New York City consists of five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. The heart of the city is undoubtedly Manhattan Island, which is divided, at least in the minds of its inhabitants into Uptown and Downtown, a distinction that defines social heirarchies and personality stereotypes. Downtowners, technically those living below 14th Street, regard themselves as the cutting-edge, liberal darlings of New York. Those living Uptown, anywhere alongside Central Park, claim to be genteel, while being labelled as a bit staid and unadventurous by their southern neighbours. During the week, Midtown is the centre point of it all, bringing together the arty Downtown folk and their well-groomed Uptown rivals. Broadway threads through the whole of Manhattan from north to south, distinguishing the more laid-back west side from the more upscale east side of the island and often intersecting drastically varied neighbourhoods. The starting point for many visitors to New York, including the original Dutch settlers of 1624, the tip of Manhattan is a place of stunning views towards the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the surrounding boroughs. Following the tragedy of September 11th, it has also become a place of pilgrimage for genuine mourners and morbid tourists. The location of many of the country’s federal and financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange, this area is lively during the week but clears out at the weekends. Locals stick around only to enjoy Battery Park and the recently done-up Hudson River Park. A perfect example of how tolerant New Yorkers can be, Chinatown and Little Italy snuggle up to each other closely enough to be sharing dim sum and ravioli recipes. Gregarious Chinatown, between Grand Street to the north and Worth Street to the south, features colourful food stalls and cheap-and-cheerful stores. The tinselled streets and espresso stops of Little Italy flow out of Chinatown’s north end from Canal Street up to Grand Street, trying to hang on to their traditions despite the infringement of their more populous neighbours to the south. Super-cool Nolita (north of Little Italy), the artsy extension of Little Italy, has trendy Elizabeth and Mott Streets at its heart, where bars, French cafés and one-of-a-kind boutiques are found. Formerly the Downtown home of artists and bohemians, the funky, cobbled streets of SoHo and Tribeca are now the stomping ground of models, movie stars and well-to-do artists. SoHo (South of Houston, pronounced How-stun) is a perfect place to stroll. Its cast-iron buildings from the turn of the 19th century form a dramatic backdrop to narrow, touristy streets, lined with art galleries and shops. Tribeca (Triangle below Canal) lies immediately west of Broadway, between Canal Street and Chambers Street, and is a smaller area of pricey loft conversions, high-end galleries and chic New York restaurants. It also hosts an important annual film festival, created in part by local resident Robert De Niro. Set apart from the grid system, Greenwich Village is best seen by foot, with a map or enough time to get lost. Wander west from Washington Square Park to the charming streets of the West Village or head south to where New York University students still hang out in the cafés where beatnik culture was born. The axis of Bleecker Street spans the whole of the Village, with narrow tree-lined streets trickling off in all directions. On its north border is the hottest real estate in town. The Meatpacking District combines a working meat market with trendy bars, restaurants, clubs and all-night diners to create an edgy, glamorous vibe. Neighbouring Chelsea, north of 14th Street along Seventh and Eighth Avenues, is the centre of gay New York, known for its beautiful ‘Chelsea boys’ and chic art galleries. Romanticized as a former haven for Irish, then Italian, then Jewish, and, most recently, Puerto Rican immigrants, the Lower East Side lies south of Houston Street from Bowery over to the East River. Although the boutiques and bars around Rivington, Ludlow, Clinton and Orchard Streets are signs that the tenement days have long gone, this area is still a bit grimy-chic. Just north, the rapidly gentrifying East Village, from Houston up to 14th Street, is home to a wayward set of punks, hippies, vintage shoppers and artists. Considered the entrance to Downtown, Union Square sits neatly between 14th Street and 17th Street, bordered by Broadway and Park Avenue South. Just north of the square, the Flatiron District houses creative and media types between 17th and 23rd Streets, connecting over to the smart shops of Fifth Avenue, while further east, stately streets surround Gramercy Park, the only private park on Manhattan. New York’s grid system is never so clear-cut as in the wide, straight avenues of Midtown. Midtown is the businesss centre of the city and the place where those unmistakable New York symbols are found: skyscrapers, yellow taxis, corner diners, the flashy lights of Broadway and many celebrated buildings and department stores. Heading west, the once shabby area of Hell’s Kitchen, around Eighth and Ninth Avenues, is now teeming with artists and yuppies, who enjoy its ethnic restaurants and its close proximity to Central Park. Stretching up from 59th Street to 96th Street, between Central Park and the East River, the Upper East Side is distinguished and uppity but many locals prefer its tidy appearance and safe streets to the buzz of Downtown. The grandiose mansions around Fifth and Park Avenues have been home to America’s wealthiest families over the years – the Kennedys, Vanderbilts, Astors and the Whitneys – but although this area may reek of old money, its famed Museum Mile won’t disappoint culture addicts. Highlights include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frick Collection and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.
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New-York - £7.99
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