Lower East Side, New York City

Although this looks like it could be a scene from Paris, it is few corner bistros in the Lower East Side of New York City. One of the oldest neighborhoods of the city, the Lower East Side was once known as a lower-class worker neighborhood and often as a poor and diverse part of New York. In the early 2000s, the gentrification of the East Village spread to the Lower East Side, making it now one of the more trendy neighborhoods in Manhattan

Russ And Daughters, located at 179 East Houston Street, is a New York institution since 1914, selling premier appetizing. “Appetizing” is a Jewish food tradition that is most typical among American Jews, and it is particularly local to New York and New Yorkers.

Stores selling cured and pickled meats are known as delicatessens, while shops that sell fish and dairy products became appetizing stores, and Russ and Daughters is one of the most famous in NYC.

They sell bagels and bialys, smoked salmon and herring and whitefish, chubs, trout, lox, schmaltz, caviar, cream cheese, chopped liver, salads of all kinds, dried fruit, rugelach, marble halvah, babka....are you hungry as yet? You might even run into Martha Stewart, who has been shopping at Russ and Daughters since she was a child. Watch a wonderful video on Martha's website when she visited the store. Russ and Daughter's even has a blog!

There are many restaurants, shops and boutiques to explore along the streets and avenues, the one above was jammed with fabrics and sewing notions.

Every Sunday, Orchard Street from Delancey to East Houston Street closes to vehicular traffic turning the street into a pedestrian mall with stores setting up tables and racks advertising their wares to passersbys.

Luxury condominium construction is beginning to dwarf some of the old tenements that are still in use.

More views of shops and tenements along Orchard Street.

An old fashioned looking ad painted on a building wall.

Another view looking down Orchard Street.

Crossing Delancy Street, you can see the Williamsburg Bridge in the distance, which is a suspension bridge over the East River connecting the Lower East Side of Manhattan at Delancey Street with the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Your might remember this scene from the 1988 movie "Crossing Delancy" which starred Amy Irving and Peter Riegert.

To listen to a free informative podcast tour of The Lower East Side click here and click on the subjects in the right sidebar.

The Lower East Side is another one of the wonderful neighborhoods to explore in New York City.

If you do visit make sure you bring your appetite!