Lower East Side

“Authentic New York” are the words most often used to describe the Lower East Side, a historically Jewish enclave and, currently, a culinary mecca?from the legendary Katz’s Delicatessen to Dirt Candy, helmed by the first vegetarian chef on Iron Chef?with a very robust nightlife scene. Blocks of brick tenements that have been updated and renovated stand shoulder to shoulder with shiny new condo buildings, many with views of two bridges and Brooklyn beyond. The Tenement Museum speaks to the neighborhood’s past, while the New Museum looks ahead. Several dozen galleries, smaller and more welcoming than their uptown counterparts, now populate storefronts in the area, and most are open on Sundays.