Lower East Side today?

[aleksandrored]

A doubt guys, we always see talking about the Lower East Side in the 1920s, that immigrants will live there and there "gangsters" arose, but what is it like today? Is it a dangerous place with gangsters? does the mafia still exist there?

As I don't live in the USA I had this doubt.

Thank you in advance.

[slimshady_007]

Nowadays the Lower East Side is very gentrified and is not a ‘slum’ like it used to be.

[bert]

It's undergone numerous changes every decade or so, it's unrecognizable to people who visit after being away 15 years. Like anywhere else there might be less than a handful still living there, but I doubt even that.

[TommyShots]

A doubt guys, we always see talking about the Lower East Side in the 1920s, that immigrants will live there and there "gangsters" arose, but what is it like today? Is it a dangerous place with gangsters? does the mafia still exist there?

As I don't live in the USA I had this doubt.

Thank you in advance.

Nah, all of that is gone. There’s just a lot of restaurants & places where tourists go. Just like almost the entirety of Manhattan, only as you go up to Harlem Uptown that’s when it gets crazy.

[JeremyTheJew]

There's also two different LES.

there's alphabet city which is also called the east village where Lansky, Luciano etc grew up.

And then there's the real LES which is below Houston. Like Allen st (1st Ave below Houston)

At one point alphabet city was a pure heroin neighborhood.

And then the les like the Bowery was a pure punk rock culture also.

Not much MAFIA.

Puerto Rican mostly and black

[JeremyTheJew]

Oh wait I forgot it's 2020.

It's only hipsters.

Same with Williamsburg

[Flushing]

Petey Red's social club still exists, likely because there are a handful of Italians still living in Knickerbocker village. He's dead, but the club is still there.

A bonanno guy owns a pizza shop on Grand Street right outside of Knickerbocker Village. He was recently sued by a worker for witheld wages. That's all I remember.

This was the former 4th ward.

[Flushing]

Screenshot_20200510-184601.png

This guy has some of the best LES/Hell's Kitchen photo collections. His photos are encrypted so they aren't on Google.

weber-street-photography.com/tag/old-new-york

Also: there were other Italian sections of Manhattan besides Little Italy and Greenwich Village. There was the area around 1st Avenue and 10th Street, where Luciano was born, Lanza's restaurant was, Venieros pastry shop, derobertis pastry (Gambino joint), and John's. There is a great little mozzerella place on 10th Street (East village).

[Extortion]

Nowadays the Lower East Side is very gentrified and is not a ‘slum’ like it used to be.

That’s only partly true. Knickerbocker village and the true lower east side is all projects.

[Extortion]

Oh wait I forgot it's 2020.

It's only hipsters.

Same with Williamsburg

Also not entirely. Williamsburg is mostly gentrified but many old school joints still exist but as far as population, it’s mostly younger and gentrified. I used to live in Greenpoint so I know but people like to put labels on them neighborhoods but its only about 50%-70% accurate cause there are also minorities and hoods in east williamsburg by Bushwick but theres some old school joints on graham and withers

[Extortion]

There's also two different LES.

there's alphabet city which is also called the east village where Lansky, Luciano etc grew up.

And then there's the real LES which is below Houston. Like Allen st (1st Ave below Houston)

At one point alphabet city was a pure heroin neighborhood.

And then the les like the Bowery was a pure punk rock culture also.

Not much MAFIA.

Puerto Rican mostly and black

This is accurate. No mafia in that area.

[bert]

There's also two different LES.

there's alphabet city which is also called the east village where Lansky, Luciano etc grew up.

And then there's the real LES which is below Houston. Like Allen st (1st Ave below Houston)

At one point alphabet city was a pure heroin neighborhood.

And then the les like the Bowery was a pure punk rock culture also.

Not much MAFIA.

Puerto Rican mostly and black

This is accurate. No mafia in that area.

True, Derobertis closed a few years ago and while a few Gambinos were seen meeting there, it was never owned or run by them. Veniero's had a mob connection in the 1970's, then they changed over totally. I think Lanza's closed too. The only Italians around are elderly retirees, and tattoo wearing Bernie Sanders loving hipsters.

[Flushing]

Oh wait I forgot it's 2020.

It's only hipsters.

Same with Williamsburg

Also not entirely. Williamsburg is mostly gentrified but many old school joints still exist but as far as population, it’s mostly younger and gentrified. I used to live in Greenpoint so I know but people like to put labels on them neighborhoods but its only about 50%-70% accurate cause there are also minorities and hoods in east williamsburg by Bushwick but theres some old school joints on graham and withers

East Williamsburg still has a vestige of Italian. Fortunato Brothers, Bamonte's, the feast (which I guess is cancelled this year)

Who knows if any of these barely-hanging-on Italian neighborhoods will survive after covid.

[newera_212]

Oh wait I forgot it's 2020.

It's only hipsters.

Same with Williamsburg

Also not entirely. Williamsburg is mostly gentrified but many old school joints still exist but as far as population, it’s mostly younger and gentrified. I used to live in Greenpoint so I know but people like to put labels on them neighborhoods but its only about 50%-70% accurate cause there are also minorities and hoods in east williamsburg by Bushwick but theres some old school joints on graham and withers

East Williamsburg still has a vestige of Italian. Fortunato Brothers, Bamonte's, the feast (which I guess is cancelled this year)

Who knows if any of these barely-hanging-on Italian neighborhoods will survive after covid.

was pleasantly surprised, although not too surprised, to see Fortunato Brothers open right now during Covid. i passed by there last sunday morning and picked a bunch of shit up. not my favorite place but its still pretty good and ill support it every time im in that area. my uncle is friends with mario who apparently is a pretty good guy, and also a very rich guy. supposedly owns tons of buildings in williamsburg, including the building the bakery is in. he gutted an apartment in the building and turned it into a giant dining room to host dinners according to my uncle. pretty badass considering 1 bed apartments are renting over there for 2g’s a month easily.

as far as bakeries go i really like gian pietro in astoria. underrated, understated place...insane bread. also the bakery sal catalano owned in middle village is still open under a different name and is really good as well.

back to the LES, outside of the “recent arrivals” its probably the most diverse neighborhood in the USA. even now. between the mitchell lamas and projects, the old artists, the younger people with money, the chinese, old jews, etc... you got every type of person living down there. awesome neighborhood with a lot of history. if you think about it, if you’re 3rd gen irish american, italian american, puerto rican american, german american, etc,,. then theres a good chance you can trace your roots somewhere on your family tree to the LES / 4th ward. its an interesting place for sure

[Flushing]

Oh wait I forgot it's 2020.

It's only hipsters.

Same with Williamsburg

Also not entirely. Williamsburg is mostly gentrified but many old school joints still exist but as far as population, it’s mostly younger and gentrified. I used to live in Greenpoint so I know but people like to put labels on them neighborhoods but its only about 50%-70% accurate cause there are also minorities and hoods in east williamsburg by Bushwick but theres some old school joints on graham and withers

East Williamsburg still has a vestige of Italian. Fortunato Brothers, Bamonte's, the feast (which I guess is cancelled this year)

Who knows if any of these barely-hanging-on Italian neighborhoods will survive after covid.

was pleasantly surprised, although not too surprised, to see Fortunato Brothers open right now during Covid. i passed by there last sunday morning and picked a bunch of shit up. not my favorite place but its still pretty good and ill support it every time im in that area. my uncle is friends with mario who apparently is a pretty good guy, and also a very rich guy. supposedly owns tons of buildings in williamsburg, including the building the bakery is in. he gutted an apartment in the building and turned it into a giant dining room to host dinners according to my uncle. pretty badass considering 1 bed apartments are renting over there for 2g’s a month easily.

as far as bakeries go i really like gian pietro in astoria. underrated, understated place...insane bread. also the bakery sal catalano owned in middle village is still open under a different name and is really good as well.

back to the LES, outside of the “recent arrivals” its probably the most diverse neighborhood in the USA. even now. between the mitchell lamas and projects, the old artists, the younger people with money, the chinese, old jews, etc... you got every type of person living down there. awesome neighborhood with a lot of history. if you think about it, if you’re 3rd gen irish american, italian american, puerto rican american, german american, etc,,. then theres a good chance you can trace your roots somewhere on your family tree to the LES / 4th ward. its an interesting place for sure

I really need to get up to Astoria more often before it vanishes into the hipster ether.

Honorable mention: the last Italian business in Bushwick,.
Circo's Pastry Shop. Started in 1945. Survived the riots, the arsons and the Bonannos. I hope they survive covid because I've always wanted to try this place out. Photo attached:

Screenshot_20200511-001605~2.png