Essex St Between Grand St and Canal St

This short block is mostly empty on the east side, and mostly awesome on the west side. Containing such LES staples like The Pickle Guys (which is sadly closing up and moving to Brooklyn very soon), there's a distinct feeling of time travel around here. I don't think any of the buildings on this block rise above four or five stories, while across the street you have some taller apartments in the distance. The lower half here, past Hester Street, is home to Seward Park - which seems unfortunately named if you ask me.

I think most of my fascination here stems from the great myriad of locally-owned storefronts which line the block. Ranging from rundown to over-the-top, it's really great to see the variety. The end of the block is just a mess of streets – including Rutgers, Essex, Canal, East Broadway and Division St – which all come to a head here. I found myself wondering which way to walk next.

Comments

[Bridgette Von Vertigo]

I would name my next child Zelig....