Once a notoriously overcrowded and unsanitary slum, the Lower East Side is now one of Manhattan’s most fashionable neighborhoods. Most of the bargain-clothing stores and pickle vendors have given way to indie boutiques and some of the best restaurants in NYC, though there are a few cherished survivors of the former Jewish stronghold, including venerable smoked-fish purveyors Russ & Daughters and pastrami legend Katz’s Delicatessen. The Tenement Museum keeps the neighborhood’s history alive in a series of restored apartments visited via themed guided tours, but most of the area’s cultural draws are contemporary including the numerous art galleries on the LES.
Lower East Side LES
Once a notoriously overcrowded and unsanitary slum, the Lower East Side is now one of Manhattan’s most fashionable neighborhoods. Most of the bargain-clothing stores and pickle vendors have given way to indie boutiques and some of the best restaurants in NYC, though there are a few cherished survivors of the former Jewish stronghold, including venerable smoked-fish purveyors Russ & Daughters and pastrami legend Katz’s Delicatessen. The Tenement Museum keeps the neighborhood’s history alive in a series of restored apartments visited via themed guided tours, but most of the area’s cultural draws are contemporary including the numerous art galleries on the LES.