stepping through the gateway- about me and the neighborhood

The Lower East Side, for me, encompasses some of the best aspects of New York City. It is a center of city history, and has more recently become a destination for nightlife and shopping. I hope to cover it all—the cultural, the trendy, and the conflict between the two.

The Lower East Side is my beat for this semester, forcing me to explore it more than I ever would have otherwise. In order to follow the area closely, I have been assigned to create this blog. Here, I plan to chronicle the news and events that occur this semester, and if I like the whole blogging thing, maybe those that happen after the semester closes.

Although I have only spent a short amount of time in the area so far, I have already made a mental list of places I want to go to eat, shop, and gallivant. When I scrounge together the funds (if ever) I will revamp my wardrobe in vintage LES. style at Frock on Orchard Street and Marmalade on Ludlow Street. I will then wear out my new duds while traversing the music scene. Arlene’s Grocery, the Rockwood Music Hall, the Bowery Ballroom, and the Cake Shop are just a sampling of venues I hope to attend within the coming months.

Being a native of Philadelphia, the nation’s first capital, I also want to learn more about the history of one of the city’s first neighborhoods. I grew up appreciating the historical buildings of Philadelphia for all the defining moments that took place within them. I wouldn’t want any of the Lower East Side’s rich cultural past to disappear and so am very interested in the ongoing efforts to preserve historic buildings and curb commercialization.

My senior year of high school, I decided that I wouldn’t be happy living anywhere but New York City, because of many of the same traits that give the Lower East Side its character. I came to NYU where I am now a sophomore majoring in journalism and French. I have loved almost every minute of it thus far.

I have written for the Washington Square News, NYU's student newspaper. Aside from a brief internship contributing to The Inside Scoop on seekingdesigners.com, I am just breaking into the blogging world. Hopefully, I grow to like it as much as the neighborhood I’m covering.