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Destination GuideNew York City, arguably the world's most vibrant and sprawling metropolis, occupies five boroughs, each with its own distinct identity. After all, before the historic 1898 consolidation, Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island were each
independent municipalities.
Manhattan
Manhattan, home to the most recognizable sites, dominates popular perception of New York City. Its most famous districts are listed below:
Wall Street and the Financial District
New York’s first district remains its most historic. Wall Street investment banks coexist with landmarks like Trinity Church. Battery Park draws people for its panoramic views. The World Trade Center was also one of the area's most popular destinations, until its tragic destruction on Sept. 11, 2001; no longer will people be able to view the city from its observation deck, and it may be years before this area of Manhattan returns to normal.
Harlem
Long the national epicenter of African-American culture, Harlem was home to the Harlem Renaissance, arguably this country’s most influential artistic, literary and cultural movement. It has since seen some of New York’s worst poverty and crime. But now, Harlem is benefiting from a booming economy, as rents rise and tourists clamor to visit its jazz clubs and Southern restaurants.
Greenwich Village
At the turn of the 19th century, Greenwich Village drew free spirits from around the nation, including poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and playwright Eugene O'Neill. As the years went on, rents inevitably rose. Now, its townhouses are some of the most expensive in the city. New York University students gather in Washington Square Park and a diverse array of shops, bars and music clubs exist along Bleecker Street.
East Village
Long a poor, multi-ethnic neighborhood, for the last 20 years artists, students and yuppies have gone a long way towards gentrifying the neighborhood. Today, the artistic spirit that initially brought about change remains evident. Urban gardens and art exhibits sit beside cafes, craft shops and vegetarian restaurants.
Soho & Tribeca
Once home to massive factories, artists moved in and transformed the area into a bustling urban mecca. Galleries, designer shops, sophisticated restaurants and trendy bars followed soon after. Today, tourists flock here and rents have risen sky high.
Lower East Side
The latest neighborhood to receive the “Soho” treatment, it is hard to believe that this area once housed some of the city’s worst slums. Today, rents are rising and yuppies have arrived. The historic Orchard Street Shopping District operates among hip bars and nightclubs.
Chinatown
Asian restaurants, grocery stores and trinket shops line the ever-crowded streets. One need not travel to Hong Kong to obtain a $10 Rolex watch, as plenty are available here. Dim Sum and other favorites lure diners on practically every corner.
Little Italy
Frank Sinatra, Italian Restaurants and kitsch draw tourists to this lively neighborhood surrounding Mulberry Street. The Feast of San Gennaro still welcomes its throngs, but the neighborhood is fast being surrounded by nearby Chinatown.
Gramercy and Flatiron
The majestic Flatiron Building lords over this beautiful, eclectic district marked by loft spaces to the west and pre-war residences to the east. More than a century after their construction, the apartment buildings and townhouses around Gramercy Park remain coveted addresses.
Chelsea
Once a working class community, it recently became a posh address. As rents in Greenwich Village rose, the vibrant gay community moved upwards to occupy Chelsea’s many brownstones and loft spaces. Others followed, and today it reflects New York’s ethnic and cultural diversity.
Meat Packing District
Chelsea’s energy was bound to spill downward into this former industrial wasteland. Now, some of the city’s hottest destinations occupy spaces once reserved for slaughtered meat. First, Hogs & Heifers made redneck chic. Then, alternative nightspots like Mother and the Cooler opened.
Midtown
As the name implies, Midtown is smack in the middle of everything. Nobody is really sure where Midtown begins (most would say somewhere in the 30s), but most agree it stops around Central Park. Publishing houses, financial firms, import/export companies and fashion houses all do business here. Trump Tower entices shoppers, along with all those glorious stores along Fifth Avenue. Ice skaters twirl at Rockefeller Center and the spectacular St. Patrick's Cathedral offers serenity and spirituality.
Times Square & Hell’s Kitchen
Many New Yorkers miss the almost-gone seediness of Times Square, as Disney Store has replaced sex shops and strip clubs. However, most people begrudgingly admit that it is better this way. Visitors adore everything from souvenir shops to enormous billboards and Broadway musicals. A few blocks west lies Hell’s Kitchen, a community filled with eclectic restaurants, bars and shops.
Upper East Side
Park, Fifth and Madison have always been posh avenues. Whether in the gilded mansions of yesterday or the area’s hi-rise modern apartments, old money and high society have long made their home here. Consequently, shops to serve them line Madison Avenue, while Baby Gap coexists with art galleries and antique shops. Further east, new money has overtaken the old Yorkville slum.
Upper West Side
When the co-ops of the East Side were freer to restrict residents, the Upper West Side became home to new money. Then, as "modernist" Eastsiders tore down their pre-war palaces, Upper West Side residents kept their old buildings. Thirty years later, renters value the neighborhood’s attractive real estate. Meanwhile, bars and restaurants catering to Long Island and New Jersey folk (a.k.a. the Bridge and Tunnels crowd) continue to sprout like weeds along Columbus and Amsterdam avenues.
Brooklyn
This massive borough stretches from festive Coney Island to elegant Brooklyn Heights. But wherever Brooklynites hail from, they remain a largely proud lot. They can boast of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden the gorgeous bridge that bears the borough’s name, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and a growing restaurant scene. Some are even proud of their accent.
Queens
From Flushing to Astoria, Queens is experiencing a quiet renaissance, as refugees from Manhattan’s high rents continue to discover what this working-class borough offers its residents. Inexpensive ethnic restaurants pepper the borough. Queens is also home to the Kaufman Astoria Studio and the American Museum of the Moving Image.
The Bronx
This borough boasts the Yankees, one of the nation’s finest zoos and an extraordinary Botanical Garden. Alas, poverty continues to exist, but recently such areas as the South Bronx have benefited from the current economic boom.
Staten Island
More like a middle and working class suburb than a borough of the city, Staten Island houses thousands of residents who ride the ferry to work in Manhattan each business day.
Melissa Nurczynski
updated by Josh Greenwald
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