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 Manhattan's Lower East Side offers a mix of old and new, bohemian and upscale. You can find trendy bars and music venues, a venerable old no-nonsense place that just might serve up the best pastrami sandwich in the world, a restaurant called WD-50 which serves up new-style "molecular gastronomy," Gus's Pickles out of a barrel, and great bialys. South of Delancey Street, much of this neighborhood is now part of Chinatown. The neighborhood's center is Orchard Street. Once a Jewish wholesale enclave, this street is a true multicultural blend, with trendy boutiques, French cafés, and velvet-roped nightspots sprinkled among dry-goods discounters, Spanish bodegas, and mom-and-pop shops selling everything from T-shirts to designer fashions to menorahs. It was here that the Manahattan garment industry began. The area has been known as one of New York's favorite bargain beats, where serious shoppers find fantastic bargains (especially along Orchard Street on a Sunday afternoon), but this is increasingly becoming a thing of the past as rents skyrocket and cutting-edge new designers and boutiques formerly seen in SoHo flock to the area. SeeLower East Side Tenement Museum, 90 Orchard St, (212) 431-0233. T-F 11am-6pm, Sa-Su 10:45am-6pm, M (visitor center only; no tours) 11am-5:30pm. Advance tickets recommended as tours sell out quickly. $13. Lower East Side Visitor Center, 261 Broome Street, (212) 226-90101 (866) 224-0206. M-Su 10am-4pm. Lower East Side Cell Phone Tour. Download and print a map of the tour from your computer. Walk through the numbered sites along the route. At various points, dial a phone number, enter the stop number and listen to a New York City native tell you a bit about what you're seeing. Visit the sites in any order. The LES tour is currently free-of-charge. BuyOrchard St. is more and more lined with expensive boutiques, but in this traditional locus of bargain clothes shopping, there are still some good deals to be had for those with patience. Note that many stores on this street are owned by Orthodox Jews and closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays. Bluestockings Radical Books, 172 Allen St., (212) 777-6028, open 11 AM - 11 PM every day, is a fun radical feminist bookstore that also has a little cafe and a regular calendar of readings and other event EatKatz's Deli 205 E. Houston St., corner of Ludlow. A classic NYC delicatessen. The famous fake orgasm scene in "When Harry Met Sally" was shot here. Have what she was having: A pastrami sandwich. If you're a pastrami lover, you will long remember your trip to this establishment. Don't lose your ticket, and don't forget to tip the counterman at least $1 per sandwich. Congee Village Great Hong Kong-style food at 100 Allen St. just south of Delancey, (212) 941-1818. Very popular banquet spot for Chinese people. Call for reservations if you have a large party or are going for dinner on a weekend. Congee Village also has a newer sister restaurant, Congee Bowery, at 207 Bowery (just south of Rivington St.), (212) 766-2828, which serves the same food and may be less crowded at peak hours. WD-50 50 Clinton St. between Rivington and Stanton, (212) 477-2900. Considered by most connoisseurs the foremost location for "molecular gastronomy" - otherwise known as "avant garde cuisine" - in New York. To get some sense of their menu, click on "eat" on their website. Reservations. Doughnut Plant, 379 Grand St. (between Essex and Norfolk) (212) 505-3700, Tuesday-Sunday, 6:30 AM-6:30 PM. This ain't no Dunkin' Donuts! Each doughnut costs roughly $2.50, but the place is a really fabulous, artisanal palace (albeit humble-looking) of doughnutry. edit 'inoteca, 98 Rivington St. on the corner of Ludlow (212) 614-0473. noon-3 AM every day (plus brunch on weekends from 10AM-4PM). This is a quality, well-priced establishment that is open late. A good place to go to for a sandwich after barhopping. cheese: $11 (3 pieces) - $21 (9 pieces); also many wines by the glass or bottle. edit DrinkMax Fish, 178 Ludlow St., between Houston and Stanton (212) 529-3959. 5:30 PM- 4:00 AM every day. This quirkily-decorated bar has a scene every night, even when other bars in the area are dead. On weekends, the crowding can be ridiculous. There is a lounge with a pool table in the back and a pinball game near the door. Drink selection is not bad, including a decent selection of whiskeys, but the ambiance and crowd are more of a reason to go. |
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