The new world order, at least on the LES

Do you remember the Iglesia Pentecostal Arca De Salvacion (above) at the corner of Houston and Suffolk? Well, here's all that's left of it.




Wow, that seemed quick. (I'm told the church moved to a new location.) I haven't heard yet what's going in here. I'm sure something useful and new and different. As I mentioned Sunday, Vasmay Lounge has moved from the other side of Houston and Suffolk to Essex Street. More change is expected on the relatively quiet Suffolk Street. One resident told me they are waiting to be bought out by their landlord, who plans on selling the old tenement building. And what became of those Starbucks-to-Suffolk-and-Stanton rumors? (Based on what I read and what people told me, Starbucks was opening on every street corner in the LES. And is Starbucks even expanding these days?)

I thought about this as I crossed Houston onto Avenue B, where the name of this newish store on Avenue B between Houston and 2nd Street really hit me.

A Win Won situation

I continued my walk around the construction-filled Fulton Street area in search of small shops surviving (or not) in the shadow of development hell.

I came across the Win Won Chinese restaurant that sits on Liberty Place just off of Maiden Lane. At least I think it's the Win Won. Hard to tell with Liberty Place closed for construction.

To access the Win Won, you simply need to mosey down this inviting-looking passageway.


I stopped by a little before noon. No one was dining inside, where you're treated to a view of darkness and construction debris. The place seems to do a healthier delivery business.


For the record, I ventured further down the sidewalk to check out this other store front. Not much going on. The front door was open that led to a small hallway. I didn't stick around.



In any event, sure, the Win Won isn't the greatest Chinese restaurant that ever existed, but it's certainly serviceable. More important, though, it's an inexpensive alternative to an area now catering to a more upscale market. With more and more condos going up, this area caters to the yunnies. Witness the openings in the last year of more familiar white-bread chains on Maiden Lane, including yet another Subway, Papa John's, Chipotle and one of those expensive custom salad places. Meanwhile, the mom-and-pop places for non-executive-type workers are seemingly becoming scarce.

For now, the Win Won continues to operate while the 20-story Wyndham Garden Hotel at 20 Maiden Lane inches skyward. This one is a doozy: The hotel is L-shaped and wraps around three low-rise buildings that sit on the corner of Maiden and Nassau.

These shots by Lofter1 on Wired New York provide a better look.