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"everything lofts"
The Lower East Side, bounded by Houston Street, the Bowery, and the East River, was first densely populated by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe in the 19th century. Like Little Italy, the culture and flavor remain in the form of kosher markets and restaurants, yeshivas, and synagogues throughout the area. At the same time, young apartment seekers looking for proximity to the East Village and Soho have contributed to the gentrification of the area.
A new generation of shops and boutiques have been springing up on the longtime no-nonsense bargain-shopping strip on Orchard Street, where people from everywhere still flock on Sundays to hunt designer clothing and bags, Parisian funk and British knits. Manufacturing space above these stores has been converted to housing that can sometimes be pricey.
Trendy restaurants like Baby Jupiter and clubs such as the Mercury lounge on East Houston Street offer entertainment to the new generation populating converted tenements on Rivington and Clinton Streets. South of Delancey, less expensive housing can be found in an area where young Jewish Orthodox families are returning to their roots.
East of Essex Street is an area with a Latino flavor, and the retailers, restaurants, and travel agents on Clinton Street provide a central shopping area for this section of Lower East Side.