruthless Corleone family, gave us a chilling glimpse into the brutal world of the American mafia. .
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Much of the plot and characters are based on real-life robbers of New York.
And while the crowd may have moved on from placing the heads of chopped horses on their enemies’ pillows, the Big Apple still has more than enough landmarks for you to follow in the footsteps of some societies. most famous black.
Here we reveal the mafia lairs – both real and in the movies – that you can explore today.
SPARKS STEAK HOUSE
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ORDER your steak “scaloppini” (thick slices of premium beef with peppers and mushrooms) that’s rare and full of blood is just right for this historic steakhouse in downtown Manhattan.
It’s been here since 1977 and has real Italian-American heritage in the form of its founders, the Cetta family, from Campania in their homeland.
This is where John Gotti in 1985 delivered a blow to Paul Castellano, boss of his own Gambino mob family and underdog Thomas Bilotti.
In a move worthy of Tony Soprano, Gotti, who has since become the boss, is said to have watched the shooting outside the restaurant entrance from a car parked across the street. To watch sparkssteakhouse.com.
SAND POINT STORAGE
The horsehead scene in The Godfather was not actually filmed in Hollywood but rather on Long Island, in a stunning Hacienda-style mansion that is now a museum. Located on the north coast, the country beach, known as Falaise (French for cliff), and the surrounding grounds are a great countryside escape from the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, with gardens, woods, and forest trails. To watch sandspointpreserveconservancy.org.
CLUB TRIANGLE FORGET
SEARCH for the Mafia and poker-style social clubs depicted in movies from Goodfellas to Donnie Brasco?
Well, the New York purification has “knocked” them all – with the Greenwich Village Triangle being the last to close in 2011. It’s owned by Genovese family boss Vincent “The Chin” ” Gigante who likes to roam around in his dressing gown and pretends to have amnesia to stop the police (it didn’t work and they jailed him anyway). The club was formerly a tea and spice shop called Sullivan Street. To watch onsullivan.com.
UMBERTOS CLAM HOUSE
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THIS classic restaurant has a menu to make a crowd salivate: Fried clams, fagioli pasta and spaghetti with meatballs are all present and correct.
Back in 1972, this was the location for one of the crowd’s most famous hits – on “Crazy Joe” Gallo, by the Profaci crime family. He was shot at his desk in the early hours of the morning after celebrating his birthday at the Copacabana nightclub.
Umbertos had moved to 132 Mulberry Street in the early Noughties but the original location where the shooting took place was just a foot or two away at 129. See. ubertosclamhouse.com.
NEW BUILDING YORK SUPREME
ALL bandits in the Big Apple, guilty or innocent, will eventually climb these great stairs at some point.
In The Godfather, this is where the ruthless young Michael Corleone is first seen when his nemesis Emilio Barzini and his partner are shot down on the steps by a gunman disguised as a police officer.
Getting inside is difficult (unless you’re involved in organized crime yourself, of course) but there are occasional group tours by appointment only. To watch ww2.nycourts.gov.
HOTEL PARK CENTRAL
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On October 25, 1957, former Murder Inc leader and organized crime broker Albert Anastasia was shaving at the Park Sheraton hotel’s indoor barbershop when two men charged at him with flaming guns. and shot him dead.
The reasons for the murder are complex, involving a power struggle at the highest levels of the Mafia. No one has been charged with murder.
A Starbucks now sits on the corner of 55th Street and 7th Avenue, where the barber shop used to be. To watch parkcentralny.com.
GO: NOO YOIK
COVID: Only fully vaccinated travelers can enter the country, with a negative Covid test done no more than one day prior to travel.
ARRIVE THERE: British Airways flies direct from London to New York’s JFK and Newark airports, with return flights from £323pp. To watch ba.com/newyork.
OVER THERE: Rooms at 4H Park Central Hotel cost from £127 a night, room only. To watch parkcentralny.com.
OUT AND INTRODUCTION: Learn all about the history of the New York mafia on this tour with nycgangstertermobtour.com.
MORE INFORMATION: To watch iloveny.com.
https://www.thesun.ie/travel/8492981/godfather-hits-50-walk-in-footsteps-new-yorks-mob/ Follow in the footsteps of New York’s most notorious gangsters as the Godfather turns 50