Lower East Side

September 17, 2024

LES arts collective ABC No Rio breaks ground on new building in triumphant return to original home

A decade ago, New York City's creative community expressed alarm, tempered by a bit of hope, at the news that ABC No Rio, the iconic downtown DIY punk rock venue and arts/cultural space that had been a fixture on the Lower East Side's street scene since 1980, would be moving. What has been a 10-year journey has achieved a promising new milestone as construction began on a new space at 156 Rivington Street this summer. As Hyperallergic reports, the collective's new home, set to open in 2026, will mean a triumphant full-circle return to the group's original "art squat" address on Rivington Street after a long and arduous wait and many setbacks along the way.
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East River Park partially reopens with new ballfields and pedestrian bridge

Photos courtesy of NYC Parks / Daniel Avila

September 11, 2024

East River Park partially reopens with new ballfields and pedestrian bridge

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City officials this week opened two ballfields in East River Park and unveiled the new Delancey Street pedestrian bridge, marking a significant milestone for the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR). Ballfields 1 and 2 have been equipped with an advanced drainage system and new amenities to withstand climate change through the $1.45 billion ESCR initiative. The Delancey Street Bridge, manufactured in Italy and installed in the park, provides an ADA-accessible entry point from the Lower East Side to East River Park.
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NYC floating pool coming to the Lower East Side (eventually)

+ POOL, designed by Family New York & PLAYLAB, INC. Rendering by Luxigon.

August 7, 2024

NYC floating pool coming to the Lower East Side (eventually)

By Aaron Ginsburg

Plans to bring a self-filtering floating pool to the East River are taking a small step forward this month. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams named Pier 35 on the Lower East Side as the official location for the +POOL, a first-of-its-kind swimming pool that uses a unique filtration system to provide safe swimming. Thanks to joint funding from the city and state, a three-month water filtration demonstration project will begin this month. A prototype of the +POOL structure could be ready by the summer of 2025.
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Policy

Lower East Side rental opens lottery for 196 affordable apartments, from $454/month

Rendering courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

July 1, 2024

Lower East Side rental opens lottery for 196 affordable apartments, from $454/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A housing lottery launched this week for 196 affordable apartments in a new rental building on the Lower East Side. Located at 165 Broome Street, the 15-story building offers tenants new residences in one of New York City's trendiest neighborhoods. New Yorkers earning 30, 50, 70, and 80 percent of the area median income, or between $18,480 for a single person and $154,080 for a household of seven, can apply for the units, which range from $454/month studios to $2,949/month for a three bedroom.
find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

A new grocery store for Two Bridges: Brooklyn Fare opens at One Manhattan Square

Photos courtesy of One Manhattan Square

May 8, 2024

A new grocery store for Two Bridges: Brooklyn Fare opens at One Manhattan Square

By Aaron Ginsburg

Over a decade after the longstanding Pathmark store closed, residents of Two Bridges this week celebrated the opening of a new grocery store in the neighborhood. Brooklyn Fare Kitchen & Market has opened at the base of luxury condominium One Manhattan Square at 227 Cherry Street. The new store measures 25,500 square feet, features an all-glass storefront and 20-foot ceilings, and offers a variety of fresh produce, prepared foods, and more, at an affordable price.
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Food & Dining

April 3, 2024

Sammy’s Roumanian Steak House will reopen on the Lower East Side

By Devin Gannon

A legendary Lower East Side restaurant known for its Jewish Romanian dishes and vodka-fueled party atmosphere is making a comeback after closing during the pandemic. Sammy's Roumanian Steak House announced plans to reopen at 112 Stanton Street, with service starting on Passover, as EV Grieve first reported. Daily service is expected in June.
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Food & Dining

$24M revamp of Lower East Side’s Nuyorican Poets Café is underway

Renderings courtesy of the NYC DCLA

March 29, 2024

$24M revamp of Lower East Side’s Nuyorican Poets Café is underway

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Nuyorican Poets Café, a beloved performance space on the Lower East Side for half a century, is undergoing a $24.1 million transformation. The city's Department of Cultural Affairs and the Department of Design and Construction on Thursday kicked off the project, which will renovate and expand the cultural institution's lobby, add new performance spaces and offices, improve accessibility, and perform extensive repairs on the building's exterior. Designed by Rice+Lipka Architects, the reconstruction project is slated for completion in spring 2026.
see the design

Architecture And Design

At former Streit’s Matzo Factory, a Lower East Side penthouse with two terraces asks $4.35M

All photos courtesy of Allyson Lubow for The Corcoran Group

March 27, 2024

At former Streit’s Matzo Factory, a Lower East Side penthouse with two terraces asks $4.35M

By Devin Gannon

At the site of a former matzo factory on the Lower East Side, a shiny new penthouse is available for purchase. The seven-story condo building 150 Rivington Street replaced Streit's Matzo Factory, a neighborhood icon in operation for nearly 90 years before closing in 2015. Atop the brand-new project is a sun-drenched three-bedroom apartment with over 500 square feet of outdoor space and classic city views, listed for $4,350,000.
details here

Distinctive Homes

Photo courtesy of QuallsBenson

February 9, 2024

Essex Crossing’s Market Line food hall to close in April

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Market Line, the food hall located inside the Lower East Side's Essex Crossing development, is closing its doors on April 1. A spokesperson for developer Delancey Street Associates on Friday announced that the subterranean food hall will close this spring due to pandemic-related difficulties. A majority of the food hall's vendors, including its anchor beer spot the Grand Delancey, have announced their exodus from the space over the last month, as Eater New York reported. Delancey Street Associates said that they're looking at other uses for the space.
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Food & Dining

Look out on the city from high above the Lower East Side in this $3.8M penthouse

All photos courtesy of Rise Media

February 1, 2024

Look out on the city from high above the Lower East Side in this $3.8M penthouse

By Michelle Cohen

Manhattan's Lower East Side is enjoying a true 21st-century glow-up; this three-bedroom penthouse atop 196 Orchard Street embodies the layers of luxury that now define the storied neighborhood. The 1,925-square-foot condo offers an iconic city perch surrounded by 18-foot ceilings and views of downtown Manhattan through bronze-edged casement windows.
downtown penthouse living, this way

Distinctive Homes

The best bar in North America is on the Lower East Side

Double Chicken Please, image courtesy of World’s 50 Best Bars

October 19, 2023

The best bar in North America is on the Lower East Side

By Aaron Ginsburg

The best bar in North America is in New York City. The annual list of the world's 50 best bars was unveiled this week and the Lower East Side's Double Chicken Please took second place, making it the best bar on this continent. Two other Manhattan bars made the list: Overstory in the Financial District at 17 and and Katana Kitten in Greenwich Village at 27.
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Tenement Museum reopens historic building after $7M restoration

All photos courtesy of the Tenement Museum

September 21, 2023

Tenement Museum reopens historic building after $7M restoration

By Aaron Ginsburg

A 160-year-old tenement on the Lower East Side that was home to thousands of immigrants from 1863 to 1935 will reopen to the public following a major restoration. After a year-long renovation project, the Tenement Museum on Thursday will unveil work done on 97 Orchard Street, one of two historic tenements owned by the museum that offers an immersive look at the lives of immigrants during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The comprehensive renovation project reinforced and protected original features and finishes, preparing it for future generations of visitors.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RESTORATION PROJECT

Events & Things To Do

‘Beastie Boys Square’ to be unveiled at LES block party with Ad-Rock and Mike D

Photo courtesy of Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

September 7, 2023

‘Beastie Boys Square’ to be unveiled at LES block party with Ad-Rock and Mike D

By Aaron Ginsburg

A Lower East Side intersection is being renamed "Beastie Boys Square" this weekend, with members of the famed hip-hop trio expected to make appearances during the celebration. On Saturday, September 9 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and Michael "Mike D" Diamond will join Council Member Christopher Marte and fellow New Yorkers for a block party celebrating the co-naming of the corner of Ludlow and Rivington Streets. The now-iconic intersection was featured in the art for the group's second studio album "Paul's Boutique."
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Lower East Side corner named for Economy Candy founder

Photo courtesy of the New York City Council

July 31, 2023

Lower East Side corner named for Economy Candy founder

By Aaron Ginsburg

The corner of Rivington and Essex Streets on the Lower East Side has been co-named "Morris 'Moishe' Cohen Way" to honor the founder of New York City's oldest candy shop. After returning home from World War II, Cohen took over Economy Candy, which quickly became a neighborhood staple, serving candy, chocolate, nuts, and gift baskets. His family has pushed for the co-naming since Cohen's death at the age of 97 in 2015. After the City Council approved the naming earlier this year, the street corner was officially renamed on Saturday.
Details here

Policy

City designates these NYC neighborhoods as ‘rat mitigation zones’

Photo by Ludovic Bertron on Flickr

April 5, 2023

City designates these NYC neighborhoods as ‘rat mitigation zones’

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City this week named eight rat-prone neighborhoods as part of Mayor Eric Adams' quest to control the rodent population. According to a notice posted by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on Monday, the "rat mitigation zones," which are areas with "high levels of rat activity," include Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, and Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, Grand Concourse in the Bronx, and Chinatown, the East Village, the Lower East Side, and Harlem in Manhattan. As Crain's reported, these identified zones will be the focus of a multiagency effort to address the rats and the conditions that cause them, according to the city.
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New luxury rental on the Lower East Side launches lottery for 95 mixed-income units, from $710/month

Rendering courtesy of Dattner Architects

February 13, 2023

New luxury rental on the Lower East Side launches lottery for 95 mixed-income units, from $710/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Applications are now being accepted for 95 mixed-income units at a new development on the Lower East Side. Located at 55 Suffolk Street, The Suffolk rises 30 stories, contains 378 total residences, and boasts amenities like a rooftop pool, outdoor terrace, and fitness club. New Yorkers earning 40, 50, and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the available apartments, priced between $710/month for studios and $2,810/month for three-bedrooms.
Do you qualify?

Affordable Housing

Latest luxury rental on the Lower East Side has three floors of ‘micro-units’

All renderings courtesy of Conway and Partners, unless otherwise noted

January 23, 2023

Latest luxury rental on the Lower East Side has three floors of ‘micro-units’

By Devin Gannon

A big new residential development on the Lower East Side is going small. When it opens this spring, the 30-story 55 Suffolk Street will offer three floors of "micro-units," apartments that measure between 315 and 350 square feet and feature space-saving built-in furniture and storage. Developed by the Gotham Organization, the building, dubbed The Suffolk, includes 378 total residences, indoor and outdoor amenities, and a new home for the Chinese-American Planning Council. This week, the building released a teaser site and 6sqft got a first look at the unique new development.
More here

This Lower East Side bar was ranked best in the U.S.

Double Chicken Please, image courtesy of World’s 50 Best Bars

October 6, 2022

This Lower East Side bar was ranked best in the U.S.

By Aaron Ginsburg

On this year's list of the World's 50 Best Bars, announced during a ceremony in Barcelona this week, New York City leads with six bars, more than any other city in the world, including two making the top 10. The Lower East Side's Double Chicken Please ranked sixth in the world, and the best in North America, and was given the highest new entry award. Katana Kitten, which serves Japanese-inspired drinks and fare in the West Village, came ninth.
See more here

Renderings via Dattner Architects

October 3, 2022

At former LES synagogue site, lottery opens for 86 affordable senior units, from $654/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

On the Lower East Side, a new senior housing development opened a lottery this week for 86 affordable apartments. Located at 60 Norfolk Street, the building is part of the Gotham Organization's Broome Street Development, a project that will bring mixed-income and senior housing, new cultural and religious space, and retail to the neighborhood. New Yorkers earning 40, 50, 60, and 70 percent of the area median income, or between $25,372 for a single person and $84,070 for a household of three, can apply for the apartments, which range from $654/month studios to $1,416/month one bedrooms. To qualify, applicants must be or have at least one household member who is 62 years of age or older.
Do you qualify?

Affordable Housing

First look: This $5M Essex Crossing penthouse has a huge terrace overlooking the Lower East Side

All photos courtesy of Evan Joseph

September 9, 2022

First look: This $5M Essex Crossing penthouse has a huge terrace overlooking the Lower East Side

By Michelle Cohen

At the top of a newly-minted CetraRuddy-designed building in a classic downtown Manhattan neighborhood, 6sqft can now share an exclusive first look at a newly-available penthouse atop One Essex Crossing at 202 Broome Street. If you love marble, luxury finishes, outdoor entertaining, and above-it-all views, you'll want to check out this sleek aerie overlooking the Lower East Side. Priced at $4,985,000, it's the headline-stealing 14-story building's last two-bedroom penthouse, with 1,693 square feet of interior space and over 700 square feet of private terrace.
Take the tour

NYC approves renaming Lower East Side intersection ‘Beastie Boys Square’

The intersection of Ludlow and Rivington Streets on the LEs; Photo courtesy of Simon O’Brien on Flickr

July 20, 2022

NYC approves renaming Lower East Side intersection ‘Beastie Boys Square’

By Aaron Ginsburg

The New York City Council last week voted to rename the intersection of Ludlow and Rivington Streets on the Lower East Side to "Beastie Boys Square," an ode to the NYC hip-hop trio who immortalized the corner of the two streets on the cover of their 1989 album, Paul's Boutique. The bill is currently awaiting the signature of Mayor Eric Adams.
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The Loisaida Festival returns to the Lower East Side after two-year Covid hiatus

All images courtesy of Loisaida Inc.

May 16, 2022

The Loisaida Festival returns to the Lower East Side after two-year Covid hiatus

By Aaron Ginsburg

After two years of virtual celebrations, the annual parade honoring the Lower East Side's Puerto Rican and Caribbean community will take place in person. Hosted by the Loisaida Center in partnership with the Acacia Network, the Loisaida Festival is returning for its 35th year this Memorial Day Weekend. The event will kick off on Sunday, May 29 at 11:30 a.m. with a parade showcasing organizations, community figures, artists, and performers before moving north up to the main stage on 12th Street. The festival will be held from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Avenue C between 5th and 12th Streets.
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Events & Things To Do

20 mixed-income units available at ODA’s new Lower East Side rental, from $677/month

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

March 25, 2022

20 mixed-income units available at ODA’s new Lower East Side rental, from $677/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Applications are currently being accepted for 20 mixed-income units at a new rental on the Lower East Side designed by notable local architects ODA Architecture. Developed by Nexus Building Development Group, the 16-story mid-rise at 171 Chrystie Street features an intricate geometric design and a prime lower Manhattan location. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, and 130 percent of the area median income, or between $24,789 for a single person and $108,680 for a household of five, are eligible to apply for the apartments, which range from $677/month studios to $2,689/month one-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

March 14, 2022

750 spots open on waitlist for Mitchell-Lama Lower East Side co-ops, for sale from $19,677

By Michelle Cohen

Applications are currently being accepted for newly-opened waitlist spots for studios and two-bedroom middle-income units at the Gouverneur Gardens co-op at 305 Madison Street. New Yorkers earning 125 percent of the area median income can apply to purchase apartments in the post-war development on Manhattan's Lower East Side, priced from $19,677 for a studio to $35,418.60 for a two-bedroom.
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Affordable Housing

The 30+ best neighborhood shops in NYC for finding the perfect gift

Photo credits clockwise from top left: Park Deli; Frankie Marin/Verameat; Quality Goods; Michele Varian

December 10, 2021

The 30+ best neighborhood shops in NYC for finding the perfect gift

By Michelle Cohen

We've been shopping online for what seems like forever, and there's not a thing wrong with it–except when we crave that amazing experience of finding just the right thing and getting to take it with us now. While brick-and-mortar shops aren't going away anytime soon, we appreciate the good ones that much more. If you're lucky enough to live in New York City–where shopping is high art–some of the best shops on the planet could be just around the corner from where you live. You're sure to find something fabulous for everyone on your list among the local addresses below.
Amazing local NYC shops, this way

Events & Things To Do

Listing photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

August 17, 2021

Lower East Side four-bedroom with views of three bridges and the Freedom Tower asks $2.5M

By Dana Schulz

East River Co-op is a four-building complex with a total of 1,672 apartments. It's located on Grand Street, just off the FDR, which means many of its homes have incredible East River views. This apartment at 568 Grand Street has just that, overlooking the Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Williamsburg Bridges, as well as the Freedom Tower. The four-bedroom home also has a private terrace and tons of closet space, and it's asking $2,495,000.
Check it all out

Distinctive Homes

The 34th annual Loisaida Festival makes a (virtual) return to the Lower East Side this month

Photo of a previous year’s Festival by Melvin Audaz

May 12, 2021

The 34th annual Loisaida Festival makes a (virtual) return to the Lower East Side this month

By Dana Schulz

In 1987, Avenue C was renamed Loisaida Avenue, "a Spanglish name for the Lower East Side, connoting the Puerto Rican and Latinx community which have had a significant presence there since the mid-20th century," explained Village Preservation executive director Andrew Berman. That same year on the Sunday before Memorial Day, the vibrant community hosted the first Loisaida Festival to celebrate their neighborhood's culture. Thirty-four years later, and the Festival is still going strong. For the second year, the event will be virtual on two Sundays--May 23 and 30--featuring an exciting roster of musicians, performers, and family-friendly entertainment.
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Events & Things To Do

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