Lower East Side of New York: Where Trendy Meets City

Gentrified tenements buildings

The Lower East Side Neighborhood of New York is located in Manhattan. The neighborhood itself is an eclectic mix of immigrants, artists, and more frequently; the wealthy. The neighborhood is a place where gentrification has worked. The streets are populated by many ethnic restaurants and even more contemporary art galleries. The neighborhood is a mix of the new and old and is one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in the city that never sleeps.

Orchard St. is the place that bargain shoppers in New York City go to find a great deal. The street is crowded with discount merchants that sell everything from designer shoes to the latest cell phones. Many of the shops are closed on Saturday because of the Jewish Sabbath. Immigrant Jews were among the first people to define the neighborhood and there is still a Jewish presence in the neighborhood.

The Lower East Side is also home to New York Cities Tenement Museum which is housed in a tenement in the neighborhood. The tenement museum showcases what life would be like as a resident in Manhattan in the nineteenth century. The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy (LESJC) includes the Tenement Museum in its walking tours of the neighborhood. The LESJC provides walking tours through the neighborhood which highlight the Jewish influence that made the Lower East Side what it is today.

The neighborhood is made up almost entirely of apartment buildings. Most of the residents of the Lower East Side rent, rather than own, their apartments. Owning a car is not necessary for a resident in the area as the famed New York City Subway system can get you anywhere you need to go. The residents of the Lower East Side work in the many industries that New York has to offer, but more specifically in the trades, public sector, finance, transportation, and real estate fields..

The Lower East Side is also home to a wide variety of nightlife. There are bars, clubs, music venues, and more every block. As the neighborhood began to become safer the clubs and bars have been sprouting up all over the neighborhood.

Not everyone is as pleased with the neighborhood resurgence as you may assume. The National Trust for Historic preservation has placed the Lower East Side on their list of America's Most endangered Places. They feel the gentrification of the area will result in the loss of the neighborhood feel.