LOWER MANHATTAN
Lower East Side (LES)
Over 200 years ago, industrious immigrants squeezed into cramped tenement apartments and made the Lower East Side a neighborhood of their own. Today, it’s home to a mix of historic and hip, where classic architecture meets contemporary art, and where mom-and-pop shops reside next to cutting-edge boutiques. Designers, writers, artists and musicians share the neighborhood with what is left of the original immigration population. Clinton Street has become a foodie destination, while Ludlow and Orchard Streets are full of funky sneaker shops, vintage clothing stores and independent storefront art galleries.
Little Italy/Chinatown
Haggle over that imitation Louis Vuitton purse for your mother and that Rolex for your boyfriend in one of the many shops on always-crowded Canal Street. Then, escape the crowd and head to one of many dim sum joints for lunch. If you are looking for something more along the lines of a spicy meatball, head to the ever-shrinking neighborhood of Little Italy. With Chinatown and its fish smell all but taking over, you can still find great pasta with marinara sauce if you look hard enough. If you want authenticity, do your research first. These neighborhoods can be a bit of a cultural strip mall.
Tribeca
The name was coined during the 1960s to describe the “Triangle Below Canal Street” and Tribeca is now a neighborhood of cobblestone streets and historic warehouse buildings converted into multi-million dollar lofts. Besides Robert De Niro’s annual film festival, it’s mostly known for its great schools and is full of moneyed families of doctors and lawyers with children. A pretty quiet neighborhood, although it does get some foot traffic by those headed towards Ground Zero or JFK Jr’s last apartment on North Moore Street.
Battery Park City
Encompassing Ground Zero, this wasn’t a residential area until the development of Battery Park City started. The upscale condos and open spaces have attracted well-to-do young families, who had the yuppie-ness of their hood rubberstamped by the opening of a Whole Foods Market in 2008. Best known as the green lawn that sticks out if you look south along the Hudson River.
Financial District
If there’s a capital of the world’s financial markets, this is it. Gordon Gekko-wannabes arrive every morning (although fewer of them these days) on the express trains to go to their Wall Street office, creating a flurry of activity that dies down in the afternoon when they return to their fancy uptown residences.
