The Ludlow: the latest hip addition to the Lower East Side

Published in The Independent on November 22, 2014

Named after its buzzing street on the Lower East Side, this new hotel is built up to 20 floors on top of a much older warehouse. Ludlow Street may have an old institution flagging its corner – Katz’s Deli, of “I’ll have what she’s having” of When Harry Met Sally fame – but along its length, swish apartment blocks, hotels and restaurants are sprouting above and around the shabby-chic, fire escape-clad tenement buildings that define the neighbourhood.

New York hotelier Sean MacPherson – who has form with hip establishments such as the Marlton and the Bowery – has got in on the act, opening The Ludlow with partners Ira Drukier and Richard Born this summer. The 184-room hotel may be a big new build, but it’s cannily tapped into the area’s vibe, blending the artfully dishevelled with contemporary chic. Continue reading “The Ludlow: the latest hip addition to the Lower East Side”