Norfolk St, Lower East Side

Norfolk starts off with all kinds of public spaces at Houston and it seems like it's going to be a pretty lackluster street. There's a playground, a church and a school all on one block. And, it's weird because they're all at Houston and I always get freaked out when I see a school on a street that's that busy. But, the street starts to pick up (and then tones down again) at Rivington. Schiller's, one of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood and it's right on the corner. The food isn't to die for, but it's just so cool that you really don't care. Across from Schillers, there are two of the craziest looking apartment buildings in the city. They're way too funky for me but I guess some people like them because the units are pretty expensive. If you're into bizarre architecture, you can't miss these two buildings. There's also a sandwich shop, a donut shop and a few more bars on this block.
The rest of the street is residential, schools, a synagogue, etc, but the few blocks of bars and restaurants pack a lot of punch. Plus, the quieter parts of the street make it an easy to live on. There's fun but it's also not crazy loud and packed like other LES streets such as Ludlow.

Anyone who still associates the Lower East Side primarily with tenements and immigration will be surprised to see the changes that have been wrought on the so-called "LES" over the past few decades: this isn't your history class's Lower East Side. While the district's ethnic, working-class, and Jewish roots are still partially evident: there are still the weekend sales of cloth and linens at Orchard Street, and the occasional pastrami sandwich is to be had at one of the neighborhood's holdout delis (or Norfolk Street's Remedy Diner). But kosher delis are far less common on the ground than trendy cocktail bars: Norfolk Street's The Back Room, a 1920's-style "hidden" speakeasy is emblematic of the realm, as are more visible next door neighbors The Tonic and Nurse Betties. Likewise, Norfolk Street is short on tenement housing, but long on style: the Blue Condominium at number 105 is one of the city's most prestigious addresses, with an architecturally inventive blue-glass building that plays host to several of the city's arty intelligentsia. Not as inexpensive - or as homey - as it used to be, but the LES still manages to maintain a decidedly authentic vibe.