East 40th St, Murray Hill

There are a whole lot of apartments right out of the shoot on 40th street. And, little else. The street starts off on the back end of Tudor City which is this bizarre and kind of magical apartment community built in the Ye Olde England style. Everything looks like it's out of a fairy tale in Tudor City which is so bizarre in Manhattan. I kind of like it and it kind of creeps me out. Surrounding Tudor City, there are a couple of blocks of massive high rise condo buildings which I think makes the old English aesthetic stand out even more. It's kind of like the Jetsons meet the Flintstones in this area.
Around 3rd, the mix of buildings starts to get a bit more commercial, but there is one restaurant in the mix that's actually pretty local feeling and quite good. Docks Oyster Bar is one of the few restaurants in the neighborhood let alone one of the only ones that doesn't feel like a corporate pass along. It's pretty cool. There's such an interesting mix around here of old and new and commercial / residential. The block at Lex has all of these massive commercial towers and then a landmarked carriage house right smack in the middle of it. I love running into surprises like that when I'm walking through areas that I don't live in.
There aren't too many surprises as you continue west on the street, however. The street becomes very midtown and this area that is responsible for the nickname "Mad Men." Approaching Madison Avenue, the street is almost entirely filled with massive commercial towers, zero trees and a lot of advertising and architectural suits walking around. It's the kind of area that a movie would feature to show the hustle and bustle of the Manhattan white collar working block. And, it's not that exciting, in my opinion.
40th isn't a bad street to live on. . . there's just nothing to do. There's one library but who goes to libraries anymore? And, there are no parks, few restaurants, no local hangs, etc. it's very a much a street that you live on if you work in midtown, in my opinion. It's a Vanilla, high rise, no energy street.

East 40th street in eastern Manhattan is only a few blocks from the busy FDR Drive, but it's also only a few blocks away from Park Avenue in the other direction. I love this area because it's full of expensive, exclusive, and quirky out-of-the-way shops like the Ritzy Dog Grooming shop and the Berkeley Center for Acupuncture. It's a neighborhood in which you can really indulge yourself.