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Alphabet City, Manhattan: Loisaida's Community Gardens

Alphabet City, New York

Pictures from Alphabet City

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La Plaza Cultural B Street Community Garden Avenue C, Loisaida Festival

Alphabet City is named for Avenues A, B, C, and D — the only single-letter avenues in Manhattan, laid out by the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 to cover the bulge of land east of First Avenue. The nickname itself only emerged around 1980, popularized by real-estate marketing, while Spanish-speaking residents had long called the area "Loisaida." The neighborhood first developed in the 1820s and '30s as a shipbuilding district, then became the heart of Kleindeutschland, or Little Germany, from the 1850s until the community collapsed after the 1904 sinking of the steamship General Slocum. From the 1960s, Puerto Rican and Nuyorican residents made the eastern blocks the center of "Loisaida" — a name coined in Bimbo Rivas's 1974 poem — and the Nuyorican literary movement grew out of that community, alongside a fierce tradition of community gardens built on reclaimed vacant lots.

  1. A museum of the neighborhood's squatting and community-garden history, with weekend walking tours.

  2. The Gothic Revival townhouse where Charlie Parker lived from 1950 to 1954, viewable from the street.

  3. A volunteer-run community garden and events space founded in 1976.

  4. A nonprofit community garden open weekend afternoons from April through October.

  5. An acclaimed Avenue A burger spot facing Tompkins Square Park.

  6. A neighborhood institution since 1974, known for egg creams and soft serve.

  7. Manhattan's first Serbian restaurant, with a prix fixe menu and natural-wine events.

From Shipyards to Loisaida

Alphabet City's East River blocks began as a shipbuilding and ship-repair district in the 1820s and '30s, with yards lining the waterfront by the early 1840s. German immigration from the 1850s made the area part of Kleindeutschland, the third-largest German-speaking urban community after Vienna and Berlin, until the community collapsed after the General Slocum steamship sank in June 1904, killing more than 1,000 German-American residents. From the 1960s onward, Puerto Rican and Nuyorican residents remade the eastern avenues into "Loisaida" — a name coined in Bimbo Rivas's 1974 poem, rendering "Lower East Side" in Nuyorican pronunciation — and the Nuyorican literary movement grew out of this community. That era also produced the neighborhood's community gardens: La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez, founded in 1976, and the 6th & B Garden, established in 1983, both survive today as living pieces of the Loisaida garden movement.

Getting there by subway

No subway line runs inside Alphabet City itself. The closest stations are the L train at First Avenue on the north edge — whose Avenue A entrances were built specifically to serve Alphabet City — and the F train at Second Avenue and Houston Street on the south edge, which has a full-time entrance at First Avenue. Expect a walk of several blocks from either station to reach the avenues.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Alphabet City by subway?
No line runs inside the neighborhood. Use the L train at First Avenue on the north edge (its Avenue A entrances were built for Alphabet City) or the F train at Second Avenue-Houston Street on the south edge, then walk several blocks east.
Where does the name Alphabet City come from?
It's named for Avenues A, B, C, and D — the only single-letter avenues in Manhattan. The nickname emerged around 1980 as real-estate marketing; Spanish-speaking residents had long called the area "Loisaida" instead.
What does "Loisaida" mean?
It's a Nuyorican-accented rendering of "Lower East Side," coined in Bimbo Rivas's 1974 poem "Loisaida." From the 1960s, Puerto Rican and Nuyorican residents made the neighborhood's eastern blocks the center of that identity.
Are Alphabet City's community gardens open to visitors?
Yes — La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez, founded in 1976, runs a public events calendar, and the 6th & B Garden, established in 1983, is open to visitors on weekend afternoons from April through October.
Where can I stay in Alphabet City?
No hotel or B&B could be verified within the neighborhood's boundaries (Avenue A to the East River, Houston Street to 14th Street); the nearest options sit just outside in the adjacent East Village and Lower East Side.

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