looking for advice from lower east side locals

[confidant]

>> i'm moving to new york in december. i'll be living on rivington between allen and eldridge. i'm very familiar with the superfuture spots in the neighborhood, but i'm looking for advice on some of the essential, more boring things, like the best places for groceries, laundry, dry cleaning, cheap eats, happy hour specials, etc. any tips would be great. thanks.

[SOME_DAY]

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[Yakboy Equals Nurturer]

I lived on Chrystie between Stanton and Rivington up until a few years ago. Great neighborhood. It's changed a lot in recent years but has managed to maintain plenty of character. (I think about moving back whenever I'm in a taxi on the Manhattan bridge late at night but couldn't face giving up the space I have in Brooklyn.) There are a few delis / bodegas around that don't overcharge too badly (seeing as they still cater to the people who've been living in the neighborhood for longer than 5 years) for basic groceries. Go to the Key Food at 4th and A for weekly shopping (or just use Fresh Direct). There's a great place on the corner of Delancy and Chrystie for laundry and dry-cleaning. They don't have a pick-up / delivery service, but they're friendly, cheap, do a great job if you drop off and never lost a sock on me. Food places that I remember fondly are Katz's Deli and Yonah Schimmels' on Houston, Sal's pizza on Stanton and Orchard, Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop on Rivington, the Ravioli Company on Grand St…Just wonder around the area on a weekday afternoon and you'll find enough places to keep you trying stuff out for a month...

Oh, and if you're a beer drinker, stock up at the distributors on Chrystie btw. Rivington and Delancy. They're open until 8 or 9 Monday through Friday, have an amazing selection and are about half as cheap as any deli.

Edited by Yakboy Equals Nurturer on Nov 7, 2005 at 12:40 PM