JenMac

I like Monitor street. It's a cute, residential street with a lot of really lovely apartments. It's quieter and cleaner than a lot of streets in the area. And, it's close to both McCarren and McGolrick parks which is great. But, there are a lot of things about the street that make it so that I would probably never live on Monitor. For one, it's kind of in between neighborhoods. It's almost in Greenpoint and almost in the Graham area of Williamsburg. But, it's about a 10 minute walk toward either area before you come across any bars, restaurants, shops . . .even a deli. I feel like this would be a major thorn in my side all of the time. I loved living across from Khim's Deli. it was so easy. Having to walk ten minutes in the winter to get a coffee sounds really unenjoyable. It also sounds a bit scary at night. It's not a bad street and it's safe as far as anything in New York can go. But, the streets that have no nightlife on them scare me a little. They're a little too quiet at night for my liking / walking. It's also a bit of a walk to the Graham Ave L train stop which can be a pain sometimes.
But, the thing I mostly don't love about Monitor is that so many of the buildings have been converted into "luxury" homes that the street is now insanely expensive. I can't justify spending hundreds of dollars more to live with nothing fun around me than to live on Graham or Lorimer. It makes absolutely no sense to me why anyone would pay over $2000 / month to live 10 minutes away from any sort of convenience. But, I guess people do. I just think it's a shame because it's a really lovely street that I wouldn't mind if it were actually less expensive than the hip streets.

Melrose has really cheap rent -- and, by cheap I mean you can get a two bedroom apartment for the price of a one bedroom in Williamsburg proper. But, that's legitimately the only plus side to living on Melrose street. It's a really ugly street that's kind of in the middle of nowhere in Bushwick. And, it's fairly close to all of the Bushwick bars and restaurants: Roberta's is a few blocks away and Melrose connects with Flushing which is the major strip in the neighborhood. So, I can see the appeal for living on it with students, hipsters, artists and other people that are a little strapped for cash. But, I just don't think there's quite enough to do or quite enough conveniences in the neighborhood to live here. And, it's dangerous. And, it takes a while to get to Manhattan. You add those things together with the fact that Melrose looks like a dump site for run down warehouses and it's not exactly an enticing street to live on. But, then again, I'm not twenty years old. It's just really ugly and sketchy even during the day.

McKibben Court Ct is a tiny street off of, surprise, McKibben Street. It's actually a pretty cute street and it reminds me of all the little, quaint, really expensive alleys in the West Village. The apartments are old and nice looking and the street is quiet. The bad thing about this street, though, is that it's not one of those quaint alleys in the West Village. It's a cute street off of an ugly street in Bushwick. And, Bushwick isn't the best neighborhood. It's up and coming but it has been for some time. I guess McKibben Court wouldn't be awful to live on as far as little streets in low rent areas go. But, I feel like most of the youngsters and arty people who moved into the neighborhood kind of want to be in the thick of things and this isn't it. I don't know. I'm not a huge fan of Bushwick, in general. But, if you want a quieter street that's in a cheap neighborhood and you're not scared of the occasional mugger on the neighboring streets, then this might be a place to look for an apartment.

Oh, McKibben Street. I can't think of this street without thinking of the McKibben Dorms. The "dorms" are a massive two building converted factory living situation wherein you pay almost a thousand bucks a month to rent a room with shared bathrooms on every floor. That has got to be some sort of sad joke. Also, there's a housing project just east of the dorm so now you know you're in Bushwick. The funny thing is that these rooms actually rent. They go out to a lot of the youngsters, artists and hipsters that have come into Bushwick in droves over the last five or so years. And, I can't for the life of me figure out why they don't just get into groups of three and rent a three bedroom actual apartment for about the same price just up the street. Which brings me to my biggest complaint about the street: why is the rent here so high?
Yeah, it's significantly lower than Williamsburg proper, but McKibben is in Bushwick which is still a really scary neighborhood that just happens to have a lot of hipsters and hipster bars trickling in. It's kind of like the wild west out here. Cowboys and Indians are fighting for who gets the land. And, yes the cowboys are going to win because the rent is already ridiculous for this neighborhood. But, I don't think the Indians are going down without a fight and a lot of muggings. Yeah, McKibben isn't a completely awful street. And, there are a lot of things to do popping up in the neighborhood. But, it's not nearly safe enough, aesthetically pleasing enough, fun enough or close enough to Manhattan to justify the amount you pay for living in a rat den in between "artists" and criminals.

Marcy Ave is a pretty big street in south Williamsburg, and I keep on thinking that it's going to get really popular .. . but, it still hasn't. There are some great apartments on this street. And, the rent is much cheaper than a lot of other streets in Williamsburg. And, if you live on the street close to Broadway then you're just a hop skip and jump away from great bars and restaurants (Moto is my favorite -- it is lovely). But, the street, itself, doesn't have much to do on it in the way of fun. And, it is pretty shoddy looking in some parts, well, in a lot of parts. And, the street is close to a train. The JMZ actually has a stop on Marcy so getting into Manhattan isn't difficult at all. The only bummer about this stop is that it's an outdoor station, so waiting during the winter isn't ideal.
It's not a terrible street to live on, as long as you keep to the north side of it, but it's not great either. The cheap rent is lovely and there is close transport. But, it's still really sketchy at night on most of the street. And, the trickle down of youngsters and hipsters hasn't quite hit yet south of Broadway so there isn't a ton to do. I suppose I may be more likely to live here than go into 'Bushwick if I needed cheap rent, but it would be a hard sell.

As with any other street that runs through or close to the Broadway Triangle, Lynch Street isn't great. It has the plus side of cheap rent and maybe a bit more space for your money. But, that's about the only up side to living on Lynch street. The street runs from the Broadway Triangle which is a span of land with old abandoned factories and a bunch of low income housing projects so that's not exactly enticing. And, to make things even better, it only runs down to nearly Bed Stuy, which is a really shaky neighborhood, but doesn't run quite into the now trendy Fort Green area around Pratt. So, it has a lot of near misses with fun, young areas and a lot of hits with crime heavy, abandoned looking areas. And, there's not a whole lot of convenience around Lynch. It's a pretty long walk to even a decent deli or coffee shop. And, any bar or restaurant venture requires a car ride unless you're willing to brave a sketchy street at night (which I'm not). Sure, the rent is reasonable, but that's not enough to entice, in my opinion. Furthermore, the street is pretty ugly with no energy to it.

Yikes, this street is far. Lombardy Street is so far north in Willburg, that it's neighboring on the northern part of Greenpoint and Queens. There's really nothing up here and it's bordering on the part of the neighborhood that's heavily polluted which makes it not exactly ideal. And, the southern part of Lombardy has some really beautiful homes and apartments that are pretty cheap with a lot of space (a lot of them even have yards which is crazy). But, the northern part of the street looks like an industrial wasteland with a bunch of warehouses. Getting a three bedroom apartment with outdoor space for less than $2500 / month is a pretty great deal, but you have to pay for it in other ways.
For one, transportation is criminally far away from Lombardy Street. So, if you have to commute into Manhattan, it's really a pain. And, the walk to even a deli or market is pretty far, let alone any sort of restaurant or form of nightlife. Running out to get coffee is a bit of a chore on Lombardy. And, the northern end of the street is pretty sketchy at night because it's so vacant. It's really a toss up. You have all of this space for a reasonable price, but you have to really enjoy that space because walking anywhere else isn't exactly pleasant or easy.

i'm still not totally sold on Bushwick as far as safety and having a whole lot to do in a neighborhood. But, there are an awful lot of youngsters that seem to like this neighborhood and Knickerbocker is one of the main streets in it. I guess if you were going to live in Bushwick, this would be the street you would want to live on. There are a lot of condo converts that have popped up on Knickerbocker in the last five years or so. And, I know that's a sign that the neighborhood is taking off, but I can't get around the price of them. Or, the rental prices in Bushwick, in general. Because the young and arty have flocked here over the last few years because of rent hikes in Williamsburg, the neighborhood has become somewhat popular. But, that was because the rent was cheap. And, it's nearly the same as Williamsburg now without nearly the number of bars, restaurants, shops and art venues. There are a few, of course, but not enough to justify not living in Willy. And, there are some streets in Bushwick that still have significantly lower rent. But, Knickerbocker isn't one of them. I guess this is because this street and the streets that cross Knickerbocker have the most going on. And, it's pretty close to a number of train stops. But, I still wouldn't call this street safe. There aren't enough young and arty people on it yet to have completely gentrified the street. So, it's still pretty sketchy at night. And, it's not especially pretty . . though most of north Brooklyn is pretty ugly.
I guess if you can find a cheaper rent and you're young, this wouldn't be a bad street to live on. It has enough going on that it's decent. It's just not enough to entice me.

Kingsland Ave is a tough one because it has a lot of goods and bads. The blocks of Kingsland closer to Metropolitan are great and they're not too far from the L train or any of the bars and restaurants in the Graham Ave area. One of my good friends lives on Kingsland right at Skillman it's not too bad as far as convenience goes. He also has a back yard in his apartment which is nearly unheard of for anywhere in New York. The street is definitely a younger one. There are a lot of artists, students and hipsters on it because the rent is a bit cheaper than parts of Willy that are even off of Graham which is only a few blocks away. And, the further north you go on Kinglsand, the cheaper the rent gets because the further north you go, the further you are from any sort of convenience. It's a really residential street so if you live up toward Greenpoint, there's nothing in the way of bars, restaurants or delis near you. But, the walk isn't too bad. The other bad thing about Kinglsand is that the northern chunk of the street has a lot of pollution problems. It's right under the BQE and a lot of the new, expensive condos on the street are built on former factory sites that had sewage problems. Also, a lot of the buildings were put up really quickly so they have sort of tape and glue problems (i.e. poor insulation, electrical issues, etc). I guess I wouldn't mind living on Kingsland -- especially if I could have a yard -- but I would definitely live as close to Metropolitan as possible and I wouldn't live in one of the newer "luxury" buildings.

Juliana Place is in the boons. It's a quiet street and you can find a great deal on a place (a lot of them are condos for sale). But, the reason you can find a good deal is because it's pretty far out of the way from pretty much everything. It's really far south and west and that's not a bad combination as far as being in a bad area, but it's not ideal. The street isn't unsafe, per say, but it's pretty scary looking at night because most of the apartments are in converted, old factories. There's not a neighborhood feel and there's not a lot of green around. It's pretty spooky around here and it feels like a ghost town.
And, the convenience factor to Juliana is awful. The closet restaurants are up at Broadway and though they're both fantastic, that's a bit of a hike to get to the closest place to eat. There's also a wine shop and a little deli on Broadway but that's pretty much it. And, it's not exactly at the end of the block. You have to walk pretty far just to pick up a coffee and the walk isn't exactly picturesque. The worst part about the location (as if having to walk six blocks to get to a deli isn't bad enough) is that getting to any sort of train is at least a 15 minute walk. So, any sort of commute into Manhattan is about an hour which is depressing considering you can see it from your window if you live on Juliana. There's just not enough happening on this street to justify living here at this point, in my opinion.

There is only one good thing about Ivy Hill Road: The street sign. This street is so far east and north, it's almost like it doesn't belong to a neighborhood at all. And, there's nothing up here. It looks like the sort of street where body dumping happens. A lot of nameless warehouses and nothing else. But, the street sign is pretty cool. I don't know if it was forgotten about because it's so out of the way. But, the sign for Ivy Hill Road is from the 1940's. It was never replaced and is one of the only signs in Brooklyn that hasn't been touched. So, it's kind of like you went into a time warp in a horror film on Ivy Hill. Other than that, there's no reason to ever go up here (especially not to live). And, I'm not sure that an old street sign is really enough for anyone to make the effort for that matter. It's far from everything, the street is scary looking and you'd be living in a warehouse. This is a no fly zone

Irving Ave is a small street in Bushwick. It's pretty far into Bushwick too so there's no fibbing about this being Williamsburg or even "East Williamsburg." It's within fair walking distance of the bars and restaurants in Bushwick as most are on or near Flushing. But, I just don't think there's enough close by for this to be a great street to live on. First of all, it's off the Jefferson stop of the L train which is a really sketchy stop. And, Irving's not the sketchiest street in the neighborhood, but this neighborhood isn't exactly safe yet. And, living on a street without a lot going on in a sort of scary neighborhood is a bad idea, in my opinion. There's not enough people on the street late at night and I feel like that's just asking for trouble.
The plus side of living on Irving is that the rent on this street is dirt cheap. You can get a two bedroom place on Irving for less than a one bedroom place around Graham Ave in Williamsburg. And, the two aren't that far away from each other, technically speaking. Though, they look like night and day and sort of feel that way too. There are a lot of young artists and hipsters that have moved on Irving but there's still a mix of them and the old demographic which keeps the rent down because it's still a little less than desirable (unsafe). I wouldn't live on Irving because of the safety factor and because it's just too far from Manhattan. But, a lot of young people don't mind it.

I - 278 is actually a freeway, not a street you can live on. It's part of the BQE and it actually runs through all five burroughs of New York. The Williamsburg part of it is pretty small as it starts just after the Williamsburg bridge and runs up to Queens (which is pretty close to Williamsburg). I-278 isn't the most productive or fast freeway in New York, but it connects to just about every other freeway, directly. So, you can get to the airport, the Hamptons . . Connecticut. . . you name it, from this guy. Not much else to say about it, other than, don't live under it if you can at all help it.

I remember the first time I walked past Harrison Place. I was going to Roberta's (my now favorite restaurant in the area) for the first time and kept on thinking that I was being walked to my death. This street is beyond ugly and scary looking. It looks like a series of warehouses where dreams go to die. And, you would never know that little gems are just around the corner. There are a lot of gems, like Roberta's, in Bushwick. But, there aren't enough, for me, to justify living on this street. And, I know that the hipster set like their buildings to look like abandoned warehouses because it ups the cool factor. But, I'm just not that cool. The insides of some of the buildings on Harrison are remodeled and very nice . . .but the outside. Dear of dear. It's as if no trees are on this street simply because they revolted. It's really scary.
And, the area is still pretty scary, in my opinion. It's scary during the day. The Morgan stop of the L train is right here and it looks like there's no train because almost no one is walking around at any given time. For any New Yorker, that's really creepy. There's nothing around here. At all. Around the corner toward Flushing, there are a few restaurants, bars, cafes, etc. But, absolutely nothing is on this street but what looks like abandonment. The neighborhood just hasn't developed enough yet that streets like Harrison are reasonably safe. And, I don't think any kind of cheap rent is worth that. I'd rather pay a little bit more and live a bit further west. But, if you're a brave, little hipster that won't let a potential mugging threaten your good time, this may be the street for you.

Grattan street is such a bizarre street. It feels like it's in the middle of nowhere though it's right in the midst of the new hipstertown. It's right where the (absolutely fantastic) restaurant, Roberta's is. And, yeah, there are a lot of bars, restaurants, cafes, etc popping up right around here because of the influx of hipsters and students over the last six or so years. But, it's still quite a hike away from Williamsburg proper. And, it's still not particularly safe. And, it's also ugly with an abandoned warehouse kind of vibe. This street, especially looks scary as all get out even during the day. I would pee myself if I had to walk to my apartment here late at night. There aren't enough hipsters and kids here yet for it to be even remotely pleasant to walk around after dark. And, there's not quite enough that the area has to offer yet to consider living this far away from Manhattan, in my opinion.
So, the thing that actually blows my mind is: how on Earth is the rent on this street so expensive? A lot of the apartments are in old, converted warehouses so I get the cool factor involved with them. But, a one bedroom one bathroom apartment on Grattan for $2100 / month? They have got to be joking. I lived in a big one bedroom on Graham and it was less expensive than that by a few hundred dollars. This street isn't safe yet! And, it's not bustling with all kinds of cool things to do yet! And, it's far! I cannot imagine for the life of me why anyone would even consider paying that or even $2700 / month for a three bedroom. People pay $900 a person to share an apartment in Bushwick? Seriously . . I can't take this street seriously. If you're going to pay that, live on Graham or Lorimer so you can actually sleep at night without thinking you're going to be robbed.

Franklin Avenue is actually a really pretty street through most of its run through Brooklyn and the little chunk that it touches in Williamsburg is no different. There are some lovely, old brick buildings and a surprising amount of trees considering that this is about as far south as you can get in Williamsburg before the neighborhood switches to Bed Stuy. That's the problem with Franklin in this neighborhood, though. It's right on the border of Bed Stuy which is not a safe neighborhood at all. And, not only is it not safe, it's also not charming or neighborhood feeling or offering of anything to do.
Franklin is so far south, that it's quite a hike to any stretch of street that has bars or restaurants. And, it's not terribly far from the JMZ train but it's not a walk that I would want to make late at night. Because there are no bars and restaurants in the neighborhood, the only people out on the streets are usually up to no good. It's just not safe or inviting despite the pretty buildings.
The plus side is that the rent is really cheap to live in a cool apartment. You just have to be a trained streetfighter that doesn't mind a 15 minute walk to have dinner or pick up stuff from a decent deli. I do not fall under that category.

Forrest is a little street that's right near the thick of the popular part of Bushwick. And, I know that Bushwick is becoming more and more popular every year with the kids and arty set, but I still don't consider it all that gentrified or safe. There are definitely a few little bars and restaurants within short walking distance of Forrest. And, there are some great restaurants (like Roberta's) within a five or so minute walk. There's even a yoga studio nearby which wasn't even close to the case when I moved into Williamsburg. But, there aren't a lot of conveniences around. And, the neighborhood is pretty desolate looking. It's not the kind of street you feel really safe walking down late at night.
And, though the Morgan stop of the L train is close, it still takes about a half an hour to get to the city from here. If you have to go back and forth that can start to wear on you. And, staying in Manhattan all day with everything you need on your back can start to wear on you too. It's a pretty even mix of hipsters, young people and the people who lived in Bushwick before the Williamsburg crowd started to push east (which isn't necessarily always the kind of person you would want as your neighbor). And, the street is getting there. But, it's not there enough for my taste. The rent is really low, though and some of the apartments are spectacular and big. So, you have to weigh out the pros and cons if you're on a budget. If you're not, I would pass on Forrest.

Cook is a pretty scary street, in my opinion. It's a small street that runs through a part of the neighborhood called Broadway Triangle which is sort of where Williamsburg, Bed Stuy and Bushwick all kind of merge. It's a pretty shoddy part of all the neighborhoods and the street is taken up with mostly low income housing projects. There are some weird little stores like mom and pop electronics and dollar shops as the street hits Graham but there are no restaurants, bars, neighborhood things to do within many blocks. So, it's a really unappealing street. It's dirty and pretty desolate especially at night. I would be terrified to walk home at night if I lived on Cook. I'm even a little timid to walk around this part of the neighborhood during the day. There is a little bit of hipster infiltration in this area but not enough for there to even be a decent deli or cafe yet. And, the projects don't exactly do much for the neighborhood aesthetic. It's really noisy during the day which is a sharp contrast to the dead silence at night. And, the noise isn't a good kind of New York noise. Yeah, the rent is really cheap and it's close to the JMZ train which makes getting in and out of Manhattan pretty simple. But, that's not enough of a perk, in my opinion, to offset all of the bad things about this street. It may be hipsterfied in the next few years but it's not even close yet so I don't even go here.

I wouldn't really consider Classon as a street that runs through Williamsburg: it's more like Bed Stuy . . . which isn't good. Surprisingly, this is kind of a pretty street. There's a lot of green around here which isn't all that common in New York, in general. Unfortunately, it's somewhat of a driving street. And, being that it's in Bed Stuy, it's really not an ideal neighborhood street to live on. And, by not ideal, I mean I wouldn't live around here if you paid me to. While Williamsburg is doing a lot of trickling into Bushwick, it's not making nearly as much headway south into Bed Stuy. It's still a pretty sketchy part of town. And, there is absolutely nothing to do around here. Nothing. There's not even a good deli on Classon and isn't that one of the best parts about living in New York. I love that fact that I can walk one block in any direction and run into something to do (or eat). And, that's not the case on this street. You have to walk for a while to get to any good restaurant or even the train for that matter. Plus, it's right under the BQE which isn't picturesque or appealing. Also, like I said, it's in a really sketchy area. I would be scared to live here.

Cherry Street is a really interesting name for a abandoned looking street that is basically in Siberia. I don't know anyone that lives even close to this far north and east in Williamsburg. And, there's nothing around here. There are no bars and restaurants and really nowhere to live. This street is, essentially, the pickup street to get onto the BQE just before the bridge into Queens. It runs directly underneath it and serves as the last onramp before you have to cross the water. So, there's nothing over here but a lingering sewage smell.

This area is so close to being hip and hipster enough for me to think I wouldn't stay up all night, scared. But, I just don't think it's there yet. Bushwick Place isn't a terribly dangerous street to live on. And, there are definitely a lot of students, artists and hipsters in the area for it to be cool in a gritty sort of way. But, the actual street is scary looking even during the day to me. And, you're close to some of the great Bushwick restaurants like Il Passatore and Roberta's. But, there's nothing on this street but apartments. There's no neighborhood vibe on this street and it seems a bit like a wasteland.
The rent is cheap and some of the apartments are really cool. And, it's only one stop away from Graham which has a ton of bars, restaurants, music venues, etc. But, I guess I'm spoiled with being able to walk somewhere and not having to keep looking over my shoulder when I'm walking home. I feel like this is a street for young people. It's for people in the art community or university that have roommates, energy and not a lot of money. But, I think it's going to be just as safe as Willy within the next five years.

There's not much to say about the Brooklyn Queens Expressway as far as reviewing a street to live on or visit because it's a freeway. You can access it starting at the Williamsburg Bridge and you can access both airports, Queens / Long Island and the Hamptons via this freeway. Traffic on it is pretty standard for New York City but there's no avoiding it if you're trying to do a quick summer beach visit (unless you're going to Jersey). The only bad part about the freeway is that it's not exactly pleasant to live on any of the streets that are directly under it.

I don't know much about Boerum Street and I think that's kind of saying something considering I lived in the neighborhood for a few years. It runs from the southern part of Willy into Bushwick and I think it's a little too south. The hipsters and artists are just starting to trickle into the area but there aren't enough on Boerum to warrant the trickling in of bars, restaurants and conveniences. It's right on the cusp of the arty part and the dangerous part and I don't like being that close to danger.
There are some really nice apartments on Boerum and the rent is really reasonable. And, there are a few townhouses on the street and living in an actual house in New York isn't exactly cheap. These are under a million dollars but I think too expensive still for this part of the city. Parts of the street look really run down and other parts look almost abandoned so I would be really hesitant to live in something kind of nice amongst all of that. And, transportation is ok but you only have the JMZ line and I wouldn't want to walk from it late at night down this street. It's just not safe enough here, yet, and there's nothing to do within several blocks.

Beaver is a tiny little guy that merges with Bushwick after about two small blocks. It's better than any of the surrounding streets because it's kind of tucked away, but it's still not a good street. This part of the neighborhood is still pretty dangerous. And, it's really ugly. There are a lot of old factory buildings around here and a massive abandoned Pfizer factory just up the way so it looks like an abandoned industrial area except for it's not abandoned. There's nothing in the way of bars or restaurants and there's only one bodega nearby. So, there's nothing in the way of a neighborhood feel and there are no conveniences nearby. It's about a 10-15 minute walk away from the JMZ train which is a pretty good train but it's only one train option and it's not exactly a block away. And, one of the bigger housing projects is at the end of this street. Basically, what I'm saying is that it's boring, ugly and really unsafe. It may come up in the next ten years as Williamsburg continues to push east and south, but for right now, I wouldn't live here. The only plus side, really, is that the rent is really cheap and you're not a terribly far way away from fun things to do. You just have to walk through scaretown to get there.

Eh, Beadel isn't a terrible street; but, I wouldn't want to live on it. It's in the northern part of Willy just across the BQE from Greenpoint. So, the plus side is that you're basically in between two pretty hip neighborhoods. The bad part is that you're on the outskirts of both. You're about a ten minute walk away from a park, but the park is McGolrick park which isn't the better one of the two Greenpoint parks. But, it's definitely quieter than McCarren. And, you're about a 10-15 minute walk away from the Graham stop of the L Train and the Nassau stop of the G train. That's no terrible but it's not great during a blizzard or when you're in a hurry, that's for sure.
The rent is much cheaper up here than it is in the thick of Greenpoint and especially down by the Graham. And, there are some really nice apartments on this street mixed in with ones that are a bit dated but bigger than anything you can find around Bedford. But, there's not much around here except for like one deli. You have to walk at least 10 minutes for a bar, restaurant, store, etc which makes it pretty inconvenient. And, because there isn't anything near this street, there aren't a lot of people out at night which makes it a little sketchy in my opinion.

Bartlett street is on the border of South Williamsburg and Bed-Stuy which is still a pretty bad neighborhood. South Williamsburg is starting to be quite hip although it's still pretty gritty. But, the movement into South Williamsburg and even Bushwick hasn't exactly reached Bed-Stuy yet. And, I don't think it's going to for some time still. It's pretty scary walking around here, quite frankly. And, I've walked around this street during the day. I wouldn't live here if you paid me right now because I feel like I would never sleep at night.
On the plus side, rent's really cheap and some of the apartments are cool looking because this used to be a big factory area. And, the JMZ train isn't that far which is a pretty reliable train with a nice view into the city. But, there are no bars, restaurants, or conveniences anywhere nearby. And, I doubt any of your friends will be living down the street. It's really ugly and it's really just not safe yet.

Sniffen Court is a really lovely little court just off 36th that was built in the mid 19th century as a stand alone courtyard and then converted into stables shortly thereafter. It was converted into residences in the early 1920's and the residences are kind of like living in little condos. They're really cool and Sniffen Court used to be a big artist enclave I'm guessing because of the secluded courtyard mixed with bungalow kinds of apartments. Sniffen looks a lot like the alley or mews streets in the West Village. It's very charming and the properties are stunning inside and out. And, because it's so secluded, there's very little in the way of noise or traffic. Most people don't even know it exists. The homes are are pretty spectacular on the inside and have roof decks, old accents, etc. Needless to say, the days of the artist enclave are over as buying property on Sniffen Court will set you back a few million dollars. There's a little theatre in here, as well, that has been around for about 150 years which I think is really cool. It's a very old timey little alley street. And, I don't think anyone would complain about living here.

Interstate 495 which is often called the Long Island Expressway is a freeway that starts in the neighborhood right at the Queens-MIdtown Tunnel. It passes under the East River into Queens. It's a freeway so you definitely can't live on it, but it provides access to Queens / Long Island so it's a pretty well known freeway for Manhattanites. Long Island is where a lot of wealthy people live and many work in the city. It's also one of the easiest freeways to get to both La Guardia and JFK as well as the Hamptons which is undoubtedly the most popular summer vacation spot for New Yorkers. There's always a ton of traffic on this freeway but it's particularly grueling in the summer as people use it to get in and out of the city to hit the beaches. So, I never use it at normal hours if I'm trying to go to the beach. There's not a whole lot to say about it because it's a freeway but I guess it's a good thing it exists.

Like FDR as it runs through any neighborhood on the east side, it's more of a highway than a street. The Drive part of FDR Drive is pretty literal. It's a very quick way to get from lower to upper Manhattan; or, at least, it's very quick compared to any of the avenues. But, it's not a street you live on. There aren't any apartments on FDR in Murray Hill. It would be like having an apartment on a Freeway.
And, the apartments that are just off of FDR aren't ideal, in my opinion. They have a great view of the East River but it's very loud and kind of scary because traffic just flies by. It's not particularly safe to even walk next to FDR in most parts. But, if you need to get from Murray Hill to the Upper East Side, Queens, etc, this is the best way.

39th starts off on the East River with an old Con Edison Plant that they're in the works to demolish and replace with high rise condos and commercial spaces. I'm not sure how I feel about this. For one, do we really need more high rise condos? Nobody that I know is looking to spend five grand a month to live in nowhere'sville Murray Hill. But, maybe I'm wrong. Also, these buildings are actually pretty cool and I doubt the new ones will be. But, it will probably stay the middle of nowhere as long as there's just a bunch of old, creepy power buildings and nothing else. It's really a toss up.
The block across 1st Avenue houses a very ritzy apartment building called the New York Tower. It's kind of a de facto banker's building which I will never understand. A woman who lost her job at a big bank jumped out of her apartment in this building in the early 2000's. And, that would be enough for me to pass on wanting to live here. Actually, no, Murray Hill would be enough for me to pass on wanting to live here. All of the blocks leading up to 3rd have really nice apartment buildings and nothing else. Plus, they're surrounded by entrance and exit tunnels to the Queens Midtown tunnel, so there's no aesthetic and nothing to do here but look at traffic. I don't understand why so many people with money would think that this is the spot to live.
At 3rd, there's an old publishing building that now does textbooks, I believe, but used to publish the likes of Edgar Allen Poe and Washington Irving. I'm sure they make a lot more money now but they definitely lost their street cred when they crossed over, in my opinion.
The block at Lex has an interesting mix of commerce, I think. There are two old hotels that have both been acquired by the W. And, an old distillery building that has now been acquired by Jim Beam. I find the very Vanilla W chain being next to the very dirt south Jim Beam really funny. But, I suppose the people working at Jim Beam all come to work with shoes on, etc so there's probably not as much of a war between them as I imagine in my mind. This block used to be the home of a city comptroller, Andrew Green. He is responsible for the New York Library and Met Museum. He was shot to death on this block on his way home. . . .not by a Jim Beam associate.
The next block is getting us into Midtown big commercial space kind of territory. There's a big pharma building, a smaller building dedicated to Jungian psychology and a massive commercial tower with all kinds of different businesses.
There's not much of a neighborhood feel around here though there are an awful lot of places to live. There's no nightlife or local hangouts in the mix. And, there's very little green. It's not a bad street and a lot of people like living here. I just think that if you can afford to live here, why wouldn't you live somewhere else?

East 36th starts at the East River in Murray Hill and it's kind of deserted at this point. There's one luxury building with some spectacular views and nothing surrounding it. The only thing in the vicinity right now is an old Con Ed building that hasn't yet been turned to another luxury high rise. I guess it's a nice place to live if you like living in one of the very few parts of the city where there is almost nothing around you. There are, however, a lot of cars around you right here because it's where the Queens Midtown Tunnel is. Whenever I use the tunnel, I always, think, man, I would not like to live here. There's a little park right here that even seems depressing because it's in midst of all this traffic and pretty much nothing else.
The block at 3rd starts to perk up a bit with a luxury high rise on one side of the block and a really charming, beautiful apartment complex called Sniffen court on the other. It was an artist enclave for many years starting in the early 20th century. It was a series of stables before that and it's a really cool little court. It's such a shame to me that this building has no neighborhood to support it. There are no restaurants, bars, galleries. . . there's nothing around here. There are even a few little brownstones on the next block and still no neighborhood which is devastating to me. Brownstones are hard to come by . .
All in all, it's not an ideal street to live on if you like any sort of energy at all. Anytime you wanted to do something outside of your apartment, you'd have to leave your neighborhood which isn't ideal (especially in the winter).

East 35th starts its run through 35th at the East River. And, like most bits of neighborhood on the East River, it's kind of depressing around here. There's a lone luxury apartment and an old Con Ed building that's going to be a luxury apartment right on FDR. I'm sure the units of the building are lovely and the view is spectacular, but it's kind of scary around here at night because it's so quiet and sort of desolate. There's almost nothing for blocks because of the Queens Midtown Tunnel entrance and then there's a Cathedral and Park at 2nd . . .and then nothing again for over a block because of the Queens Midtown Tunnel exit. The sad thing is that this is one of the only parks even remotely close to the area and it's completely surrounded by tunnel and nothing else which makes it sort of creeptown.
And, just to add to the neighborhood aesthetic and energy, the block at Lexington offers a little women's school and then a series of abandoned buildings across the street. It's very uncommon to have any sort of abandoned building in Manhattan let alone one side of a block of them. 35th is kind of like an Urban Wasteland in some sense. I know it won't be for long, but it's not exactly a comforting street at this point. The street starts to pick up with apartment buildings around Lexington, but by then we're getting into Midtown proper, so poor old Murray Hill's 35th is sort of left in the dumps.

Pearl starts its run through Chinatown at St James with a very interesting looking high school and a tiny little patch of green. It sounds like nothing much but there are some ugly buildings in this neighborhood and not very much green so these are kind of a bonus around these parts. The high school is business oriented (it looks medieval to me and I don't understand the connection). I find it interesting that so many high schools in this city are catered toward a certain profession. Whatever happened to regular school with a broad range of subjects?
The next block houses the NYPD police headquarters which is a massive, extremely ugly building but I venture to say that this is one of the safest blocks in the city. That's an awfully big building so there's got to be a cop walking in or out of it nearly twenty four hours a day, I imagine. I always see one when I'm here, anyway, which is a good thing because there's a housing project on the other side of the street and those scare the bejeezus out of me. They're always made to look like prisons which I don't get.
The next block houses a correctional center and two gorgeous courthouses. They are both really spectacular looking so it kind of makes up for the ugly preceding it. I don't, technically, consider this block of Pearl to be in Chinatown and I talk about the buildings at length in another Pearl review so I'll just say they are both very different and very beautiful buildings.
This isn't really a street you live on . . it's more a street you have to go to for jury duty or something and then happen to admire the little tidbits of great, old architecture. There's no neighborhood to this street at all. No bars, restaurants, nothing. It's a very state oriented kind of street.

Hayes Place is a little mini block off of Worth Street that seems more like an alley than any sort of street. It runs next to the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse which is a really pretty building. I don't know why courthouses are so pretty in this city, but the large majority of them are. They're very theatrical in New York, I feel. This one is a classical design with a big, gold tower.
Across Hayes is the absolute antithesis of the beautiful courthouse: a correctional center. Most courthouses have correctional centers next to them, so I get that. But, it's sad that such a lovely building is next to a prison. And, that's really all there is to this street: crime and punishment. I think it goes without saying that this isn't really a street to live on.

Federal Plaza is really just a governmental building across Lafayette from two little parks. It went up in the 60's and was named after a famous New York Senator (Javits). This building houses the US International Trade Court and the INS. Neither of those mean anything to me but this building means a lot to many of my friends. And, none of them have particularly fond thoughts of the ole federal plaza. Basically, if you aren't an American Citizen and you're living in New York, you'll probably have to spend a lot of time with these people -- begging, crying, arguing etc (if you're anything like my friends) because they are the people who grant you Visas, Naturalization, etc. And, apparently, they are a really tough bunch.
There's nothing really to this area but the building as the parks are considered Lafayette street. I guess it's pretty important, though, if you're moving here.

There's not much to say about the Police Plaza walkway except for the fact that it's probably one of the safer places to walk in Manhattan. It's a little walkway through the NY Police Headquarters and it runs parallel to the Brooklyn Bridge for the equivalent of about a block. It's quite green and the bridge peeking up over the trees is a lovely view. It's just the actual headquarters that you have to walk by that is quite the eyesore. It's a nasty looking building: a mass of concrete with tiny windows everywhere that makes it look like a prison.
You, obviously, can't live, eat or drink here but if you're going to the Brooklyn Bridge or happen to need a cop, this is at least a somewhat scenic part of your journey.

There are some lovely old brick buildings on Catherine right at Broadway. One of them is a gorgeous building from the early 19th century that should be for residential use but is actually a commercial building. The building directly across Catherine is a newer apartment building that looks like it should be commercial. I may have to go talk to them about that.
But, that's about it as far as excitement goes for this little one block of street / lane. Those buildings take up pretty much the entire block on either side so there's not much else to do unless you're a government employee (the pretty building) or a resident in the bigger one. It's not a bad little street to live on and it's definitely quieter than other blocks in this neighborhood. There's just really not much going on.

Park Row really starts off with a bang in Chinatown. . . . the two corner buildings at Worth are a low income housing project and a middle income housing project. Nothing really says welcome to the neighborhood than two modern day tenements. I don't know why they always have to make projects so ugly, too. It's like they're just asking for us to think the Candyman is lurking just behind the bushes. They always look like prisons and not having much money is depressing enough.
Speaking of prisons, the corner just across Pearl holds a Correctional center and the headquarters to the NYPD. So, I guess you'll be pretty safe if the Candyman does happen to be lurking in the projects. They're both hideously ugly buildings but the saving grace to this block is that two beautiful structures lie just beyond them. The Municipal Building is a gargantuan beautiful government office space that has a tower with the second tallest statue in New York. It's one million square feet of government including the Mayor's office and it seems like such a waste of pretty for dirty deeds, but I guess that's the US. Across from the Municipal Building is the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge isn't famous for nothing: it's beautiful. I walked across it when I first moved here and it was freezing but well worth it. It was built between 1870 and 1883 and people were so excited for the bridge that there was actually a mob to get on which resulted in 12 people being trampled to death. Add that to the 16 people who died constructing the bridge and it's a good thing this bridge is so pretty. It'd be a shame if all of that happened for something like the Manhattan Bridge (I kid . .. sorta).
I wouldn't live on Park Row even if I could but there are some lovely sights to see for an afternoon.

There's not much to say about this street because it's basically the entrance to a bridge. So, you can't live on it and there are no bars, restaurants, shopping etc. There's really nothing to it except for bridge. And, it's not exactly in the prettiest part of town so the view isn't pleasing. There is, however, one gem to this particular bridge entrance: the Arch and Colonade.
There's a really beautiful arch kind of structure that was built in 1910 by the same people that did the New York Library so it looks similar to it (the NYPL is one of my favorite buildings). It was meant to serve as an impressive entrance into Manhattan and it certainly is. That is, if you can disregard all of the delis, tenement looking buildings, billboards and homeless people surrounding the arch. It really is beautiful. The funny thing is that the Manhattan Bridge is one of the lesser traveled bridges by myself or anyone I know so it seems like a waste for this particular bridge. But, there it is.
There's not much else to say considering there's not much you can say about something you drive on to get to Brooklyn. But, the Manhattan Bridge takes you to the southern part of Brooklyn and this is the entrance. Full stop.

There's quite a lot of green space on 6th Avenue which is rare for an Avenue and even rarer for the Garment District. That adds a massive bonus to the street appeal but it's still hard to justify living on an Avenue -- especially in this neighborhood. It's just always so crowded and loud around here. And, the neighborhood feel isn't exactly stellar.
The neighborhood starts at 32nd street and that block is taken up by Greeley Square and the Manhattan Mall. Greeley is a little green space in a sea of big buildings that's actually quite nice. The only problem is that it's pretty small so it's next to impossible to find a seat here. Because of that, I rarely go here. The Manhattan Mall is one of the weirdest things ever. It used to be Macy's rival department store called Gimbel's but it obviously wasn't that big of a rival because it went out of business. Now, it's a mall sort of thing with cheap stores like JC Penny's and little kiosks lining the walkways. I didn't know there was a mall in the city for about a year. That's about how popular this place is . . .
Up at 34th, we have more shopping and green with Herald Square and the Victoria Secret / H and M building. This is a crazy busy intersection so I never hang out around Herald Square. But, it would be lovely if there weren't so many tourists here all day every day. I feel sorry for the people who live around here because it can be an absolute nightmare to get through. It's pretty, though, if you can erase all the people in your imagination.
The rest of the Avenue in this neighborhood is a mix of commercial and residential spaces but most of the buildings are pretty old which I like. There are a lot of textile buildings on this street which is to be expected and a lot of little delis and takeout places. There's nothing really in the realm of neighborhood bars or restaurants and it just has a really commercial feel. It's not bad as far as Avenues to use to run errands. And, it has a ton of green and things to do, but I wouldn't want to live on it.

West 39th used to be all mansions in the Garment District. But, those days, sadly, are over. Now, it's a really commercial street with some apartment buildings in the mix and about zero in the neighborhood feel region. It's not a street that people aspire to live on.
The Lord and Taylor shop is right on the corner at the start of 39th's run through the Garment District. It was quite the to do department store when it opened (about 100 years ago). Now, it's definitely a lower tier store, trailing far behind nearby Saks, Barneys, etc. But, they do still have a great holiday window display every year. The store shares the block with little stores and restaurants but nothing people are really dying to get into. The building on the other side of the street used to be PT Barnum's home. And, Sinclair Lewis lived two buildings over from that. I highly doubt any one in that vicinity of renown is living on the street these days.
The block at 6th is equally unimpressive with a coffee shop, a big commercial high rise, and the back entrance to the Marriott Hotel as its only landmarks. And, the block at Broadway is only impressive to people that work in the garment industry. The World Apparel Center takes up nearly the entire block and boasts a million square feet of showrooms and other garment related businesses. It's a pretty massive building that stands on the site of two former arts giants. The two buildings it replaced were the Maxine Elliott theatre and the Metropolitan Opera House. The theatre was a big time draw that saw plays written by Shaw, Maugham and Gregory. The Met Opera House was the home to the Met from the late 19th century until they moved to Lincoln Center. When it moved, they demanded the building be torn down so no rival companies could use the space. Both were demolished in the '60's which I think is such a shame.
39th's run through the neighborhood ends at 8th Avenue with a very appropriate block at 7th. There are two massive buildings on the block. One houses wholesale fabrics and textiles offices. And, the other is the building where Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan are all headquartered. It's not a block you'd want to live on (none of the blocks on this street are). But, if you work in fashion, this is probably the spot to be. There's no neighborhood vibe here and no bars or restaurants so it's a depressing place to live. But, at least it's a part of the garment district that's actually responsible for good garments.

38th starts its run through the Garment District at 5th Avenue and it's a very commercial looking block. It's not bleak in appearance like a lot of other blocks in this neighborhood, but it's not exactly a block that you look at and think, "I'd really like to live there." Lord and Taylor is right on the north corner at 5th and it used to be a very impressive department store back in the 19th century that now is only known for impressive Holiday window displays. I do, however, think it's impressive that the store has been around for this long. Good for them. I've never been in there, but still, good for them. The rest of the block is taken up by a monster luxury apartment building and a little hotel with not so much luxury -- the rooms all have shared bathrooms.
The block at 6th is taken up by shops that make Lord and Taylor still seem luxurious. These stores are the reason I don't like this neighborhood. This block has cheap clothing stores and trinket shops . . there's even a store entirely dedicated to beads. I think it makes the street ugly and gives it a weird energy. I don't like it so I don't hang around here much.
The block at Broadway doesn't have much to it either but it does have a Crunch gym directly across the street from a Delicatessen and a Bakery which I find really funny. I would hate to work out at the gym and would probably be fat if I did. That smell has got to kill all the people walking in to go run for 30 minutes. It's like water torture but, ya know, food.
There's just nothing to this block in the way of exciting things to do or nice things to look at. It has no neighborhood feel to it at all. This area, in general, is like that, but this street is particularly offensive in my opinion. And, it's swarming with people and cars during the day and absolutely dead at night so you just can't win. I wouldn't live here.

This run of 29th, from 5th to 6th, looks now about how seedy it used to be back when this was the Tenderloin. It used to be a big neighborhood in the gambling, dance hall and prostitute arena in the 20th century; but, now it's just a dark commercial wholesale kind of jam. It's not dangerous around here for the most part, nowadays, but it's not fun by any stretch now either.
The block at 6th has just about every kind of wholesale shop you can imagine. There's a hat shop, accessories, clothing, party supplies, jewelry. . . you name it. They kind of scare me so I don't shop here but a lot of people do, apparently, because this area is always really crowded during the day. The costume jewelry shop on the corner used to be the most popular dance hall in the neighborhood where people like Eugene O"Neill would come to drink amongst other seedy activities. There were at least four gambling / dance halls on this block alone in the 19th-20th centuries. And, now, there are enormous, weird hats. Go figure.
Across Broadway, there are two magnificent looking cast-iron apartment buildings that used to be popular hotels for the likes of Oscar Wilde and other literati. I imagine the rent is grotesque at either of these buildings, but the apartments must be lovely if not maybe a little small even for Manhattan. The ground floors of both house bizarre wholesale shops which I'm sure the residents just love. There are some great, old buildings on this block like the Marble Church and other lovely apartment buildings so it kind of annoys me that the store fronts are all chintzy shops or to go places like a dingey falafel. This stretch of 29th could be so pretty but the businesses here really drag the aesthetic and energy down, in my opinion. It makes what could be a lovely street into a crowded and creepy passover one. It's not a horrible stretch to live on, but I think it has so much more potential than what it is now. Luckily, New York always changes so I'm sure it'll come back around.

This stretch of 28th only runs from 6th to 5th but has quite the rich history and some great old buildings. The block from 6th to Broadway used to be known as Tin Pan Alley. It's where all the new music was published in the 20th century and the sheet music shops would hire to people to play the new stuff on the street in front of the shops. I guess it made a lot of tin pan banging noises which doesn't say much for the music at the time. There's a fun little plaque on the south side of the street. All of the great, old buildings were music publishing companies that are now things like flower shops with apartments just above. I think these are some of the coolest looking buildings in the area. 57 West 28th used to be a high end gambling den (I wonder how many people were killed in that room). There's a gross looking high rise apartment building on the south side of the block which ordered the demolition of some of these great old building in order to go up. It's a very generic looking luxury apartment building that doesn't fit in at all with the architecture. I know it's not the residents' faults but I always give them stink eye when I see one entering. Conversely, there's a great old building on the corner at Broadway which used to be a church, then a public bath house and now it's a Wholeseller outlet. It was a bath house until 1985 which is pretty cool / creepy. The building is gorgeous, though, so I'm glad it's still around.
Across Broadway, there's another stretch of great buildings starting with the Johnston Building which is scheduled to open as a boutique hotel some time shortly, here. There are a lot of little bizarre / wholesale shops on this block and one of them is in one of the few remaining brownstones in the neighborhood. It's really lovely and I believe they sell perfume here. It used to be a gambling den back when this area was crawling with them. There's a beautiful but run down looking building on the corner at 5th which has more wholesale selling involved with it but I can't imagine it was built for anything remotely like that. It has these great story high arched windows at the top which I imagine would be awesome to look out of every day if you could live in that space. This building is somewhere around where Newland Archer lived in Age of Innocence, though, I'm presuming he lived in a brownstone back when the neighborhood was fancy.
West 28th is incredibly commercial and there isn't much in the realm of things to see, eat or do. But, so many of the buildings are so cool that I wouldn't mind horribly living in one of them if it were available. This block is very old timey to me and you don't get a lot of that in commercial areas.

West 32nd starts at Madison Square Garden / Penn Station which I think is a pretty good indication of what kind of run this street has. It's pretty busy pretty much all the time, and it is very, very commercial. This is not the street you want to live on if you like the neighborhood kind of feel. There are a ton of tourists, commuters and people that just live in different neighborhoods coming to 32nd every day. It's kind of a mad house.
Seeing a concert or game at MSG is pretty spectacular but it's definitely not an intimate venue. This place is massive and sort of a promised land for a lot of people in the music world. Elton John has performed here over 50 times, John Lennon's last performance was here . .. and, I saw Rihanna here last year (it was someone else's birthday, don't judge me). A lot of people hate MSG, however, for a reason other than the crowds. The construction of this place involved the destruction of the original Penn Station which was heralded as a masterpiece. It was modeled off of Roman Baths, and apparently, it was a spectacular sight to behold. I happen to agree that it is a travesty. MSG is all fine and well, but it could have gone somewhere else. And, the new Penn Station looks like a slightly elevated subway station.
The block across 7th from MSG has a variety of things like a 99 cent store, a church, a few little eateries and the weirdest mall ever: The Manhattan Mall.
This one of the less desirable streets to live on in Chelsea because of the amount of people lurking around MSG. It's always loud and crowded around here with little in the neighborhood feel area. There are so many beautiful streets in Chelsea, that this one doesn't come anywhere near making the cut.

This review is for the lower part of 6th Avenues run through midtown. Because the run is so expansive and the Avenue changes so much from the lower to the upper part of the neighborhood, this review is for 6th's run from 40th to 47 which is the much more midtown part of midtown.
6th starts its run through the neighborhood at 40th street with Bryant Park. It's not the most eventful park throughout the year now that fashion week moved. But, I thoroughly enjoy this park during the summer. It's my favorite place to watch the summer outdoor movies in the park -- watching Rosemary's Baby here is one of my favorite New York memories of all time. It also has great shows, outdoor readings and all kinds of summer activities for kids. Bryant Park has been for public use since the 17th century and was a graveyard in the 19th century. Like most former cemeteries in this city, I highly doubt any of the actual bodies were moved which makes watching a scary movie here extra creepy. The park is surrounded by big buildings all around and is in the middle of very high traffic part of town so the park can be quite loud, but it's still a much need, lovely spot of green.
The block at 43rd is taken up by (you guessed it) big commercial spaces. The International Center for Photography is on this block as well as a big business high rise where the Hippodrome used to be. It was a massive auditorium that had side shows and freak acts which, allegedly, prompted the round table at the Algonquin to form so the big wigs in the area could eat lunch without running into the performers.
Going all the way up to 48th, it's just more skyscrapers without really any noteworthy companies in them. You just find a lot of suits, lost tourists, cabs and trash on this run so it's not a great place to be, let alone live. There's no neighborhood vibe and nothing to eat or drink in the area. Outside of the park in the summer, it's really not a part of town I frequent because of the noise and people during the day. But, once you cross 48th, the Avenue starts to take on much more of an uptown feel.

Centre streets run through Civic Center starts just below Foley Square in Thomas Paine park. The square is actually pretty cool if you can ignore all of the surrounding noise. It was named for a Tammany Hall big wig whose saloon was located right in the square. Directly across the street, Thurgood Marshall Courthouse dominates the block. We have a lot of courthouses in this area, but I believe this is the one that most people go to (or at least, this is the one I had to go to when I had a jury summons). It's a pretty building but it doesn't really stand up to the courthouses in the neighborhood, aesthetically. And, it's kind of depressing on because of all the shabbily dressed government appointed attorneys and their clients.
A little further down Centre, and you run into the Surrogate Courthouse which is the most beautiful courthouse I think I have ever seen. It's stunning. The exterior is gothic feeling with a ton of statues lining it and the interior was designed after the Paris Opera House so it's very opulent but very pretty. I feel like if I have to go to court again, can't I get summonsed to this one? Across from the courthouse is the Muncipal Building which is also very pretty and neo-gothic. It has a very large tower that makes it easy to spot. . . not that it's hard to . . it holds a million square feet of space. Most of the mayoral offices are in this building.
City Hall Park is just down from the Surrogate Courthouse. It has always been a park, even before New York was New York. And, it's a pretty big space where a lot of riots like the Draft Riots, Slavery Riots, Revolutionary riots have been started or ended. . . or both. And, yet another green space is just a bit further down at Printing House Square which ends the street. The square has a big Ben Franklin statue so it's hard to miss but the real history is that this square was the site of the execution of a British militia leader whom refused to step down from his post when New York was part of the colonies. He was hanged, burned and disemboweled not far from where the statue is now. It's always in the most peaceful looking places, that the most violence happens in this city it seems.
There are a lot of green spaces here and a lot of beautiful buildings, but unfortunately, not a whole lot of living areas. It's largely for government offices which also makes the energy and feel of the neighborhood such that you wouldn't really want to live on Centre even if you could find a place. There's just nothing to do outside of a visit or work.

Avenue of the Finest has an interesting name considering there isn't much that's "fine" about it. It's the street that I think most people only know about because they happen to stumble across it while trying to find the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. It's basically just a little stretch of road that leads to the courthouse or to the Brooklyn Bridge Pedestrian Entrance. There are few trees, no restaurants and no bars, theatres, etc. There's really nothing on this street at all. I'm guessing that at one point it was quite fine, but it's definitely far from it now. It would almost be like living on FDR . . .

58th in midtown starts with quite the bang at 5th Avenue with Bergdorf Goodman and the Pulitzer Fountain. The Pulitzer is kind of part of Central Park but it does make for a fancy entrance to an extremely fancy store. I don't shop at Bergdorf because I'm not a millionaire, but I do like to people watch the patrons of the store. It's a very interesting set and reminds you about just how much money people in this city have. The block stays pretty grand with The Plaza Hotel next to Grand Army Plaza (cute, huh?) and the Kobe Club across the street. The Plaza Hotel is one of the more famous hotels in the city and the place that the uppity New York girls all try to have their wedding at . . though I believe it is now being reconfigured. The Kobe Club is only famous for serving ridiculously expensive differentiations of kobe beef. I've never been there because it sounds ridiculously, but the garrish seem to like it.
The intersection of 58th and 6th is the famous intersection in Midnight Cowboy where Dustin Hoffman hits the cab and says, "I'm walking here!" The funny thing about that scene is that it was a total accident. A cab drove through the set and almost hit both of the actors but Hoffman stayed in character and they used that take. The rest of the block isn't so exciting. It's a lot of Hotels which is understandable because this street is almost right on Central Park. Oh, and a New York Athletic Club. I feel like most people who live right here don't go the the New York Athletic Club but what do I know?
It's an ok street and the apartments are really nice but this is just crazy town as far as the tourists are concerned. Between the shopping, tourist attractions and Central Park, it's kind of the porthole touristville which I would not want to pay that kind of money to deal with. And, the restaurant and bar scene is really lacking. Put the two together and you get a nice neighborhood street with zero neighborhood feel.

East 50th starts off with a bang as it enters Midtown (few Midtown streets can say the same) with The Waldorf Astoria and St. Barthelomew's Church. The Waldorf is one of the most famous hotels in the world and it really is lovely. The only issue I have with it is the fact that it has been completely taken over by the business set so it doesn't feel as old timey and grand in energy as it used to. If you happen to catch it during a slow run, though, it's beautiful and the upstairs home to the Waldorf salad does make you feel like an aristocrat from another time which I enjoyed very much. St. Bart's Church is one of the prettier ones in the city and I like that it's in the midst of this big building, commercial area. The two buildings remind you of what this area used to look like.
The next block is a strange mix of big commercial buildings with the Villard Houses sandwiched in there. It used to be six private brownstone residences for the elite but now these houses serve as the entrance for a grand hotel. I'm glad they kept the buildings and the courtyard because they really are stunning. I just wish they were still residences though it would be hard to pay that kind of money to live in this part of town. It's so commercial and loud.
The block between Madison and 5th showcases more famous buildings with Saks, New York Magazine and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Saks Fifth Avenue is about as elite of New York shopping that you can get and people watching the old uptown ladies that shop there is really fun. It's definitely snooty but I enjoy it. St. Pat's Cathedral is gorgeous and gothic. It has been the spot for many famous funerals from General Sherman to Bobby Kennedy. It's visually stunning and a welcome break from things the Palmolive Skyscraper.
I wouldn't want to live on 50th in this part of town because of the noise and lack of green or restaurants. And, there are too many tourists. But, it's a spot you have visit because there are so many famous places on one little stretch.

49th is one of the prettier streets in Turtle Bay and the aesthetic takes a pretty swift departure once you enter the midtown section at 3rd Ave. There are a lot of hotels right at the start of 49th's run through midtown and it's pretty much just all business patrons. I know because I had to stay in the W on this block. It's a nice hotel but walking out is really depressing for a downtown person like myself. There were suits everywhere. And, no good restaurants. Across from the W is the Marriott which is an okay hotel that has some great history from when it was the Shelton. Georgia O'Keefe lived here as did Penny Guggenheim. Harry Houdini used the basement for his under water coffin trick. I wish the Marriott would have kept up the grandeur of this place but I don't know that Marriott's are capable of that.
The next block houses the Barclay Hotel which is pretty nice but it gets really overshadowed by it's across the street neighbor, The Waldorf Astoria. My parents stayed here the first time they came to visit and it is a really beautiful hotel. Unfortunately, it has been taken over by the business set so it doesn't have that kind of swagger it became famous for these days. It's still an institution, though (even though it's now owned by Hilton). The salad really is great and the restaurant is named for the Alley (Peacock Alley) where all the society figures paraded in the hotel. Many presidents, Kissinger, and Eisenhower have all lived here at some point. It's worth taking a look and trying the salad, that's for sure.
The block between Park and Madison loses all of its timey grandness with commercial buildings that house banks and big business. You walk out of the old timey Waldorf and right into depressing block USA. But, it sort of turns around again just before 5th with the famous Saks Fifth Avenue, the headquarters for New York Magazine and shops such as American Girl Place. Sidenote: I find American Girl Place to be one of the creepiest stores in existence but I guess kids like it. I went in there once and upon seeing that they have a doll hospital, immediately walked out.
East 49th has some great historical and noteworthy places to see but it's definitely not a great place to live. It's too commercial and filled with suits, tourists and traffic. There's no neighborhood feel and no great restaurants, bars, etc.

If you like buildings, then you've come to the right place in regards to 48th or really any street in Midtown for that matter. It's run through this neighborhood (if you can call it a neighborhood) starts at 3rd Ave and runs through all the more famous avenues though there's not a whole lot of noteworthy things happening around here. There are a lot of hotels between 3rd and Lex with one big apartment high rise and a commercial space called the Wang Building which I find hilarious because I'm five years old. There's nothing really to do on this block and minimal things to eat. Plus, none of the hotels are particularly nice so it's a passover block to me.
The next block follows suit in the boring category though the Barclay Hotel is pretty nice, old and has an enormous birdcage in the foyer which is pretty interesting. The rest of the buildings are all commercial spaces so you really only see suits around these parts. The following block headed west is a big banking block and actually holds the building for the Chase Headquarters. I've been tempted to walk in there and demand to know why it takes them so long to process things in my account but always found something more interesting to do instead.
The block heading up to 5th is just as uninteresting as the previous though there is a 19th century townhouse smack in the middle of all these big buildings which I'm pretty happy about. I almost can't believe no one has tried to demolish it yet.
48th is really boring in aesthetic and activities. Not only would I not live here, I don't really go here much. There's no reason to . . . .

There's not much to say about the Ped crossing other than it's a way across FDR by foot. FDR is an incredibly busy, highway of a street so you can't get across it safely by foot. So this bridge sort of crossing makes it easy to get from the East River bank over to the park and into the rest of Manhattan without getting run over by the whizzing cars of FDR. It's not exactly a scenic walk because of all the traffic noise, but if you need to get to the water, it's a good thing this is here. You can't live here, obviously. It's just for walking convenience.

45th starts off its run through Times Square at 8th Avenue to the West and right away it's pretty Broadway heavy. The corner at 45th and 8th houses the Golden Theatre on the south side and Frankie and Johnny's on the north side. Frankie and Johnnie's used to be a really popular speakeasy kind of restaurant but now it's just popular with the tourist set. The restaurant next door, Sam's, is now more of a local Broadway performer hangout than Frankie and Johnnies. Next door to that is the Imperial Theatre which is beautiful and has seen the debuts of power houses like Les Miserables. This kicks a pretty impressive row of theatres that include the Jacobs, Schoenfeld, Music Box and Booth. These are some of the Broadway big guns and have been for a very long time. The Booth theatre was a big Shakespeare theatre named for Edwin Booth, a famous actor whose brother killed President Lincoln. There's one chain hotel at the end of the block, but other than that, this block is gloriously theatre dominated. Yeah, it has a ton of tourists like the rest of the neighborhood. But, it's so exciting to watch everyone pile in for theatre at 7:45. It keeps an old timey feel to this block and it's lovely that art is so alive right here.
The block at Broadway starts the big lights, tourists, ads situation that we all have come to know about Times Square. The swatch building right on the corner at Broadway is particularly known for its ads: they're covering the building. The oldest theatre on Broadway, the Lyceum is in the midst of all of this chaos and that's kind of sad because it's so beautiful. There used to be speakeasies and local restaurants all over this block but now it's taken over by tourist shops and chain restaurants which is really a shame. It's kind of a mess right here, and exhausting to navigate. I wouldn't recommend even walking through this block let alone living on it. It's utter mayhem right here 24 hours a day. But, the block with the theatres is so lovely to hang out on (and even see a show (but not a musical). As far as Times Square streets go, 45th isn't half bad because the block at 8th saves it. But, it's just too crowded, loud and dirty on the whole. And, because it's such a tourist trap, there's no local feel or neighborhood hang.

West 44th is a big Broadway street and from what I understand, it has been since this started being the big Broadway area. John's Pizza, the offshoot of the famous Greenwich pizza, is right on the corner at 8th. I, personally, don't like Johns but if you want to try tourist famous pizza in a really touristy area, then maybe this is the place. Next door to John's is a big Broadway hang called Angus McIndoe. Investors include Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane and Mel Brooks so there are always theatre big wigs at this spot. Next to Angus is the St James theatre where Hello Dolly and The Producers both enjoyed very long runs. Across from the St James is the Majestic Theatre where Phantom ran for many moons. This is the street where all the big Broadway shows are. Most of them are very commercial and you're not going to see anything ground breaking, but it's great for old fashioned Broadway going, that's for sure. The Helen Hayes Theatre and the Broadhurst are also right here. They have both been around for about 100 years and have seen such gems as Grease, Amadeus and Cabaret. They're grand old theatres that I'm glad are still around even if the crowds on the street drive me bonkers. The famous Broadway restaurant Sardi's is next to the Helen Hayes. I think the food here is sub par and kind of pricey considering but the history is great. Greta Garbo, James Cagney and Robert De NIro were all frequent patrons. Another famous Broadway restaurant called Carmines is a few doors down though that's more for the Broadway going tourists nowadays. The Shubert Theatre (one of the more famous ones) is on the corner of the block right at Shubert alley. Spamalot is here now but this is where A Chorus Line debuted and ran for about an eternity.
After Shubert Alley, the block becomes home to massive commercial buildings like the MTV headquarters and the Paramount building. The back entrance to the New York Times is next to the Paramount. There are disturbingly tourist driven, crappy restaurants on the ground floors of these buildings like Bubba Gump Shrimp but one cool thing that happens here is the Paramount plays a chime at 7:45 every night to let everyone know there's 15 minutes til curtain call for all of the shows. I like that.
I wouldn't live on this block because of the crowds, trash, noise, Times Square-ness, but it is really magical to walk down because of all the theatre history.

West 43rd's run through Times Square starts off at 8th Ave in the west and showcases mainly hotels and commercial buildings throughout. The corner of 43rd and 8th holds the Westin (a decent hotel) and the Times Square Hotel (a not so great hotel where Lee Harvey Oswald has stayed). Next to the Times Square Hotel is the current New York Times building. The New York Times moved to Times Square in the early 20th century which gave the neighborhood its name. It has been in this building since 1913 though the New Years Eve extravaganza that they started is still at their old building at 42nd and Broadway. Across from the Times building is the site where P Diddy and J Lo got into their infamous shoot out. The corner of the block holds more commercial space with tourist based shops on the ground floors. If you're into Quicksilver and a way too crowded Sephora, then this is your block.
The entire block leading up to Broadway and the end of the street's run through Times Square is taken up by 1 Times Square (the former New York Times building). I'm not sure what's in there now but I do know that the ball drop is still here every year much to the chagrin, I imagine, of all the building's employees. The other side of the block is an open street space with an army recruiting station, so I tend to avoid this block all together if I find myself having to be in this neighborhood.
I don't like this part of town. In fact, I wish it would just go away. There are too many tourists, no neighborhood bars or restaurants and nothing to do unless you just love musicals and people from out of town. It's loud, bright and filled with trash, cabs and solicitors. It's pretty awful so I would live here unless my apartment was huge and nearly free.

42nd starts its run in Times Square at 8th Ave on the west. This particular intersection was quite the to do back around the early 20th century for picking up males of the night, if you will. Tennessee Williams used to pick people up right here and Montgomery Clift was arrested for doing as such. The corner at 42nd and 8th is taken over by big commercial buildings with lights all over them. It's kind of exhausting how many lights, cars and people there are right here at any given time of day. There are two movie theatres on this block: Loews and AMC. I'm sure they're both just fine as far as theatres go, but I don't go to either of them because this area I have an anxiety attack just thinking about 42nd street. There's also a Hilton Hotel and a bunch of chain restaurants catered to tourists. It's a really tourist street aside, I guess, from the cinemas (who would go on a trip to New York and go to the movies?) The west end of the block used to be sort of glorious and sometimes scary artsy kind of area that is now completely usurped by the grossest of all tourism mechanisms. The American Airlines theatre is a gorgeous old theatre that used to be the Selwyn. The interior is still the same and it's beautiful but the plays are very vanilla nowadays. The Pax food place used to be a seedy bar where Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg were all the time. Across the street used to be a restaurant where the likes of Diane Arbus and co and it is now a Wax Museum and Ripleys Believe it or Not. There are three more Broadway theatres on this block all of which have undergone massive renovations by big corporate owners. Where ground breaking plays used to premiere, we now have the long running Lion King at the Disney owned theatre. It's kind of sad but I guess it's less sad than letting these great, old theatres fall into shambles.
The next block over is very corporate. The 42nd street subway stop is right here and it is an absolute cluster bomb. Nearly every train line connects at this station so it is always mobbed with people whizzing every which direction. 1 Times Square is across the street and The Times are no longer there (which gave the area its name) but this is where they still have the big New Years Eve Celebration every year. Times Square Tower takes up the rest of the other side of the block and it's basically just a massive commercial building. The tower is on the site of the building where Harry Houdini was suspended in a straitjacket. But, I think the current building is a bit to high for anything to rival that stunt. There's really no reason to go to this block unless you work in either of the buildings or you really want to be surrounded by a mob of tourists at the end of the year.
I wouldn't under any circumstance live on 42nd street and especially not in this neighborhood. It's always a madhouse, there's no neighborhood feel and it's dirty and loud. I'm glad the theatres are here but you can always just hop on a train to get to the theatre which I would highly recommend: catching a cab around here is a nightmare.

Shubert Alley is a little pedestrian alley that runs along the back of Shubert Theatre. It used to be a fire lane for the Shubert and Booth theatres and Astor Hotel around the turn of the 20th century as law dictated they had one. Then, the Shuberts rented it from the Astors to use as their personal alley. It became a public alley a few decades later and boasted a lot of little shops and a waiting place for actors waiting to audition for a show in the theatre. Nowadays, it's a little alley that's not particularly crowded considering its location. It has a gift shop that used to be a Booth theatre dressing room. It is still a fire alley for the Shubert, but you can walk down it to gain access to the theatre. You can't live here and there's not much to see but it's a fun little stretch of history.

Broadway in Times Square is kicked off exactly how one would imagine it to be: with lights and people everywhere. The Times Square subway stop is right here and nearly every subway that runs through Manhattan connects at this stop. It is utter insanity at this station with people whizzing in every direction to make train connections. It can really overwhelming for even a New Yorker because of all the people so I can't imagine what it must be like for tourists. Across from the subway is the old Knickerbocker Hotel which used to be the finest hotel in the city. The building is gorgeous and definitely worth a look even though you won't see an Astor walking out of it anymore.
The next block is where you enter Times Square proper. 1 Times Square gave Times Square its name because the New York Times moved here in the early 20th century. They celebrated their move on New Years Eve which has made this area stick as the big jubilee for New Years Eve. The ticker they put up on the building has been there since 1928 and was the first in the world. It still ticks news even though the Times is no longer located here. This building is now pretty much just a place to put big showy advertisements with a lot of hullaballoo but it's this building that made Times Square what it is today. Across the street is the Conde Nast building which is the headquarters for Vogue magazine. This is where the immortal Anna Wintour reeks havoc on young fashionistas' lives.
The next block of Times Square is the one that scares me the most. There are enough lights here to induce a stroke and the culinary fare ranges from Bubba Gump Shrimp to Hard Rock Cafe to . . you get the idea. It's just a bunch of awful tourist hellholes on this block and it's almost impossible to get through the masses of people with backpacks on in this area. It is the bane of every New Yorker's existence. Good Morning America is filmed on this block and I feel sorry for all the people who work there because they have to see this block every single day.
The next block used to have a bevy of lovely old theatres and the Astor Hotel which was quite grand. Now, it features such gems as MTV Studios, a Billabong store, a way too crowded Sephora and a Toys R Us. This particular block, however, is the one that's famous for its outrageous ad signs, so if you need to see those, 45th is the place to be on Broadway.
The New York Marriott, Virgin Records, and the Astor Theatre take up the block leading up to 46th but it's hard to tell what is what because of all the electronic ads. The Astor Theatre premiered movies such as Gone with the Wind but I don't know if it actually still shows movies. My guess is no because I've never been there.
The rest of Broadway leading up to 50th is predominantly chain hotels with a few commercial buildings in the mix and some very bizarre tourist-driven shops on the ground floor. I would never stay in a hotel around here, but I suppose if you had to, I would go the W route. All of the others just seem so cheesy. I also wouldn't recommend dining or going to a bar around here. You won't see a single local unless they're there on a dare or because they had no other options. Most New Yorkers avoid this part of town like the plague as far as hanging out goes so you won't see any real New York. And, I wouldn't recommend living here at all unless you have industrial strength ear plugs and nightblinders. It's just too loud, bright and irritating.

West 48th at 7th is exactly what you would expect a Times Square area block to be: big buildings with a lot of lights and advertisements. The north corner holds a massive luxury high rise apartment building with big electric ads covering the top. It used to be the Studebaker which was one of the most notable buildings in the area but it was torn down in 2005. Why anyone would want to live right here is beyond me, but apparently enough people did to warrant the construction of the high rise. Across the street is the Ramada which is an odd-wedge looking hotel. The site used to be the Cotton Club which was a big jazz hang. What a shame that it's a Ramada now. And, it's not even an affordable hotel considering that it's a Ramada. Go figure, New York.
The block at Broadway holds another big, but not nice hotel with the Hershey shop on the ground floor. This amount of lights and clutter ought to be illegal. And, I have no idea how a kitschy chocolate store does well but I suppose the tourists just eat this up (pun intended). Across the street is a Morgan Stanley building which is terribly out of place and the Longacre theatre. I've never been to this theatre because they never have shows that are of any interest to me, but it has been around since the early 20th century. There are a few more hotels that cater to tourists on this block as well as the Walter Kerr theatre. The Walter Kerr usually has some of the best Broadway shows so you can almost bank that you'll see a good one here. They are responsible for debuting Angels in America, a number of August Wilson's work and Proof. It's a standout theatre that I highly recommend. Hurley's Saloon is also on this block. It has been around since the 19th century but moved here around the early 2000's after a long fight to not be taken over by Rockefeller Center in its old spot. As far as Times Square bars go, this one isn't too bad and I think it's because it has been around for so long.
This area is really annoying to me because of all the people, trash, lights and noise, but tourists love it. I think it's because it looks so different from any other part of New York, let alone the country. It's definitely a tourist trap so you won't find many locals just hanging around here, but it's less crowded than 42nd and it, at least, has a good theatre and a decent bar.

The start of 41st's run through Times Square really indicates just exactly what Times Square is meant for: there's a massive Red Lobster right at the corner of 41st and 7th. Why anyone would want to come all the way to New York City to eat at Red Lobster is beyond me, but it manages to remain, so I suppose an awful lot of people seem to think that's acceptable. The New Amsterdam Stage Door is just next to the Red Lobster where the Lion King is enjoying its insanely long run. Zeigfield Follies debuted at this theatre in 1913. Across the street from the New Amsterdam is the Nederlander Theatre which saw Broadway premieres for plays such as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? It's a big theatre that looks very Times Square to me. But, it often does have some great plays which I often don't say about Broadway theatre. There are also two hotels on this block: a cute, boutique hotel and a massive, ugly, Hilton (I'm presuming for all of the Red Lobster patrons).
The street at from 8th and 9th is taken up by the Port Authority Bus Terminal so that's pretty much the end of 41st street through Times Square. It's a little run but it's exactly what you would expect from any street in Times Square: catered to people that don't live in New York.

There are an awful lot of car dealerships on the Hudson in this area, and 51st is no exception. There's a Jeep Chrysler dealership right at 12th which I think is just such an eyesore for a neighborhood. And, this neighborhood needs all the help it can get so another auto dealer does not help. The area surrounding the dealership looks like a wasteland and it's pretty scary at night because no one is around. There's a public high school and a few apartment buildings at 11th but nothing noteworthy as far as architecture. I think it would be extra creepy to go to high school right here. What if you got out of study hall after dark? There are people out in this part of town at night but because there aren't any bars or restaurants, there's just no sort of energy on the street. The next block is just a church and a few more depressing apartment buildings. And, at 9th there's really nothing but a Howard Johnson. Why do people want to live on this street? They had better have gotten a sweet deal on their apartment because that's the only reason I can see for moving here.

Depsite the fact that I don't like this neighborhood, I kind of enjoy West 45th. It has a lively energy, some beautiful townhouses and a lot of art culture which makes it, aside from one sore around 8th, a pretty cool block to live on if you have to live in the neighborhood.
The block at 10th houses the IMG headquarters which used to be the Tootsie Roll Headquarters where the Tootsie Pop was invented. It's funny that such a big business situation is housed in a building that still has a Tootsie Roll logo on the side. I like that they didn't remove it, though. There's a playground across the street, but that's pretty much it for the block. The block at 9th has a little more going on with the Film Center (a building that houses several production companies) and a residential hotel on the corner. Next door to the hotel there's an apartment building called the Whitby where Doris Day and Joe Dimaggio have both lived. There's another nice apartment building and a sushi restaurant on the same side of the block which makes the fact that Private Eyes Strip Club across the street seems a little misplaced. Next door to Private Eyes is a big Broadway theatre that was playing The Lion King last time I checked. Broadway Dance Center is on the other side of the Strip Club which, again, just adds to the creep factor of Private Eyes' location. Broadway Dance Center is one of the more renowned dance schools in the country and I take classes there every summer. It's a fantastic school on a great block but all these foreign kids are always hanging around outside in between classes and I get worried that they're going to be creeped on. I wish that club would move but I'm not the block boss.

Frawley Circle is on the northeast corner of Central Park. Of all the "circles" around Central Park, this one isn't even close to the most aesthetically pleasing one. There's too much of a cross section of 110th in the circle and the neighborhood right here isn't exactly what you'd want in a coffee table book, visually. I've only been here once because I'm just not a huge fan of Harlem and I live in the West Village so this is quite a hike. There's a cool statue of Duke Ellington in the circle but other than that, there's really not much to see or do. You have to go further into the park, in my opinion, for the really beautiful parts. Park is better than no park, but this is kind of a road that's attached to some green, in my opinion. And, the surrounding streets are so loud that you can't really enjoy Central Park from right here.

Grand Army Plaza is a really decorative little chunk of the south part of Central Park. There's a massive statue of Civil War General Sherman being led by a woman that is supposed to symbolize peace. It's a really pretty statue and it is very . . . gold. Thank god it's brushed gold, or this would be blinding when the sun is out.
There's a split design to Grand Army that is modeled after a Parisian landmark (the name I can't recall). And, the south end of the Plaza holds Pulitzer Fountain. I swam in this fountain with a friend after a lot of cocktails. We totally could have been arrested but the photos and laughs we have from this night made it well worth any recourse we could have gotten.
Grand Army is definitely a grand entrance to the park but it is often completely overrun with people. There are people everywhere around here. It's mostly tourists trying to figure out where to go in the park and about an equal amount of solicitors trying to get the tourists to buy something so it can be a bit of a nightmare. But, if you catch it at the right time, it's a very dazzling way to enter the park.

Columbus Circle is a crazy circle on the west side of Central Park. It is always packed to the gills with people, cars, noise, trash . . you name it. It can also be quite perilous to cross due to all of the traffic, so this area can definitely raise your heart rate. There are also a lot of people catering to tourists around here so I always have to mentally prepare myself to be bombarded when I go to Columbus Circle. Oh, and the horses. Lots of those too.
There's a lovely fountain right at Columbus Circle that my friend and I jumped into one night after drinking a little too much. We probably could have been arrested but I'll count it as one of my favorite nights in New York.
There's a weird shopping center called the Time Warner Center on the west side of the circle. It also has businesses in it, which I presume include Time Warner. There are a bunch of stores (like a Sephora) and some of the most famous foodie restaurants in the city are also here. I find this equally bizarre. Masa and Per Se are counted as the most expensive restaurants in the city and they are in a shopping center? Weird. But, it doesn't seem to hurt the restaurants at all so I don't presume they plan on moving. There's also an Equinox gym (one of my least favorite ones), a Starbucks and a bunch of medical buildings surrounding the circle -- as well, as the southwest corner of Central Park. There are some terribly expensive apartments on Columbus Circle but I don't know that you could pay me to live right here. There are just way too many people and no energy feel. It's really just crawling with tourists and people trying to either get to the park or to work.

It's not exactly a "great" hill, but Central Park Great Hill is definitely a hill. It's a little far north for my blood, so I don't come here a lot. It's right next to the 103rd street stop on the west side so access to the Hill is pretty easy. The only thing I can think of as far as things to do on Great Hill (outside of normal park things) is the yearly Wiccan festival. Yep, that's right, witches. They have a big celebration in the summer. I went one year because I enjoy watching weird things and it was pretty awesome. They do a maypole, and chant and jump over cauldrons and stuff. I was surprised at how many witches live in New York . . but, I don't know why I was surprised, it is New York, afterall. It was actually pretty cool and made for an interesting afternoon involving things I don't do in a part of town I rarely visit. All of Central Park is beautiful, but if you have a reason to trek over here, or live in Morningside, the Great Hill is a cool thing to see.

Central Park Driveway is a beautiful and convenient way into two of my favorite parts of the park. It's on the east side of the park just of the 79th street transverse and it takes you to both the Sheep's Meadow and the concert stage. I have been to at least two shows every summer at the Central Park Summer Stage and it never gets old. Some of the shows are free and some are not free but pretty cheap. The lines are pretty long but it's not too shabby of scenery for a long wait in the afternoon so you can't complain much. I highly recommend everyone see a show here (the Philharmonic at least) and Central Park Driveway is the easiest way to get there.
The Sheep's Meadow used to be an actual sheep's meadow and now it's just for grazing people. It's unadulterated by trees so people come here to soak up the sun, play hand ball, and people watch. It's like a massive picnic with a bunch of people you don't know every weekend and it's pretty fun.
You can use a lot of roads through the park to get around, and, you don't even need one if you're on foot. But, Central Park Driveway makes getting to the goods quick and easy -- I've gotten lost a lot from veering off this road and it's a really big park to find yourself lost in.

The 97th Street Transverse is way too far north for my liking, seeing as I'm a downtown kinda gal. But, I have a friend that lived in Harlem and when he did, he used it all the time. This transverse marks the top end of the resevoir which is pretty popular for joggers. I think it's just over 1.5 miles around the water so if you like that kind of run and you live uptown, then this is your road to get there. There's not a whole lot else around here, but you can get to great north Central Park attractions like the Pool (awesome for a picnic), the Hill (highest point in the park with great trees) and the Conservatory garden. Those are all in the 100's, street-wise, but a few blocks in this city is nothing and you may as well do them in a gorgeous park with sweeping views, no?
Like all transverse roads, the actual road isn't much for a leisurely stroll as cars shoot through the road and traffic can get backed up. But, it's a great access point and makes getting across the northern part fast and easy.

86th seems a little redundant to me seeing as there is also a transverse road at 85th, but I guess it doesn't seem that way to the rest of the New Yorkers because there are always people on it. This transverse road is the best for getting to the resevoir and the Old Croton Aqueduct trail. Before the park was a park, it used to be a massive resevoir with an aqueduct wall leading to it. A lot of this wall still remains around 86th and it's a pretty cool little trail. It looks old timey like castle / moat old timey which I like. And, this far north in the park tends to be much quieter than the southern parts, so if you want a peaceful day with as little city noise as possible, this is a good road to take to get into the park and branch out.

The 79th Transverse Road is a great road for access from the east to the west side of the park, and there are some little gems right off of this road. Belvedere Castle is off of 79th and there's a fantastic rock wall that serves as a walkway beneath the castle. It was put in around the 1850's and there used to be gaslamps to light the way. Not too many tourists know about this rock wall walkway so it's a great, semi-quiet treat. The 79th St Transverse also runs directly into the Natural History Museum (one of my favorite spots!) so if you're on the east side of the park, you can just shoot straight across.
This is also a pretty convenient entrance for getting to the Summerstage, Philharmonic and Shakespeare in the Park though the 72nd entrance is a bit closer. This road isn't particularly tranquil for a park stroll because cars can use the road. But, if you need a direct shoot to any of the aforementioned sights as well as Turtle Pond and the Conservancy, then this is the best street to take.

72nd St Transverse is the park entrance that I use to get to all the things I do in Central Park. I enter on the east side to get to Philharmonic in the Park, Summer Stage, the movies in the park, etc. I use the west entrance to get to Shakespeare in the park. It's basically a direct line to all the free summer fun there is to be had in the park. It's also the best entrance to use to get the famous Boathouse. The boathouse really does deserve all the notoriety it has as far as a great lunch place. The food if pretty good, and it's just beautiful. I highly recommend having a lunch here. It took me two years of living here before I finally did it and I can't believe I waited that long.
The transverse is open to cars so it's not the most scenic park walk as it can be pretty full of traffic that either goes way too fast or doesn't move at all. But, supposedly, they're putting in more bike lanes which is supposed to make that better -- seems to me it'lll make it worse but who knows. All in all, this is the best road to use for navigating your way into all the goods but not ideal for a leisurely stroll

The 65th Street Transverse is a road that connects the east side to the west side through the park. It is open to cars, so it's not exactly the most scenic pass through the park. And, cars tend to drive pretty quickly through here so it makes it a bit dangerous for a runner. It can be quite loud, too, so it's not ideal. But, it's nice if you need a quick cut from one side to the other. It also makes entrance into the park easy and allows for a vantage park as the park can be really confusing if you don't know it well. The east side of 65th transverse is where the opening to the zoo and petting zoo is so it's pretty popular with little kids.

Center Drive is what 6th Avenue turns into once you enter Central Park. You can't live here (or anywhere in the park for that matter), but it's an easy drive street if you need to get through the park by car for some reason. Center Drive takes you through the Bolivar Plaza entrance to the park. There are a lot of statues Latin American liberators right around here. I don't know who any of these people are, but the statues are pretty. There's also a little treehouse looking thing on the east side of center drive. There really all kinds of surprises in this park, so driving through it isn't the best way to see it. But, if, for example, you have to get to the north side of the park, this is probably the best way to go to get into the meat of the park. However, on a nice day, traffic can be a nightmare on this street. There are so many pedestrians and bikers, etc and there are only two lanes so there's no way around all the people. And, cabs whizz down this street so if you are a biker or walker, be careful.

If the picture didn't indicate enough . . .you can't live here. It's a tunnel for traffic that connects Brooklyn and Governor's Island to Manhattan. I wouldn't even recommend hanging out close to it because it's loud, filled with traffic and you could be maimed here. The cars whizz through and honk and it's just a drab tunnel anyway so there's nothing really to see here. It's a nice way of getting to Brooklyn, though not exactly the most scenic.