The Downtown of Herman Melville and Joseph Mitchell

Both of these great New York writers are strongly identified with the South Street waterfront, Melville, who was born on Pearl Street, for “Moby-Dick,” Mitchell for “Old Mr. Flood” and “Up in the Old Hotel.” (Try to read one or both of the Mitchells before the tour. They’re easy to find, and you will thank me. Also, if you’ve never read “Moby-Dick,” it’s past time to do so.) We will look at sites from Melville’s life and see how much of downtown remains from his days there, and we will also take the opportunity to consider the past and future of the South Street Seaport.