50 Bowery

The Bowery’s evolution has been under way for a long time, and the gradual upscaling of this once-legendary skid row has finally reached Chinatown. 50 Bowery is a statement; this glass tower, standing tall above its low-rise neighbors, is a brand new hotel from an established boutique-hotel brand. Joie de Vivre is known on the West Coast for a sunny, optimistic vibe, and it’s clear from a glance that it’s a style that’s perfectly at home in New York City.

Rooms come with luxe touches like rain showers and well-stocked honor bars, and the views, thanks to the building’s low-slung surroundings, are extraordinary — Lower Manhattan is compact, so from Chinatown you’re looking out over the Lower East Side, the Financial District, SoHo, Little Italy, and plenty of Brooklyn to boot, as the Manhattan Bridge is right at your feet. And the flip side of those views is plentiful sunlight in the rooms, which is always a welcome addition.

Speaking of views, they don’t get better than at The Crown, the rooftop bar with a street food–inspired menu. And there are more restaurants and bars on the way — it’s early days yet for 50 Bowery, but they’ve got a pan-Asian restaurant and a parlor lounge in the works.