East 28th St, Kips Bay

East 28th starts at 2nd Ave in Kip's Bay because the block east of it is entirely taken up by Kip's Bay Court. It used to be a massive tenement complex but now it's just a massive, ugly apartment complex. This happens a lot in New York and I get it but I don't get it. Why would you want to pay $3000 / month for an apartment that used to be a project? Yes, they remodel the units and I'm sure they're nice inside, but no matter what, they always still look like scary ass projects on the outside. They creep me out at night no matter what neighborhood they're in. I'm sure it's mostly doctors, etc from the nearby Bellevue that live here, though, and they don't get creeped out by anything other than no health insurance from what I understand.
The block between 2nd and 3rd is filled up with mostly housing. There's an actual project right on the corner (next to the deli) with a very expensive co-op across the street from it. I wonder how pissed those coop residents are, huh? And, even more so for the people who live in the gorgeous, insanely expensive rowhouse nextdoor to the coop building. Can you imagine living in this lavish actual house directly across the street from a project? Only in New York . . .
There are a few more brick, smaller apartment buildings that are quite nice. And, there's is a massive yoga center in an old firehouse across from a Vietnamese restaurant. A lot of the buildings are nice looking, and it's not a bad block, but it's not great either. And, again, the projects don't help this block's case.
There are a lot more restaurants and things to do once you cross Lexington: Japanese BBQ, Thai, a Rice restaurant and a few delis. But, I wouldn't exactly move to this block for any of these. There's also (what a surprise) a Church on this block though the church is actually really pretty inside.
I wouldn't live on this street unless I worked in the medical field and hated walking far to work. There are some restaurants but none of them are the kind you write home about. There are no bars, theatres, galleries or any sort of fun thing within blocks of Kip's Bay. And, it's a depressing looking neighborhood. There's no energy or aesthetic to this street.

It's a lovely, convenient stretch, most populous between the Park Ave subway and 2nd Ave, where it dead ends at some apartment buildings before continuing on to the East River. On the 2nd to Park Ave front, there are some fantastic culinary options within a block north and south including several Indian restaurants in Curry Hill, two great Turkish spots, several Thai restaurants, good sushi, bagels, and more. There are two Duane Reade drugstores (a big one and an Express), a 7-11 and a couple bodegas, laundry and dry cleaners, two barbers, Fed Ex, a custom photo store, a liquor store, the 24 hour hardware store the Nut House, and many other convenient destinations. There's a housing project, but in years living there, I've always felt safe at any hour of the day or night. The biggest downside? There's some noise from bars like Tonic, which isn't always the best neighbor.