I live in NYC Manhattan for many years during the 70s-80s in the area NoHo so I hung around Little Italy, Lower East Side, Greenwich Village.
I used to walk bu the Ravenite daily but did not really know it was there but there was always wiseguys on the block because their was another social club around the corner on Spring Street also at Mott and Broome there was the Latineers Social Club. in about 1983 or 84 my girlfriend was across the street from Ravenite shopping in a Batik store so I go out front to smoke a cig, Im standing there and there is an ancient goodfella staring at the corner just staring and there is another dude like an Irishman standing next to me and from across the street comes a good looking husky Guido and he starts talkin to the Irish guy I caught a word by accident here and there , so the Guido leaves and the Irishman stays and the Guido comes back to talk to Irish again, well the Guido was John Gotti, he was running messages from Uncle Neil in the Ravenite.
I saw Gotti a bunch of times around the city before and after his infamy, Little Italy was thick with goodfellas back in the day.
Im gonna shut up but I would love tto hear anyone's stories.