Back HomeIn the Neighborhood: Lower East Side
50 Bowery rendering via The Low-Down
Nov. 16
50 Bowery
Jonathan Chu is realizing a “multigenerational vision.” The Chinatown developer told The Lo-Down that building this 22-story Joie de Vivre hotel at 50 Bowery has been in the making since his grandfather bought the site in the ‘70s.
Neighborhood residents regard 50 Bowery as a place of historic significance, being home to 18th century Bull’s Head Tavern and Atlantic Garden, an 1860s German beer hall. Development manager David Ho is assessing the possibility to implement artifacts uncovered from the project’s excavation, such as a cistern and Atlantic Garden bricks, into the hotel’s infrastructure.
Dedicating Joie de Vivre’s second floor to the Museum of Chinese in America exhibitions and a public gathering space, Chu explains that this project will open the door between second and third generation Chinese Americans who are increasingly welcoming interaction with external ethnic groups and tourists.
“It’s an iconic location,” Chu says of 50 Bowery, “[This project] puts Chinatown on the map in a way that it hasn’t been in a long time.”
Lowline Lab via Curbed
Lowline Lab
Since 2008, Dan Barasch and James Ramsey have been building Lowline Lab, an inventive garden space meant to serve as a prototype for the city’s first underground park on Essex Street in the Lower East Side.
Growing thousands of plant varieties, from moss to baby pineapples, through a process akin to channeling sunlight through multiple mediums, the installation is expected to support the actual Lowline park’s technology upon its debut in 2020.
Lowline Lab opened its doors to the public in October.
Yunan BBQ via Timeout
Yunan BBQ
On Sept. 22, Yunnan BBQ (formerly Yunnan Kitchen) debuted on the Lower East Side, between Clinton and Rivington Street.
Erika Chou and chef Doron Wong have infused Yunnan province-inspired dishes, like BBQ pork chao shao, into a small plate, BBQ establishment popular with the locals.
One Yelp reviewer notes, “Unlike many Chinese joints, Yunan successfully combines cool, comfortable décor with pleasant, friendly service, and most importantly, fist pump-worthy food.”
Written by Alexandra Gámez New York
