The Lower East Side is an expanse in Manhattan that ranges from the historic — renters can still find a great selection of walkups, mostly without doormen — to the modern. Blue, a bold condo from French abstract architect Bernard Tschumi, offers Lower East Siders a roof terrace and a cold storage locker for Fresh Direct deliveries in addition to 24-hour doorman service. At 17 Orchard on the Lower East Side, floor-through condos with oversized windows have stacked washer/dryers and custom cabinets.

Amidst the luxury condos, the Lower East Side has preserved relics of its historic pushcart past. One of the most famous of these is Katz’s Deli, a local dining landmark open since 1888, drawing customers from both downtown and uptown. On the Bowery in the Lower East Side, you can still find restaurant supply shops that offer steel shelves and kitchenware that feeds dozens for sale. Buyers seeking space should head down to the Lower East Side’s Grand Street Co-ops, a collection of 4,500 apartments organized into four complexes — Amalgamated, Hillman, East River Housing, and Seward Park. When these elevator co-ops were built, they replaced darker walkups and were seen as the model of Lower East Side luxury. Even today, buyers are attracted to their spacious layouts and common green spaces. If you are going out on the Lower East Side, your options are many and varied, ranging from music venues like Arlene’s Grocery to Bowery Ballroom to Cake Shop – blending live music with baked treats, you can have your cake and eat it too!

East to West Boundaries: East River to Bowery

North to South Boundaries: E. Houston to South St.

Nearby Neighborhoods: East Village, Nolita, Little Italy, Chinatown, Tribeca and the Financial District