Tribeca

Originally known as the Lower West Side, TriBeCa is an anagram for Triangle Below Canal. The neighborhood got its name from a realtor in the 70's who noticed that there was less desire for warehouses and more desire for artist studio spaces. Today, many artists still live there but only those who have had major success, like Meryl Streep, Lou Reed, and BeyoncĂ© and Jay-Z. 

St. John's Park/ Holland Tunnel Exit 
Originally, this area was a pretty park privately owned by Trinity Church, but for public use. Near the park sat St. John's Chapel which was nice imitation of London's St. Martin-in-the-fields. In the early 19th century, the park and the Georgian row houses around it were considered one of the most sophisticated areas in New York. In 1867, against the wishes of the locals, the park was sold to Cornelius Vanderbilt, who replaced it with a large warehouse to store construction supplies from his Hudson River Railroad.  In 1918, the chapel was demolished, again, against the neighbor's wishes. The swanky area was now a warehousing section of the city. In 1927, the warehouse and surrounding area was razed to make way for the exit of the Holland Tunnel, which it remains today, with no clues as to the lovely area that it once was. 


Washington Market Park
In past years, Tribeca was home to Washington Market, a huge indoor and outdoor market that supplied produce to local residents.  Later on, congestion caused by shipments from truckers and the piers led to the building of the West Side Elevated Highway, to make moving and easier and faster for car drivers. However, in the 80's part of the highway collapsed due to "deferred maintenance" and the highway was demolished. Plans for Westway, a multibillion dollar underground superhighway were underway when a court order stopped the construction, ruling in favor of the Hudson River striped bass population. Today, a small highway, known as the westside highway stands as a replacement and the market has moved to the Bronx, and of course the Washington Market Park was built in 1983, commemorating the original market.