Google Plus Business   Pinterest

800.ELLIMAN

JenMac
JenMac

NIght court in Chinatown

Anyone ever been? I know you can go and watch people being formally charged in the Criminal Courts building. I heard it's pretty entertaining. Apparently, it has quite a following -- outside of law students / what have you. There are some regulars that are in the know: i.e. they know what courtrooms the really cool arraignments are being conducted.
Question asked via StreetAdvisor The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
7 people following
this discussion
Report

21 Comments

DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
Yup, this one is high on my list too. I wonder if the courtrooms get full with gawkers?
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
I did a little Google searching and it seems that it is a lesser-known tourist attraction.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
Bah, in that case, I don't want to be like the tourists.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
Tourist shmoorist. There can't be that many tourists there if no one here knows about it. I sooooo want to go.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
I thought all court rooms were open to the public? Not all allow cameras, but I'm pretty sure anyone can sit in on any trial they feel like sitting in on.

I tend to doubt that the place is packed with tourists, too. And it sounds delightful - like a high octane episode of Judge Judy, only without the shrieking judge.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
Except I think on any given night you're not likely to witness all that much drama. A lot of the functions of the court are insanely boring administrative routine, I imagine. Though I bet there will be a lot of wacky characters on any day.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
Hmmmm.... I am still more than willing to check it out. There is definitely not much actual courtroom drama in real life, but I'm willing to bet there are some pretty weird crimes that bring people in...
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
I think the fun part is supposed to be the hearings. . . where people are formally charge and state their plea. Then you get to see the characters and crazy crimes kind of quickly.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
So it's sort of like... a pageant of criminals, except no one is smiling and waving.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
Ah ha! @BroadwayBK it is a tourist attraction, and apparently an internationally known one: http://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/05/arts/night-court-joins-the-theater-that-is-new-york.html?pagewanted=1
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
Seriously, how cool does it sound, though?
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps: Do you mean the night court does not have a shrieking judge, or no judge at all. I'm curious to know what you meant. I thought courts needed a judge to rule over everything.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@JenMac Sooo coool! @NeverSleeps I'm willing to brave the tourists.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
So, but, the point is that you can go at any ole time of the day, right? Since they're arraigning criminals round the clock?
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
So, what's the appeal? (In the words of Avenue Q) schadenfreude?
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
ajadedidealist: I guess some of the appeal is schadenfreude. But, I think it's also that crimes are interesting because base humanity is really interesting. The weird things -- or even simple things that people do that are wrong or illegal fascinate me. I feel like I would sit there and try to come up with the motivation or something.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
I'd be interested to know if some things become repetitive. Of course everybody's situation is a little different, but I'd be curious if a lot of people tell the same kinds of lies, etc. I'd also be curious about the personalities of the judges. Actually, the idea of seeing this parade of people from the judge's seat is really fascinating.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
Perhaps interesting if you are wont to study people anyway, but I can't imagine my friends and I deciding this would be the thing to do on an evening, you know? Those tourists in the article...I can't imagine deciding that's what I want to do on my one week vacation to New York.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@JenMac I agree that there is something completely intriguing about "base humanity," and completely relate to your interest in the weird things that humans do. I think the draw is definitely the prime people watching experience.

@DBlack It probably isn't as interesting as all of that - everyone gets a lawyer whether they can afford one or not, after all. I mean, I hope that's an option everyone would consider.

@Uraniumfish I tend to agree. I think the study of people is just about all you can expect from night court, and that it's definitely not the type of activity that would take the place of normal nights on the town.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
I suppose it's the same question as why do people read true crime? We're fascinated by the prurient - the forbidden. And breaking the law puts you firmly on the wrong side of forbidden
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
Enough speculating, someone go already and let us know what happens!
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.

Add a comment

Corporate information:
Services:
Affiliates:
© Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
All Rights Reserved.

All data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by the RLS or Douglas Elliman. See Terms of Service for additional restrictions.

All information regarding a property for sale, rental, taxes or financing is from sources deemed reliable. No representation is made as to the accuracy thereof, and such information is subject to errors, omission, change of price, rental, commission, prior sale, lease or financing, or withdrawal without notice. All square footage and dimensions are approximate. Exact dimensions can be obtained by retaining the services of a professional architect or engineer.

The number of bedrooms listed above is not a legal conclusion. Each person should consult with his/her own attorney, architect or zoning expert to make a determination as to the number of rooms in the unit that may be legally used as a bedroom.

© 2014. Douglas Elliman Real Estate. All material presented herein is intended for information purposes only. While, this information is believed to be correct, it is represented subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. All property information, including, but not limited to square footage, room count, number of bedrooms and the school district in property listings are deemed reliable, but should be verified by your own attorney, architect or zoning expert. Equal Housing Opportunity.