Stanton St, Lower East Side

Stanton starts off really strong and creepy: at an African burial ground from the 18th century that was turned into a children's playground some time after the bodies were "moved" uptown. Sidenote: the bodies are never moved in this city, so tons of little kids play on top of a cemetery. How's that for a horror film? But, just a quick jaunt down from creeptown are two of my favorite spots in the Lower East side. Meatball shop and Epstein's Bar are both on Stanton at Allen Street. Meatball went up last year and is perpetually packed with hipsters and LES visitors alike chowing down on some of the most delicious (and inexpensive) meatballs ever. And, Epstein's bar is a lively, though fratty on the weekends, bar directly next door. You barely have to move for an entire night of fun if you start on this corner. Just down the block, at Orchard, is a dive bar called Arlene's Grocery that has karaoke on monday with a live band. They can play just about any song and this night is wildly fun and insanely crowded. You can't not go to Arlene's Grocery if you're in the LES on a monday. Or, at least, you have to go once.
As you go further down Stanton it gets a little sketchy -- although, apparently, both Leonard Cohen and Marlon Brando lived at Attorney when it was far sketchier than it is now. My sister lived at Stanton and Attorney, and it's definitely a little grittier down there. The apartments are small and grimey for the most part but the street is definitely becoming more peppered with new, expensive buildings by the second. Stanton is one of the best streets to live on the LES if you're young and into grit and hipsterdom. It's got a little bit of edge, but it's pretty safe now because there are so many people on the streets all day every day. I love Stanton for a night out but it's a little too loud and rowdy for living for me. And, though, the neighborhood is way more expensive than it was 5 years ago because of its new restaurant and nightlife scene, you can still find places that are even cheaper than Williamsburg on Stanton. You just really have to look