"A freeway more than a drive"
FDR Drive is basically the east side equivalent of the West Side Highway. But, unlike the West Side Highway, you can't live on this street because it isn't a street: it's a freeway. It's great because you can get from the bottom of Manhattan to the top very quickly, but there's really not much else to say about it. Being that it's a highway, there are no restaurants, bars, homes or things to look at. It's simply a quick way to get from downtown to uptown and beyond. An interesting fact about FDR Drive is that no commercial vehicles can drive on it. This lends itself to the speed of using the highway, but it makes a little moving a little difficult. Moving vans, trucks and buses are prohibited because there is a weight limit which I believe is due to the fact that the section between 23rd and 34th is built entirely upon rubble -- so think about that next time you're stuck in gridlock with 100 other cars in this area. Kinda scary.