18. The Lower East FiDi

These are not the nightlife-mad streets of the Lower East Side (and, let’s be honest, they never will be), but just about every buttoned-up lane to the south of Frank Gehry’s undulating 8 Spruce Street tower feels like it’s ready to blow off some steam. Already, beer geeks can sample exotic flights at the newly renovated Porterhouse Brewing Company at Fraunces Tavern, while the cocktail cognoscenti are buzzing over the unnamed bar at 90 Broad to be opened by Death & Co.’s David Kaplan this summer. Cult food favorites like Baoguette (9 Maiden Ln.) and Luke’s Lobster (26 S. William St.) are snapping up storefronts, joining Starbucks-trumping newcomers like Crêpes du Nord (17 S. William St.) and Fika espresso bar (66 Pearl St.). And because not everyone wants to rent a Gehry, there are more than 300 active real-estate listings in the area, including new condos on John, Broad, and Pine Streets.

18. The Lower East FiDi