ChrisTurk
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Reviews
Canal St
"oy, more shopping"
Manhattan is a big shopping mall. You can buy anything if you know the right place. Fortunately most of it doesn't feel super commercial so I can deal with it. While you're on Canal (undoubtedly shopping) if you get as far over as Broadway avoid the far too common Starbucks and stop by the Lafayette coffee shop, which is just a little ways up, surprise, Lafayette st.
Amsterdam Ave
"yeah yeah, food food"
If you're ever up around w 125th and Amsterdam, stop by Golden Krust. The jerk chicken is pretty good, but the coconut bread is to die for. Hooray for Harlem. Just the name of the place and the history associated with it (and the name's reputation) makes it seem more exciting, but it really isn't all that big of a deal.
West 42nd St
"it's like a big movie set"
And that's not a good thing. Somehow the place is just too self-aware, too TV-hip to be that interesting a place to hangout. If you want to play tourist and see where your favorite shows are filmed, fine, but I'm not interested in watching you gawk so I'll be somewhere else.
West 47 St
"whoops, not 46th"
I was trying to get to the Hourglass on w 46th, but misread the sign and turned down w 47th by accident. I don't care about diamonds, I'm not interested in diamonds, but it seems all they had were diamonds and more diamonds (and one very flamboyant boutique, if you know what I mean). And after seeing this street, I could do without diamond shops for a while.
East 23 St
"good god, I thought it was just advertising"
It isn't. I heard about "Madison Ave advertising agencies" and I thought the place would be full of advertising people the way Wall St has a wall. I was very very wrong.
One block over from Park Pl. (Heh, like in Monopoly), it has some of the snazziest shops imaginable. My god, though, some of them are expensive.
One block over from Park Pl. (Heh, like in Monopoly), it has some of the snazziest shops imaginable. My god, though, some of them are expensive.
Laguardia Pl
"right next to NYU"
So you know it's full of college students. It depends on your perspective whether that's a good or bad thing. When I went, I liked it. It does have a lot of decent places to eat nearby (Cuba is one block over on Thompson), but I was there for the NYU Business and Law bookstore. Meh, it has books. I thought it was the site of the Poe house NYU demolished, but it wasn't. That's on w 3rd.
Oh, and skip the Duane Reade just up Becker. It's a mess and service is terrible..
Oh, and skip the Duane Reade just up Becker. It's a mess and service is terrible..
Park Ave
"busiest place on earth? not even close"
I gotta say, when I first saw it I thought Grand Central station on a Monday morning may well be the busiest place on earth. That was until I reached the street. Carrying luggage through that was simply impossible so I decided to stop at one of the trillion or so little eat places right there (I don't remember which now, it may have been Oren's as I do remember pastries) to wait it out.
Vesey St
"a permanent detour?"
To get around the mess where the World Trade Center used to be (which is STILL a great gaping hole) I had to go up West to Murray, Murray over to Greenwich, down Greenwich to Park, Park over to Broadway, Broadway down to Fulton, Fulton over to Church, and Church up to Vessey. If I'd known it'd be such an ordeal, I would have walked or found an alternate route. I hate driving on one way streets.
Central Park West
rating details
Just now
- Neighborly Spirit
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Internet Access
- Lack of Traffic
- Cost of Living
- Resale or Rental Value
- Public Transport
- Medical Facilities
"call it an extended visit"
I didn't have to take care of anything but I stayed in an apartment overlooking the park for a month. Basically rented a friend's place for the month. Cost me all of $600 because that's what she was subletting the place for. Hooray for rent-control wonkiness. I gotta say it was the first time I'd ever spent a lot of time in a place I didn't need my car. And I was certainly disturbed that I got mugged for the first time in my life in a city where I couldn't carry my gun. It certainly was an experience.
Peretz Sq
"yes, better than Carnegie deli"
Go here for no other reason than Katz's Deli. Really. In spite of everything else in the area it's my favorite. Be sure to ask one of the owners about the rumors that they're about to sell out to a developer or move the store or retire to Tahiti. Savor the pained look on their faces. And the cheesecake is spectacular. Did I mention they deliver nation wide?
Ocean Ave
"kind of meh really"
There really isn't much here. I mean there's gas stations and convenience stores and whatnot with the usual generic trappings of suburbia, but that's about it. There's nothing particularly special about it apart from the deceptive name. Driving past I was certain it would take me to the Pacific, but it didn't. It didn't really go anywhere, it was just a place.
Dolores St
"seems like a nice little area"
Dolores itself seemed pretty tame (and some friends live there), but it was close (within walking distance) to several of the restaurants friends had recommended. La Provence was a quarter mile over on Guerrero St. Quite tasty. And the delightful Tao Cafe was just about across the street from La Provence. We never did get to go to Liberties, but it was right there.
Lombard St
"except for the switchbacks and flowers, it's entirely forgettable"
The switchbacks are all downhill (it'd be much more fun to watch some kid learn to drive a manual transmission up the street rather than down it) and it seems to always be packed with traffic. The flowers are entirely transitory as well -- in fact they were dead and brown when I saw the street. And yet... and yet it's one of San Fran's most memorable streets. So memorable that I almost forgot about it entirely.
Kearny St
"I saw a transvestite hooker being arrested on Kearny street"
No, really, I did. Early evening, right in front of the pizza shop. A crowd gathered and watched as the cop patted down the hooker and the hooker (he? she?) talked smack about the cop, his mother, and the things the three of them did together the night before. Quiet a show. That's all the memory I have of the street and I doubt it's an hourly show, but I bet some creative buskers could recreate it for tourists. Not that I'm certain it was real. Fun for all ages, though.
Ofarrell St
"I second the nomination"
One of the other reviewers mentioned the Hilton San Francisco, and I just want to back up what he/she said. It really is a nice place to stay, and the courtyard is a great place to relax and swim and lounge in the sun (in the summer, at least, the rest of the year is just too chilly for proper sunbathing in SF) while you plan the rest of your day.
Castro St
"this is just one of those streets"
It's one of those streets that makes me wonder whether San Francisco isn't just a party and food town with a few residential bits thrown in to make sure there are people to do the partying and eating. Great food and nightlife, as it should be considering they named a region of the city after this street.
California St
"There's parks and food and street cars..."
..and there's traffic. My god, is there traffic. I'm almost tempted to use the old Yogi Berra-ism "nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded," but clearly everybody does go there. And it's worth braving the traffic, too, if for nothing other than the food.
Keep the kids and grandparents on a short leash, lest they get hit by a passing streetcar.
Keep the kids and grandparents on a short leash, lest they get hit by a passing streetcar.
Market St
"everything's happening here"
It's like everything all at once all the time. I wouldn't have expected San Francisco to have a place so much like New York City, but yet so different. Somehow it's just more fun, less somber, than NYC, and the great swaths of astonishing restaurants and hotels and shops make it a great spot for tourists, if not so much for seasoned travelers.
Great Hwy
"pretty but not enough to do"
I mean, there are places to park to get to the somewhat scrubby beach, and a bike path on the shore side of the street. And I know I saw some surfers out there in the water, but it seems so residential that I have my doubts about it for a vacation spot. It is pretty though. And there is the SF zoo, but I'm not a fan of keeping animals in cages for the sake of our own amusement. I'd rather eat them.
Battery Road
"what a hole"
Industrial space and dirt. That pretty much sums up the feel of the place. We got lost looking for our hotel, traveled too far south, and ended up here. We're traumatized such a hideously empty place exists so close to a beautiful place like The Strand.
The view of the ocean is pretty as long as you don't look inland or particularly close to the shore. Yuck. Recommended only for people you don't like.
The view of the ocean is pretty as long as you don't look inland or particularly close to the shore. Yuck. Recommended only for people you don't like.
West Lewis St
"ah, the hospital"
The place to go if you, say, slice your shin open on a bit of beach crud and need stitches. The nurses were busy, and the doctors not so friendly. We waited a while to get service, even though newly arrived patients in the ER cringed at the blood caked on and oozing through my friend's jeans. But it all got taken care of eventually.
Fortunately it wasn't tough to find the place as it's pretty much the tallest building in the area. But aren't hospitals always that way.
Fortunately it wasn't tough to find the place as it's pretty much the tallest building in the area. But aren't hospitals always that way.
Bachman Pl
"what you see when you get off at the wrong exit"
It's a quiet street, at least the north end of it was. Quiet, though, was a bad sign for us. We turned around when we realized we'd gotten off the 8 at the wrong place and turned down the wrong street. There's an apartment complex and then a whole lot of nothing, or at least that's what it seemed to be when we made our odd detour. Being near the university it was probably home to a lot of students.
University Ave
"my god, it's full of students"
Not that that's a bad thing. They tend to gather places where there's fun to be had, and this isn't really an exception. Bars and clubs and coffee house-type hangouts abound. Perhaps there's an overabundance, but there certainly are a lot of students. Good pace to stop for a bite if you're headed to the beach or for a drink on the way back.
West Mission Bay Dr
"Traffic. Solid traffic."
The view over the little lakey type marina thing was a bit lame compared to the view of the ocean on the west side. It's not as much fun to watch rich people sail boats as it is to see the ocean (particularly for an AZ native). We did get to see a few boats pass as we went over the bridge to the marina's entrance. And we did wonder what would happen to us in an earth quake if we got stuck on the bridge. That was kind of fun, but driving in traffic on this street? Not so much. I'd hate to live here, just for the traffic.
Spray St
"from the mall to the beach"
It's a bit busy because it's one of the main thoroughfares (if you can call a four-lane street a "thoroughfare," though everything does seem connected to it) in the area. The mall at the east-ish end (Midway Towne Center, with the pretentious "e" on the end of "Town") isn't half bad for shopping, and the beach at the other end is nice as well, but I do worry about the Ocean Beach "Athletic Area." I mean, all they seem to have is a half-dozen baseball diamonds. How athletic is it if they only cater to the one sport.
Abbott St
"I would have sworn it was "Abbot""
The beach. The reason, I think, San Diego exists. This one's unimaginatively called "Ocean Beach" but it's still pretty nice: well kept, with green space as well as sand. But there's a break water that extends west from the north end of the beach. As such swimming there is more like going into a lake than taking a dip in the ocean.
Other than the beach, which is only really at the southwest end, there's a bunch of expensive-looking houses. Some might be nice to live in, being so close to the beach and all, but others just seem McMansion sized.
Other than the beach, which is only really at the southwest end, there's a bunch of expensive-looking houses. Some might be nice to live in, being so close to the beach and all, but others just seem McMansion sized.
Niagara Ave
"a short walk on a long pier"
It's a very residential street and certainly looks like an expensive place to live, being so close to a beach and beach-front parks. I only was there during the day on the weekend and it certainly seemed like a pretty busy area. Oh, and the walk down the pier is pretty uneventful. The view of the breakwater to the north is pretty cool and it's eerily bereft of traffic noise at the far end. It's something to do when you're at the beach but would rather explore than laze in the sand.
South Mill Ave
rating details
Just now
- Neighborly Spirit
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Internet Access
- Lack of Traffic
- Cost of Living
- Resale or Rental Value
- Public Transport
- Medical Facilities
"In the heart of the university"
This is the main retail street near ASU. It is loaded with great shops and restaurants from super cheap to fast food to a high-end steak house. There's tons of stuff to do at any hour of the day and you're never at a loss for a well-attended football game or a hike in the national park spaces around the area. The Gammage regularly hosts Broadway plays and musicals, and is just down the street.
The down side is that it's not the quietest neighborhood as it's dominated by college students, housing prices are stupefying, and so is traffic most days, though public transportation is very good as the university transit center is right there.
The down side is that it's not the quietest neighborhood as it's dominated by college students, housing prices are stupefying, and so is traffic most days, though public transportation is very good as the university transit center is right there.
North Highland Ave
rating details
Just now
- Neighborly Spirit
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Internet Access
- Lack of Traffic
- Cost of Living
- Resale or Rental Value
- Public Transport
- Medical Facilities
"The heart of the university."
The street itself is dominated by dorms and more dorms, and that means college students as far as the eye can see. It's in walking distance to a Safeway if you're feeling ambitious, but you're better off riding a bike or driving. There's plenty of parking and stuff to do besides go to classes. Nightlife is down on 4th avenue and on University Dr, and well within walking distance. The university rec center takes three minutes to walk to. Being right beside the stadium, it isn't a quiet place come game night, and the roads are almost always very busy. The university has plenty of green space to hang out on, but you won't be doing much of that in the summer.
North 4th Ave
"The university hangout."
The street is dominated by shops and restaurants and clubs designed for college students. And as such is populated almost entirely by college students as well. It's near the university, important for that drunken stumble back to the dorm, and near downtown where the train and interstate bus stop, important for visiting parents in far-away cities. It may be one of the only places in town that doesn't seem to shutdown by 6 or 7 in the evening.
North 1st Ave
rating details
Just now
- Neighborly Spirit
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Internet Access
- Lack of Traffic
- Cost of Living
- Resale or Rental Value
- Public Transport
- Medical Facilities
"Tucson's retail center"
It's a long street, but where I lived was kind of in the middle, just around the corner from the mall. As you'd expect decent restaurants and shops and stuff are everywhere, though nearly all of them are big-name chains. But what might surprise you is that rental prices were entirely reasonable. Public transportation was excellent, for Tucson, as well, with buses every 15 minutes or so, and grocery shopping was within walking distance.
