NIght court in Chinatown

Why has no one ever notified me of this? I am really excited to check this out. I am making a list of all the things I need to do once the weather stops beings so horrible, and this goes straight to the top.

Yup, this one is high on my list too. I wonder if the courtrooms get full with gawkers?

I did a little Google searching and it seems that it is a lesser-known tourist attraction.

Bah, in that case, I don't want to be like the tourists.

How very weird? For some reason I always assumed this stuff was private - or restricted to Law and Order.

Tourist shmoorist. There can't be that many tourists there if no one here knows about it. I sooooo want to go.

I thought all court rooms were open to the public? Not all allow cameras, but I'm pretty sure anyone can sit in on any trial they feel like sitting in on. I tend to doubt that the place is packed with tourists, too. And it sounds delightful - like a high octane episode of Judge Judy, only without the shrieking judge.

Except I think on any given night you're not likely to witness all that much drama. A lot of the functions of the court are insanely boring administrative routine, I imagine. Though I bet there will be a lot of wacky characters on any day.

Hmmmm.... I am still more than willing to check it out. There is definitely not much actual courtroom drama in real life, but I'm willing to bet there are some pretty weird crimes that bring people in...

I think the fun part is supposed to be the hearings. . . where people are formally charge and state their plea. Then you get to see the characters and crazy crimes kind of quickly.

So it's sort of like... a pageant of criminals, except no one is smiling and waving.

Ah ha! @BroadwayBK it is a tourist attraction, and apparently an internationally known one: http://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/05/arts/night-court-joins-the-theater-that-is-new-york.html?pagewanted=1

Seriously, how cool does it sound, though?

@NeverSleeps: Do you mean the night court does not have a shrieking judge, or no judge at all. I'm curious to know what you meant. I thought courts needed a judge to rule over everything.

@JenMac Sooo coool! @NeverSleeps I'm willing to brave the tourists.

So, but, the point is that you can go at any ole time of the day, right? Since they're arraigning criminals round the clock?

So, what's the appeal? (In the words of Avenue Q) schadenfreude?

ajadedidealist: I guess some of the appeal is schadenfreude. But, I think it's also that crimes are interesting because base humanity is really interesting. The weird things -- or even simple things that people do that are wrong or illegal fascinate me. I feel like I would sit there and try to come up with the motivation or something.

I'd be interested to know if some things become repetitive. Of course everybody's situation is a little different, but I'd be curious if a lot of people tell the same kinds of lies, etc. I'd also be curious about the personalities of the judges. Actually, the idea of seeing this parade of people from the judge's seat is really fascinating.

Perhaps interesting if you are wont to study people anyway, but I can't imagine my friends and I deciding this would be the thing to do on an evening, you know? Those tourists in the article...I can't imagine deciding that's what I want to do on my one week vacation to New York.

@JenMac I agree that there is something completely intriguing about "base humanity," and completely relate to your interest in the weird things that humans do. I think the draw is definitely the prime people watching experience. @DBlack It probably isn't as interesting as all of that - everyone gets a lawyer whether they can afford one or not, after all. I mean, I hope that's an option everyone would consider. @Uraniumfish I tend to agree. I think the study of people is just about all you can expect from night court, and that it's definitely not the type of activity that would take the place of normal nights on the town.

I suppose it's the same question as why do people read true crime? We're fascinated by the prurient - the forbidden. And breaking the law puts you firmly on the wrong side of forbidden

Enough speculating, someone go already and let us know what happens!

A couple of friends said they used to hang out there and it was quite a scene. As one of them put it, is was a real "underbelly" of the scene, with people arrested fro prostitution, disturbing the peace, that kind of stuff. So, yeah, someone go already. But it probably won't be me in the next couple of weeks.