Strolling Through the History, Food and Art of the Lower East Side
Bar Louis photo courtesy of Bar Louis. Tenement Photo from Shutterstock. Moxy photo by Michael Kleinberg, courtesy of Moxy.
While visiting New York City it is easy to get swept up in the glitzy magic of the Broadway shows, the chic displays of storefront windows and back alleys where strands of leftover Christmas lights still cast a warm glow above Little Italy’s bistro tables. However, the city’s enchantment tends to wane when you find yourself trapped in a taxi ensnared by the unmoving sea of parade participants. Or stuck underground waiting for a delayed subway train watching what you think is one rat nibbling on the dead carcass of another rat under the train tracks. But don’t let the occasional chaotic congestion of the city nix your vacation plans. Instead pick a small pocket of the city where you can spend days enjoying microcosms of experiences just steps away from your hotel without ever having to catch a cab or ride the subway.
Choosing a hotel with a three-to-four block radius filled with iconic landmarks, traditional eateries and down-to-earth bars is getting harder and harder in this continuously bougied up city. One such hotel is the Moxy Lower East Side on the corner of Bowery and Broome Street. The Moxy is a newer Marriott line of hotels designed with Instagram in mind for the snap-happy millennials. They offer “smartly-designed” micro-rooms with every inch of space meticulously plotted out to maximize both style and function. The space is optimized with foldable furniture, wall pegs for clothes instead of closets and ample plugs for your gadgets all tucked into a cozy 185 square feet. The best part of the hotel chain is the wallet-friendly rates leave you with enough cash to afford those $20 cocktails.
The Lower East Side was known for waves upon waves of immigrants that settled the neighborhood starting in the mid 1800s, and in time the Bowery became synonymous with poverty and general seediness. While the neighborhood is not immune to the swift rate of gentrification sweeping the city forcing mom-and-pop eateries to close to make way for Chipotle and new “artisan fusion gastronomic farm-to-table” restaurants, there are still a number of old school New York places within a short walk of Bowery and Broome.
“That is what is cool about this little strip, that there are still great little places like Fig 19, Black Seed Bagel, Ergot Records and Mother’s Ruin,” said Rob, a bartender at Bar Louis. “You go north of 14th street and good luck finding those type of great local places.”
Where to Eat
Nom Wah Tea Parlor is the oldest continuously run Chinese restaurant in Manhattan. It originally opened in 1920 as a modest tea parlor and bakery. The restaurant’s first location was near the 90-degree corner of Doyer St. known as “Bloody Angle” because of Chinatown’s violent gang activities. The local bakery famed for its mooncakes has evolved into a dim sum restaurant with three locations in the city.
