The Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side
NY – As Lower Manhattan struggles to recover post Sandy, there’s no better time to plan a visit to discover something new there, and it’s even better if it’s actually something genuinely old. One destination well worth exploring is the Tenement Museum. Built in 1863, the building housed nearly 7000 working class immigrants in its apartment units – oh if those walls could only talk! There are several ways to experience all that the museum has to offer, but all must be via a guided tour. You can take a tour of the impeccably restored apartments at 97 Orchard, enjoy a Walking Tour of the neighborhood or opt to “Meet the Residents,” in which you have a chance to talk with costumed interpreters who can answer questions about what life was like when they “lived” there (this is esp great for families). No matter how you spend your time on Orchard Street, you’ll leave with a new appreciation for all immigrants and a strong reminder of just how rich our history is in NYC.
Clinton Street Baking Company & Restaurant
Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, put your name on the list at Clinton Street Baking Company and Restaurant and wait for one of their few but highly coveted tables. Trust us — and the rest of NYC — the hour plus wait is well worth it at this tiny joint praised by everyone from Travel and Leisure Magazine to Martha Stewart. Order the world famous blueberry pancakes (voted twice by New York Magazine as the best in the city) and side of biscuits. And be prepared for a celebrity siting – after all, they need to eat too.
If you want less of a sit down meal, there are a few other destinations that must be on your radar, starting with the coffee shop/gallery with the So Cal beach vibe, Lost Weekend, or the historic culinary destination Essex Street Market or best of all, the bootleg cupcakes at Prohibition Bakery - yes, it’s exactly like it sounds.
Prohibition Bakery’s Saucy Cupcakes
When it comes to these cupcakes, whether you choose the Mojito, the Margarita, the Old Fashioned or the Pretzels and Beer, follow our advice and just make it a double!
