Neighborhood Guide
FINANCIAL DISTRICT
The southernmost tip of the isle of Manhattan. The economic
hub of the nation (if not the world) is in the steely skyscrapers
that soar along narrow streets in the Wall Street area. Sightseers,
as well as shoppers and diners, head way downtown to enjoy the
rich array of options at the World Trade Center, South Street
Seaport, Battery Park, and Wintergarden at the World Financial
Center.
TRIBECA
North of Vesey St., south of Canal St., and west of Centre
St. Situated in the Triangle Below Canal Street, this former
factory-and-warehouse area's cast-iron loft buildings are now
home to celebrities (including Robert DeNiro and Ben Affleck),
artists, trendy shops, some of the hottest restaurants in town,
and a non-stop nightlife.
CHINATOWN
North of Frankfurt St., south of Canal St., east of Centre
St., and west of Eldridge & Rutgers Sts. Within the largest
Chinese community in the Western Hemisphere are smaller clusters
of Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, and Hispanic residents. Along
these narrow, crooked streets and broad boulevards are fish markets,
shops selling everything from jade carvings to birds' nests, and
hundreds of eateries packed with a multi-cultural clientele.
SOHO
North of Canal St., south of Houston St., and west of Centre
& Lafayette Sts. Once an industrial center, the area
named for its location South of Houston Street has long been the
city's trendiest district, where avant-garde artists' works are
shown in galleries galore and cutting-edge fashions are sold in
chic boutiques along West Broadway and Spring Street. Adding to
the neighborhood's distinction are cobblestoned streets, open-air
cafes, buzzing bistros and bars, and a pervasive aura of hipness.
LITTLE ITALY
North of Canal St., south of Houston St., east of Centre St.,
and west of Eldridge St. The part of town you want to be
in when you crave a cannoli and cappuccino, Mulberry Street (a.k.a.
Via San Gennaro) and environs is crowded with alfresco restaurants
and cafes, family-owned groceries, hungry visitors, and locals
who barely abandoned their boccie balls when Francis Ford Coppola
shot two Godfather films here.
LOWER EAST SIDE
North of Canal St., south of Houston St., and east of Eldridge
St. Despite a recent influx of trendy eateries and food shops,
bars and boutiques, lounges and late-night life, this gateway
for immigrants since the mid-1800s remains a diverse cultural
melting pot. Head here for kosher pickles and knishes, designer
clothes at bargain prices along Orchard Street (closed to cars
every Sunday), historic sites, and dinner and drinks at hipsters'
newest haunts.
GREENWICH VILLAGE
North of Houston St., south of 14th St., and from the Hudson
to the East River. This wide stripe at the lower third of
Manhattan includes several neighborhoods within neighborhoods,
each with its own personality. Newly-hip Alphabet City gets more
gentrified by the minute. The East Village's piercing and tattoo
parlors are just a short walk from the prestigious Public Theater
and a strip of Indian restaurants. The heart and soul (as well
as guitar strummers and chess players) of The West Village reside
in Washington Square Park, while its flesh and blood are the jazz
clubs, coffee houses, NYU, and eclectic mix of shops, bars, and
restaurants.
MEPA
North of Ganzevoort St., south of 14th St., and west of Ninth
Ave. Formally known as the Meatpacking District, this little
'hood tucked into the northwestern corner of the West Village
was, not long ago, a seamy locale with a herd of wholesale butcher
shops and unsavory characters. But the past three years have seen
this nabe morph from creepy to hot, with a roster of trendy restaurants,
bars, boutiques, galleries, dance joints, furniture and antique
stores, and not much left to beef about.
CHELSEA
West of Ave. of the Americas from 14th to 24th St., and west
of Fifth Ave. from 24th to 34th Sts. A thriving art scene
and Chelsea Piers, an enormous recreational facility, are giving
this once-gritty part of town along the Hudson a fresh look, feel,
and lease on life. Galleries are popping up between garages, restaurant
tables spill out onto sidewalks in warm weather, and the large
contingent of gay residents have created a real sense of community.
FLATIRON DISTRICT
North of 14th St., south of 24th St., east of Ave. of the
Americas, and west of Park Ave. Shoehorned between Greenwich
Village, Chelsea, and Gramercy Park, this chunk of the Big Apple
has, at its core, the 22-story brick-and-limestone building at
23rd St. and Fifth Ave., dubbed the Flatiron because some think
its trangular shape resembles an iron. Highlights here include
Union Square and its thrice-weekly Greenmarket, terrific restaurants
and nightspots.
GRAMERCY PARK
East of Park Ave. So. (from 14th to 23rd Sts.) and east of
Fifth Ave. (from 23 to 30th Sts.) Non-residents may not be
able to use the charming patch of greenery at Lexington Ave. and
21st. St., but everyone is welcome to enjoy this fashionable area's
wealth of shopping and dining destinations, and to meander through
its historic, genteel, tree-lined streets.
MURRAY HILL
North of 30th St., south of 40th St., and east of Fifth Ave.
With the Pierpont Morgan Library as its most exquisite landmark
and the Empire State Building as its tallest, this largely residential
neighborhood also boasts many diplomatic missions, the Public
Library's high-tech Science, Industry and Business Library, and
excellent options for special-occasion meals.
MIDTOWN
North of 40th St., South of 59th St. and Central Park South,
from the Hudson to the East River. The major attractions
in this "heart of the city" make frequent appearances
on visitors' itineraries: Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller
Center, the United Nations, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Carnegie
Hall, Radio City Music Hall, the Great White Way (see below),
the Intrepid, Museum of Modern Art, and all of the skyscrapers,
people, shops, department stores, and world-class restaurants
that make this city the most exciting place on the planet.
THEATER DISTRICT
North of 42nd St., south of 55th St., east of Eighth Ave.,
and west of Ave. of the Americas. The city that never sleeps
is at its most hyperactive in Times Square. Located where Broadway
and Seventh Avenue intersect around W. 43rd St., it's a flashing,
blinking, garish, glowing neon fantasy--and it's now cleaner,
safer, and more exciting than it's ever been before. Sidestreets
are lined with fabulous restaurants, stores, arcades, and, of
course, the lavish theaters where Broadway plays and musicals
are staged.
CENTRAL PARK
North of 59th St. (Central Park South), south of 110th St.
(Central Park North), west of Fifth Avenue, east of Central Park
West. As a verdant, 843-acre oasis in the middle of a concrete
jungle, Central Park provides an important respite for all manner
of migrating birds. It's also a mecca for runners, cyclists, bladers,
and boaters; a vast playground with carousel and children's zoo;
and a cultural center with restaurants, concerts, a theater, and
Cleopatra's Needle, an Egyptian obelisk from the 16th century
BC.
UPPER EAST SIDE
North of 59th St., south of 110th St, east of Fifth Avenue.
The most affluent city dwellers live in zip codes within this
stretch of Manhattan real estate, in enclaves called Sutton Place,
Lenox Hill, Yorkville, and Carnegie Hill. Along Fifth Ave., the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim, and Frick are three sparkling
links in the Museum Mile cultural chain, while Madison Avenue
is home to some of the most exclusive designer boutiques, art
galleries, and hair and beauty salons in the city.
UPPER WEST SIDE
North of 59th St., south of 110th St., and west of Central
Park. In 1884, the Dakota, Manhattan's first luxury apartment
building, was constructed, displacing goats that once grazed along
Central Park at 72nd St. Years later, when Dakota resident John
Lennon was fatally shot in the courtyard, this imposing landmark
became permanently written on curious travelers' must-see lists.
There are, of course, many other important attractions in this
culturally rich and ethnically diverse area: Lincoln Center for
the Performing Arts, the American Museum of Natural History, Rose
Center for Earth and Space (with the Hayden Planetarium), clothing
and gourmet food stores, fine restaurants, bars, lounges, and
street festivals with music, food, and fun, fun, fun.
HARLEM
North of 110th St., from River to River. Gorgeous architecture,
historic districts, and renowned churches in this area are too
often overshadowed by reports of crime and drugs. But Harlem is
definitely staging a comeback, with excellent restaurants and
stores, the Studio Museum and El Museo del Barrio, not to mention
Grant's Tomb, as just a few good reasons to head Uptown.