‘LES is More’ Spins Tales of the Lower East Side’s Past
This image has been archived or removed.
It certainly feels like the Lower East Side is slipping through the proverbial fingers and into the pockets of the more affluent, despite best efforts. Over the past few years, grassroots organizations have sprung up to combat greedy slumlords, battle nightlife juggernauts, and to save the precious few landmarks that tie the glitzy future to an understated, yet significant LES past.
Connecting in the face of adversity is certainly an effective way to become more tightly knit, but recently there has been a significant uptick in neighborhood community outreach by way of celebration. Of particular note is the Five Boro Story Project’s “LES Is More: Stories of Growing up on the Lower East Side.” The event promises to paint a picture of the LES of yesteryear, with coming-of-age tales shared by Dom Ferraro, Jan Lee, Will Lee, Ray Munoz, Eljon Wardally, and Royal Young.
LES Is More” invites you to come on a journey through Lower East Side history with tales of childhood in a place densely packed with history and humanity, bustling with danger and adventure, and find out why growing up on the LES is more fun – and has been through the decades!
Featured speakers are notable Lower East Siders representing everywhere from Alphabet City to Chinatown to Little Italy to the East Village. They will tell personal stories about their experiences coming of age on the Lower East Side. Following the storytelling will be a musical performance from the Bowery Birds, and an open mic inviting everyone to share their stories and memories of the LES.
The event is tonight, from 7 – 9:30pm at City Lore (on 1st & 1st). More info can be found here.
LES Is More is the fifth installment in the Neighborhood Portrait Series, commissioned by The Laundromat Project‘s Create ChangeProgram. This event is presented in conjunction with City Lore.
Recent Stories
Bird Watching on the Lower East Side this Weekend
Binoculars at the ready! This weekend, the Urban Park Rangers from the Department of Parks and Recreation are hosting a birding session on the Lower East Side. The Rangers will guide enthusiasts of all levels to the best spots in the neighborhood, and the city at large, to catch fall migratory birds in action. Bring […]
Bank of America Plants itself Beside Destroyed Sunshine Cinema
With a commercial office building rising on the ashes of the Sunshine Cinema, it’s no wonder that a retail bank is moving in next door. Bank of America is planting itself in the long-fallow shop at the southwest corner of East Houston and Eldridge Streets. Work permits on file with the Department of Buildings give […]
Essex Market Shut Down for Private Maker’s Mark Event, Leaving Locals Confused [Updated]
The following guest post was written by Joshua Cohen, a Lower East Side resident and patron of Essex Market. I think the Essex Market, generally speaking, has been a great model for public-private partnerships. But last night, the Market hosted a private event for Maker’s Mark whiskey, where the local community’s interested were certainly not […]
T-Mobile is Closing its Delancey Street Store
Lots of retail turnover on Delancey Street this month. Earlier this week, we broke news of Rainbow’s imminent departure from the thoroughfare after more than a decade in the neighborhood. Today, it’s the loss of another corporate footprint. Though, one with arguably less utility. The eleven-year-old T-Mobile outpost, essentially an advertising expense for the wireless […]
Speed Cameras Installed on Pike Street
As part of the city’s push to capitalize on pedal-heavy motorists, new speed zones and cameras are proliferating. The latest in the neighborhood is outside Rutgers Houses on Pike Street. The camera box installation appeared within the last couple weeks, affixed to a lamppost between Cherry and Madison Streets. As with other locations, when the […]
