From Capone to Scarface, the Godfather to Bugsy Siegel, the line between criminal masterminds and mainstream entertainment has always been a bit blurry. Beyond the subjects of TV shows and movies, Mafioso thugs also make great fodder for tours. For the inside scoop on gangster history, check out one of the following tours. It’s an offer you can’t refuse.
Jewish gangsters of the Lower East Side
NYC Gangster Tours (http://www.nycgangstertours.com) offers several themed walking and bus tours, including: Jewish gangsters of the Lower East Side, the Rise and Fall of the American Mafia, and an Irish gangsters pub-crawl through Hell’s Kitchen. On any one of these adventures, visitors will learn about real life goons and gangs, from “Lucky” Luciano to John Gotti, to the 19th century gangs of New York featured in Martin Scorsese’s film of the same name.
Gangster Tour of Shanghai
Explore the underworld half way across the world. Newman Tours’ gangster tour, a two-hour walking adventure around the former French Concession, shares the inside scoop on the crime bosses, con-men and organized opium dealers who once ruled Shanghai. Learn about “Big Eared” Du, “Pockmarked” Huang and other notorious Chinese gangsters from 1930s. Dressed in period costumes, take a trip down Shanghai’s criminal colonial past, learn to cheat at black jack and participate in a cops vs. robbers shooting competition. For more info check out: http://www.newmantours.com/Newman_Tours/The_Gangster_Tour.html
Inside Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Fans of Guy Ritchie’s British crime-caper flick Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels will enjoy a two-hour celebrity guided walking tour of gangster London. Stephen Marcus, your guide/actor who played Nick “the Greek” in the 1998 film, will take you around the city’s East End, an area once ruled by ruthless gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray in the 1960s. The tour also retraces the film’s famous shooting locations. Check out: http://britmovietours.com/bookings/gangster-tour-of-london/
