SoHo

SoHo “the biggest little village in the world”, SoHo is shorthand for south of Houston
(pronounced "how-stun").   Artists such as Phillip Glass, Twyla Tharp, Nam June Paik, Meredith Monk, Chuck Close, Frank Stella, plus many others helped create the ideal situation to make SoHo the Nexus of creative activity for a very magical time in the 1960's. SoHo came to represent the hip, avant garde scene.  Today, with stores like Intermix, SoHo is synonymous with trendy shopping, world class art galleries like Andre Zarre Gallery, a contemporary furniture center on Greene Street and of course it's cobblestone streets and cast iron buildings. While in SoHo be sure to check out some of these  interesting museums:

- New Museum of Contemporary Art – 583 Broadway
- CMA – the only hands on museum for children in New York
- NYC Fire Museum

Subways to SoHo:
6 to Spring Street
B,D,F,M to Broadway / LaFayette
N,R,Q to Prince Street
1,2,3 to Canal or Houston

East Village

The East Village, famous for its punk rock and beatnik roots, is the neighborhood with the highest concentration of bars in the city (if not the world). But thanks to nearby NYU, the East Village has more income and ethnic diversity than most of its neighbors. The area stretches between Houston and 14th streets and Broadway and Avenue D.  This area used to be a part of the Lower East Side, but developed its own identity of artists, musicians and students starting in the 1970’s.  The area was also the back drop to the Tony Award winning musical Rent.  Some areas that are definitely not to be missed are:            

- St Mark’s Place: filled with bars, tattoo shops and vintage clothing
- The Strand: miles and miles of discounted books
- Tompkin’s Square Park

To get to the East Villiage; Take the 6 Train to Astor Place, The F or V trains to Second Avenue or the N or R train to 8th Street/NYU

Little Italy

Signs made out of red, green and white tinsel effusively welcome visitors here. The neighborhood is a lot smaller and more commercial than it once was, but is still something to visit and explore. Some original bakeries and salumerias (Italian specialty food stores) do survive, and here, amid the imported cheeses, sausages and salamis hanging from the ceiling, you can buy sandwiches made with slabs of mozzarella or eat slices of homemade focaccia.

If you are visiting in the month of September, The Feast of San Gennaro is not to be missed.  Originally a one-day religious commemoration that began in September, 1926 The Italian immigrants congregated along Mulberry Street in Manhattan's Little Italy to celebrate San Gennaro as the Patron Saint of Naples. The Feast of San Gennaro is a large street fair, lasting 11 days, that takes place every September along Mulberry Street between Houston and Mosco Streets.  The festival is as an annual celebration of Italian culture and the Italian-American community.

The best way to access Little Italy is by taking the #N, #R, #J, #M, #Z or #6 train to Canal Street and walking up Mulberry Street.

Chinatown

New York Chinatown is the largest Chinese American settlement in the US.  Here you will find traditional Chinese herbal-medicine shops, acupuncturists, food markets filled with amazing varieties of fish and exotic vegetables, pagoda-style buildings and stores selling everything from beautiful jewelry and silk robes to hair accessories and plumbing parts. Hundreds of restaurants serve every imaginable type of Chinese cuisine, from dim sum to fried noodles to extravagant Cantonese, Hunan, Mandarin or Szechuan banquets.

Although the neighborhood is known for its eclectic gastronomical offerings, it may be the Eastern States Buddhist Temple on Mott Street that is the true treasure. Also, be sure to check out Frequent festivals and parades (especially during the January and February with Chinese New Year celebrations), as well as galleries and curio shops create a glorious celebration of Chinese culture.

For more information about what to check out when in Chinatown, visit the Chinatown Visitor Information Kiosk, located at the triangle where Canal, Walker and Baxter streets meet.

Subways to Chinatown:
N, R, Q, 6, J, M, Z to Canal Street

TriBeCa
Tribeca is actually an acronymn for "Triangle Below Canal". Since the 1970s, TriBeCa has been experiencing a renaissance, as artists, retailers and even families have made themselves at home in the neighborhood's large warehouse buildings and lofts. With cobblestone streets, breathtaking architecture, delicious restaurants chic shopping, the TriBeca neighborhood is perfect for strolling.  After the events of 9/11, the Tribeca Film Festival was created by Robert Deniro and some collegues to revitalize the area.

By day, the neighborhood has a low-key energy that feels inviting, intimate and family-friendly; by night, it takes a sexier, more sophisticated turn. Don’t miss out on some of the following attractions in the area:

• Hudson River Park - 550 acres of public space along the Hudson River
• Skyscraper Museum
• Woolworth Building- 233 Broadway

Subways in the area:
A, C, E, 1 - Canal Street
1, 2, 3, A, C- Chambers Street
1- Franklin Street
R - City Hall

Battery Park / Financial District
 Battery Park has been synonymous with the Manhattan of the popular imagination for some time. Its tall buildings and skyline, its busy streets, are symbols of economic strength and financial wheeling and dealing. There is plenty to see in the area, and many visitors might find a pilgrimage to the site of the former Twin Towers -  hard to resist.

42nd Street East
East of Fifth Avenue, 42nd Street is home to some of the city's most distinctive buildings, ranging from great Beaux Arts palaces like Grand Central Station, to the United Nations Building. This area is also home to one ofthe greatest New York City icons, the Chrysler Building.