Manhattan – how it changes below 34th Street

By Colm Hanratty – in Destinations

The most famous of the sights in New York City are almost all exclusively in Midtown Manhattan. Places like the Rockefeller Centre, Times Square, Radio City Music Hall, the Chrysler Building, MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), Grand Central Terminal are all located between 59th and 34th Streets. Even the Empire State Building is essentially in Midtown (it’s on the corner of 5th Ave and 33rd St, facing 34th St).

This is the New York City that everybody knows and envisages – skyscrapers on every corner; thousands of people huffing and puffing their way through the streets and the sounds of car horns and ambulances echoing through the cross streets.

But wander below 34th being the centre of the world’s most famous metropolis and starts becoming a series of small villages. This is the part of NYC I urge you to visit. Here are five reasons why:

Greenwich Village

Manhattan’s bohemian quarter is a part of the city I visit every time I’m in the Big Apple. I’ve lost count of the yellow cab drivers I’ve told to go to Bleecker and MacDougal – the centre of this infamous part of the island. Walk around this area and hot dog stands will soon be a distant memory. Instead, the corners here are awash with cafés, the streets have single-line traffic and the people go about their business in a far more civilised manner. I love it.

Lower East Side

Bordered by East Houston Street to the north, East River to the east, Canal Street to the south and Bowery to the west, Manhattan’s Lower East Side is one of the neighbourhoods that would traditionally have been a grungier, more alternative party of the city but is now heaving with some of NYC’s coolest bars and restaurants. Wander down streets like Orchard, Ludlow, Delancey and Stanton and you might encounter the next big thing in the world of music – artists like Lady Gaga began their careers here. Also, take note – if you want to have what Meg Ryan had in the movie ‘When Harry Met Sally’ to trigger an excitable reaction, you can ‘have what’s she’s having’ in Katz’s Deli on the corner of Ludlow and Houston, which is pronounced ‘How-stin’, not ‘Hyoo-stin’).

Chelsea

Chelsea ‘village’ has in the past been known for art galleries, markets and the city’s biggest gay population. Today it’s associated with one of Manhattan’s newest (and best) attractions – the High Line. This park located along an old, unused overhead railway line not only offers a privileged view of Chelsea, but another famous downtown neighbourhood, the Meatpacking District. Visit this part of the city if only to come here.

East Village

The quirkiest of all downtown Manhattan’s named villages (the other two being Greenwich and the West Village), East Village is the centre of the city’s counterculture. As you wander around streets like St Mark’s Place and the Bowery you’ll find what has been for years the home of hippies, artists, musicians and students. It’s credited as being the neighbourhood that gave birth to the punk rock movement. Also, if you’re on a budget, it’s good to know that socialising here is a lot cheaper than in other parts of Manhattan.

Soho

Standing for ‘south of Houston’, Soho is downtown Manhattan’s best-known shopping district. Wander down Broadway which slices it’s way through this part of the city and you’ll become one of a swarm of locals and tourists engaging in some retail therapy. Make sure to wander off the famous avenue and you’ll find quieter streets like Mercer and Greene with Soho’s celebrated cobbled streets and some more exclusive boutiques.