We are moving to Manhattan's best neighborhood (according to the statistician commissioned by New York magazine). The Lower East Side has the most interesting mix of nightlife, restaurants, shops and sights. Hopefully our swap partners will appreciate the fact that our apartment, though small, is a very authentic little piece of old New York.
One of the way we are emphasizing the history of our place and making home exchange a richer experience for our swap partners is to create a neighborhood-specific bookshelf that swappers can use to learn more about the area.
This is something all swappers can do to show hospitality to the families that exchange homes with them. You might pick up some tour guides for visitors to your area, or a photography book about a local landmark. We always enjoy guides to local birds and wildlife in the homes of swappers who live in rural areas. Books about nearby hikes, bike rides or day trips can also enhance a home swap.
In our case the task is made easier by the nearby Lower East Side Tenement Museum. This is the last un-renovated building showing how people lived in Manhattan in the early 1900's. They have an amazing gift shop with a wonderful selection of books on local history. Here are some of the titles sold by the Tenement Museum that I would like to pick up for swappers staying at our place to enjoy. As an added bonus, any of the photography books would make a good home exchange gifts for us to leave at the swap home and remind the exchangers of their vacation at our place.
A Bintel Brief: 60 Years of Letter from the Lower East Side
Life on the Lower East Side: Photographs by Rebecca Lepkoff 1937-1950
Lower East Side Memories
Six Heritage Tours of the Lower East Side: A Walking Guide
Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side
The Lower East Side Remembered and Revisited
The Lower East Side: A Guide to its Jewish Past in 99 New Photographs
Becoming Americans: Four Centuries of Immigrant Writings
Manhattan's Lower East Side in Vintage Photographs
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