Lower East Side sees renaissance

Until fairly recently, the Lower East Side “possessed the greatest number of groggeries, flophouses, clip joints, brothels, fire sales, rigged auctions, pawnbrokers, dime museums, shooting galleries, dime-a-dance establishments, fortune-telling and lottery agencies, thieves markets and tattoo parlors, as well as second and third rate theaters.” Now, The Sun’s Michael Stoler says, a building boom has led to an economic revival in the area. more [Sun]