New York City - Video Tour of the Lower East Side of Manhattan (Part 1)
David Hill with
New York Habitat is proud to present a new video tour of New York neighborhoods.
Discover one of
New York City's hip and historical neighborhoods, called the
Lower East Side.
Watch other video tours of other great areas of
NYC, such as the
East Village http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YO2UMCn9NE or
Chinatown http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFOrThNwCh4
The name, Lower East Side, pretty much tells you that this neighborhood is located in the south-eastern part of
Manhattan.
It's roughly located between
Houston Street to the north, the
East River on the east,
Canal Street to the south, and
Bowery to the west.
Keep in mind that the boundaries of this neighborhood are not exactly defined because this area is in constant change and renewal and often it's hard to tell exactly where the Lower
East side ends and where the adjacent neighborhoods start.
Brief
History
The Lower East Side, also called
L.E.S. by the locals, is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Manhattan. During the second half of the nineteenth century it was predominantly occupied by working class immigrants who arrived in New York and settled here in the many tenement buildings. It is a culturally diverse area formed by many different ethnic groups of the world who have been immigrating to New York over the centuries.
Tenement Museum:
Located on
Orchard Street, the Tenement Museum is a 5-story tenement building where thousands of immigrants from 20 different nations lived between the mid-1800 to the early
1900s.
You can take a daily tour offered by the Tenement Museum to see how the immigrants lived.
Tenement buildings were specifically built by greedy owners to house as many immigrants as possible.
Immigrants often lived in crowded and squalid conditions. In tenements, families were stuffed in to small rooms, with no heat, no running water and no bathrooms.
Katz's Delicatessen:
In the early 1900s, the Lower East Side had a large population of
Jewish immigrants who maintained their culture and heritage through the years.
Katz's Delicatessen is one of the oldest food establishments in the Lower East Side. It has been here since
1888 and it features its famous pastrami sandwich and many other kosher foods and cold cuts.
It has also appeared in several movies, like "
When Harry Met Sally", "
Donnie Brasco" and "
Across the Universe".
Synagogues
As you walk around the Lower East Side you will notice various Synagogues on almost every street. They are a vivid
sign of the Jewish heritage of the Lower East Side. Most of the synagogues have been declared landmarks since
1996.
The
Bialystoker Synagogue was founded in 1865 by a group of orthodox
Jews who came from the town of
Bialystok, Poland.
The Angel Orensanz Center at 172
Norfolk Street is one of the largest and oldest synagogues built in New York City.
The Eldrige
Street Synagogue was erected in 1887
New York Habitat (http://www.nyhabitat.com ) has many Lower East Side vacation rentals available and apartments all over New York City http://www.nyhabitat.com/new-york-apartment
.html . As in the past centuries, people from around the world continue to love to stay here because it's a lively area day and night. If you want to feel at home and save money, choose your favorite vacation rental in new york city http://www.nyhabitat.com/new-york-apartment/vacation , which will definitely be cheaper than a hotel plus you'll get more for your money. You'll have more space and you'll be able to book a furnished apartment with a fully equipped kitchen so you can cook instead of going out to restaurants for each meal.
Dollar for dollar, you'll get more in an apartment rental over a hotel!
Check out some of our Lower East Side Accommodations including:
This fully furnished 1-bedroom apartment (NY-12864 http://www.nyhabitat.com/new-york-apartment/vacation/12864 ) which is situated on the 3rd floor of an early
20th century walk-up building. The kitchen is equipped with all of the basic amenities, plus the convenience of a dishwasher. The bedroom is furnished with a queen sized bed and the apartment also features air conditioning and wireless
Internet.
Or maybe this fully furnished studio apartment (NY-7890 http://www.nyhabitat.com/new-york-apartment/furnished/7890 ) which is located on the 5th floor of a walk-up building on
Essex Street. Furnished with a double bed and a desk, as well a fully equipped kitchen, this apartment is centrally located in the Lower East Side and is within walking distance of the Tenement Museum. Other fully furnished apartments are available here : http://www.nyhabitat.com/new-york-apartment/furnished
We hope you enjoyed today's video tour of the Lower East Side.
Feel free to check out New York Habitat Blog http://www.nyhabitat.com/blog/
2011/02/14/video-tour-lower-east-side-new-york-part-1/ for more info and video tours of New York City.
Continue watching with Part 2 our
Video Tour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArP4ZqXnj4k