Rat Breeding Area

No visit to the East Village is complete without a rat sighting — they are second only to their squirrel cousins in popularity at Tompkins Square Park!

What many people do not know though, is that in order to keep the rat population high enough, special breeding areas have to be set up and maintained. 

As with drug-rehabilitation residences and steam-generating facilities, they are not in the most touristed areas — you really have to look for them. They are marked however, such as this one on Avenue D:

Rat breeding area.

Here is a close-up:

Close-up.

Feel free to toss food to them, but you might want to tie up the legs of your pants first — rats do love to climb up people's legs!

#eastvillage #rats #avenued