NYC Dopers... Tell me about Manhattan

I need some firsthand info/opinions about Manhattan (the NYC borough, not the mod). I’m doing research for a novel I’m writing, and my research so far has led me only to touristy information. I’d like something a little more realistic from folks who actually live or work there.

In what area of Manhattan would one buy an apartment if one had nearly unlimited funds?
Time-wise, how long would a typical commute to the office be, living in said ritzy area and working in, say, lower Manhattan? Would one be likely to drive to the office, and how much of a hassle is parking?
Also, does anybody know of any good sites where I can find more detail than the NYC tourist sites I’ve already checked?

Thanks in advance!

There are any number of neighborhoods where you could get an apt. if you were filthy rich—most people think of “Park Avenue” or “Fifth Avenue” (Upper East Side—but not too Upper and not too East!), but there are lovely, very expensive areas of the Upper West Side, SoHo, the West Village.

No one drives to work. The wealthy or well-connected do take company cars or limos, though. Timewise, a commute could be anywhere from ten minutes to an hour, depending on traffic. I generally find walking to be faster than buses, cars or subways.

It would be helpful if someone could address the neighborhoods and larger divisions by reference to the Manhattan street grid – nearly everybody has access to the latter, and has heard reference to the former in articles or fiction set there, but you don’t get, except casually and rarely, an idea of what’s where.

What, roughly, is the break between Midtown and Downtown? Is Uptown still used of the northern areas, and where’s the break from Midtown?

Where are Hell’s Kitchen, SoHo, Greenwich Village, the East Village, the Silk Stocking District, the Bowery, and all the other neighborhoods that NYC folks take for granted that everybody knows? I know that Morningside Heights is on the Upper West Side – so why “Morningside,” which sounds like it ought to be east?

With unlimited funds you would then take into account the personality of the person buying the apartment.

If they are more artistic then they may want to live in Greenwich Village or Soho or other ‘downtown’ areas.

The upper east side is has more of an ‘old money’ feel to it while the upper west side has a ‘younger’ feel. You may want something with views of the park (central park) or the water.

The commute would also depend on the personality of the person and what mode of transportation they chose to take.

If they had to have a private car/car service then they may have a long commute. (but with that driver I can be working in the back) But even Mike Bloomberg (our mayor and really really rich guy) takes the subway to work. Midtown to downtown by subway 30 mins tops.

This site has a fairly good map of New York City neighborhoods. The drawback is that the street names aren’t given, it assumes you can pick out the major streets and landmarks (like parks) to orient yourself.

Of course, NYC neighborhoods are not an exact science. The boundaries are a little fluid, and can change depending upon whether you’re talking about “what restaurants are in this neighborhood” to “what public schools serve this neighborhood” etc. The neighborhood names are also relative, you might describe one destination as being more uptown than another, but that would change depending upon what two things you were comparing.

SoHo means South of Houston

Tribecca is the Triangle Below Canal

(Because I couldn’t seem to get it together enough to write post these things in one post!)

Morningside Heights takes its name from Morningside Park. The area is mostly a plateau that slopes down to the east. The park itself is on this east-facing slopey part, so the sun hits the park as it rises, hence the name. If you can imagine NYC without all the tall buildings, the effect of the sun striking the steep slope of the park and the view of the sunrise were quite dramatic, from what I’ve read.

Columbia University and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and St. Luke’s hospital are up on the plateau, and Morningside Park is to the east of all these institutions (although the entire package is still on the west side of NYC), if that helps you picture it.

I could have sworn Zebra’s post said, “The upper east side is has more of an ‘old monkey’ feel to it . . .”

Old monkeys feel is Staten Island.

He is the Moderator of GQ. :smiley:

From 14th Street south to Houston Street, is the area known as “The Village.” Right around 5th Avenue and Washington Square Park is NYU university, this area, being neither east nor west, is the part most people call ‘Greenwich Village’ (that’s “gren-ich,” BTW)

Between 14th & Houston, East of Broadway over to 1st Ave you’d call it the East Village. East of First Avenue (where the streets are alphabetized, Avenue A, Avenue B, etc.) is sometimes called Alphabet City. It’s a fairly sketchy area.

North of 14th street on the east side in Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village which is an enormous middle-income housing project that extends all the way up to… 23rd street at least. Maybe 26th, I can’t recall. People wait YEARS on the waiting list to get a Stuyvesant Town apartment. Not that’s its fancy, just safe and (relatively) affordable.

South of Houston on the east side is The Lower East Side, once a Jewish immigrant tenement neighborhood but now an up-and-coming area for hipsters and artists. Certain elements of the old Jewish culture remain (bargain clothing stores on Orchard St., Yonah Schimmel Knishes, and Russ & Daughters smoked fish emporium spring to mind)

The Lower East Side merges with Chinatown somewhat north of Grand Street.

Little Italy barely exists anymore, swallowed up by Chinatown. Just a cluster of restaurants around Mulberry st.

Okay, south of 14th to the West of 6th Avenue is the West Village. It’s the “gay” neighborhood if you will and is a very NICE part of town. Mostly 4 story brownstone type houses, treelined streets.

Whew, I’m all neighborhooded out.

I’d like to add that some of the trendiest “artsy” neighborhoods are a bit outside of the city (umm, that is, Manhattan) - take Williamsburg, first stop in Brooklyn on the L line.

I would say all real estate surrounding Central Park below 96th street is reserved for the monumentally rich.

Hey!

I Strongly recommend the Ken Burns’ PBS Series entitled New York, from this NYC resource site.

And if you can find it, (I think it was) George Plimpton did a 5 part (1 per borough) Walking tour of Manhattan a couple years back that also aired on PBS

Back in the old days, when we used to BYOB @ King Tut’s Wah-Wah Hut, the rule was: the higher the letter, the greater the chance of impending death. But as is usually the case, neighborhood rules barely last 1/2 a generation in the ever-metamorphing NYC…the yuppies always see to that.

There are still alot of apt.‘s in AC, where you’ll see:
Bathtubs in the living room
Bathrooms no larger than 2’ wide
Exposed plumbing and electrical from before the days of indoor, in-wall services

Thanks, all! I knew you’d come through for me. I’m getting some good ideas about the various areas now, and that link was far more helpful than most of the ones I’ve found on my own.

How difficult would it be for a newcomer to find her way around, assuming she doesn’t know many people there? Is it fairly easy to get directions or info from other New Yorkers?

This may sound stupid, but if most people don’t drive, why do they even own cars there? If one lives in a super-expensive apartment, would free parking be included? It’s hard for me to grasp the idea of not needing a car to get around.

A large percentage of people living in Manhattan don’t own cars at all. Some need them for when they travel outside the city. You can get around within the city quite nicely via subway or bus if you are an average person, by cab if you can spend a bit more, or by limo if you are wealthy. Think of all the movies you’ve seen where the person leaves the hotel or apartment and immediately they or a doorman hail a cab.

A great deal of Manhattan has numbered streets, and it is simplicity itself to find someplace if you can count. The trickier places with the winding streets – like the Village – yes, a visitor could easily ask and get directions.

  1. It’s very easy to get around, people are helpful with directions and much (although certainly not all) of Manhattan consists of numbered streets, and they’re even in order! So if you are looking for 9th Street, and you pass 8th Street and then 7th Street, you know you need to turn yourself around. Also, all subway stations have huge neighborhood maps that are actually pretty helpful. In touristy areas, there are maps posted in high-traffic places.

One difficulty people might have, though, is if they are driving. Most streets are one-way, and there are some areas where it seems like the one-way streets are never going in the right direction so you must circle back endlessly to try to get where you are going.

  1. Free parking – HA HAHAHAHAHAHAH HA HA. I’m sorry, that was obnoxious. It’s just the toll being a New Yorker takes on a gal.

Okay, seriously, most people do not own cars. Even people who are “middle class” might not own a car if they live in Manhattan. They walk to work or take public transportation. If they are making trips outside of the city, they rent a car.

Wealthy people do own cars. They keep them in parking garages that charge a monthly, or sometimes an annual fee. Some nice apartment buildings have garages that charge residents a discounted, although still expensive, fee. In many places, there are more apartments than parking spaces in the garage, so you have to go on a waiting list to get a space. I’m sure there are some buildings that have free garages, but that isn’t very common. Even people who own cars often still take public transportation to work because it is a pain in the neck to drive around during rush hour no matter how wealthy you may be.

Back to the common Joes – some people do own cars, and they can either rent a space in a garage that is not necessarily connected with their apartment building, or it’s also possible to park on the street and just be very aware and careful that the car is safe, and not risking any parking tickets. Most people I know who have done this have done it on a short term basis, as it can be a real hassle. Depending what part of town you are in, some parking places on the street are free, but others have parking meters. Also, you have to move the car around, because certain streets only permit parking on certain days, the street cleaner has to come through and if your car is there on the wrong day, you get a ticket OR the car gets towed. When the city tows a car, they take it to the seventh level of hell, and you have to go sell your firstborn child to get it back.

Reasons that people might own a car in Manhattan:

  1. they are wealthy and don’t care about how much it costs to park, they have money to burn.
  2. they work outside of the city, and drive out of Manhattan every day when most people drive in
  3. they have a job that requires a lot of moving stuff around or driving
  4. they have a junker and figure it isn’t much of a loss if it is stolen or vandalized
  5. they have a weekend or summer home outside of the city, and use the car to go back and forth
  6. they keep their car at mom’s place back in Brooklyn or New Jersey, and occasionally bring it into the city
  7. their job has night or weekend hours, and then it’s much easier to drive around (less traffic) and some people are wary of public transportation late at night (plus, there are fewer buses and trains then, so it’s less convenient)

JohnBckWLD, it’s not Ken Burns who did the NY doc, it was his brother Ric. I should know, I just shook his hand and chatted with him in a mens’ room about 3 hours ago. (Grinny.)

gypsy, let me give you a little insider’s tip. EVERYBODY reaches for Park Ave., Fifth Ave. and the Upper East Side when they want to pick a ritzy hood. How ordinary. How predictable.

Why not pick an off-the-beaten-path high-class area like the one that’s a couple of blocks from me: Beekman Place? It’s a little nook running from about 49 to 51 Streets on the far east side of Manhattan. Many NY “swells” (…Eve, I was thinkin’ of you, babe, when I typed that…) live there. It’s near the UN, so lots of diplomats and a few consulates occupy townhouses there too; the Luxemburg (sp?) consulate, for example, is in the mansion owned by Irving Berlin and his wife until their deaths.

Now this sounds about right for my fictional characters… but is it pricey enough? I like the name, but is it recognizable to non-New Yorkers?

FTR, I’m dealing with an artsy, nonmaterialistic female character, and a self-made millionaire guy who doesn’t care about appearances. Would that be an appropriate area for them?

If anyone is interested, here’s a link to chapter 10 of my novel where the Manhattan connection becomes important…