If you want to experience the seamier side of New York from a safe vantage point, try the visitor benches at the New York County’s Night Court. The public defenders help an assortment of characters, from hardened drug dealers to frightened citizens caught up in the wheels of justice for the first time, navigate their arraignments and pleas. Not for the faint of heart or the paranoid, or those carrying firearms – you will have to clear the security check at the Courthouse on 100 Centre Street, and then ask the guard for directions. Night Court is held from 5:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. You may not be the only tourists. A Swiss friend introduced me to Night Court. He explained that of course they have crime in Switzerland too, just not on public display. Display there is, even if it doesn’t happen at the convenient pace of a “Law and Order” episode. You might only need to have this experience once, but it is an interesting window on the worm in the Big Apple.
There are some a cluster of Vietnamese restaurants nearby on Baxter Street just below Canal Street, where you can prepare for your immersion. New Pasteur, at 85 Baxter Street, offers good food for very reasonable prices. Try the Caphe Sua Da - iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk, to sustain you for a long night on the benches.
The closest public transportation is the N and the R subway line, Canal Street Stop, although the 6 train, the J and the M, which also stop at Canal, are also near. The busy area near Chinatown is fairly safe at night, but of course, pay attention to your surroundings and use the main entrances for the subways.