Knickerbocker

New York is a fantastic blast to live, learn, grow up or grow old in. It's home to some of the most beautiful parks in the world, some of the best schools in the country, and a pool of citizens that remind you of your fortune, aspirations, and humanity.

New Yorkers are actually very friendly, always looking out for one another and are only rude when outsiders (or locals) disrupt the natural flow of the city.

The Met, MoMA, Broadway, Off-Broadway, Madison Square Garden, Museum of Natural History, Central Park, Shakespeare in the Park, Riverside Park, Hudson River Park...this city is teeming with culture, natural and created beauty and sophistication.

If you think the city is a dirty mess, you haven't lived here. If you think it's a place to only visit and not live, you're unaware of the fabulous schools (K-12 and beyond), parents, parks, and resources that are available here and nowhere else.

Parts of it are dirty, but parts are beautiful. The same can be said of anywhere. It's also not a city for everyone, but no city is. It's not always crowded, in fact at times it feels completely your own.

It's annoying to have millions of people come and judge your city constantly. If you can't understand why people live here, I think that says more about you than NYC.

I have a soft spot for this area, even though I realize why other people don't like it. There isn't much to DO, but there's a lot to take in and absorb. I would rank this as one of the best neighborhoods for people watching.

Hovering between Chinatown and the Financial District, you're sort of in between worlds, which can be oddly quiet, like the eye of a storm. I've spent several lunches sitting on the steps of 60 Center Street where people file in for jury duty and may or may not get out. Lawyers, cops, witnesses and defendants also file in, casting an array of characters across these famous steps.

This isn’t a great place to eat, shop, or live. It’s a place where you can sit and listen which is an important thing to do from time to time. Several small “parks” (rows of benches at least) provide plenty of places to plant yourself and observe city life.

If you live here you’ll have easy access to transportation, but it’s frustrating to weave through all the other people coming and going from work. Still, major express trains make this a convenient, if not desirable place to live.

Madison Square is actually a nice little spot with buildings that are impressive and not completely invasive or overwhelming. The'yre old, stoic, and proud enough to stand the test of time.

Madison Square Park is sort of like a large town common with more pathways than grass, but some pretty wonderful events get hosted here....many for dogs, which (as a dog lover) gives this area bonus points.

Shake Shack (the burger sensation that's sweeping the city) started here and if you haven't seen it, you've at least seen the lines of people waiting (some up to an hour) for their bite of Shake Shack burger.

It can be crowded and the city buzz is fairly relentless. At times it can feel like an upscale version of Chinatown or a smaller, more expensive Time Square.

This isn't the kind of neighborhood you go out of your way to live in, but casually appreciate on a late Sunday afternoon if you catch it after the tourists and before the sunsets.

I have mixed feelings about this area. I've had fond moments where I feel like I'm at the center of calm New York grandeur, and moments where I cannot wait to leave this filthy, over-populated tourist-trap of a city.

Battery Park City sounds great, but isn't.

Sure, there are pretty awesome luxury buildings, but most of them are barely occupied because few people have any interest in living in Battery Park City.

Why?

Well, mostly, because nobody else is living in Battery Park City.

This might change in the next five years, but for now there seems to be a hesitancy to live here, and everyone is sort of waiting for one another to make a move. Young people seem pretty happy elsewhere (especially in Brooklyn) and those that live in other luxury buildings are living in more convient locations.

Other than unused apartment buildings, there is no draw to Battery Park City. They built these towering high-rises assuming that after they were erected everyone would flock. That didn't happen.

It's hard to get to, far away from everything, and has no personality or identity. Everything there is entirely artificial and borders on creepy. It feels abandoned without ever having lived.

Restaurants, shops, and local establishments may come once people do...but people won't come without those, keeping BPC in a Catch-22. It needs people to grow, but needs to grow to attract people.

Still, if you're a young professional and want an awesome apartment with great views and don't care if you live in a vacant neighborhood...you may find just the thing in Battery Park City.

If you're looking to buy in this area, congrats. You must be rich. You'll likely live in a huge townhouse that's beautiful inside and out. You'll have a ton of awesome neighbors like Kenneth Cole, and actress Sigourney Weaver. Your former neighbors include Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson, and Marilyn Monroe.

Congrats, again.

You won't be near many subway trains, but few who live in Sutton Place take public transportation. Your driver can take you wherever you need to. You're also not near many shopping places, but if you live here you'll likely already have everything you need or a staff that does your shopping for you.

If you don't have tons of money, a personal staff, and 24-hour driver on hand....you may want to live somewhere else, as you may feel a little out of place.

I say this half kidding, but only half. It's an expensive area and the quality of life that can be experienced here can only be achieved by those that can foot the bill. It's go big or go home here...just remember there are a lot of other great places to live where you can feel rich without having to actually BE rich. This is not one of them.

Tourists can check it out, but the best views are on the inside of these buildings...not the outside.

NoHo (are we really calling it that? Isn't this just Astor Place?) isn't really a neighborhood. The Upper West Side is a neighborhood. Gramercy is a neighborhood. NoHo is an area with an invented name, full of nomadic students and city drifters.

Not that it's a bad place. The Public Theatre is here and the architecture is pretty awesome. Huge loft apartments are common and Matt Damon lives here (well hidden, mind you). It's also home to much of NYU's sprawl...dominating the area in both buildings and students and, well, wannabe students.

What's so bad about having one of the best colleges in the country in your backyard? You'd think this might be a benefit...with more educational opportunities, performances, academic achievement...you might think this. But NYU is a private University and non-students have ZERO access to any NYU resources. Security is tight.

I imagine this area would be more fun if I were an NYU student, but to the non-student NoHo is mostly a series of closed doors.

In closing, I also encourage you NOT to eat here. A soup and sandwich will cost you an arm and a leg. No standout eating in this area...no matter what their exteriors make you think.

East Harlem is the last place you want to live. In fact, I'd probably leave the city before I lived here.

Is there culture? Absolutely. Are there good restaurants? Absolutely. Is it safe? Unfortunately, it's not.

This may not be the case forever, but for now this is a neighborhood to avoid. Tourists should not venture out here and renters should look elsewhere. It's just a bad place.

The crime and criminals that lurk and loiter in East Harlem don't necessarily live in East Harlem. Most of them come to East Harlem from the outer boroughs. I don't know why there is, but something about the area invites mischief.

Likewise, not everyone who lives in East Harlem is a criminal. However, the area continues to suffer from high crime rates. A friend of mine is an NYPD officer stationed up there and his stories are sad and horrible.

To its credit, there are some excellent Latin-infused restaurants and cultural significance to the area. Likewise, many brownstones (with some renovation) could become lovely homes. I look forward to the day where it's safe for everyone to explore the potential of this area. Until that day comes, safety concerns will outweigh East Harlem's promise.

I've always wanted to work in the Flatiron District. Namely, I've always wanted to work in the Flatiron Building--once the tallest building in the world and New York's first skyscraper. This triangular structure serves as a constant reminder of industry forging ahead and reaching for the sky..a sentiment that is contagious to the surrounding area.

This iconic neighborhood is home to several publishing houses and graphic design firms, making a lot of its inhabitants smart, sharp, and fairly young. A variety of excellent restaurants open their doors to these trendy professionals, with large loft apartments hovering above.

Many of the buildings have Roman facades that evoke New York's Gilded Age, when every industry was booming. Businesses continues to soar in the Flatiron District, but in more virtual ways. More and more tech companies are planting their offices here, pumping in even more smart and capable youngsters.

This area has every thing you could want and is full of people you want. The tone is fast and friendly and people race along with intellect and style. A great place to live and an even better place to visit for a dose of modern inspiration.

If nothing else, the Flatiron is the best place in the city to eavesdrop. Whatever the next big thing may be, you'll hear it here first.

Kip's Bay is not without charm, but it is without allure. Nobody brags about their Kip's Bay apartment or is dying to go to some party there. It's a neighborhood without cache. If you want to live somewhere that will impress people, live somewhere else. If you want to live somewhere that may impress you...walk (don't run) to Kip's Bay.

The community isn't a tight one and nobody (that I've met) is proud to live here. That doesn't mean, however, that it's not a fine place to live. In fact, Kip’s Bay could prove to be a rather charming place to live.

In fact, the mix of architecture is rather surprising and hints at the long and strange history of the area. Some wood frame houses still exist, harkening back to the early days of the American Revolutionary War.

Traffic is generally not a problem, though is prone to congestion especially near FDR drive. Tourists generally avoid this area, so restaurants (which aren’t standout) are not typically crowded. A short walk to the 4/5 trains put you on an express track to the rest of the city.

Proximity to Murray Hill and Midtown add to the appeal of Kip’s Bay, putting you close to prime areas at a reduced price.

Midtown has an awesome energy and if you can't feel it you have no business being in New York. Hustle and bustle is not something to avoid at all costs, hustle and bustle can infuse your lifestyle and keep you energized and eager to succeed. I personally love seeing young professionals dress well, ready to take on the world. Midtown has a snap to it. If you don't like it, move to the country.

There's more than just finance and industry. Midtown has the Museum of Modern Art--the best museum in the city with the most exciting exhibits, Carnegie Hall, New York Library, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Rockefeller Plaza, home of NBC studios. Central Park is just a few blocks to the North and Midtown Madison Avenue has the best shopping in the city.

Is it crowded? Sometimes. When you live there you know how to avoid the crowds. Any neighborhood in New York City can be crowded at anytime. What are you going to do about it? Hide in your apartment? Brave the crowds...they'll get out of your way if you know where you're going.

Midtown skyscrapers are also inspiring. Again, if you find them ugly it's your own loss. To live in midtown you've got to love the crome and steel.

While many people haven't heard of Turtle Bay, this neighborhood is home to two famous NYC landmarks: the UN Building and the Chrysler Building.

Obviously when the UN is in session, this neighborhood is teeming with diplomats, dignitaries, and security officers, which lead to horrible congestion on the streets and sidewalks. The benefit of having the UN in your backyard is the safety that comes with it--Turtle Bay may be one of the safest areas in Manhattan.

Apartments tend to be comfortable high-rises with marvelous views and amenities. The atmosphere is slightly more up-tempo than Midtown East proper, but not as hip or desirable as Murray Hill. Good apartment deals are possible as the UN makes most renters and buyers look elsewhere.

Restaurants are typically excellent so you can treat your visitors to meals worthy of international visits, however you’ll have to look elsewhere for bar scenes and nightlife.

Being so close to the water can make mornings and evenings especially cold during the winter months, but the breeze off the East River can be nice for morning runs in the summertime.

In general this is a nice, rarely sought after neighborhood that can be horribly crowded to only marginally crowded depending on UN activity.

This little neighborhood is an acquired taste, but the Bowery is just the right spot for those bitten by the city bug. Dirty, treeless, it's not beautiful in the traditional sense...but those that love Manhattan, it's history, and feel of the street will get a big kick out of the Bowery.

Awesome old buildings are being converted into drafty lofts--for a price--and several art houses, micro brews, and all-purpose design shops are open for business. A bit more grit than Soho, the Bowery does suffer a bit from trend-seeking tourists...still, tourists can't dictate your fondness for an area. Tourists come and go...the chill urban breeze of The Bowery is ever-present.

Whole Foods and luxury apartment buildings juxtapose the zany, cobblestone streets, suggesting an eventual pivot from urban charm to generic sprawl...yet several preservation measures will hopefully ensure that the Bowery won't lose its character anytime soon.

Bowery Poetry Club is one of the hottest music and poetry venues in the city with nightly slams with starry speakers. Skid Row no more, the Bowery is also a great spot for antiques, lamps, and other lighting solutions.

The Bowery is a neighborhood that oscillates between light and dark at every turn with endless possibilities bouncing off every Bowery brick.

The Financial District is actually a pretty good place to live. The streets and trains are crowded during business hours, but the night is very calm. Instead of you commuting away from the city at night, the people of the city commute away from you, allowing you to enjoy some much needed calm.

Apartment deals are pretty good and most of the housing options are newer luxury buildings. There's a lot of empty apartments since 2008, so some people are getting awesome deals--clean, spacious apartments with fantastic city views.

The South Street Seaport is the main attraction, aside from Wall Street itself, and there's nothing quite like it. This attracts tons of tourists on the weekends, but only certain hours of the day. The Seaport can be very relaxing at night, allowing you to walk far out on the pier and enjoy some of the decent restaurants in the area.

The Brooklyn Bridge is in your backyard and almost every subway line crosses through the Financial District, making it easy to travel anywhere in the city.

In general this is a convient location where you can get a great deal, but the flow of business professionals and tourists can be overwhelming for some. Still, it's not as crowded as you might think and there are some great hidden gems where you can wait the tourists out. Try Fresh Salt Bar, just beyond Water Street.

This area is about to explode.

It's a pretty tempting area. Apartments are spacious and many of them recently renovated. Lots of students and artists types and moving up there (especially musicians who need room for instruments and recording equipment). I'm sure there are some dingy apartments, but it's fairly easy to land a beautiful apartment at a good price--just be sure it's not above a bar or nightclub.

The parks and history of the area are also alluring, with greenery and historic sites and venerated businesses like Coogan’s Restaurant. The Columbia University Medical Center is one of the largest medical facilities in the US, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital is another excellent hospital.

Great apartments, natural beauty, good food, and excellent medical care? Why doesn't everyone live here?

The commute. The A is your only express train and runs local on the weekend...meanwhile the 1 train and the C trains are always running local, and those are your only 3 train options. Should anything disrupt service on those trains, you're not going to make your destination on time.

Crime rates aren't encouraging, but I wouldn't consider Washington Heights unsafe. Standard safety rules apply--don't walk down the street listening to your iPod waving cash around late at night. Be safe, be cautious, but don't be ruled by fear.

Harlem has been "the next" great neighborhood for the last fifteen or so years. When you look at it on paper, it's easy to understand why.

The brownstones are absolutely beautiful, and Harlem has more than almost any area. Apartments are also spacious, even three bedroom apartments are affordable and generally very nice--big windows, hardwood floors, high ceilings.

Also, most of Harlem is accessible via the 2,3 express trains, and some lucky Harlem residents live between the 2, 3 express trains and the 4,5...the perfect position between the East and West subway lines. Metro North trains make country escapes easy, and 125th Street also leads to the George Washington Bridge and the RFK Bridge.

Affordable, convenient....great food spots like Sylvia's, Rao’s, and Lenox Lounge, an incredibly rich history with cultural significance? What's not to love? Even Bill Clinton has an office here.

Well, there's a flip side to Harlem. There's still crime, some violent crime, and inevitable racial tentions resulting from gentrification. Most of this is secluded to certain areas, but senseless crime waves can strike anywhere.

There are wonderful places to live and wonderful places to visit. Standard city safety rules apply, however, and tourists are encouraged to keep south of 135th Street.

If you live in Times Square, you don't live in New York. You live in a Theme Park.

People who live in New York avoid this area, and unless you're a tourist you should too. It's crowded, awful, and the stores and "restaurants" (Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co) cater exclusively to tourists. The only museum is Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.

Please understand. Nobody eating at these restaurants actually live in New York. They're from Middle America or Europe. If you want to experience New York Culture, you have to go far, far away from Times Square.

Unless it's New Years Eve...in which case you should leave the state.

The street merchants and tourists make navigating the sidewalks impossible. The I heart NY products that are for sale are an embarrassment.

If you live here, you need to live high up in one of the luxury buildings--so high you can't see Times Square, just the far reaches of the city.

Homeless people flock to Times Square, hoping to take advantage of scared tourists, and various scam artists annoy and follow you.

There's nothing good to say about Times Square. In fact, as a proud New Yorker, I apologize for it.

I'm sorry.

I've always lived on the West Side of Manhattan, and am generally anti-East Side. Even so, if I had to live somewhere on the East Side I think I'd live in Murray Hill.

For me, I hate the financial feel of Midtown East and the farther North you go up the East Side, the more boring and uninspired life becomes. South of Midtown, however, where Murray Hill is, there are some promising signs of life.

There are some awesome buildings in Murray Hill, lots of converted carriage houses from way back when are now lovely, charming homes. Brownstones and new construction create an interesting, diverse mix of styles that are all elegant and unpretentious.

Trendy cafes and dinner spots abound, with some especially good seafood options. More and more night spots and rooftop bars are popping up, keeping Murray Hill popular all hours of the day.

Grand Central is right at the tip of Murray Hill, and with the FDR and the 4, 5 trains, traveling in, out, and around the city is very easy.

Best of all, residents of Murray Hill are passionate about their neighborhood, giving it more of a community feel almost anywhere else on the East Side.

I adore the East Village. People sa it's hip no more, but I say hipper than ever now that most of the posers and wannabe's have gone to Williamsburg and Bushwick.

The East Village knows itself and so do its residents. They don't have anything to prove. The shops are funkier than anywhere else in the city, with thriving boutiques that seem impossible to sustain. Pottery, craft items, and vegan cooking thrive.

Aside from a few luxury buildings, most of the housing is as funky as the '80s graffiti or makeshift gardens that bloom and and grow in old, abandoned parking lots. Typically these places are small and if they're big, they're odd railroad style apartments that twist and ramble. It's all part of the lifestyle and you'll know if it's for you.

Those who say the East Village have lost its way are wrong. It's lost some of the hype, but not the vibe. Urban Bohemia continues to thrive, but maybe with more composure and technology than it did in the 80s. Even if the artists are at coffee shops (of which the East Village has many) on laptops, they'd still rather be in the East Village than anyone else.

No neighborhood is for everyone, but Greenwich Village is pretty close.

Sure, there are some NYU students, but there are worst things in the world than smart and attractive students buzzing about, and during the summer months it isn't anymore populated than other places. It's crowded certain hours, but nearly empty other hours and these empty hours make it a lovely New York oasis.

There is culture, history, and citizens that are passionate about preserving the area as much as possible to protect that history and culture. Excellent theatre, music, bookstores, and aspiring intellectuals. There's a calm energy that keeps this neighborhood a crisp, exciting place to visit and live.

Good grocery stores and a wide range of restaurants, some more expensive than others. Great bars and great brunch deals for the next morning. Grab a falafel from Mamoun's and a coffee from Porto Rico Importing Co and you'll be enjoying two New York gems for under five dollars. Sit and eat in Washington Square Park.

Beautiful place to live, easy to get to, and lots to do. Even people watching along Bleecker Street can provide hours of entertainment. It's expensive, but once you live here you'll never want to leave.

If you're visiting the garment district, you're likely lost.

If you just need an office space, you could do worse. It's centrally located and easy to get to. It's also possible to get some good commercial spaces, because almost nobody wants them.

What's wrong with it? Even if the sweat shops are gone (no comment) the vibe of them is still there. It's industrial in the ugliest of ways and I just can't shake the icky feeling I have whenever I'm there. It feels cheap, dishonest, and dirty.

There is no romance. No charm. No innovation.

If you want style and fashion, visit the shops on Madison and Fifth. The garment district has no style, fashion, or class. It's like a Chinatown without food or culture or a warehouse without the space.

A perpetual bad mood floats over from Penn Station, with rats and unhappy European tourists judging how ugly New York is. It gives the rest of Manhattan a bad name.

Live here if you're on your own and the only thing you care about is a quick commute. If you don't care about your neighborhood, you might like it. If you want calm, charm, or community...look elsewhere.

There's nothing to do here but witness homelessness and misery.

Make no mistake, if I could afford to live here I probably would. But because I can't, and likely never will, I'm inclined to not like this area.

It's wonderful. Too wonderful. Too clean, too elegant, too perfect, with tree-lined streets of pre-war brownstones and post-war luxury buildings. There are great restaurants, but I can't eat there. No only due to the tab, but the reservations at most don't open for months--call Gramercy Tavern. Try to get a table. They'll laugh at you.

Likewise, as others have mentioned, there are a lot of gated communities, so I can only assume the best parts of Gramercy go unnoticed by the common man.

Basically, it's the perfect neighborhood, so anything negative people have to say about it is mostly out of bitter jealousy. You're close to everything and if you live there you can probably afford everything.

My advice: take a stroll through Gramercy some weekend, pack a lunch and have a picnic on somebody's front steps. You'll enjoy the beauty of the area without paying a cent. Then go home to your neighborhood, where you know your neighbors and your local deli guy and realize that you're part of an actual community.

Gramercy is not a place to make friends. It's a community of gargoyles...not people.

Given the other places to live in Manhattan, I have trouble understanding how the Upper East Side carries any appeal. It's like living in a bank--sterile, boring, and full of other people's money.

The Second Avenue subway line construction has been endless and has somehow encouraged more and more construction in the area, making this generally low-noise area loud and obnoxious--much like the nannies pushing strollers.

It's not all bad, not at all. The 4, 5 is a great subway line and there's a healthy offering of excellent restaurants (though rarely does anyone travel to the upper east side JUST for a restaurant) and there are some great places to shop. However, that's true of nearly everywhere in Manhattan. What's special about the Upper East Side?

There's nothing wrong with it, which in New York can be a selling point. Crime is low, it's not very crowded, and while the architecture is mostly uninspired there are a few old gems that have withstood the massive construction projects of the 70s.

The Guggenheim is nothing to sneeze at (...the Metropolitan Museum of Art sort of is). The East River has almost no romance, and the parks nearby feel awkward and poorly planned.

It's a chore for me to visit my friends on the upper east side...both getting to them and spending time with them.