Best neighborhood?

Has to be Soho!

I second Soho. Althought it can be a tourist trap, I love the architecture, shopping and restaurants.

Lower East Side rocks! If you're young.

Hi guys,

I thought I would bump this one, seeing as New York is a place I want to live very soon. Let's say for example you are young and single? How bout then? I hear the West Village or Soho is the place to be at the moment.

Thoughts?

East Village for me, i love it here!

Chelsea because it is fine and refined like no other neighborhood. Also have a very soft spot for Greenwich Village as well.

Great to see so many opinions!

I must agree with adriancheekycho, I love Gramercy Park but I also would live in the Village anyday. Amazing energy. Cant agree with Soho though andyme, it has become a tourist trap/shopping mall experience.

Nolita! SoHo's pretty great, though it's not so much "happening" as just plain old swank.

For "happening" and singles living, LES, East Village, and if you're gay, Chelsea.

Aren't most young people priced out of the city by now? Williamsburg seems to me by far the most "happening" nightlife scene in the city, maybe followed by the LES - though there seems to be more and more dudes from Jersey hanging out there.

Yeah lots of people have remarked how the LES is being overtaken by Republicans (maybe the equivalent of dudes from Jersey? But what do I know) just like the East Village before it. No doubt all the cutting edge music and art--if indeed we have something called the cutting edge--is happening in Brooklyn somewhere. Maybe Williamsburg or maybe an even further out fringe. And by extension I would guess the best bar scenes are where the cutting edge is, and that's where a young single person should go live.

Some things are just classics, though, and I wouldn't pass up a chance to live in the LES, the Village, or even SoHo if I had it.

I like Times Square for the glitter, lights, and all the digital stuff there. It is a sight to see at night.

@uraniumfish I lived in the LES about four years ago and it has changed at an incredible rate. There is still music and art in the area, but it definitely has been attracting a whole new crowd. It seems like the former LES set now reside mostly in Williamsburg and the surrounding areas. Though I still have a few friends who managed to hang on to their LES dwellings.

After having lived in the LES I'm not sure if I would take the opportunity to live there again. I may just be getting old; I don't feel like fighting crowds of bar hoppers or shoppers to get to my own apartment. The same goes for Soho. I think I could deal with the East Village - there seem to be less tourists there than in Soho and less dudes from Jersey/ Republicans than in the LES.

The biggest headache for me is the crowds. I feel smothered when I am in a large crowd. If I see a large crowd heading toward me, i walk around them, even if it means walking in the street. This is why I do not go to places where there are a lot of people. And if I do need to get there, I have a routine to get around it.

@ BroadwayBK I think I'm an all around downtowner--a kind of downtown generalist, if you will. So I love Nolita best because I can walk to everyplace else without committing to any one of the neighborhoods: LES, East Village, West Village, SoHo, Chinatown. Feels like my natural habitat to be in between.

And I get the feeling everyone claims a neighborhood as their own based on personality. Know what I mean? You're probably right that the East Village is a good starter place for a young & single person, and then maybe one graduates in a few years to wherever one ultimately belongs.

I love the Upper East Side .. yes some parts of the area (Park Avenue) are snooty and not very welcoming but east of Lexington Avenue you actually can get a ' neighborhood ' feel which I especially like.

@ uptowngirl Is any of it affordable up there? Seems like the one area where I haven't lived, and always just assumed I wouldn't be able to touch the rent prices.

@uraniumfish There is some truth to that. But New York neighborhoods are constantly morphing with time, some more quickly than others.

@uptowngirl I'd be interested to hear your take on your own neighborhood as well.... I've never lived in a New York neighborhood where there are so many people stacked on top of one another, so it's interesting to hear you say that there is still a neighborhood feel to it.

@Uraniumfish currently there are one bedrooms available on areas like York Avenue and First and Second Avenue in the 70's and 80's for about $2500 many of the apartments are in 'doorman' buildings as well. Of course the area doesn't have the hipness factor of downtown but its quite safe and clean as well.
@BroadwayBK I refer to the area of the 80's where I live where there are grocery stores, a neighborhood cafe, the Carl Shurz Park and decent schools all within close proximity . Over the years I have come to be acquainted with several folk who both live and work here like Francis a friendly but chatty driver on the M79 crosstown bus and the young mother who routinely sings to her kids while she escorts them to and fro from school and who once stopped me in the street to compliment me on my handbag and coat and now always waves to me when she sees me( till date I dont know her name nor she mine). This is what makes it a neighborhood for me.

@Uptowngirl: I know what you mean when you speak about the Upper East Side. I've been there, especially around 78th St and 1st Ave area. I noticed people hanging around in front of bars and restaurants, especially those that allow you to eat outside. The faces on some people were pretty intense. I guess it is the pressure of the city. On the lighter side, I did see some people with smiles on their faces. That was a cheerful moment.

I know I've mentioned it before: but, I gotta say West Village. I can't believe I'm the only one! It's so beautiful. It's a real neighborhood with trees, and cobble stone streets, and it's QUIET but still cool.

Lower East Side for me, and SoHo would be pretty great to live. Hate the weekends in both places, though!

I'm not sure which way to go. I've been to many places. I guess if I have to choose one of my favorite places to go is Central Park, just for the scenery.

Hmmm... Think I'm more of a Brookyn girl by now, but I'm going to pass right over Williamsburg and go for Fort Greene. It's gorgeous down there, and so close to Downtown Brooklyn and the Heights.

I love Carnegie Hill. It's a wonderful, family-friendly neighborhood with proximity to the park, great food/restaurants, and lots of neat features like the Hunter Playground or the local Corner Bookstore, which always hosts a party on Christmas Eve for the neighborhood community. It's a great, great place.

@Ajadedidealist: It does have its history. Carnegie Hill is widely considered one of the most prestigious residential areas of the Upper East Side. I actually went through there about a month ago and was intrigued by what I saw. Considering it stretches quite a distance and actually covers some of Central Park on Fifth Avenue, I found the walk through there to be captivating at times. I do agree with you how wonderful some of the streets are as you walk around its borders.

Indeed, @hhusted. It's not pretentious/snobby, though, unlike other parts of the UES. It might be rather pricey, but because it's a family neighborhood people tend to be more low-key (think strollers more than Manolos). Parts of Park are a bit standoffish, but Carnegie Hill by contrast is welcoming and lovely!

@Ajadedidealist: Hmmm. Interesting. You would think that all neighborhoods would be the same. Alas, at least Carnegie Hill is welcoming and lovely. If people don't like the attitudes at the Park, that area can be avoided.

No offense to pretty much everyone on this post: but, golly, I hate Soho. Every time I'm in that neighborhood, I feel my skin start to crawl. There's too many people, too many tourists / gawkers, to much traffic. There's not one good restaurant in the whole joint -- Bread is fine but the service is so atrocious you don't care what you're eating. And, it's so pretentious for a place with zero neighborhood feel to it. Egads.
I will agree on the Nolita props, however. I love that neighborhood. It's such a shame that all the apartments there are crawl spaces for 3 grand.

@JenMac: When talking about crawl spaces, anyone who rents an apartment that small for $3000 either has to be a fool, or get money from their rich parents and don't care. I just can't see spending $3000 on a crappy apartment. I thought $950 was bad enough. But three grand. That is way too much.

By the way JenMac, I was in Soho myself once, and didn't seem to see what the hype was about. It was dirty, disgusting looking, and there was garbage everywhere. It appeared that no one cared enough to clean up the mess. I left and haven't been back since.

@hhusted there are loads of trust fund babies who inhabit this city and whose parents pay their rents even though they are well into adulthood that's just the way it is. A couple of them even inhabit my apartment building.

Ha! I love SoHo, but no offense taken. I am not really a fan of the crowds, either, and, well, everything does seem more expensive when you step into the neighborhood.

@Uptowngirl: Trust fund babies. When I hear that sometimes I just cringe. Why? Because I realize that in many ways I am more blessed than those trust fund babies. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing I did it my way and worked hard to get where I am. I think trust fund babies are spoiled by their parents. One day, these trust fund babies are going to face life head on when their fund runs out, and when it does, they will shrink up knowing they didn't do anything worthy of their lives. Plus, their rich parents won't be around forever. I wonder how they will manage on their own when they have no one to help them or no one to turn to, especially for money.

There is a trust fund baby who lives next door to me. She is in her '40s. She has a mental problem and constantly harasses people, since she has nothing better to do.

There are plenty of parents out there who, whatever their wealth, encourage their children to "make it" on their own (while still providing emotional support) - I think that's a very sensible attitude to have! Much better than spoiling your kids and making it impossible for them to truly grow up and be independent

@hhusted and ajadedidealist I totally agree with you both.

Hate the SoHo weekend crowds too, but I think the apartments there are huge sprawling luxury lofts, and I would certainly put up with the tourists on weekends to get to have one of those deals.

@Uptowngirl: Thank you. I also agree with ajadedidealist, when she spoke about parents who don't spoil their kids but encourage them to be independent. I like that kind of thinking.

I agree that trust fund babies, often, end up having a lot of problems. But, to be devil's advocate, I know a lot of people who don't really have to work and are uber cool. And, I know plenty of people who made a lot of money on their own and are total douche ma touches: i.e. are really stingy and lord the money over everything because they never had any when growing up. Cuts both ways, I suppose.

@JenMac: Yeah, those who grew up without much, go to extremes. They try to make up for lack by overdoing it. Balance is all that is required to live a good life, but many people do not know how to create and maintain balance.

@JenMac I think it goes both ways, too. Actually I wish I was a trust fund baby - I think Virgina Woolf had a point when she said in order to be a writer of depth what you need is a [magical] fixed income and a room of one's own. Ah, if only....

And I do know a few people who grew up without much - that seems to go both ways, too. Some maintain a certain frugality without overdoing it and others work hard to be as rich as possible but are overwhelmingly stingy.

@BroadwayBK: That is the choice. Sure I would like to have plenty of money to work off of. If I did I wouldn't act crazy over it, or be snobbish, arrogant, or anything like that.

Actually, a friend of mine asked me an interesting question recently. He asked if I were to be given $5 million dollars right now, would I change? My answer would be yes. I'd be richer. I then smiled. He returned my smile and joke by refining the question to mean if my personality for change. I told him no. My mother raised me right. She told me no matter how rich I become in life, never change my personality. Always remember where you came from and stay humble. You will benefit greatly that way.

That is one thing I noticed about myself. When I acted haughty and arrogant, I lost what I had and did not get more business, but when I was down-to-earth and humble, I got a lot of work.

Agreed 100%, @hhusted. Money can make like a lot easier - but it can just as easily make life a good deal harder if handled incorrectly...

Amen, ajadedidealist. I'm glad we are on the same wave length.

@Everybody The West Village is starting to grow on me, now that I've been spending some quality time there.

I knew it, uraniumfish! I knew someone would, eventually, come around to my fave!

@JenMac Though I am still partial to Soho, for totally different reasons. Can one love two neighborhoods at once, one wonders?

@Uraniumfish You can only be loyal to one at a time!

@Uraniumfish It's okay to love more than one neighborhood... life is short.

@BroadwayBK Okay, that's a good point...:)

@Uraniumfish, BroadwayBk LOL

You know what? It's really hard to say just what my favorite neighborhood is. I am partial to my own, of course. Woo Park Slope!

Is it just me or is this convo a sad metaphor for dating . . . ?

@Uraniumfish: I agree with those who state you can love more than one neighborhood. Why not. Who said you have to like only one.

@JenMac Not a SAD metaphor, just a metaphor...And I do tend to be faithful to one neighborhood at a time...most times...

:)

So many great neighborhoods, so little time...

@JenMac Ha. I'm with Uraniumfish, though. It's less sad and more amusing.

@DBlack Spoken like a true gentleman.

@DBlack I second that ...

@Dblack: I agree. I try to focus on one neighborhood at a time as well.

@BroadwayBK Ah, no. I am indeed a gentleman, but that joke was set up so well already and just waiting for someone to say it...

@DBlack: Oh, well. So it goes.

@Everyone a statistician, Nate Silver who predicted the results of the 2008 election ,has now applied his math skills to determine the best neighborhood in the city. His findings are as follows-Park Slope, Brooklyn,Lower East Side Manhattan, Sunnyside , Queens,Cobble Hill/ Boerum Hill Brooklyn and Greenpoint, Brookly- He used parameters like safety and affordability for his study and arrived at the results .. do you agree??,

I second the Brooklyn options. Its a fun place to be and it's not the other side of the world. It doesn't take me that long to get into Manhattan, especially because I ride a bike most places I go. I think Park Slope and Clinton Hill are areas to consider. A lot cheaper too.

Pssshhh The Lower East Side? UGH. It's so crazy what that neighborhood has undergone in the past ten years or so. It might as well be Soho these days. I have always been a fan of Greenpoint, though. I am seriously considering moving there soon, even if it means having only the G as an option.

I work in Bensonhurst. And it is downright ugly. There is construction everyone, and most of the people I see walking around are ugly Chinese people. I do see an attractive one now and then.

I love Williamsburg Brooklyn. It has the best music venues and some great art galleries, and it's not ridiculously over-priced like Manhattan. I think there's more going on culturally there (bands, artists, performers, etc.) than in all of the boroughs combined, and even in most of Manhattan.

@Elysium: Sounds like a fun place to be. I know BrooklynBK was talking about that area in another forum, I just can't recall that post right now.

Ah, I was partying in Greenpoint/ Williamsburg over the weekend and there are definitely some spots that are charging the same puffed up drink prices that you find in Manhattan sooooo.

@Elysium I dont think Brooklyn is all that cheap when compared to Manhattan.. I remember once I had to go gift shopping and decided to make the trip from Manhattan to Smith Street in Caroll Gardens only because I thought that a particular gift shop( I think it was called Huskers ) would be cheaper but once there I realized I could have got the same kind of stuff( sweet smelling soaps, scent diffusers) way cheaper in the city.

@Uptowngirl: There is a Chinese grocery store around the corner from where I work at, and they sell everything cheap compared to the city. So i guess it depends on where you shop and the people who own it.

@hhusted agreed.. though even in Chinatown in Manhattan you can shop for cheap groceries and fruit.. what I meant to say that perhaps Brooklyn has more affordable housing than Manhattan in certain areas however not all of Brooklyn is that cheap and it also has its share of pricey, trendy neighborhoods.

I guess it's true that it depends where are you are in Brooklyn when you are comparing prices to that of Manhattan. Bar life in Park Slope closely resembles that of the Village, but I've seen bars in Bay Ridge offering $3 drinks. But then who wants to hang out way down there?

Yeah, I agree. Williamsburg isn't cheap at all compared to Manhattan. It's one of the only neighborhoods that didn't have a rent decrease when the economy crashed. A few of my friends actually moved into Manhattan because it was cheaper. Yikes.

Um. Yeah. I spend at least $50 every time I got out in Williamsburg. Or, that is when I don't know the bartender I spend about $50. Even in Greenpoint that is often the case - every time I go to Manhattan Inn I walk out wondering how I could've spent so much money.

@JenMac That's a good point about rent prices. When I was looking for a new place a few months ago, it did seem like prices hadn't gone down in Williamsburg at all. But in Manhattan there were starting to be some bargains.

Morningside Heights is the best place to get away from it all. It's almost eery how isolated it is from the rest of the city, which I guess is nice for college students when they're really trying to buckle down and study. It's got a great culture of it's own and tends to be a little more slow-paced than the rest of Manhattan. Plus you can't beat the off-campus parties! You're alway really close to a lot of the great theaters in the area.

@Everybody: One place I would not want to live or even walk around too long is Bensonhurst. I used to work down there. There are Chinese in one area, Germans in another, Russians in another area, etc. Now, I'm not saying all people from these ethnic groups are bad. I'm just saying the area where I worked was dirty and scary. There were some unscrupulous people hanging around.

I would have to agree that the best place to live in the city is in fact Soho. I love Soho in the spring and summer when you can get out and visit the street artists, or find a nice comfortable spot and enjoy a cold beverage while you people watch as the hours tick by. I can spend an entire day just walking around…If you enjoy photography, this is one of the best places in the city to capture life in motion as well as some great architecture. Last and of course not least is the shopping which ranges from small boutique shops to big names like Ted Baker and Elie Tahari. If you are into cloths you have to visit the Jean Shop at 424 West Broadway which would be one of my first stops after winning the lottery.

I love SoHo/NoHo and the Village. What I hate is Times Square! Ugh :(

I doubt anyone can LOVE Times Square. It's just one fo those things we all TOLERATE.

Oh, I have friends from Florida who moved to the city and LOVE Times Square. At least that is what they are always posting on Facebook. I think the criteria for loving Times Square has something to do with not being from the city and having really bad taste. But those people are out there!

@BroadwayBK Okay, this is how it becomes obvious to me that I am a real New yorker. It would never occur to me to use the L-word and Times Square...

@BroadwayBK ooooh I too know folks like that.. when they come visit NYC .. they only want to stay in the Times Square vicinity as it is the 'heart of the action'..bah!!!

Man... it doesn't get much worse than Times Square.

@Everyone I had a request from a friend who lives overseas today.. he's coming to NYC in July for a conference and will be put up in on one of those Times Square Hotels. Well this guy is a foodie and wants to shop for some gourmet food like cheeses and chocolate which he wants to carry back with him. He was wondering if there was any place around Timed Square where he could go? I seem to remember that the area has a gargantuan Gristedes but rather than direct him there I gave him directions to Zabar's, Citarella, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.. does anyone know of a similar store in the Times Square vicinity?

Dean & Deluca has a cafe up there. Never been, but maybe your friend will go for it...

Dean & Deluca New York Times Café
620 8th Ave • Retail Space B • 212.221.0308

@Uptowngirl: That's a good question. There are so many stores and places to eat, it is hard to say. Have to think about that one.

Many thank's Uraniumfish will send him the address..

@hhusted How come you always say you'll have to think about that one, and you'll get back to us with an answer to the question, but you never do...?

@DBlack: I am a busy guy right now. First of all, I am about to go into the hospital for surgery to have cancer removed from my body, so I think I have more concerns right now. Plus, I have other projects that I am trying to finish before going into the hospital. Also, when I post one of those comments, I forget about them, since I have my mind on other things.

My English boyfriend got so excited when he first saw Times Square. He's not usually a fan of neon and crowds - or excitement, for that matter - but he felt it was an Important Landmark. As a kid I used to love Times Square because I was a theatre nut. Now - not so much...

Best of luck with your surgery, @hhusted.

@Ajadedidealist: I am going in for plastic surgery next Monday. It is to replace what was taken out. Not fun but has to be done.

I also love Times Square. It has so much glitter. And I also like the neon signs and whatnot. Other than Central Park, I consider Times Square one of my favorite places in NYC. The only downside to it are the huge crowds.