Lexington Ave, East Harlem

I can't help but think of Columbia University whenever I think of East 110th. I know that it used to be kind of no man's land, but it has definitely got some cache nowadays. I have a lot of friends in the Columbia grad school so I have had to go up there quite a bit. And, while it isn't quite as developed or happening as many parts of downtown, there is a lot to do. In some ways, it's even more convenient than the more popular parts of Manhattan below 14th street.
When you get out of the Subway stop, you immediately see Columbia. Columbia is exactly how I pictured a New York College to be. It is grand and gorgeous. The buildings are gigantic without being imposing or too opulent. It's really spectacular and it always seems to be a bit sunnier in that quad. And, I always enjoy being in university areas because there's usually a pretty good energy. NYU doesn't have the energy or the magnificence because it's so spread out and the campus sprawls the already incredibly crowded neighborhood of Greenwich.
Aside from the actual campus of Columbia, the surrounding buildings are really grand and beautiful on 110th, as well. There's a great old church where I did some work with friends in the cloistre area. It was really creepy and really awesome. My friends' apartments on 110th are definitely old, but the facades of most of them are magnificent. It feels much more old world than many neighborhoods in Manhattan (particularly the east side ones).
The nice thing about the street is that although the buildings are really old, there is a lot of convenience to the street. There is a grocery store, a gym, a post office and tons of eateries all within 2 blocks. It's definitely a college area, so if you're not into that, you probably won't like it. . . .but, I enjoy the energy.
The other nice thing about 110 is that the apartments are a lot cheaper than most other nicer parts of Manhattan. I suppose the reason for that is that it's kind of a pain to get to. You can only take the 1 train which is crazy slow, and doing it every day gets really annoying. But, there's give and take in every neighborhood.

E. 127th St is rather a strange road. It ends at Lexington Ave with a gate opposite the street. The other end goes on to 2nd Ave., and has schools on one side and building construction on the other. It seems to be an up-and-coming location, as there is construction everywhere.