With the Brooklyn Bridge on the south and Houston Street to the north, the East River on the east and the Bowery on the west, it's not too difficult to describe where the Lower East Side is. Describing what the Lower East Side is, though -- live music and art hub or quick-gentrifying neighborhood? Manhattan's nightlife capital or last holdover of old New York? -- is a somewhat more complicated task, primarily because it's all of the above. Suffice to say, then, that the Lower East Side is one of the most desirable places to live in Manhattan.
The LES is the ancestral home of New York's Jewish culture, and vestiges of that old identity -- both at the definitively New York deli Katz's and at a number of smaller storefronts -- exist side by side with Michelin-starred fine-dining establishments and unpretentious burger joints, hip bars and clubs, and acclaimed art galleries. The Lower East Side just feels more New York-y than other Manhattan neighborhoods, thanks to both its booming nightlife -- including a few iconic live music venues -- and many different cultures, traditions and overlapping histories. A vital, vibrant example of Manhattan's changing face and timeless energy, the Lower East Side the rare neighborhood in which both the funky Essex Street Market and Whole Foods seem eminently at home. In short, the Lower East Side is a place that many NYC dwellers want to call home, and a rising star in Manhattan real estate.
While much of the neighborhood is defined by its turn-of-the-century walk-ups, a number of new construction rental buildings have changed the face and the character of the LES. The ultra-luxe Ludlow is a beacon of contemporary luxury in the neighborhood, and The Crossroads offers similarly stylish apartments for rent. Always a fun neighborhood to visit, always a quintessentially New York experience, the Lower East Side is also a great place to live.
157 Suffolk Street, located between Houston and Stanton, has been reinvented as a high-end residential rental property. The six-story tenement building’s brick exterior invokes the Lower East Side’s past. The walk-up apartment building features 33 units, many of which are currently vacant.
The brickwork from the exterior continues within the building as apartments have expose brick walls. Each unit at 157 Suffolk Street also features 10 ‘ceilings and hard wood floors. Stainless steel appliances and granite countertops also highlight each apartment.
Looking for something new in one of America's most classic neighborhoods? The Crossroads is a new rental apartment mid-rise standing on the border of the Lower East Side and Chinatown.
The Crossroads' 82 apartments feature oak floors, maple cabinets, Moen fixtures, white bath tile, and individual climate control. Some even include private patios and gardens. The artisan-detailed lobby is attended at all hours, and the superintendent is on site.
The Lower East Side features some of the New York City's hippest shopping destinations and best restaurants, a nightlife scene that ranges from cool dives to exclusive nightspots to cutting-edge music venues. What the LES did not have, until 2008, was a top-tier luxury rental building. That changed when the Ludlow opened on the bustling corner of Ludlow Street and East Houston Street. The Ludlow instantly became a Lower East Side landmark, thanks to an eye-catching design by architect Costas Kondylis, but it also rocketed to the top of any list of elite Lower East Side luxury rentals.
Studios from $2,875 per month
1BR from $4,450 per month
2BR from $6,325 per month
Following the trend of revitalization and gentrification of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, The Stanton at 196 Stanton Street expands the borders of the luxury apartment scene and nudges new rental expansion ever-closer to the East River. Located on Stanton Street between Attorney and Ridge Streets, The Stanton is a mere block away from Hamilton Fish Park and close to the shops, clubs and fine dining of East Houston Street and the Lower East Side.
