Little Italy and NoLIta are pocket neighborhoods carved out of the larger area that was once known simply as the Lower East Side. Made up of small streets, some intersecting at odd angles, Little Italy and NoLIta (short for "North of Little Italy") are home to lots of excellent little storefronts and restaurants, with a mix of longtime New Yorkers and trendy newcomers living in the apartments upstairs. Old and new New York mix quite visibly here—elderly women are still to be found sitting outside their buildings, chatting in Italian, even as young and affluent residents have gentrified neighborhoods that were once a mass of crowded tenements.

Today, Chinatown is beginning to edge further into Little Italy, but the neighborhood still remains distinct, with groceries selling Italian delicacies and its annual, popular Feast of San Gennaro, which celebrates the patron saint of Naples. Whether you're looking for a hipster hangout or freshly made mozzarella, Little Italy and its posh neighbor, NoLIta, offer some of the best food and shopping in the City. —Claire Lui