Jen Miller touts her home turf -- the Lower East S

Jen Miller loves her neighborhood so much, she wrote a book about it. The Lower East Side resident -- joined by her five-and-a-half-pound buddy, J.J. -- took a few minutes to speak with LowerManhattan.info about her favorite part of town.

Having lived on Orchard Street for the last eight years, Jen Miller is an authority on all things Lower East Side. Her alternative travel guide, Reverend Jen's Really Cool Neighborhood, tells readers where to find the cheapest beer, the best pizza, and various eclectic collectibles, in addition to sharing personal anecdotes about her experiences in the area.

"Reverend Jen" -- a writer, an artist, a poet, and an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church -- moved to the LES (after attending New York's School of Visual Arts) because it was so affordable. Now, she appreciates that it is "unlike every other neighborhood in Manhattan." She likes that it's "ethnically mixed" and says that the surrounding businesses lend a "provincial" feel to the area.

Every Wednesday at 8 p.m., Miller hosts "Reverend Jen's Anti-Slam" at Collective: Unconscious, an experimental theater and gallery on Ludlow Street, around the corner from her apartment. According to Miller, the open-mike night is the "antithesis of the poetry slam." It's designed, she says, to give people "a place where they can go express themselves and not be judged." Although most of the people who perform have never been on stage before, some professional performers, such as comedian Janeane Garofalo, take the microphone from time to time.

During the day, Miller works at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum Bookstore, which she says has many interesting books. She also recommends Blue Stockings, an independent bookstore and café on Allen Street, for great finds.

To satisfy her taste for Mexican food, Miller frequents Festival and Tres Aztecas on Rivington Street, enjoying delicious and cheap burritos, tamales, and quesadillas. She adds, "El Sombrero is always great for margaritas." And although she doesn't order takeout often, she likes the wraps and burgers from Rush Hour, which even delivers to bars.

For a night out, Ludlow Street's Barramundi is one of her favorite haunts -- so much so that she says she supported the bar "from fiscal years '96 to '99." The bartenders are always very friendly, she adds, noting that the bar is less crowded on weeknights and Sundays. She also praises Iggy's Keltic Lounge, just across the street, for its cheap beer and idiosyncratic jukebox (because it "doesn't play trendy music like every other bar in New York"), and Motor City, also on Ludlow Street, for its "really good DJs and '60s pop and hard rock music."

In terms of clothing, Miller says, the area offers a "weird mix of boutiques and stores"; she recommends her friends' new shop on Stanton Street, Machine, for inexpensive gothic and punk clothes, original costumes, and sterling silver jewelry. For stylish clothing and hard-to-find music, she suggests Rejoice, which will pay cash or trade for clothing, CDs, and records. She also says that MakeUpMania on Orchard Street is great for a wide selection of good makeup and cosmetics.

Because there are no supermarkets in the immediate area, she ventures to Essex Street Market as well as Met Food on Grand Street for light groceries. And she gets food -- and sometimes "cute little outfits" --  for her pet Chihuahua, J.J., at Petland on Delancey Street.

Though she can't say enough good things about her neighborhood, she adds that there are two things it really needs: a grocery store closer to her sixth-floor walk-up and an all-night diner. "Then," she laughs, "I'd be really satisfied."

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