Who Doesn't Like Pasta? - Where to find innovative and mouth-watering pasta dishes in Lower Manhattan. The area that encompasses Lower Manhattan is diverse, to say the least. The neighborhoods of Soho, Chelsea, FiDi, Nolita, Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side offer discerning foodies a plethora of captivating and delicious choices. With a truly international rainbow of cuisines available to you, the only real problem is deciding which restaurant to visit ( or order from ) first .One of the oldest and most popular cuisines that you will find here is Italian. The first wave of immigrants from places like Naples and Sicily settled in Lower Manhattan way, way back in the 1890s. They brought with them food such as pizza and pasta. These dishes might have seemed a bit strange to the Irish, German, and Polish immigrants who had arrived on our shores a generation or two earlier, not to mention the descendants of the British colonists. What are these squiggly, long noodles with tomatoes on them, anyway? Well, as it turned out, the naysayers soon became converts, once they tasted just how good a plate of spaghetti and meatballs could be.

Within a couple of decades, give or take, the pizzerias and small cafes on Mulberry Street became a beacon for hungry New Yorkers, bored with the hearty but plain American fare that they were used to eating. Nowadays, you can find excellent pasta all over this great city of ours. But, Lower Manhattan still lays claim to some of the tastiest and most authentic pasta dishes you'll find anywhere. So, without any further hesitation, let's take a quick tour and discover pasta-centric restaurants that you should know about.

The Spaghetti Incident - Lower East Side

Tomato sauce, basil, great pasta and rock n' roll! What more could you want? Well, you'll find all that and a whole lot more within the exposed brick walls of The Spaghetti Incident. The warm hospitality, amazing food, and intimate lighting transport you to a trattoria on the rustic streets of a village in the Italian countryside. Brought to you by chef and owner Giovanni Gentile, this small thirty-five-seat pasta cafe is big on flavor. And where does rock and roll come in, you may well ask? The place is named after 80's rock legends Guns and Roses' iconic album The Spaghetti Incident.

In addition to fabulous pasta dishes, the chef's specialty is various types of Arancini, which are Italian rice balls. The ultimate street food in locales such as Palermo and Naples, Arancini makes for a perfect appetizer. They are surprisingly light on the tummy and several tempting varieties are available including beef ragu and fontina cheese, pesto and gorgonzola as well as artichoke and Parmigiano. All come with a marinara dipping sauce. Come on, you can't say NO to this!

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The end of the workday is a time for celebration. Before heading home, it's always a good idea to meet up with your significant other or catch up with friends and enjoy a cocktail, glass of wine and some light bites. It's the perfect way to unwind and put the cares of the day in the rearview mirror. And, oh, by the way, Midtown Manhattan's nightlife options are NOT just limited to the work week. You can party on the weekends, too. Here are a few intriguing bar and cocktail lounge options. Gather up those who you care about the most and get ready for some great times together.

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Midtown Manhattan may not have the sexy foodie vibe of neighborhoods such as Astoria, Prospect Park, Williamsburg, Chelsea, and Soho; but it doesn't need to make any apologies on that front, either.  When you're hungry or thirsty and searching for something other than a chain restaurant or tourist trap, you will definitely find all kinds of diverse and elevated cuisines in Midtown. You just have to know where to look. And, that's where Aplez.com comes in. So, let's take a look at some of the delicious options that are available for date night, brunch, or an evening out with friends.

ARTIST IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The New York City art scene is more vibrant than ever before. Galleries in Bushwick and Williamsburg, Brooklyn as well as edifices of art in Soho, Chelsea, and Long Island City are showcasing the work of new and exciting artists. You can also discover up-and-coming and established artists at local neighborhood pop-up events and street fairs. Not to mention the colorful graffiti that adorns previously empty building walls all over the city. Art is just about everywhere you look in the Big Apple.

The vibrant art of Sandra Jockus!  

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