Meet: Bonnie Gurry

The Lower East Side is full of impressive, talented, giving, and immensely interesting people of different backgrounds, persuasions, and styles. More For LES is delighted to showcase neighbors from 10002 who contribute to making the community richer, more welcoming, and complete. Today we meet Bonnie Gurry.

Bonnie Gurry is the CEO of GreenPortfolio, a financial matchmaking platform connecting investors with climate-focused wealth advisors, and lives in the Lower East Side. More For LES spoke with Bonnie, who's always on the hunt for great neighborhood restaurants and bakeries, and this is what she had to say:

Do you live, work, or both live and work in the neighborhood?

I live here.

How long have you lived and/or worked in the neighborhood?

4 years.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am CEO at GreenPortfolio, a financial matchmaking platform connecting investors nationwide with top-tier, climate-focused wealth advisors. I live near Seward Park with my husband and seven-year-old son.

If you work in the neighborhood, what do you do professionally?

GreenPortfolio is a New York City–based company, but we work with clients remotely nationwide.

What do you love to do in your free time?

I cannot deny that one of the main reasons we live in the Lower East Side is to try all the delicious restaurants and bakeries nearby. That is what you will most likely find me doing when I have free time.

What’s something you've experienced here that makes the neighborhood feel special to you?

More than anywhere else I have lived in NYC, our little corner of Manhattan really feels like a community. We know many of our neighbors and it is such a treat to bump into friends as we go about our day to day.

What’s something you’d like to see change or improve in the neighborhood?

My number one frustration with living in NYC, especially as a parent, is that crossing streets often feels unsafe. The larger the road or the closer a crosswalk is to a bridge or freeway entrance, the more dangerous the crossing. Cars are prioritized over people, and it is the main issue keeping my son from walking himself to school or venturing further from home.

Favorite local spots — where do you go, and why do you love them?

I love outdoor drinks in Dimes Square in the summer, and we eat at Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles and Taiwan Pork Chop House on Doyers Street way too often.

Are there any buildings, parks, or street corners that you think of when the Lower East Side comes to mind?

Highly recommend checking out the mosaic map of the Lower East Side in the center of Seward Park — also home to the first public playground in the United States!