East Village and the Lower East Side

The high concept of "La Bohème meets hipsters in vintage clothing," better known as the musical Rent, accurately pegs the East Village as a community of artists, activists, and other social dissenters. Spend some time wandering these bohemian side streets, and you'll be struck by the funky pastiche of ethnicities whose imprints are visible in the neighborhood's restaurants, shops, and, of course, people. A smattering of painted walls and hookah bars belie the area's radical roots.

Another defining point in the neighborhood's history, American punk was born here at the now-defunct CBGB; the punk rock/indie scene is kept alive at the many small music venues both here and on the Lower East Side. A walk along the lively but somewhat homogenized St. Mark's Place will evoke this once-gritty and counter-culture scene. But the arrival of a Trader Joes and several glass-and-chrome condos signal a tamer neighborhood has taken hold.

The Lower East Side, the historic "Gateway to America" for many seeking a better life, has seen waves of Irish, German, Jewish, Hispanic, and Chinese immigrants: a legacy of tough times and survival instincts that has been movingly captured in the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Today a cool arts and nighttime scene, some distinctively modern high-rises, and the ultracontemporary New Museum exist alongside buildings and cultural centers staunchly rooted in the past.