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Uptown Manhattan Neighborhoods Guide

Harlem: Originally a Dutch village, Harlem was established in 1658 and annexed to New York City in 1873. Since the early 20th century, the neighborhood has been a significant African-American residential, cultural, and business hub, with a peak black population of 98.2%. This historic NYC neighborhood saw a dramatic outpouring of black literary and artistic works in the 1920s and -30s. This cultural movement, known as the Harlem Renaissance, was instrumental in forming African-American identity. At the time of the Renaissance, central Harlem was home to over 125 entertainment venues, including speakeasies, cellars, lounges, taverns, cafes, rib joints, theaters, dance halls, and grills. Today, Harlem is home to some of the best museums in New York City, including El Museo Del Barrio, Museum of the City of New York, and The Studio Museum. Visitors to Harlem might also enjoy Harlem Week NYC and the African American Day Parade.

Morningside Heights: Bounded by Morningside Park to the east, Harlem to the north, and Riverside Park to the west, Morningside Heights is a thriving "college town" in New York City. Since its development in the late 19th century, Morningside Heights has been home to many famous people, including George Gershwin, who began composing Rhapsody in Blue while living at 501 West 110th Street, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who lived at 200 Claremont Avenue while working in advertising and writing This Side of Paradise. Seinfeld fans will want to visit Tom's Restaurant, the famous NY restaurant where Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer dined and commiserated.

East Harlem: Located in the north-eastern part of Manhattan, bounded by the Harlem River, the East River, East 96th Street, and Fifth Avenue, East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem and El Barrio, is one of the largest predominantly Latino communities in New York City. This vibrant NYC neighborhood has been featured in numerous pop songs, including "Maria Maria" by Carlos Santana and "Spanish Harlem" by The Mamas & the Papas. The Museum for African Art, one of the best NYC museums dedicated to African art and culture, is located in East Harlem.

Upper West Side: With an established reputation as the home of New York City's artistic luminaries, the Upper West Side is an upscale, mostly residential neighborhood between the Hudson River and Central Park. This beautiful brownstone neighborhood, originally a thriving Dutch community, is home to the Children's Museum of Manhattan and The Lincoln Center. There are plenty of fun things to do in the Upper West Side, including the Lincoln Center Festival, Midsummer Night Swing, and Lincoln Center Out of Doors. Several popular daytime TV shows, such as Live with Regis and Kelly and Good Morning America, are filmed on the Upper West Side.

Upper East Side: Located on the east side of Manhattan, between the East River and Central Park, the Upper East Side is an upscale residential neighborhood widely regarded as the most affluent area of New York. Here you will find some of the best museums in the United States, including the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, The Frick Collection Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. It is here, in this historic NYC neighborhood, that you will find many of the most famous boutique shops on Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue. As of 2008, Fifth Avenue was still ranked the most expensive street in the world.

Central Park: A National Historic Landmark since 1963, Central Park NY spans 874 acres and offers countless recreational opportunities, including tennis courts, skating rinks, swimming pools, baseball fields, trails for hiking, and boat rentals for boating. Theater fans will want to check out one of Public Theater's outstanding Shakespeare productions, like The Merchant of Venice, or one of the amazing marionette productions by the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre. If you're looking for fun things to do in NY, you can't go wrong with Central Park.

Midtown Manhattan Neighborhoods Guide

Midtown West: Midtown West is a popular commerical neighborhood on the west side of Manhattan. Within this bustling neighborhood is the Theater District, where you can find many of the best restaurants in New York City, including Todd English Restaurant and Triomphe Restaurant NYC, and 39 of the world's finest theaters. Many trendy NYC hotels may be found in Midtown West, including The Distrikt Hotel and Cassa New York. It is also here, in Midtown West, that you can catch popular Broadway shows, such as Phantom of the Opera, La Cage Aux Folles, Wicked the Musical, and Jersey Boys Broadway.

Midtown East: Along with Midtown West, Midtown East comprises the largest central business district in the United States. Over 700,000 commuters work in Midtown Manhattan. It is here that you will find popular NYC attractions such as the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center, and Times Square. Midtown East is itself home to many good NYC hotels, such as Hotel Bedford, which stands at 118 East 40th Street.

Times Square: Often called "The Crossroads of the World" and "The Great White Way," Times Square NYC is a major commercial intersection in Midtown Manhattan at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. Here you will find many of the most exciting NYC attractions, such as Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, NYC Mars 2112, and ABC's Times Square Studios (where Good Morning America is filmed). Times Square is also the site of the New Years Eve Times Square Celebration, where the famous 12,000 lb. ball is dropped. A popular tourist destination for over 50 years, it is the only neighborhood in New York City where businesses are required by law to display lighted signs.

Garment District: Bounded by Fifth Avenue, Ninth Avenue, 34th Street, and 42nd Street, the Garment District in NYC is widely regarded as the center for fashion manufacturing and fashion design in the United States. Less than one square mile in area, this charming NY neighborhood boasts the showrooms of Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Liz Claiborne, and Nicole Miller. The NYC Garment District is also home to many cheap Manhattan hotels, such as Hotel Metro NYC and the Americana Inn NYC.

Murray Hill: Murray Hill is a small, peaceful, predominantly residential neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan. As of 2010, it is bounded on the south by East 34th Street, on the north by East 42nd Street, on the west by Madison Avenue, and on the east by the East River. Visitors to Murray Hill will want to visit the NYC Public Library, The Morgan Library, and Bryant Park.

Chelsea: Comprised almost entirely of tenements, apartment blocks, art galleries, and renovated rowhouses, Chelsea NYC is a vibrant neighborhood in central Manhattan. Many good NYC hotels are located in Chelsea, including The Hotel Chelsea, The GEM Hotel Chelsea, and Lotus Hotel NYC. Chelsea Piers, the largest health club in New York, is located in eastern Chelsea. It is also in Chelsea, at Chelsea Studios, that the Martha Stewart Show is filmed. For many years this trendy neighborhood has been regarded as the center of Manhattan's LGBT community.

Gramercy: One of the quietest and safest neighborhoods in New York City, Gramercy Park NY takes its name from the private, two-acre park at its center. This charming neighborhood, home to The Marcel at Gramercy, is perfect for a jog or a stroll on a warm summer day. Because of zoning laws, the tallest buildings in the Gramercy Park neighborhood are no taller than 20 stories. Older buildings of three to six stories are numerous, especially on the side streets.

Stuyvesant Town: Named after Peter Stuyvesant, the last Director-General of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, Stuyvesant Town is a large private residential development on the East Side of Manhattan. Comprising 80 acres of red brick apartment buildings, the complex ranges from First Avenue to Avenue C, between 14th and 23rd Streets. It is one of the most iconic and successful private housing communities in New York City.

Lower Manhattan Neighborhoods Guide

Greenwich Village: Once regarded as the Bohemian capital of the East Coast, Greenwich Village is now a predominantly upper-middle-class residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan. It shares a border with the East Village to the east, SoHo and Hudson Square to the south, and Chelsea to the north. Many of the world's most famous musicians got their start in Greenwich Village, including Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Joan Baez, The Velvet Underground, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, and Nina Simone, among others. It was also here, in the Village, that the Beat movement began. If you're looking for things to do in Manhattan, consider visiting one of the many coffeeshops in Greenwich Village, where live music is played. Check out our Greenwich Village Hotels page for places to stay in Greenwich Village.

East Village: Like Greenwich Village, the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan has undergone many changes in the last 50 years. In the late 1960s the neighborhood was known primarily for its edgy music scene. Many notable punk rock bands were first heard at CBGB, perhaps the most famous nightclub in the East Village. Patti Smith, Arto Lindsay, the Ramones, Blondie, Madonna, Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, the Beastie Boys, and Anthrax all got their start in the East Village. Today, the area is home to mostly affluent residents, and most of the artists have moved to other neighborhoods in New York City.

SoHo: Once known as Hell's Hundred Acres on account of its many sweatshops, SoHo is now a sprawling, gentrified neighborhood bounded roughly by Houston Street, Lafayette Street/Centre Street, Canal Street, and West Broadway. This neighborhood, once a thriving artistic community, claims the largest collection of cast-iron architecture in the world. Many popular NYC restaurants and boutique shops can be found in SoHo, along with cheap NYC hotels like the Hampton Inn Manhattan SoHo and The GEM Hotel SoHo. Tourists will enjoy visiting the New York City Fire Museum, where one of the nation's finest collections of fire-related art and artifacts is displayed.

Little Italy: A National Historic District since 2010, Little Italy NYC is a small Manhattan neighborhood known for its authentic Italian restaurants and shops. Here on Mulberry Street you will find the very best Italian cuisine, from cannoli and lasagna to zeppoles and gyros. It is home to the annual Feast of San Gennaro, an 11-day street fair and religious festival. In 2010, the Feast of San Gennaro drew more than one million people to Little Italy over the course of its 11 days.

Lower East Side: Now home to many popular NYC nightclubs and restaurants, the Lower East Side of Manhattan was once a predominantly immigrant, working-class neighborhood of cramped tenement buildings. Bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street, it is one of the oldest neighborhoods in New York. The rich history of this NYC neighborhood is preserved in the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, one of the best museums in New York City.

Tribeca: One of New York City's most creative and vibrant artistic communities, Tribeca is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan bounded by Canal Street, West Street, Cortlandt Alley, Broadway, and Chambers Street. The area is home to many good Tribeca hotels, including the Sheraton Tribeca Hotel and the Duane Street Hotel Tribeca. The name "Tribeca" is itself a portmanteau of "triangle below Canal Street." This New York City neighborhood is becoming increasingly fashionable on account of its many celebrity residents.

Chinatown: Located in the southern part of Manhattan, Chinatown NYC is the largest predominantly Chinese community in New York City. The area, also one of the first ethnic neighborhoods in the United States, is known for its authentic Chinese restaurants, specialty shops, and markets. Visitors to Chinatown NY will want to check out the landmark statues of Confucious, the Chinese social philosopher, and Lin Zexu, also known as Commissioner Lin, the Fuzhou-based Chinese official who opposed the opium trade.

Financial District: Located in the southernmost part of Manhattan, the New York City Financial District, also known as Wall Street, is one of the principal financial centers of the world. Visitors to the Financial District will want to check out the South Street Seaport Museum, which boasts exhibition galleries, a maritime library, a marine conservation lab, and a craft center. Another site worth seeing is The Federal Reserve NY, the most powerful bank in the United States, which holds 7,000 metric tons of gold bullion (worth about $270 billion as of 2010).