New York Adult Entertainment: Book Report: Even Rough Rider Teddy couldn’t tame NYC
New York was America’s biggest city and probably its most corrupt back in the gay nineties. Back then 40,000 prostitutes plied their trade in the cities three prostitution districts.
Gambling was rampant, booze was sold illegally on Sundays and all night long everywhere.
Zacks begins by documenting the challenges Roosevelt faced — how a Reverend Parkhurst had riled up the decent citizenry to demand reform, to depart from the almost unbelievable degradation and corruption made possible by the fat cats who ran Tammany Hall, the city’s Democratic machine.
Item: A highly placed New York artisan was known as the “Prince of Plasterers” who charged the city $130,000 for two hours of plastering work on city hall.
Item: Prostitutes could be had for as little as 75 cents and for as much as the sky’s the limit in the fancier houses.
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area. One such brothel was eight doors from the police station house.