Lower East Side

The Lower East Side has been the entry point of every wave of immigrants to New York since the 1880s. Germans. Irish. Russian Jews. Italians. Dominicans. Chinese. Bangladeshis. Each community left a layer — some of them still thriving, some preserved only in a deli or a walkup you'd miss without a guidebook. Today it's a strange and wonderful mix: 130-year-old pastrami shops next to natural wine bars next to music venues that book the best acts in the city.

**Walk:** Start at Katz's Delicatessen (Houston & Ludlow) for lunch. Walk south on Orchard to find the Tenement Museum and the Essex Market food hall. Keep going to Delancey for Rivington Street — home to Pianos, Arlene's Grocery, and a dozen other music venues. End at Seward Park for a quiet moment and a view back up through the neighborhood.

**What makes it special:** Layers. History sits directly next to youth. You can eat a smoked-fish sandwich at Russ & Daughters that tastes the same as it did in 1914, then walk two blocks and watch a 23-year-old band play their first show.

**Eat & drink:** Katz's, Russ & Daughters, Clinton St. Baking Co. (brunch), Apothéke (speakeasy), Pianos (live music).