Pizza,
I am also very new but not a troll - I am from Memphis and have been to NYC several times and love checking out famous LCN landmarks (Sparks was the very first place I went when I dropped my bags at the hotel). I am somewhat familiar with the general geography of the LES and love walking the streets there every time I visit. My question is this: what woukd a very naive tourist exploring the neighborhood have encountered had they gotten anywhere near the Ravenite in the 80s? I know they would never make it in, but can you speculate what may have been the method of 'deterrence'?