vegashaley

W 33rd isn't exactly the place to bring your grandma, unless she is a fan of stripclubs. I wouldn't get into anybody's way here, especially since it is a rough and sketchy place at night. During the day, it is relatively safe if you get to where you are going quickly. I've never had any problems here, but that's primarily because I've only walked through here only when strictly necessary. Once, at night, my roomate had dropped her key and wallet, and a strange looking man actually chased her to return it. She was frightened and said "I swear I thought he was going to attack me! It was so dark!"
If you're the type who tends to get nervous in places with darker reputations, I would avoid this area. Great for dark parties though!

As far as clubbing goes, it's worth stopping here. The dark atmosphere at night gives the experience a lot more!

W 50th, home of Rockafeller Center and Radio city music hall! A lot of people have W 50th in mind when they think of Manhattan and simply don't realize it. In terms shopping, I have found a lot of great bargains at some of the smaller street vends. Street performing is more common here than in some places, and I've heard some awesome music being peddled in the streets. A wonderful place to visit over a college break. The real culture of the city can be picked up here, only because it varies. The amazing diversity of food is what is most memorable to me, including delicious Thai and some of the best coffee I've ever had in my life! I would tell people to visit here, as it really sets a great starting tone to anybody visiting NY.

E 23rd street is a great place for the younger crowds. I went to so many parties here! Nothing is actually surprising on this street after you get used to it! It's one of the best college-party scenes around, if you know where to go. I agree with whoever said that the Grand Saloon was a great place for drinks...we would still be in costume after some of the parties we went to, but the Grand Saloon was the sort of place where you could walk in, in the middle of August, dressed as an evil-minion-bunny (or whatever the theme of the party was) and not be asked any direct questions :)

I like that the food isn't overly priced, and the people living on E 23rd are just about right. If you don't have a ton of money, and like to party with friends and are generally relaxed and outgoing, you will be able to find some fun on this street! It's very easy to make friends, especially in the Saloon or in any of the other smaller cafes lining the opposite streets.

E 45th is great in terms of entertainment and food! I remembering being on my way to a club with friends and us stopping right on the square, playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who got to pick the restaurant (so many different chocies) We ended up getting seafood (raw sushi, and what I now believe was some form of squid...) and a few bottles of excellent grape juice. I think that, because of the activity, I defiitely would recommend E 45th as a tourist attraction: but definitely at night! I guarantee you that the street is most fun at night. There are so many costume parties on any given night of the year, that you could quite possibly see something hilarious walking by. This street appeals primarily to the younger crowd in the evening, with so much going on.

I think that in terms of culture, E 45th brings it. If you want to experience a certain kind of culture that the Manhattan youth takes part in, this is one of the perfect streets to experience it!

I love W 59th! Spent a lot of time here shopping. Bloomingdale's is good, but I have to say that a lot of great deals were found in smaller shops and street vends. I bought a lot of my jewelry and hair accessories here while on college breaks. I want to say that it's not expensive, compared to other streets where you could be shopping, but it's not the cheapest either. If you have a significant amount of time to spend looking for clothes and such, it's a good place to find them. I wouldn't look for massively cheap things here, but they are normally priced and of good quality :) Food isn't memorable, but I think I found a good sandwhich shop around there at some point.

E 52nd is great if you're interested in seeing wealthy people flaunting their success :) It's far too overpriced for the typical younger person starting out in life to afford. As far as it would go for tourists, I think that there are other streets that would be better for your money. The food is overpriced, although it's nice to be around so much motivation. Just visiting this street, you'll feel more motivated to become a success...

Most of the streets in Manhattan are worth a visit, but if you're looking to eat, I'd go a few more blocks down where the food gets progressively better and cheaper :)

On a visit to an anthropology conference, we stayed in the New Yorker Hotel on 8th Avenue. It cost about $120. a night + tax. The New Yorker was an adventure for four college kids, but I'm sure that the snootier critics would have found something not perfect about it. (We heard someone else complaining that the bathrooms were too small.) My FAVORITE restuarant was the Tick Tock Diner! It was open 24 hours a day, but was really busy. We ate there two meals a day and for coffee. I would recommend the food, but only if you are patient. As my roomates and I were all at one point waitresses, we weren't bothered at all by the wait.

After the conference, we ended up at a place called La Vigna Ristorante Bar & Grill. The food was some of the best I've had in New York, but we somehow ended back up at the Tick Tock Diner later that night for more food. Can't get enough food in Manhattan! We ended up at Macy's on our last day there, which is about 1 block away from the hotel.

Life in Manhattan is summarized by W 42nd! During my undergraduate years, I would often come to Times Square to celebrate the new year and to shop (of course!). The advertisements, especially for somebody coming from Boston, are what stand out in my memory. Not simply billboards, but park benches, giant televisions with commercials, and especially Broadway play advertisements. Everything is colorful and alive. Madame Toussants museum is almost too life-like. I found myself unsure a few times as to whether or not certain people were wax figures. I thought one man was a display until he started talking to me!

The restaurants remain in my memory as well. All types of delicious food can be found around W 42nd. Turn a few corners and you will be lead to Broadway and also to see the masses of people congregating around TRL.