Second Avenue and Houston Street — © Brian Rose

There are not many places in New York where you look directly up or down one of the avenues–without standing in the street, of course. When the Whole Foods mega supermarket opened a couple of years ago at the foot of Second Avenue, it was a game changing event for the neighborhood. I leave it to you to decide whether it was a boon or the utter fall of civilization on the Lower East Side.

Whatever the case, the view up Second Avenue from the tables on the second floor is great, especially at dusk.