SuzyQ

Charles Lane is a short street that is mixed use, meaning there are some warehouse and storage facilities as well as apartments and condos. This makes the apartments less expensive than living closer in to the Village area. However, the rents are not cheap here, even if they are a few blocks away from the more "hip" area of the Village. This street does not have a lot of traffic, which is unique for New York City, but that's because it can't be used as a short cut. The people living here look out for one another, which is nice. You are about a 10-15 minute walk to the subway and there are bus lines that can take you uptown or downtown. You can find shopping and eateries on Washington Street and Christoper Street. All in all, this is a a decent street that has a lot of possibilities.

Cornelia Street is a great location for anyone who loves the action of the Village. Getting around the city is easy, with the subway right at your corner, and there are restaurants galore from which to choose. Although the apartments on Cornelia Street are pricey, they are also well-maintained and quite lovely. The neighborhood is safe and friendly and there is always foot traffic on the street, even late at night. Many people living here either work at or go to school at New York University, which is an easy 10 minute walk. This is a great location for anyone who enjoys being in the middle of a very active environment.

Jones Street is a hidden treasure in the West Village area of Manhattan. Just a block away from the subway station, Jones Street has a nice complement of small apartment buildings, lofts and casual eateries. There are always people walking around and the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming. Living here would put you in the central part of the Village, close to some of the best shopping in the city. It is also walking distance to New York University and Washington Square Park. This is a very desirable place to live, but be prepared to shell out more than average for an apartment.

Ever since the World Center tragedy of September 11, the surrounding neighborhood has been undergoing extensive changes and renovations. Carlisle Street is one of the streets that has been getting a facelift, and there is still work in progress. Just a short walk from the former site of the World Trade Center, Carlisle Street still holds memories of that tragic day. Many of the residents who lived in the apartments on this street have moved, but that has allowed owners and landlords to make improvements that will make them desirable to new residents. This is not the prettiest street in the financial district, but in another year or two, the construction equipment will be gone and a Carlisle Street address will once again be chic to have. For now, it is a convenient place to live, but doesn’t offer many local amenities.

Although this east-west street is in the midst of New York’s financial district. It is surprisingly wide for this narrow part of Manhattan. It sports a number of retail establishments as well as small corporate offices. The upper floors of many of the businesses are condominiums or apartments, with some areas that have been turned into lofts. Thames Street is convenient to the Battery Park area as well as the Wall Street financial district, so there are opportunities for both work and play. Be prepared to spend a lot of money if you’re buying or renting. You are paying for prime real estate.

Living on Rector Street comes with its own private park. This street, which branches off from South End Avenue in lower Manhattan is extremely well maintained and surrounds a beautiful little park that is perfect for parents with young kids or anyone who wants to spend some time with grass and trees. Rector Place is also walking distance from the Esplanade that offers great views of the river. The apartments and condos facing the park are expensive, but you pay for the convenience of living near the world's greatest financial district.

This is a nicely maintained street that is in the heart of the downtown Manhattan financial district, not far from the World Trade Center site and convenient to Battery Park City and the walkway that overlooks the Hudson River. With a mix of businesses and high-priced condos and apartments on this short street, it affords luxury and convenience, especially if you work in financial district. The one negative is the noise of the highway in the background.

On the surface, this street looks like it could be a popular cut-through from the Las Vegas Hilton and Convention Center areas to Las Vegas Boulevard (the "Strip"). And it is. However, I would caution anyone (especially women) about using it as a short cut getting from Paradise Road to Las Vegas Boulevard. For some reason, a lot of vagrants and homeless people seem to enjoy making this street their home, and they are none too sanitary. The street smells like urine and you will be approached by very seedy looking people looking for money. Although you're surrounded by hotels and casinos, it is a longer walk than what it appears on the surface. You you do pass by parking lots and a few vacant buildings along the way (at least they were vacant when I was last there.) It just makes me uncomfortable and I do not feel it is safe.

Reservoir Road NW starts at Canal Road, close to the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historic Park and continues all the way until it runs into Wisconsin Avenue in the Georgetown area of the city. It is a major access road for cars traveling to the downtown area that don't want to get stuck on the more direct, yet more congested streets, although once you reach the Georgetown University complex (which consists of the university and its affiliated hospital) you can get into some major traffic jams. Reservoir Road does run past the small, Georgetown Reservoir at its beginning, before passing through some residential neighborhoods and then entering the hospital area, which can get VERY congested. Georgetown University is directly behind the hospital, so you also have a lot of student traffic. Right beyond the hospital, you'll find some housing, which is primarily rented by those who work or go to school here, but as soon as you leave this area, you are hitting Wisconsin Avenue, which is the northern part of the trendy Georgetown area. This is a great place to be if you want good restaurants and night life. Living close to Wisconsin Avenue can be loud, annoying and filled with hassles, especially on the weekends, since this is where everyone comes to party, but it is a good neighborhood because of the influence of the university and the hospital.

Woodland Drive NW is a beautiful street that runs from Garfield Street NW and meanders around to Rock Creek Park Drive Park, and the adjoining natural parkland. The street is centrally located in the upscale and expensive part of Northwest Washington, home to politicians, high-ranking government officials and ambassadors and their embassy staffs. The street is filled with multi-million dollar homes, many of which sport multi-car garages, high stone privacy walls, circular driveways and hidden swimming pools in the back. This is not a typical working class neighborhood and not one that you would expect to find in Washington, D.C., which typically emits a gritty-type feel once you get out of the downtown tourist area. Woodland Drive is a very desirable place to live, if you can afford it. It is close, but not right on top of, Georgetown, which offers every type of night life and restaurant you could imagine. It is also close to the U.S. Naval Obervatory and the home of the Vice President of the United States. The closest Metro stop is Woodley Park, which is a longish walk, but on a nice day it can be refreshing, with lots to see along the way, although if you live on this street, I don't think you would be using the Metro -- you would probably be driving a Mercedes or have someone driving it for you. Overall, this is a great place to live if you have a job in the District.

Riggs Place NW is a street that is interrupted in the Nation's Capital. Like many of Washington, D.C.'s streets, Riggs Place NW starts and stops, so you need to know where you're going if you are planning to meet someone or visit someone on Riggs Place NW. However, no matter what part of Riggs Street you are on, it really is a charming area, since it is in a very desirable part of town, not far from DuPont Circle and the Adams Morgan areas, which are popular with tourists and trendy Washingtonians, not only for their selection of eclectic eateries and night spots, but also for the stylish apartments and condos and good shopping. Riggs Street is primarily residential, with small, multi-unit buildings or larger homes that have been renovated into small apartments. Everything is accessible to residents living on Riggs Street within a few blocks, although one thing missing seems to be a large supermarket. There are plenty of small food stores, but you have to travel a little ways to find a large store for grocery shopping. This is a good place to live if you work in the city.

Kingman Street NW is a short street not far from Logan Circle Park in the middle of Washington, D.C. It is just about a block long, running between P Street NW and Q Street NW. It is mostly populated with small apartment buildings that are not the best maintained, but it is in a pretty central neighborhood, so people living here put up with shabby looking exteriors in return for the ability to get around the city easily. There are some trees on the block and believe it or not, you are able to find a parking spot fairly easily. Because the street is small and not very well known, people looking for parking often pass it by. Although there are no shops or restaurants on this street, you can find most services on 14th Street, which is a main thoroughfare. I think the best thing about this street is its proximity to Logan Circle Park.

When I think of Caton Avenue, I think of what Brooklyn, New York is to most people who "think" about what Brooklyn is like, but who have never lived or visited there (if that makes sense). It is a very busy street with lots of hustle and bustle, lots of traffic, lots of noise, a lot of activity all of the time, horns blowing, sirens squealing. Never a dull moment. Parts of Caton Avenue have nice homes and other parts of Caton Avenue have large apartment buildings. In the summertime, you see a lot of people sitting out in front of their buildings in lawn chairs, because most of the buildings are not air conditioned and its cooler in the street. This is the street where you have kids playing ball while they're trying to keep out of the way of traffic ... and this is the street where the ice cream truck comes down playing those obnoxious tunes. Living here is very cosmopolitan - anything goes. Tolerance is practiced as there is a lot of diversity along Caton Avenue. Part of Caton Avenue passes along "the Parade Grounds" which is on one side of Prospect Park. So there really is a bit of everything here, including lots of small shops and restaurants. This is Brooklyn!

Parkside Avenue begins at Park Circle (a bona fide traffic circle) at the edge of Prospect Park, and travels eastward until it ends at the Kings County Hospital Center. Parkside Avenue runs the gamut from being a lovely, peaceful promenade adjacent to the largest park in the borough of Brooklyn to a bustling commuter subway stop with little shops and neighborhood eateries and then to a more residential area with a mix of private, single dwellings and small apartment buildings. The neighborhood is mixed. Once the home to more well-to-do Brooklynites who enjoyed living near the park, it has had its share of crime. However, underneath it all, Parkside Avenue still has what it takes to be a lovely address.

The East Lawn is part of the original landscape of the University of Virginia. At one end of the Lawn area is the Rotunda, the impressive round building designed by Thomas Jefferson himself, as the centerpiece of the academic environment at UVA. Along the sides of the garden area are the East Lawn and the West Lawn, which included rooms (or barracks) for the academic community to live. Historically, professors and students both lived in these Lawn rooms, which are rather stark by comparison to modern housing. However, students selected to live in the Lawn rooms are definitely considered elite, since there is an extensive screening process to become one of the lucky recipients. Although the actual rooms may be stark and without many amenities, the surrounding landscaping is impeccably neat, clean and beautiful. Those chosen to live on the Lawn are fortunate, indeed. There is an annual Christmas lighting during the holidays, which brightens up the whole Lawn area and brings the faculty and student residents together. During the rest of the year, the flowers, shrubs and trees provide a beautiful and peacful backdrop to all the residents. This is a very nice place to live if you're a UVA student.

West Main Street is the end of the Historic Downtown Pedestrian Mall, close to where the road opens up again to vehicular traffic. At this end of the Pedestrian Mall, you’ll find the Regal Cinema 6 Theatre well as one of the free Trolley stops that are strategically located throughout the mall area and other parts of downtown. Charlottesville’s Ice Park is also located at this end of West Main Street, where you can stop in for year-round public ice skating sessions. (Don’t worry if you don’t know how to skate – they have lessons available.) If you go a little farther down West Main Street, past the Pedestrian Mall, you’ll find the Amtrak and Greyhound bus stations. Of course, there are lots of little restaurants and shops on West Main Street as well.

610 East Main Street should be the start of anyone’s walking tour of the Historic Downtown Pedestrian Mall area in Charlottesville. The location of the area’s Visitor’s Center, stop here first to pick up maps, brochures, restaurant recommendations and information about validated parking. If you need overnight accommodations, they’ll be able to help you with that, too. Currently under extensive renovation, this celebrated street is the home to some of the trendiest shops and eateries in the area. Visitors can meander up and down the cobblestoned streets and dart in and out of the numerous boutiques. During the warmer months, you can sip a glass of wine or snack on a salad or sandwich at one of the many outdoor cafés.

Thomas Jefferson Parkway (also known as Route 53) is a winding and hilly country road that branches off from Monticello Avenue, which starts in the central part of Charlottesville. It meanders up to the home of our nation's third President, Thomas Jefferson and his beloved Monticello. One of the premier tourist attractions in the area, Monticello is an architectural masterpiece that demonstrates the inventiveness and ingenuity of Jefferson’s mind. Thomas Jefferson Parkway is a beautiful, well-maintained road and when you finally arrive at your destination (Monticello), you can imagine what it must have been like 200 years ago, before all of the development in the area. Jefferson, who was also the founder of the University of Virginia, was able to look out from his mountaintop retreat and see the University in the distance. If you travel up Thomas Jefferson Parkway to visit Monticello, don’t forget to leave time to tour the gardens and plantation. The natural beauty of the area remains untouched on this road, as it is the sole access to Monticello from Charlottesville.

Starting at the great Grand Army Plaza and running all the way through Brooklyn to the Queens border, Eastern Parkway is a wide, busy boulevard that is a prime location for strolling or bike-riding. Filled with elegant brownstones as well as chic and trendy apartment buildings, Eastern Parkway is home to the renowned Brooklyn Museum, which boasts one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of Egyptian art and masterpieces. The Museum also has numerous special exhibits, classes, gallery talks and special events, plus an on-site café and marvelous gift shop. Also on Eastern Parkway is an entrance to the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. No visit to Brooklyn is complete without a stop at these two tourist must-sees.