Everyone knows that despite its nine lives, curiosity kills the cat. For the sea-faring cats in this story, it was curiosity and a war-time ban on ship whistles that left them stranded on the Chelsea Piers ship terminal during WWI and WWII.
Posts Tagged ‘Animal Tales’
1893: Wallace, the Lion that Caused an Uproar on the Site of Pete’s Tavern
Posted: 21st April 2013 by The Hatching Cat in Animal AttractionsTags: Animal Tales, Coney Island, Frank Bostock, New York History, Old New York, Pete's Tavern, Wallace the lion
On October 27, 1893, thousands of people gathered on East 18th Street near Gramercy Park for what may – or may not – have been a well-orchestrated publicity stunt for a traveling menagerie. Apparently, a giant circus lion named Wallace had escaped his cage inside the small, 12×20 stable at 129 East 18th Street and was eating a prized trotter horse that he had killed. Today, we know 129 East 18th Street as the site of Pete’s Tavern, the oldest continuously operating restaurant and bar in New York City.
