Like all downtown NYC neighborhoods, the gritty old Lower East Side is changing by the minute. Once the first stop for the newest immigrants off Ellis Island (think: Delancey Street), this area on the southeast tip of the Manhattan island is now one of the city’s most fashionably edgy. Tenements used to house five families in one apartment. Today, the Tenement Museum helps visitors imagine what those not-so-good old days were like. Luxurious new condos are going up all over the LES, surrounded by art galleries, hip bars, clubs and some of the best restaurants in the city. Super cool.
What's There
One of the most dynamically emerging areas of the city.
The Vibe
“Where gritty meets trendy,” The New York Times.
Not-So-Guilty Pleasure
Living in what feels like the real New York.
What's Not There
Anything ordinary and/or conventional.
BoundariesEast River to Houston StEast River to BoweryPopulation Density72,957