Lafayette St, Chinatown

Lafayette Street is a major thoroughfare, in Both directions. The section down by Leroy Square is especially interesting, and really nice to stop in. It bottoms out around City Hall. A new public space was just finished below Spring Street, which is just another addition to Lafayette street's bevy of public spaces it straddles. Lafayette also has a great bike lane which is only occasionally blocked by FedEx.

Lafayette street is not a typical glitsy New York street, its quiter and some who can only appreciate the abvious would even call it boring. But if you have an open mind and spirit you will find this street anything but boring, this street is centrally located and it seems to cater to the people that live there. It is full of off the cuff and out of the box shops, one of my favorite shopping areas, but it is not for those who are looking for famous brand names or upscale shopping. Its a transition street and its clean and very quite at night.

This street is situated right in the heart of so much that is good in New York that it can be a great resting spot and its easy access to so many subway spots make it popular but for us, the real highlight came in the form of the Gospel Brunch which was on when we visited one Sunday. Combining food with great singing and a spiritual vibe is an ideal way to do something different with your time in New York and if you get the chance stop on by for a little uplifting time. And if you want a little more variety, Joes Pub is a bit more comfortable whilst Dominion with its burlesque shows is not too far away either.

I’m familiar with Lafayette St mostly because it was home to my local Crunch (the gym), and also because if you turn off of Lafayette onto 4th Street, you come across Other Music (which sometimes hangs a banner outside of their shop, and sometimes leaves themselves relatively unmarked) between Lafayette and Broadway. If you’re into Indie music, then you’ve already heard of Other Music (like how members of Animal Collective used to work there) – so if you’re visiting you have to check it out.

Lafayette St runs from Centre St to Astor Place. It is mostly an anonymous street crossing the Financial District, Chinatown and the East Village. I usually go there for ‘practical’ reasons: Taking the subway, buying wine at the Astor Wine and Spirits, which has daily offers, and sometimes to the Joe’s Bar. If you live around the corner, then it is a street that you cross from time to time, but definitely not one of the best in New York

If this is your number one reason for wanting to live in one block below Canal Street, I wouldn’t recommend it. Situated on the cusp of Chinatown and right above the Financial District, Lafayette street is the place to live in if you don’t want any activity around you after 8.30pm, save for the faraway echoes of traffic jams on Canal st.
Lafayette Street is a great place to visit, an even better place to get on the street knockoffs, and probably one of the best places to have roach run over your foot. Although it has fantastic access to the subways on Canal Street, and is within close proximity to all of Chinatown’s noodle houses and supermarkets, it is not necessarily such a great place to live. The street itself is constantly kept up, meaning that it is a bit of a bumpy ride to drive on. Furthermore, the sidewalk matches the condition of the street with cracks and neat piles of chewing gum.
The block below Canal st, in particular, is home to of The City’s most visited soup kitchens/rehabilitation houses. The plus side is of course, the dumpling shop across the street. Almost everything on this block closes early, and there is always traffic. Finding the nearest Duane Reade that is open past 8.30pm requires a nice little trek through Canal Street. The street itself is also quite dirty. Living here I shared my apartment not only with four other women, but also something like 300 bugs, per month. So unless you want to include monthly visits from pest control, I don’t recommend living here.
On the plus side, it is relatively affordable compared to many other areas in the city, but if you’re already looking in Chinatown, you might as well look into Brooklyn or Queens—you’ll have more space.