Lower East Side
Canal Street North to Houston Street. FDR to the Bowery.
Nearby Subways 4, 5, 6, J, M, Z, F

The Lower East Side of Manhattan is bounded by Houston Street, the Bowery, Canal Street, and the FDR Drive, with the neighborhood's center being 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 New York 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 rise and cutting-edge new designers and boutiques formerly seen in SoHo flock to the area. But in its 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.

It has always attracted an artsy crowd: In the 80s, its cheap rents and clubs were a center for punks and artists alike. Now, more cleaned-up and refined, the Lower East Side is home to countless artsy boutiques, bars, restaurants and galleries. Starting south of Houston to Delancey and over to 2nd avenue, the area is always busy and bustling. The constant happenings are a big draw for many.