The North River (later named the Hudson River) docks were among the busiest in New York, berthing New Jersey ferries, passenger ships that plied the East Coast, and freighters taking goods all over the United States. West Street, which faced the docks, was home to boarding houses, brothels and beer gardens that catered to the sailors and dockworkers who flocked to the street every day. Although the Syrians did not work on the docks, their German, Scandinavian, and Italian neighbors did, and they brought the rough-and-tumble atmosphere back home to Washington Street.