10. There is a hidden heart in the ceiling

Eldridge Street Synagogue-Museum at Eldridge Street-Tour-Lower East Side-Chinatown-NYC-Heart in Ceiling
Heart on the left, spade on the right. Photos by Michelle Young.

The arches supporting the domes above the balconies of the Eldridge Street Synagogue all have the same pattern that joins together to form a spade inside the ornamentation. However, one is not like the rest.

If you are facing the front of the sanctuary, head to the balcony on the right side and look for the second dome as you walk towards the front. Instead of a spade, one arch has a heart, “perhaps put there by a romantic artisan,” the Museum writes.