Division St, Lower East Side

Once upon a time, Orchard Street was filled with bargains, as textiles - from dishcloths to curtains, clothing to leather shoes - were sold on either side of this busy shopping street. Today, however, the bargains aren't quite so steep; Orchard Street, with its rich tenement Jewish history, has become something of a tourist destination itself. Head from Houston to Canal Street, checking out leather bags, new shoes, suitcases, and more. You may not get the prices from the "good ol' days," but you're likely to attain something of the character. Even today, Orchard Street is primarily Jewish (be warned, therefore - don't try to buy here between Friday evening and Sunday morning, or you'll find this place a ghost town) - a rare case of ethnic stability in a constantly changing multicultural city. That said, this part of the Lower East Side has certainly been affected by a new generation. Cutting-edge poetry workshops and trendy bars make up as much of this neighborhood as do the old ladies selling schmattas on the corner. Head to Allen and Clinton Streets nearby to buy funky furniture goods and tons of edgy modern art.

Orchard is one of the main streets in the LES and it is jam packed with people and things to do. It's a very hipster street because it runs through a very hipster neighborhood. And, it's gritty -- it's still pretty dirty and I once saw people having sex against a stoop on Orchard; but, it's fun.
There are a number of hipsters stores like American apparel and funky boutiques on Orchard around Houston. It's little stores and little takeout places that are always packed during the post-bar hours. I like Bereket. It's 24 hour Turkish food that's really good. And, nothing says New York like a 24 hour Turkish joint.
The Slipper Room is at Stanton. The bar, itself, is kind of gross, but the drinks are reasonable and they always have great things going on there. Readings, bands and Seth Herzog (writer for Late Night) has a comedy show called Sweet that has been running for years and often features his mom as a "surprise" guest.
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum is my favorite museum in the city and I always take people to it when they visit. I've been on multiple tours and they're all great. It's really crazy to see what living conditions were like for immigrants in this neighborhood considering it wasn't really all that long ago. The apartments haven't been changed since they were lived in (turn of the 19th century) and it's crazy to think of how people survived at all. I was also kind of shocked at how much smaller I was expecting them to be. Yeah, an entire family lived in it with no air, gas, bathroom, etc. But, I always think, damn, this apartment would go for 3 grand nowadays . . .
88 Orchard is my favorite coffee shop in the Lower East Side. It's way too cool for me but it's so cute and a great place to people watch. Across the street is the famous Gus Pickles. If you're into pickles, this is your jam.
There are a lot of little shops all the way down this street that are hipster (like the vegan footware store) but maintain the theme or aesthetic of what they used to be. Sweet Paradise Lounge is a great example. It used to be a confectionary store and has retained all of the candy aesthetic.

Division Street runs into Chinatown and has largely been influenced by it's proximity to the area. A lot of Chinese take-out restaurants can be located in the area, most offer delivery which is nice for people who live in the area, however the entire street seems to be overshadowed by the Manhattan Bridge. Some people seem to enjoy being near the bridges but Division street runs right under it and it's just a bit too much in my opinion.

This street seems to be having a bit of an identity crisis – on the south side, its full of brightly coloured Chinese shops and restaurants, while on the north it has nondescript brown brick buildings, the only thing sticking out being the parking signs. It goes underneath the Manhattan Bridge, and even under the bridge, the Chinese have their shops, at least on the south side.

On the Orchard Street,theres a museum located in an actual tenement, is dedicated to interpreting and preserving the history
What a nice change from the more well known and bigger museums. The Tenement Museum was interesting, well run and really let you 'step into' the past. when you step into the building on Orchard, the space will overwhelm you. Explore the lots of great shops and restaurants. Try one of the great knishes at local Jewish/Yiddish bakeries.

This is a fairly long stretch of road with a large variety of things to do. Lots of shops and food places. The selections range from parts of Chinatown to some parts of the Jewish community. A pretty good area if you are wanting a change of pace. I certainly wouldn't call it upscale, but it is still a nice place to shop for all the shop til you droppers.

I've been living of of Orchard St between Canal and Hester for about a year now. It varies wildly from N Orchard between Delancey and Houston. It really rowdy up there, lots of fun if you like to go out and don't mind a hip party crowd Thurs-Sat.

Down towards my ends it's really quiet. I was amazed actually that in the middle of downtown there is this peaceful block just a short walk from Soho/Chinatown/ Little Italy/ LES/ and the East Village. There's Chinese food everywhere, but you've got to be picky. Wing Shun and Congee Village are winners, but be ware of empty ones. There's also good french, midrange Swedish, and the farther up Orchard you go the fancier and pricier food gets. Don't miss Brown! they're awesome for brunch. Pathmark and Fine Fare are nearby but I prefer going to the Essex Market which has an awesome Butcher, Jeffery, or the new Whole Foods which will open on Houston & Allen tomorrow.

There are 3 Chinese karaoke bars on my block. It might be intimidating but after a few Tsingtao's you'll be raring to go. Make sure to cheer for them and they'll cheer for you. Sweet Paradise and Clandestino are decent neighborhood bars. There are plenty of well trafficked bars in LES so no worries. $21.50 for a case of Tsingtao at the dollar store.

My only complaint of the area is that the apts are small ex-tenements. Which should be expected, it's the LES after all. Also, towards the south end it definitely doesn't feel like my neighborhood. I'm just a brown kid in a chinese hood.