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In modern-day NYC, I'm curious about what, if any, some of the main differences between the Lower East Side and East Village are. FYI - I haven't been to NYC since 2003 and spent minimal time in these neighborhoods when I was there.
I know they're both nightlife-heavy neighborhoods, but do they have similar nightlife scenes? Are the types of bars, clubs and restaurants you find in the two neighborhoods basically the same or are there significant differences? What about the type of people and the overall vibe? In terms of streetscape, it's clear that the LES has narrower streets, which I imagine gives it a more vibrant, bustling feel - is that accurate? On Google Streetview the East Village looks a bit more sparse.
I grew up near San Francisco, which obviously is a much smaller city but is famous for having neighborhoods that change dramatically from one block to the next. I'm curious if Houston street has that effect in terms of separating these neighborhoods and giving them a distinct feel or if that's not really accurate.
Last edited by Vincent_Adultman; 02-18-2020 at 11:52 AM..
From an overall feel, I'd give it:
East Village - college esque
LES - gritty, slightly older
Alphabet City - old school, dank
But even then it depends. Clinton St, Stanton St, Ludlow St, St Marks, Ave A. Pick your poison, it's all fun.
In that case, what is the area South of Houston and East of the Bowery called? That's the area I want to compare with the East Village.
Modern day, that's what they call the LES. Traditionally, LES is 14th st to the water including both Chinatown. Boarders of the Manhattan Community Board 3 probably describe it, though I think Little Italy is also inclusive. https://www1.nyc.gov/html/mancb3/html/home/home.shtml
Yeah, East Village was a real-estate invention to try to annex some of the glamor of the Village for part of its neighbor to the east. Actually ended up working as a concept, but it does mean the initial substratum of native population is pretty similar.
EV has been substantially more frat-ified in its residents; LES has more old-school working-class holdouts, especially as you get further from the subway stations. Both are heavy nightlife areas. I think LES is marginally "cooler" from the POV of recent college graduates, but I'm getting too old to make these distinctions. LES's housing stock is either practically brand new or tenements (plus a couple Mitchell-Lamas). Because EV's been gentrifying longer, it's more mixed, but it's still predominantly tenements (and Stuy Town, if you count that as EV). Both have a serious PJ presence still.
Realistically, they resemble each other more than EV does West Village or LES does Soho. They're both historically poorer than their neighbors to the west, but at the same time the Manhattan money sloshes everywhere.
Yeah, East Village was a real-estate invention to try to annex some of the glamor of the Village for part of its neighbor to the east. Actually ended up working as a concept, but it does mean the initial substratum of native population is pretty similar.
EV has been substantially more frat-ified in its residents; LES has more old-school working-class holdouts, especially as you get further from the subway stations. Both are heavy nightlife areas. I think LES is marginally "cooler" from the POV of recent college graduates, but I'm getting too old to make these distinctions. LES's housing stock is either practically brand new or tenements (plus a couple Mitchell-Lamas). Because EV's been gentrifying longer, it's more mixed, but it's still predominantly tenements (and Stuy Town, if you count that as EV). Both have a serious PJ presence still.
Realistically, they resemble each other more than EV does West Village or LES does Soho. They're both historically poorer than their neighbors to the west, but at the same time the Manhattan money sloshes everywhere.
Thanks - yeah, that makes sense. Has the East Village changed a lot in the last 10 or so years? I remember back around 2010 people saying that after the full-on gentrification of the LES the East Village was actually the more gritty part of that area.
The only grit really left anywhere in the vicinity is some of Ave. D (EV) and the area around the East Broadway F stop (LES/blending into Chinatown). It's not "fun," touristy grit.
LES has always been poorer than EV, so I don't get the analysis there. But the distinctions just aren't that great.
In modern-day NYC, I'm curious about what, if any, some of the main differences between the Lower East Side and East Village are. FYI - I haven't been to NYC since 2003 and spent minimal time in these neighborhoods when I was there.
I know they're both nightlife-heavy neighborhoods, but do they have similar nightl scenes? Are the types of bars, clubs and restaurants you find in the two neighborhoods basically the same or are there significant differences? What about the type of people and the overall vibe? In terms of streetscape, it's clear that the LES has narrower streets, which I imagine gives it a more vibrant, bustling feel - is that accurate? On Google Streetview the East Village looks a bit more sparse.
I grew up near San Francisco, which obviously is a much smaller city but is famous for having neighborhoods that change dramatically from one block to the next. I'm curious if Houston street has that effect in terms of separating these neighborhoods and giving them a distinct feel or if that's not really accurate.
To me (not a New Yorker, but have been visiting NYC frequently over the past 37 years, and now have a pied a terre thereabouts), the main difference at this time is that LES contains about half of Chinatown. Otherwise, very similar - mid-19th century architecture and urban renewal inland, encircled by projects, with a few scattered remnants of the first half-20th century Jewish immigrant culture. Little Italy is now about two blocks of Chinatown. The area where the East Village blends with NoHo (ie, with the beginning of the NYU territory) has some large public/commercial architecture of which there isn't any in LES (which is generally small business and residential).
They're pretty similar, but EV is less grimy and more upscale to some extent. But both are very gentrified and known for good nightlife + lots of restaurants.
And the old timers here might insist that EV is still part of the LES, but it has identified its own identity over the years.
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