The Lower East Side is home to immigrants from all over the world. Germans, Italians, Puerto Ricans, Jews, and Chinese are just a few of the ethnicities found in the neighborhood. From the pushcarts and the open markets to the newly emerging boutiques, popshops, and cozy cafes, The Lower East Side has a food culture that plays crucial role in the integration and economical support for these immigrants.
Here is a map of the Lower East Side, and small selection from the vast number of eateries in the neighborhood.
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During early 1900s the push carts reigned the streets of The Lower East Side. The push carts sold mainly fruits and vegetables, and it reminded the Jewish immigrants of their culture. However as time passed on the peddlers were often criticized for being unsanitary. The merchants believed that they were losing many of their customers from the squalor that the peddlers had created. In 1930s, during LaGuardia’s administration, the streets were cleaned from peddlers and they were relocated to indoor markets.
Similarly in the fiscal crisis of 1970s, the neighborhood was once again in a state of dilapidation. Many blocks on the streets were reduced to rubble as people vacated the place. Yet the people found a way to survive. The community gathered to change the abandoned blocks, and started growing gardens. Everything of daily use from tomato, to green pepper was grown on these gardens. Not only that, these gardens fostered a unity in the community, more interaction, and it enabled immigrants like the Puerto Ricans to effortlessly integrate into the society. However as the cost of living rose it became harder for these early immigrants to survive. Many very displaced in the process.
The most recent change in the neighborhood is a wave of gentrification that has caused a proliferation of new boutique eateries on The Lower East Side.
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