THE LOWER EAST SIDE

Best things to do on the Lower East Side
Visit the oldest immigrant neighborhood in New York, sample a knish, eat a hot dog from Katz’s deli, visit the Lower East Side Tenement Museum,  follow up with pickle, hip shop perusing, purchase fabric, finish off at the city’s most amazing sweet shops.

Best time to visit: All year; most hip stores open 12 noon

Length of trip: Put aside 3-5 hours. Satisfies everyone’s interests

Difficulty level: Not too much walking and stroller friendly

Suitable for: All age groups
Best places to eat on the Lower East Side Included in blog

Comments: Great for gifts
Views: Old New York City and Hip New York

Miscellaneous: Movies featuring the Lower East Side “When Harry met Sally”, “Crossing Delancey”.  

for more suggestions click The Museum at Eldridge Street - worth visiting but makes for a much longer walk.

Walking Tours: The Museum at Eldridge Street also runs a walking tour that require booking in advance.  The Tenement Museum (click to explore the many options & book) also offers walking tours focusing on a range of topics-foods, history, entrepreneurship, architecture etc. 

Advance Planning: The main stop on this trip will be the Tenement Museum. Click to purchase tickets and explore site for hours, tours and walking tours - advance booking is often required. In the summer, avoid visits between 10am and 3pm when it becomes jammed with visiting summer camps.

Food: See map - Katz's Deli best for pastrami and hot dogs a total experience, Russ & Daughters-The Shop  (for take out) or Russ & Daughter's Cafe (click for menu & listed as one of the 10 best restaurants in New York by the New York Times), Congee Village and Vanessa's Dumpling (quick service) house both great. Essex Market good for pick up lunch and snacks on the go.

Subway:  Take the F or V subway lines (orange signs) in the direction: Coney Island/Stillwell Avenue) heading downtown to the 2nd Avenue/Houston stop.

Katz's Delicatessan

Katz's Pastrami Sandwich

You will pass through a neighborhood that once bustled with activity as immigrants started new lives in the early 1900s. It is estimated that approximately 2 million Jews immigrated to the US between 1881 and 1914 and about 75% settled on the Lower East Side. At one point this was home to the largest Jewish population in the world. Time passed and families migrated to other areas of the city but vivid memories from those days have been passed down through the generations.  Living conditions were cramped as the Tenement Museum blog explains: "It was common for a family of 10 to live in a 325-square-foot apartment" and families worked hard to set up businesses. The "Sturgeon Queens" trailer below give a sense of the history of these businesses. It's hard to find the video for streaming but worth a search.

During the last 20 years this area has become "the" place to live and rising real estate prices have tempted many old businesses to sell and as they leave we bid a sad goodbye. It used to be possible to drop into Streit's Mazo factory on Rivington Street and watch Matzo being made but last year the company sold its building and an apartment block is rising in its place.  

START: 

Yohah Schimmel's Knish Bakery (11am-5pm) at 137 East Houston between 1st & 2nd Avenues - the bakery was established in 1910, started as a pushcart and is the oldest knishery in the U.S. 

Recipes for knishes travelled to New York from Eastern Europe with Jewish immigrants. A knish is a dough that is stuffed with mixture of potato and some other vegetable and roasted. It was cheap and filling food and became a staple as families made their way up the social ladder.  As communities settled and made money, they  migrated to new neighborhoods leaving the bakeries behind until there are now only a very few in the city. Pete Wells the food critic for the New York Times prefers the knishes from Russ & Daughters Cafe - also on you walk.

Katz's Deli (click for hours) 205 E. Houston Street and Ludlow - (“When Harry Met Sally”,"Donnie Brasco", "Enchanted") recently celebrated its 125th anniversary.  As you pass walk from the subway stop, you will pass the East Houston shop of Russ & Daughters  (click for hours- a NY institution - sells a great T-Shirt and has been modernized by younger family members- the food is excellent and there's a sit down cafe farther along the walk). Katz's is famous for their Pastrami Sandwich. Jewish Delis were a vibrant feature of New York city living until the 1980s. A few remain and Katz's has been listed among the best of its type in America.  If you haven't tried it the owner of Katz's suggests what to order in the video below. The lines to eat here these days are long comments from people living nearby: Avoid around the Christmas season and weekends unless around 9am. Monday - Thursday best before 11am or after 2pm. Il Laboratorio del Gelato at 188 Ludlow Street at East Houston for incredible ice-cream.

Follow Ludlow Street south towards the Tenement Museum  (click for visit details) at 108 Orchard Street. See map. On Ludlow you will pass T R Crandall Guitars at 156 Ludlow street. Continue to Economy Candy (click for holiday hours) open 7 days a week 12pm- 5pm at 108 Rivington Street between Ludlow and Essex.  You'll find an incredibly colorful room lined with all types of candy floor to ceiling. Great for gifts. Continue south on Ludlow, cross Delancey Street and walk 1 block west to Orchard Street to the Tenement Museum. While you are waiting for your tour you can browse the wonderful shop that stocks a wide range of books about New York. 

Economy Candy 108 Rivington Street

Before or after your Tenement Museum visit there's a wide range of shopping choices and diversions possible.   Russ and Daughters Cafe  (click for hours they are only open for breakfast & lunch at 127 Orchard Street between Delancey and Rivington serves excellent -  or try what has been listed as the best Chinese restaurants in New York City, Congee Village at 100 Allen Street. New York Magazine raves about this restaurant and recommends: "Order everything- especially the bok choi, chicken & mushroom congge, and salt and pepper shrimp" .  Vanessa's Dumpling House at 118A Eldridge Street is know for for some of the best NYC dumplings. Below are post lunch/breakfast detours.

Check out the interesting places close by:

Hua Mei Bird Garden at Sarah D. Roosevelt Park (see map).  The sanctuary was set up in1995 with the help of the parks depart.  Chinatown inhabitants bring their song birds out to the park which gets quite busy on weekends. 

Zarin Fabrics

Ramon Tailor at 110 Forsythe for a peek in the window or for maybe for alterations this nice story in New York Magazine led to his further discovery. Yokkoyama Hat Market at 116 Eldridge sells cool and amazing hats. Zarin Fabrics (weekdays and Sundays - click for hours) at 72 Allen Street Street.  Don't be deceived - behind this not too exciting store front and upstairs is a nice collection of fabrics and some bargains.Orchard Street was once famous for these stores. Pilgrim New York, at 70 Orchard Street stocks vintage clothing from Japan & Europe. 

Walk East towards Essex Street, on the corner of Essex & Grand you will find The Pickle Guys at 357 Grand Street. They have great pickles and goofy, one-of-a-kind t-shirts for sale. Pickle vendors were common in this area a very much part of the deli culture. Sadly this store is now one of the few remaining. 

Essex Market  88 Essex (also good for lunch, snacks, or breakfast - Monday - Saturday 8am-8pm & Sunday 10am-6pm)

Last stop for those with energy and looking for something essentially New York is Only NY at 176 Stanton Street - great selection of New York clothing and accessories. Check for opening hours - most days 11am-7pm. 

The Pickle Guys