New York City diary part 2: best of the Lower East Side
I LOVE New York! On the first day the three of us walked all the way from Greenwich Village to SoHo (check part 1 here). On Hester street we walked through China Town until we crossed Chrystie Street. We’re in the Lower East Side the most raw neighbourhood of Manhattan. It’s home to many cool restaurants and designer boutiques. New York based blogger Bianca and my brother go to the LES a lot so I was very happy to discover this district with the ‘locals’.
A walk at the Lower East Side!
On the corner of Kenmare street. and Hester street we stop for a slow juice at the juice bar The Butcher’s Daughter. They have a cute terrace on the stoop and serve yummy sandwiches as well!
In the Lower East Side you see a lot of street art. I couldn’t agree more with the message of this guy :-). <3
The Lower East Side is home to some great designer boutiques. On Hester street we walk by Project no. 8 that looks really cool. At this designer store they sell gadgets And high end fashion from Dries van Noten.
They have this huge knitted pigeon for sale. So if you’re up for a new hobby this fall ;-).
Our second stop at the Lower East Side is Hester Street Fair. It’s a cool food and craft market at the park o the corner of Hester Street and Essex Street. It’s just a few stalls on the square. But that makes it more intimate. At the entrance it’s mainly jewelry and fashion while in the back it’s all about food.
We drink beers from the Green Point based brewery Torst. They opened up a cool restaurant too called Luksus. Hope we can get a reservation there later this week.
New York girls at Hester Street Fair. The crowd there is mixed with hipsters, tourists and people living in the LES. 
A tattooed lady DJ is spinning records at the fair. Perfect to listen to some tunes while we drink our beers :-).
At Hester Street Fair everything is organic. I always want to taste a bit of everything at food markets but I’m still a bit full from brunch. These carbonated soda’s with all natural ingredients are very refreshing!
It’s still early when we leave Hester Street Fair so we decide to walk down Essex street towards East Rivington street. There are many cool restaurants and bars there. It’s not so polished and clean as other parts of NY.
In Norfolk street (a side street of Rivington street) there’s a beautiful boutique called ZADEH selling unique pieces of a collective of designers. 
I had my eyes on this elegant and simple leather cuff. Too bad it’s way over my budget… I’d rather buy new shoes for that amount of money ;-). We walk all the way down to Clinton street and shop around a bit and make a reservation at Pig and Khao for the evening.
For drinks we go to the rooftop bar Hotel Chantelle on Ludlow street. Downstairs it’s all dark and mysterious but we decide to give it a try and go up to the roof!
Once upstairs at Hotel Chantelle we love this place immediately. It feels like a square in Paris! Cute bistrot style tables, classic street lanterns and lucky for us: happy hour!
In New York it gets dark around 7.30 pm so by the time we leave to go for dinner the rooftop is even more cosy with all the lights.
Next stop is Pig and Khao on 68 Clinton street for dinner. B. wrote a raving review about this place so I really wanted to go there together to check it out. I really like their logo… cool right?
Pig and Khao is a small restaurant with authentic Asian street style food. Here you don’t find lots of tourists yet, but mainly locals. We manage to get a table at the outdoor patio in the back of the restaurant :-). Nice since it’s still around 26 degrees!
I had a Porkslap last year at The Little Owl when I was in NY with my love. A trip to memory lane!
This is what I call a whole fish!! How cool if you serve it like this when you have a dinner party with friends? Nom nom nom!
After dinner we walk all the way from the Lower East Side to Crosby street in SOHO. We’re going for after dinner drinks to the rooftop bar at the Mondrian SOHO Hotel. This is such a beautiful hotel.. hope to sleep there and write about it one day :-). The rooftop bar at the Mondrian is accessible for everyone and does not have a strict door policy. Just ask for a stamp at the entrance and go to the elevators. From the Mondrian SOHO you have a great view over Manhattan! 
It’s been a looooong day so although this city never sleeps we decide to head home after a few cocktails. Tomorrow we’re going to Williamsburg :-).
PS: more hotspots are in my New York Little Black Book. A city guide to New York with the best restaurants, shops and things to do. Always new addresses coming up so check out your online Little Black Book daily for the latest gems I spotted!
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