Brett Berk

The Lower East Side was the gateway to America for successive waves of immigrants in the 20th century. But while it was historically a neighborhood people wanted to move up and out of, it has, in the 21st century, become a hot spot that people want to move down and into. And though vendors' pushcarts no longer line its narrow streets, it maintains its status as a site of entrepreneurial incubation, as business owners raise the bar beyond its noted bar culture to open galleries, restaurants, markets and boutiques of all varieties. What do folks love about the LES? The Lower East Side was the gateway to America for successive waves of immigrants in the 20th century. But while it was historically a neighborhood people wanted to move up and out of, it has, in the 21st century, become a hot spot that people want to move down and into. And though vendors' pushcarts no longer line its narrow streets, it maintains its status as a site of entrepreneurial incubation, as business owners raise the bar beyond its noted bar culture to open galleries, restaurants, markets and boutiques of all varieties. What do folks love about the LES? Read on to find out. Wylie Dufresne, chef-owner, wd~50 "The Tailoring Room is a recent and welcome addition to the street. These people do great work at a reasonable price with a smile. They've altered a dress for my baby daughter, hemmed my chef pants, altered a dress shirt and sewn my cycling gloves—all done to perfection."The Tailoring Room, 42 Clinton St

The East Village may no longer be the affordable neighborhood that incubated) successive generations of creative types, like the Beat writers and poets of the '50s; the hippies, folksingers and Warhol superstars of the '60s; the experimental playwrights, videographers and punk rockers of the '70s; and the political and performance artists and drag divas of the '80s. It may even be unrecognizable to the folks who inspired Jonathan Larson's La bohme tribute, Rent, in the '90s. But it remains an iconoclastic, accepting, diverse and vibrant pocket of the city, anchored by an amazing variety of boutiques, bars, restaurants, theaters, musical venues and creative individuals Daniel Gallant, executive director, Nuyorican Poets Cafe "Of course, I love the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. I find myself more inspired by the work that goes on here than [at] any organization I've been to, and that was true even before I worked here. Stories that come from outside of my experience but were made more accessible to me than anywhere else. The directness, the raw truth you hear on the stage."Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 236 E 3rd St between Aves B and C (212-780-9386, nuyorican.org) "There's a group called Fourth Arts Block [FAB]. They started out [advocating for arts organizations] for East 4th Street, and they basically represent cultural institutions in the area—places like La MaMa, WOW Cafe, New York Theater Workshop, Millennium Film Workshop, that are all on East 4th Street—and they champion these groups.