Bowery

The Bowery is an iconic Manhattan neighborhood that most people associate with ‘bowery bums,’ high crime, and urban decay. And while this area continues to have a feel of ‘urban blight,’ it is also one of the city’s most vibrant and interesting places to live.

Living on the Bowery puts you in easy walking distance to other great neighborhoods like Little Italy and Chinatown (to the south) and the Lower East Side (to the north). It’s also extremely commutable, with frequent bus service running on all the avenues and subways conveniently located at nearby Astor Place and Broadway. Another great feature is the crosstown bus on 8th Street. Though it runs only every 15 minutes or so, it is very reliable and gets you to the Westside of Manhattan in a jiffy.

On weekend nights, popular hotspots like the Bowery Ballroom mean the neighborhood is filled with limousines, partygoers, and a fair amount of street violence unfortunately. But during the week when the streets are filled with residents and college students, it feels relaxed and friendly.

You’ll pay less for rents on the Bowery, but beware. Condo owners are charging about $1750 for one-bedrooms, but there is no guarantee that your rent will remain stable and most leases are for just one year. And don’t think that just because the Bowery is old and dirty that it’s cheap. New high-rises are popping up constantly, changing the face of the neighborhood and bringing in residents who can pay upwards of $3 million dollars to own an apartment.

The arrival of wealthy high rise dwellers is reflected in distinctive mom and pop shops being replaced by high-end retail stores. For example, t-shirts go for $200 at the John Varvatos boutique located at 315 Bowery. The battle between wealthy newcomers and less privileged long time residents will continue to rage.

Ask most people where the Bowery is, and they may say, What? Honestly, it's a term not used by many New Yorkers that I know of. It's a sliver of a neighborhood between the East Village and East 4th Street. The Bowery Poetry Club is probably the most well known spot there, at least for me. They offer live webcasts from there, so even if you can't visit physically you can attend a live show there online. How cool is that! Bring NY into your living room tonight. In terms of the neighborhood, it's affordable. It's really not a stand out kind of neighborhood, but if you're looking for an artsy type place that you can manage financially then look here. It may not be dazzling but it's close to the Village so it has that going for it!

There is a neighborly feel that tends to exist in any part of the Village so I think most people who want a more 'small town' feel would do best here. If you want to get lost in the crowds venture uptown and stay on either the West or East sides. Buildings in the Bowery will tend to be older and of the smaller variety. Spaces will tend to be small and cramped.

Positives: You won't be too far from Chinatown and Little Italy.

Where once the Bowery was known for its high crime, homeless people, and prostitutes it has become a trendy area filled with many fine shops and cafes. Although parts of it retain an industrial feel, the area has also seen the the developed of upscale residential buildings.

The Bowery is filled with much history from the early Dutch settlers through the underground music scene of the 1960s through the 1980s. Both the neighborhood and the street named The Bowery are a derivation of the Dutch word farm. On November 25, 1783, George Washington gathered his troops at the Bull's Head Tavern in preparation for a victory march uptown. The Bull's Head Tavern still exists and is located near the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge.

The Bowery is the location of the Bowery Poetry Club, a performance space for up and coming poets and the Bowery Ballroom. Although CBGBs is not longer open, there remain many clubs and quite a number of restaurants. The neighborhood is hip, trendy, and popular with a younger crowd. It is in close proximity to the west village, Chinatown, and Little Italy.

Popular restaurants include the Italian restaurant Gemma, located in the Bowery Hotel and often populated by a Hollywood star to two, Five Points where reservations are not needed, and Cafe Habana, a small restaurant with serving delicious cuban food. There is even a Whole Foods supermarket in the area. In the warmer weather the streets are filled with music and people crowding the sidewalks waiting for a table at one of the may new eateries lining the avenue. The New Museum opened in the Bowery over the past year and showcases new work by American and International Artists.

The Bowery is the quintessential New York City neighborhood, going from a run down, drug and prostitute infested area to an artsy, hipster neighborhood where you are perfectly safe to enjoy your $7 latte and get your groceries at the local WholeFoods.

Although the area is still in the process of becoming more classy, the streets are usually filled with younger residents headed, quickly, to their job, school, or one of the many bars that are in the area. Once a place you would never be caught in at night, the area now has a great nightlife with many bars and music venues. Although the legendary CBGB is now closed, residents can still enjoy the historic Bowery Ballroom which features some of the hottest musical acts in the country or the Bowery Poetry Club, a great performance art space that is one of the city's worst kept secrets.

You will also never have to search for a place to grab a bite as the cafes and boutiques line the streets and are frequented by many of the locals. Living here is very expensive, as is any part of the city, and it is only going to get more expensive. Still, singles and young couples can find some space in the older residential buildings while the rest of the area sprouts more condos.

For tourists, the Bowery is home to the New Museum, legendary performance art spaces, and fun places to get a drink. The place is easily accessibly via public transportation but not the easiest to navigate once you are there.

The Bowery was once the heartbeat of punk, both the music and the culture. True punks lined the streets of the dive bar and music venue haven, whether they were looking for a gig or a drug score. Maybe the idea of that makes New Yorkers today uncomfortable - stepping through drug deals and such - but neighborhoods like this shaped New York and gave it character.

Since then, the Bowery has been almost 100% gentrified. Which is a shame. Of course the area needed to be cleaned up, and some cool bars and restaurants never hurt anyone. It's just a bit sad that the punk spirit had to be totally driven out of town. That being said, New York is always strong and defiant, and neighborhoods like the Bowery seem to have clung onto the last shreds of cool grittiness that made it what it is. Maybe the squatters are gone, but this is still an area where struggling musicians head to to be part of an art community and near some important venues that still exist downtown. The hood still has just a little bit of edge. Even if high rises like the Avalon are trying to put an end to that.

One good thing that came out of the gentrification process here is the places that happened to settle in the area. Some of the best restaurants are in the Bowery: DBGB, Five Points and Gemma at the Bowery Hotel - the Bowery Hotel being a very cool place to hang out in the first place. The bars were always good and still are, even if the vibe has changed from dive to hotspot. The Bowery Electric is easily the coolest bar and music venue to make your regular hangout. And the shopping isn't too shabby, either. Just head into Patricia Field for fashion that's a perfect fit for the Bowery's rock and roll roots, or into Blue and Cream for designer wares.

The Bowery is just another really cool neighborhood with lots to do now, but if you know the right places you can still feel that punk attitude.

Bowery has a whole variety of fun options along its path. With numerous hotels one can stay in several places that are close to the action. One great option is the Bowery Ballroom which holds lots of great smaller music artists. I have been to one show there and loved it. Another great addition is the New Museum. Similar to the Museum of Modern Art this museum has all kinds of crazy new art. It really fun and they give great tours there. I would recommend to families, kids, and couples alike. There are also several places to get food in a close radius in case you get hungry.

With a reputation for homelessness, street crime, and lamp stores, the Lower East Side's Bowery district isn't exactly what you'd think of when searching for lovely night spots. But the new Bowery is more than just a place to avoid in the wee hours of the morning; rather, it's become one of the city's hot spots for real punk and grunge, from music to poetry and everything in between. While punk club CBGB has closed down, after decades of hosting bands from Blondie to the Talking Heads, the Bowery Ballroom remains as a fixture on the music scene. Likewise, the Bowery Poetry Club is one of the most vital spaces for up and coming poetic performers and spoken word artists.

The Bowery is certainly safe, although its ethos is somewhat less gentrified than, say, the West Village as far as artsy Manhattan neighborhoods go. Its traditional lamp stores still abound, and the low-rise buildings and slightly gritty character give the area a sense of being in development. Yet the grunge of the district has history - there is a distinct sense of being part of a long tradition of hope, desire, and disappointment played out on the streets of the Lower East Side.

Capitalize on the diversity of the area at restaurants like the Chinese Congee Bowery, Italian Gemma, and Spanish Mercat. The prices are low enough, and the taste is authentic!

The Bowery is an epic poem to poverty, which has turned around in recent years in a dramatic way. Historically there was a Bowery district; now all that's left is the street proper, which goes from Canal Street to Astor Place. The street used to run longer, but has been been taken over in the unending flux and development that is the city. It is literally the oldest thoroughfare on Manhattan Island, which connected the city—in the 1600's this was the area equivalent to the Wall Street/ Battery Park region—to the farmlands and estates of the landed aristocracy, right around what would now be Chatham Square. That's right: everything above Canal at the time was pure wilderness.

During the Great Depression, the Bowery was synonymous with economic impoverishment, and it was later made famous by residents like William S. Burroughs. A couple of flophouses remain, but otherwise the Bowery is on its way to a dramatic turnaround. The relatively recent addition of the New Museum suddenly gives the street cultural prestige, and the presence of Whole Foods at the corner with Houston means total gentrification isn't far in the future. The legendary CBGB's, home of punk rock, lost its lease and had to close a few years back, and it breaks my heart that, of all things, it has become a John Varvatos. I never tire of walking up and down the Bowery and gawking at the chrome and iron restaurant supply wholesale items, and, further down, lots of lamp wholesalers. Even five or six years ago I would have walked down Bowery at night with my radar on at full alert, but now feel relatively safe at any hour. I don't know: is the loss of places like CBGB's the price we pay for comfort?