NEIGHBORHOODS
SoHo
When industrialization took place in the 1800s, this area experienced a boom in residential and industrial growth. Over time the industrial loft spaces were abandoned, but artists took note of the low rent and empty spaces, and began appearing in the 1950s. Now this fabulous area south of Houston Street (SoHo for short) is a mecca for art galleries, designer shops, quaint cafes and beautiful lofts. Soho is known for its own unique NYC apartments – a myriad of lofts old and new and prewar tenement-style buildings – butvthere’s also modern construction. Here you also have everything at your disposal from chic boutiques to off-beat theatre performances, abundant art galleries and cutting-edge restaurants and hotels.
Also to note about SoHo: it hosts the largest collection of cast iron buildings (about 250) in the whole world. First used as a façade in the mid to late 1800s, cast iron was later the material of entire buildings. The neighborhood of Soho starts below Houston Street, with the western section stretching just below the West Village to the Hudson River, down to Canal Street and east to Lafayette Street. Nolita (once known as Little Italy) and Chinatown are right nearby for a great mix of culture and cuisine.
Tribeca
TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal Street) did not see its first residents until the late 1700s. The mid-19th Century saw lots of commercial activity as many stores and loft buildings emerged along Broadway in the 1850s and 1860s. The establishment of the IRT (1 train) subway line in 1918 and elevated train along Greenwich Street in the 1940s saw continued development. Year later when many of the commercial spaces emptied out, artists began to flock here. Warehouse spaces turned into lofts, and luxury high rises sprouted all around adding to the creation of NYC apartments.
TriBeCa is located between Chinatown and the Financial District. Its boundaries literally form a triangle, with Canal Street and Broadway at the top over to the Hudson River/West Street, down to Vesey Street at the edge of the Financial District. Though the neighborhood is relatively small, its full of great attractions including top restaurants like NoBu, TriBeCa Grill and others, as well as designer shops. The streets have a quiet, charming feel, and its residences offer typically large living spaces. TriBeCa has been used as the backdrop of many films, and is now the home of a major film festival. The area is accessible by many major train lines including the A, C, E, N, R, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 trains. Washington Market Park bordering Greenwich, Chambers and West Streets has a community garden that features various events throughout the year.
East Village
Bordered by Houston Street to the south, 14th Street to the north, Fourth Avenue and the East River, the East Village sits just above the trendy Lower East Side, and attracts people from all over the city with its multitude of authentic restaurants, popular nightlife, cafes and chic boutiques. The area was once known as "Little Germany," and has been the place to call home for an ongoing wave of immigrants since the 17th Century. It’s also attracted the likes of famous artists, poets and musicians, and was even the birthplace of punk rock thanks to the famed rock club CBGSs (now John Varvatos boutique).
The growth of New York University to the West helped inspire the East Village’s renaissance, but you can still find old-fashioned stores mixed with luxurious retail establishments. The old and the new also co-mingle in terms of East Village apartments for rent, as you’ll find many prewar tenement-style walkups that still stand alongside the new luxury high rise co-op and condo developments. Residents of the East Village share the area with such landmarks as St. Mark’s Church and such historic parks as the 10.5-acre Tompkins Square Park that connects Avenues A and B. Transportation includes the 6, L, F and M subways, several bus lines, the FDR Drive, and the highly anticipated Second Avenue subway.
Union Sqaure
West of Gramercy, Union Square is centered around the historic park of the same name, and is one of NYC’s most exciting neighborhoods because it offers so much – from fabulous food, shops and spas to popular retail chains and centrally-located offices. Union Square is also a major subway hub where several train lines converge, plus it houses the city’s very first Greenmarket, as well as the Union Square Holiday Market.
The park itself, Union Square Park, which runs from 14th Street to 17th Streets and Union Square East to West, is a great place to sit, walk and socialize. Here you can also find statues of Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, the equestrian George Washington, not to mention the famous Metronome. This national landmark was once a potter’s field, opened in 1839 and named for its address at the “union” of Broadway (then Bloomingdale Road) and a now-defunct street. It was also the site of many big events, from the first Labor Day Parade in 1882 to the first Earth Day celebration in 1970, as well as, interestingly, many labor rallies. Those who choose to live here in its Manhattan apartments have easy access to it all and lots to choose from as far as property types that include fabulous luxury high rises.
Murray Hill
Named after the Quaker merchant Robert Murray who owned a farm atop a hill here, Murray Hill spans fromEast 34th to 42nd Streets, and from the East River to Madison Avenue. Tudor City marks the first residential skyscraper in the world. Of the 100 townhouses listed in the area in the 1892 Social Register, 60 remain standing. These wonderful single-family brownstones, some beautifully renovated, share the territory with Murray Hill apartments for rent in new high rise condo towers and great new loft-like apartments on Madison and Fifth.
Within Murray Hill you’ll find Kips Bay, a neighborhood with many restaurants and a movie theater, and Turtle Bay to the north where the headquarters of the United Nations sits on the edge of the East River (once a slaughterhouse). Sutton Place just above Turtle Bay was the crème de la crème of fashion in the 1920s and home of the Morgans and Vanderbilts. The recently renovated Morgan Library is a historic treasure. In the middle of Manhattan, Murray Hill offers anything you’re looking for, from old and new style housing to many conveniences, services, shops, ethnic restaurants and more.
West Village
One of the most storied NYC neighborhoods, the West Village is a joyful place to live with its beautiful prewar residences, charming, winding streets (some still paved with cobblestones) and eclectic mix of attractions like quaint shops, artist studios, cafes and eateries. Though residents, historians and real estate professionals debate its borders, the area is most commonly said to be contained within West 14th Street, West Houston Street, Seventh Avenue South and the Hudson River. The West Village is an extension of Greenwich Village (aka, “The Village), which is west of Seventh Avenue, where some beautiful historic townhouses and co-ops on tree-lined streets can be found as well.
The West Village, ubiquitous with New York's bohemian culture since the art community began populating it in the early 20th Century, remains close to its artisan roots. For everyone who lives there, it offers a more casual laid-back ambiance as far as Manhattan apartment living goes. Along with single-family brownstones and townhouses, the area contains intimate pre-war apartments (often less than 12 stories) with plenty of windows, greenery and gorgeous details, as well as intimate dining establishments, abundant nightspots, the Hudson River Park and convenient transportation, making it one of Manhattan’s most desired living destinations. Famous writers and artists like Henry James, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Norman Rockwell, Eugene O'Neill and Dylan Thomas called it home. The old White Horse remains one of the neighborhood’s most popular destinations. The Meatpacking District north of 14th Street has transformed into a boutique-type area with chic designer shops. Parks include Abingdon Square, James J. Walker Park, Bleecker Park, Jackson Square, and the refurbished Highline Elevated Park that starts at Gansevoort Street.
Upper East Side
Occupying the area from East 59th up to 110th Street, from 5th Avenue eastward to the river, the Upper East Side is considered the elite place to live in New York City…and has been such since the late 1800s. Tranquil, charming and rich in architecture, this desirable community is accessible to the magnificent playground Central Park, and known for its glamorous shopping and fine dining. Many executives and celebrities have chosen this as their place of business and their residence, as its address is truly cache. The area also boasts a wealth of quality schools and world-class museums that have attracted families and young professionals to keep an Upper East Sid apartment.
The Upper East Side historically exemplifies prestigious landmark-type apartments, but there’s also something for everyone in terms of studios, one- and two-bedroom co-ops, condos and rentals. It’s even possible to find a no fee apartment on the Upper East Side. Once wetlands, forest and fishing camps occupied by the Lenape, merchant Archibald Gracie built his mansion (Gracie Mansion) on the East River in 1799. From there more estates followed, especially after the New York and Harlem Railroad was established, including President Ulysses S. Grant's house on East 66th Street, and the estates of wealthy families like the Rhinelanders, Schermerhorns and Astors. Andrew Carnegie built his mansion on Fifth Avenue and 91st Street in 1901, lending his name to the area now called Carnegie Hill. In the early 1900s, the railroad was buried under Park Avenue, one of America's most prestigious boulevards. Accessible by the Lexington and Broadway subway lines, local buses, and the future T subway on Second Avenue, the Upper East Side is home to Museum Mile (the Frick, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim Museum) prestigious retailers like Barney’s and Bloomingdale’s, and diverse dining options from Elaine’s to the Park Avenue Café.
Upper West Side
One immediately thinks of the Upper West Side when they hear the term, "prewar buildings." With classic buildings like the Dakota, Ansonia, Apthorp, Manhasset and Astor Court, it’s no surprise. The Upper West Side is defined by the area from Central Park West to the Hudson River, 57th Street to 110th Street. At one time, north of 59th Street up to Harlem was mostly countryside. It wasn’t until the 18th Century that residences were established, particularly by the well-to-do. The Upper West Side today houses varied NYC apartments, with “Classic Six” prewar apartments in the 70s and 80s, grand apartment buildings along Riverside Drive, and spectacular luxury condos like Time Warner Center at the neighborhood’s southern tip.
Families, single professionals, even seniors are drawn to the diverse Upper West Side, as are current and former students thanks to its proximity to Columbia University. Plus there’s plenty to do along Broadway and beyond, from eating in famed restaurants, enjoying coffee in trendy cafes, window shopping for fine fashions, to playing and people watching in Central Park West or Riverside Park. Plus there’s a giant Whole Foods, and all the culture and history you want with Lincoln Center, New York Historical Society and the Museum of Natural History in easy reach. Getting around the Upper West Side is just as easy with the 2 and 3 express trains at 72nd Street. The B and C trains have stops along Central Park, and the 1 train runs all along Broadway.