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'Law & Order' Tourists Make Criminal Court a TripAdvisor Attraction

 Manhattan Criminal Court sits at 100 Centre Street.
Manhattan Criminal Court sits at 100 Centre Street.
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Flickr/Gerald Flynn

It's an only in New York experience — whether you're in the dock of arraignment court or soaking in the atmosphere to tell the folks back home.

Fanny pack-toting tourists are filling the public gallery of Manhattan Criminal Court, basking in the "Law & Order" vibe in a place most New Yorkers hope never to be.

And they're reviewing their experience on TripAdvisor. More than 20 visitors have rated criminal court 3.5 stars on the tourism website — and left some interesting interpretations of their visit.

It’s ranked number 543 of 1,640 things to do in New York City — which means it beat out things like visiting Alphabet City ( number 553).

Located at 100 Centre Street, arraignment court, which is open until 1 a.m., is where many people are processed after being arrested in Manhattan.

Like the "Law & Order" junkie’s version of "Sex and the City"-fueled trips to Magnolia Cupcakes, most of the tourists on TripAdvisor say they were inspired to stop in thanks to TV shows and movies.

Here are some standouts from TripAdvisor:

“Top contributor” petraschnecke72 writes:

“For Europeans this is a must see. Unbelievable how arrested people get judged all night. It is highly entertaining, that is if you have a little bit a mean spirit. Of course it is sad. But you see for the most part not so bright people being judged. And anyone can watch.”

Then there’s EastCobbFamily, a tourist from Marietta, Georgia, who took time from a family vacation to “see the legal system in action.”

Along with checking out the block of court buildings to see the “Law & Order” backdrop in person, EastCobbFamily decided to head to criminal court to “show her teen son what the criminal court system was all about.”

It's unclear if it was a scare tactic or a way to inspire an interest in criminal justice. 

Several tourists talk about being curious about criminal justice. One reviewer from Manchester, England, said they sat in on a murder trial “which was very interesting.”

But to be fair to the reviewers, many talk about the beautiful "Roman" architecture of the courthouse, including the "impressive" and huge stair case and columns — which means they are writing and posting photos of the wrong building: 60 Centre Street. That's a Manhattan Supreme Civil Court.

Maybe you should check it out sometime, on a staycation.