East 34 St, Kips Bay

34th starts off in Kips Bay at the NYU Hospital. I'm not a huge fan of hospitals or living by them, but this particular block has a really cool set of gardens that are open to the public and made especially to be accessible for people with mobility disadvantages which I think is lovely. Across the street there's a massive luxury complex with koi ponds and stuff. I'm sure the units are lovely and the view is spectacular but for the price, I wouldn't live in Kips Bay (sorry Kips Bay).
The block across 1st has a pretty city feel to it. There are a lot of big apartment buildings, the requisite deli on the corner and a few little restaurants -- of course, one of them is a pizza place. There's a really weird looking cathedral on this block as well. There's not a lot of ambience on this street even though there are more conveniences than a lot of other Kips Bay streets. The feel of it just lacks any sort of energy. And, I wouldn't exactly jump out of my seat for any of the food here.
The block across 2nd has a few more little conveniences like a liquor shop, another deli, and a neighborhood dry cleaner, but, again, there's just no energy on this block. It feels like a non-entity sort of New York block. There is a really cool building on this block, though, called the Estonian. It's a landmark building from the end of the 19th century that used to be for a fancy club where people like WEB Dubois would lunch. Now it's home to the Estonian Educational Society and an Estonian dance troop. I didn't realize that many Estonians were hanging around Kips Bay but you learn something new every day. There are a couple of cute little Italian places up by 3rd Ave but there's also the entrance to the Queens Midtown Tunnel right here so it takes away from the cuteness a little in my opinion.
The block between 3rd and Lex is a really interesting block. There are some big apartment buildings but there are also small brick ones that seem a little out of place. There's also a fancy spa and a hotel with interesting sculptures on the grounds. There are a lot more eateries on this block but they are somewhat obscured by the massive buildings and traffic. If I were to eat here, it would probably be at Lemongrass (excellent food) but I definitely wouldn't go out of my way for this block. One really cool thing about this particular stretch is that the Opus Dei headquarters are here. It's the super secret Catholic society that is referenced in the Da Vinci Code -- I bet some really weird things go down in that building, but I don't want to be the one to find out about them. I'm no dummy. . . .
34th in Kip's Bay is like 34th in any neighborhood in Manhattan: there's not a lot of energy. It's just too midtown feeling for anything to seem like a destination. You may have a great view and relatively easy transportation access if you live here, but you're gonna need it because there's not a whole to do.