Lower Manhattan NOW Tote Bag

ABOUT THE LOWER MANHATTAN NOW TOTE

The tote bag shows Lower Manhattan as it is today overlaying the 1609 Shoreline which surprisingly was very close to how much the area was inundated during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The city blocks rendered in white show New York as it was during the Revolutionary period and the red border delineates the city’s edge during that period. The city blocks rendered in grey show the city as it developed.

New Yorkers carry around a lot of stuff:  lunch, laptops, reading material, umbrellas, extra clothing, shoes, and anything that they may have purchased no matter what the weather.  When they leave home in the morning, they don’t frequently return until dinnertime or even bedtime.  Consequently, they need a tote bag which is both spacious and will transition well from day into night.  This is a really rugged tote bag reinforced with vegan leather on the bottom for the straps.

• Material: Black Canvas reinforced with red cruelty-free Vegan Leather
• Size: 20” x 18”
• Wrapped in a reusable dust bag with hangtag
• Lower Manhattan THEN & NOW Map included
• Designed by cultureNOW
• Made in India

ABOUT THE LOWER MANHATTAN THEN AND NOW MAP 

The map overlays five of the iconic historical maps that have defined this neighborhood. In the winter of 1766-67 as British soldiers were arriving to quell the restive population, General Gage tasked Lieutenant Bernard Ratzer with surveying the city.  The 1811 Commissioners Map gridded the city.  By 1852 the city had extended north to 50th Street and John F. Harrison created the first map that showed the buildings on it.  Egbert L Viele’s topographical map of 1867 showed the watercourses in the city and is still used today.  The water’s edge has been changing as the piers have given way to landfill.

This map can be bought independently, but it will also accompany the Lower Manhattan NOW Tote Bags.

LIMITED EDITION

To celebrate the upcoming 250th birthday of our country, cultureNOW will offer a limited edition of the bags in combination with an annual Explorer Membership for one year to the cultureNOW MuseumWithoutWalls.  Explorer Membership retails for $80/ year.  It entitles the member to have a personal library on the website and app. The bags alone retail for for $75.