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Ah, Chelsea – there are plenty of things to do here, though it seems to be the oldest members of the young crowd (that makes sense, right?) that go out over here (probably because they have a bit more money than younger members of the youth). A really cool venue to check out is the Cutting Room, which features art, comedy, live music, and alcohol.

Tourists have to get over to West 23rd to see the Flatiron Building – which everyone has already seen in the Spiderman movies – but still, it’s a sight to behold. The street offers plenty of theatre history, too – this area was once the Broadway of the late 19th century. Rock fans should check out the Chelsea Hotel, also on this street – and view the place where Sid killed Nancy and Leonard Cohen bedded Janis Joplin.

This street goes smack into the middle of a plethora of expensive night clubs and restaurants, and perhaps the most entertaining (and interestingly themed) of these on this street is Aspen Restaurant and Lounge. The concept is obvious – the place is mean to look like a skiing cabin. The place is absolutely gorgeous and the food is pretty much what you would expect from such a trendy place – a pan American mix that involves avocados and goat cheese.

This street is home to Duvet, the club made famous when it played Bed in Sex and the City years back. (As in, the club was called Bed in the show). I’ve only been here once, and it was strangely empty, and it was also strange to sit on a bed with my shoes on, serving myself from a bottle of vodka that seemed in danger of tipping over onto the bed at any moment. This club is definitely…different.

This street is littered with restaurants (Alonso’s Steakhouse, which is a restaurant that resembles an actual butcher shop) and nightclubs (Avalon, a club that it seems everyone has been to at least once, because they seem to offer a party for just about everyone at one time). You won’t be bored, even if you’re just looking. Check out the street’s fetish shop, Purple Passion.

There’s a strangely (for New York) rustic Italian restaurant on this street that offers beautiful platters of mussels, meats, and various preparations of veal. They aren’t open for lunch, but do offer brunch (it seems everyone is these days) on both Saturdays and Sundays. You can also find the Flatiron Lounge, a bar that specializes in martinis.

There are plenty of businesses for the shopper/eater to explore on this street. There’s a Venezuelan restaurant by the name of El cocotero that is worth a look; there they offer coffee, tea, lunch, soups, and desserts, and it is very inexpensive. There is also an appropriately named Just Calm Down Spa, for those looking to forget the craziness of the city for a few hours.

Hotel 17 on this street is not the swankiest, trendiest place – but it does offer a quaint kind of Village area charm (though it’s a bit north of the East Village). Single bedrooms here are surprisingly inexpensive (especially for Manhattan), and this street is just a short cab ride (or walk, if you’re feeling warm enough) away to all the nightlife anyone could ever handle.

This is a great street for tourists. The street offers hotels, and is close to plenty of the neighborhood’s trendy shops and restaurants. If you consider yourself as part of the height of trendiness and you have plenty of money you want to get rid of, let yourself loose around here. It’s not exactly a utopia, though – beware the occasional discarded needle on the sidewalk.

Chelsea/Meatpacking is a great neighborhood for everyone – for tourists, for residents, and for people generally under the age of 40 (who also don’t have kids). It may not be the most picturesque street, but nearby there are plenty of things to do during the weekend hours – clubs, restaurants that serve brunch, etc.

Spanish Harlem probably isn’t the most tourist-happy place – you won’t find a large amount of places to spend your hard-earned money, anyway. I wouldn’t really want to live all the way up here, either – for a person who is twenty-something, it’s a long train ride to the Lower East Side or Brooklyn.

The streets in the Upper East Side that are close to the Puerto Rican(/Dominican/Mexican) community of Harlem tend to be mostly residential and rather boring. If you’re looking for an apartment building that’s had a boiler violation issued, you can probably find it on this street. This street may be close to the Upper East Side, but it is part of a different world completely. Many residents are part of the middle class that can no longer afford rents in other parts of the city.

This is close to Mount Sinai Hospital, and consequently you can find just about any sort of MD that you require on this street. There aren’t many recommended shopping or restaurant destinations here, though, so if that is what you want from a street you won’t find it up here (try lower street numbers!). Not recommended – boring street.

This is the kind of street you’d expect from New York – the deli, the church (okay, it’s Russian Orthodox, but still a church), the preschool, and the AT&T store. This isn’t Midtown anymore (or even close), so don’t expect too much if you’re visiting for the first time.

Welcome to East Harlem – this border street offers a loose division of the Upper East Side with East Harlem (or Spanish Harlem, if you prefer). This street is a big one – but seems relatively sparse, perhaps because of the size of the intersections it creates it lacks a sense of intimacy.

This street is mostly residential – as far as businesses on the street go, they aren’t enough to attract many of the city’s visitors. The street, however, is still charming (as long as you aren’t looking of a shopping district or uber-trendy eatery). Like many of the streets in this neighborhood, the residencies can be lovely to look at, and there are trees that line the sidewalks.

Weirdly, there’s a hostel on this street. This is odd because the surrounding neighborhood is a bit old, and hostels tend to interest only young travelers. For those strictly on a sight-seeing tour of museums, it’s a good location because so many are close by (The Met, The Guggenheim, The Whitney Museum, and The International Center of Photography).

This street has less to offer a zealous tourist and more to give to the street’s residents. Of course, it’s likely that if you’re a tourist you will never even consider venturing down this street (unless you don’t have much of an itinerary and love to wander) anyway.
But for residents this street is relatively quiet and assuredly safe. It is easy on the eyes as well, with its little trees and grand apartment buildings.

If it seems like there are a lot of both Italian and French restaurants on the Upper East Side, it’s because there are. This street is not an exception – you can find both of these options at Ciao Bella Café and Table D’Hote. But if you’re getting a little tired of both country’s palates, you can find a Brazilian restaurant on this street: Zebu Grill.

Eli’s Vinegar Factory is on this street – and sure, it’s way over on the very east end, but if you like food you have to check it out. (Well, I recommend it mostly for people who have access to a kitchen during their stays since it is really a grocery store.) This is my most favorite specialty grocery shop in all of Manhattan – they have an awesome selection of cheese, bread, and wine, and I can’t really think of anything I love more.

This street is part of a great old neighborhood that is picturesque, quiet, but maybe isn’t the most fun street for tourists. I personally prefer downtown for partying – but streets like this one cater to an older crowd, so if you’re beyond the drunken days of your twenties, and would just like to eat out with your family and call it a night, streets like this one may appeal to you.
The businesses on this street mostly cater to residents, though, but there are many restaurants and shops in the vicinity.

This street is part of a great old neighborhood that is picturesque, quiet, but maybe isn’t the most fun street for tourists. I personally prefer downtown for partying – but streets like this one cater to an older crowd, so if you’re beyond the drunken days of your twenties, and would just like to eat out with your family and call it a night, streets like this one may appeal to you.
The businesses on this street mostly cater to residents, though, but there are many restaurants and shops in the vicinity.

The further up into the Upper East Side you go, the faster the restaurants and shops seem to sink away (okay, these things are everywhere you go in New York, but they are less and less frequent up here).
This street features plenty of residencies for those looking to retire with their millions and avoid visitors of the city for the rest of their days. There are doctors’ and attorneys’ offices here as well, and there is an event planner too. (So you see what I mean – the street is lovable for those that live there, but not so much for visitors.)

There isn’t much that a visitor would find appealing on this street – the businesses that line its sidewalk are mostly looking out for residents or potential residents. This is a nice neighborhood, though, and if you’re thinking of moving in and don’t want to be too close to any tourists hot spots, check out the street on the east end, closer to the East River.

This is a picturesque Upper East Side street that offers what you might expect from this neighborhood’s streets. There isn’t a great deal of tourist attractions on this street – but people don’t generally come to this neighborhood to bask in the big city neon lights. This street is generally clean and features a couple of trees, so it’s a nice place to take a walk and see old New York.

This is a mostly residential street – tourists hardly ever wander so far away from the action. But – if you’re looking for a quiet street that offers fancy Upper East Side apartment buildings, this is the street for you. Even if you have to walk a bit to get back to reality, it’s probably worth it for people who really value a quiet neighborhood (which is increasing difficult to find in Manhattan).

If you stay pretty close to the park and Park Ave on this street, you will find a good deal of commodities – places to shop, eat. They may not be the best places the city has to offer, though so be aware of them if you are wandering the neighborhood, but if you’re looking to plan out where you will eat during your New York stay, you may want to stick with trendier areas.
That being said, there are a few places a tourist might find welcoming on this street, like Sotto Cinque – an affordable pasta restaurant with a warm atmosphere.

This street is smack in the middle of various streets that offer plenty of restaurants, and East 85th is no exception. There is also a yoga studio (these are really popular in this neighborhood) and an Equinox fitness gym. If you have to chose from the restaurants on this street, go with Jacques Brasserie (and yes, I admit to be partial to French food).

This is another street that offers a wide array of eateries. If you’re staying in the area, or thinking about moving there, you should check out Brandy’s Piano Bar. But, beware – it is not a scene for youthful hipsters or young professionals. In fact, the entire street embraces the neighborhood’s old school New York charm, and its older residents.

Indian Tandoor-Oven on this street features and affordable array of cuisine that gets plenty of great reviews (also, the restaurant’s website is populated with pictures of the restaurateur with various famous people – apparently us commoners aren’t the only ones who eat there). This place really does have a reputation as the best Indian food on the Upper East Side.

Walking around the Upper East Side, you will see a lot of restaurants. These definitely aren’t the trend setting places you tend to see further downtown, but rather they appeal to the old money residents of the neighborhood. One restaurant with an incredible atmosphere (chandeliers, wooden beamed ceilings, exposed interior brick walls) is Le Refuge. (You can probably tell by the name they offer, um, French cuisine. It’s really good.)

There are some restaurants on this street, though whether they are very appealing to a tourist is a question of what kind of tourist we are talking about. A restaurant way off the beaten track is Le Boeuf A La Mode, over toward the East River and FRD Dr. Residents of the neighborhood must go – it’s a romantic little place that constantly dishes out quality meals.

This residential street on the Upper East Side doesn’t have much to offer visitors to the city, so if you’re a tourist it’s a good idea to check out other streets in the neighborhood. What this street does have to offer is a range of apartment buildings, recommended for middle aged professionals and retirees.

This street is a pleasant tour of Central Park, and it also features a stairwell hidden over by Belvedere Castle that leads to an open-ended cavern and subsequently to a series of four underground transverse roads that were built in the park. The rock tunnel was finished in the late nineteenth century, and this is the only place you can access it.

Terrace Dr. meanders through the middle of Central Park, near Cherry Hill and the lake in the center of the park. This is where you can find the Boathouse, which is a restaurant as well as a place where you can rent both bikes and boats. This is a popular place for park-goers, and especially during warmer months the lake is populated with boats and the lake shore is full of loungers.

This street is pretty diverse. It cuts right through Central Park (hence the “transverse” part of its name), and offers everything from hiking to softball fields. This street does not double as a jogging path, though, as it is a functioning road for traffic to get from one side of the city to the other.

If you want to jog or bike on East Dr in Central Park, then make sure you get to the park before 3pm or after 7pm, as this street is open to car traffic during those hours. Otherwise, this street is great for recreational purposes – it also affords pretty good people watching, as the park is populated by a lot more than just people attempting to stay in shape.

There are streets through the park so that traffic doesn’t have to go all the way around Central Park in order to transverse surrounding Manhattan neighborhoods. So if you’re looking for a jogging path, there are defiantly better ones than Center Dr. However, the street is only open to traffic from 7am-7pm on weekdays– so if you’re planning on jogging when the park opens (6 am), or from 7pm -1 am (when it closes), then you’re good.

West Drive meanders through Central Park, and so does car traffic. If you’re looking for a place to jog, there are safer paths to be had in the park. This is a lovely street, though (except for maybe during the winter months, when the trees seem depressingly grey). However, this street is only open to traffic from 8am-10am on weekdays, and since the park opens at 6am and closes at 1am there is plenty of time to jog on this street when it’s traffic-free.

This street doesn’t extend over to Central Park, which kind of makes it all the more tourist-free. There is more than one hotel on this street, however, like the Lucerne Hotel and Hotel Hayden Hall. The former is a gorgeous luxury hotel that is even beautiful to behold from the sidewalk.

La Vela, an Italian Restaurant located at the corner of Amsterdam Ave doesn’t look too out-of-the-ordinary, but it gets great reviews constantly. It’s one of those mom-and-pops looking places with checkered table cloths (you can see such places crammed into Little Italy), and the prices are a great find for the neighborhood.

There is a surprisingly inexpensive hotel on this street that is also done-up in the chic Upper West Side manner (leather headboards, bare wooden floors). The Belleclaire Hotel is also a romantic historic staple of the neighborhood, and it’s close to Broadway and the Hudson river, as well as the scenic Riverside Drive.

This street is especially appealing for residents who have kids at the Little League age, as there is a Manhattan Babe Ruth Little League located here. Also on West 76th are the Manhattan Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Premier Martial Arts facilities, for the extra active youths. This is another quiet Upper West Side street, where people can retire or support their families in peace (though it is pretty expensive living).

This street is pretty residential, but it’s a nice one for residents. There certainly isn’t too much to complain about in the neighborhood – though the streets may have a little street traffic from tourists during warmer months (especially over near Central Park West), this street in particular stays pretty quiet.

The art dealer Art Liquid is located here – they acquire art from artists at all stages of their career (including post-mortem), so if you’re looking to shovel away a few paintings check it out. There are also the staples you can find on just about any New York street here – the pizzeria, the bakery, etc.

It seems that the higher you delve into the Upper West Side, the more yoga and pilates studios you run into. That must be because these types of exercises appeal to the rich and elderly local population. This street isn’t exactly Times Square when it comes to tourist appeal, but it still has a New York City charm that comes from being steeped in local residents’ money.

This is a pretty residential street, though if you are visiting and staying here there are a lot of tourist attractions close by (like Central Park). If you’re a resident, you can stop in at the World Yoga Center and make sure that you can not only compete with your skinny rich elderly neighbors, but with Madonna as well.

If your desire is to move onto this road, good luck. That is, some of the most desirable residencies are located here and the competition is steep. You’d better not only have the cash to fork over, but know somebody who can get you in. If you’re just visiting, this street is absolutely gorgeous and you should take a walk down it for sure – just pack a lunch and have yourself a picnic.

This street is not only not for tourists (they would find absolutely nothing to do there), but apparently it’s sinking. As in, the street is literally sinking away from the sidewalk, and more and more people are moving out because they’re afraid the pavement will actually cave in. (Transportation officials refute the possibility, though – so don’t worry, if you’re planning on moving there it’s supposed to be safe.)

This little Blvd is on the east side of the Henry Hudson Parkway, and is pretty oriented toward residents. That is, you won’t be finding too many trendy eateries or shops that stock Marc Jacobs totes. The street features things like a preschool and ballet studio. Oh, and a cat hospital.

Since this is a main drag through the top hat of Manhattan, there are plenty of things to do for both residents and tourists. I’d recommend checking out Calle Ocho – especially if you live in New York and miss Miami terribly. Besides having mojitos that are actually made correctly (apparently it’s not as easy as you’d think), this place has a great atmosphere.

This street has plenty to offer the tourist lot – hotels like Inn New York City and Hotel Riverside Studios are a good place to start. The latter offers a startling view of the Hudson, and it’s always nice to see a little nature when you’re visiting Manhattan. Also on West 71st are the quaint Turkish restaurant PASHA and the ever-affordable New York style pizza place Big Nick’s.

This neighborhood is really pleasant – during warmer times you can see a lot of people wandering around the neighborhood (though it isn’t exactly a youthful crowd). There are a lot of cafes on this street – I really recommend Epices du Traiteur (which offers a sort of Village flavored atmosphere and serves Mediterranean style cuisine) and the Sensuous Bean on this street (as it’s always nice to get coffee from some place that isn’t Starbucks).

This is another street that has its share of restaurants – the Sheep Meadow Café gets great reviews (though it is only open during warmer months). It’s an outdoor Barbeque place and it offers some pretty great people watching. Not to mention it’s actually affordable – about $15 to $25 per person.

If you want to send your kiddies to York Preparatory School, you’ll find it here. You will also find a Kung Fu studio (Wu Mei Kung Fu), where you can also send your kids if you feel so inclined. There are also restaurants: get some pizza from West 68, or stop into La-Boite-En-Bois (but only if you have nothing better to do).

This street is littered with cafes, and it extends a bit into Central Park, where West 67th Street Apartments actually sit inside the park. If I was one of those “new money” (or any money for that matter) people, I would definitely check into those for a couple of years.
The gorgeous and tropical-flowered Café Des Artistes is on this street – definitely worth a look if you’re in the neighborhood – they actually offer a $35.00 three-course prix-fixe all the time.

This street is littered with cafes, and it extends a bit into Central Park, where West 67th Street Apartments actually sit inside the park. If I was one of those “new money” (or any money for that matter) people, I would definitely check into those for a couple of years.
The gorgeous and tropical-flowered Café Des Artistes is on this street – definitely worth a look if you’re in the neighborhood – they actually offer a $35.00 three-course prix-fixe all the time.

This street offers a swank residential building/extended stay hotel, a European style bakery, and the Church of St. Lazarus. Phillips Club is an extended stay that will house you if you’re feeling wealthy – and this neighborhood is a great one to be wealthy in. If you do decide to live it up in the Upper West Side, you can stumble over to the European Bakery Café for a post-partying eggs Benedict breakfast before heading over to St. Lazarus to confess the previous evening’s sins.

If you’re looking for a theatre production and you hate Times Square and all surrounding areas, head over to this street and check out Lincoln Center Theatre. True, the shows they put on there seem to be geared to a more elderly generation (um, South Pacific), but this neighborhood is such a sigh of relief compared to Midtown that it’s worth visiting.
There’s a restaurant on this street that isn’t too far from Central Park West that doesn’t offer a vegan menu, but actually has a few options on the menu that vegans can choose from, like an organic tofu salad (hold the cheese). It’s called Le Pain Quotidien and it’s not exactly a chain, but it has multiple locations in large fashionable cities.

If you love humanist religious communities, there’s on located here – the New York Society for Ethical Culture. If you’re not trying to create a more humane society because you’re just really hungry, keep walking and head over to Picholine – a pricey but delicious Provençal-type of place.

This street is populated with entertainment choices – if you’re a resident you can check out the West Side YMCA, and if you’re just visiting and happen to be wandering in the area, you can head over to the New York City Ballet Box Office located here. If you want to burn your money or if you only stay at swank hotels when you’re visiting the city, you can stay on this street at Empire Hotel, a gorgeous wooden decked gem of a hotel.

Ah, Central Park West. It’s so gorgeous – even in the winter when the sky is all gray and the park is all brown, the architecture and people watching are still entertaining. During warmer, greener months the street is of course busier with both street and sidewalk traffic – but that goes for the city at large.

This street is lined with brick apartment buildings and fitness clubs, and it’s pretty residential (as opposed to tourist-y). If you’re looking for restaurants in the area, it’s best to head over to the intersecting avenues – because there really isn’t much to say about this street as far as tourist commodities are concerned.

For some reason there are plenty of affordable hotels on the Upper West Side (as opposed to, say, the Plaza on the East Side). This is a great street for tourists to stay; as it’s close to places tourists need to visit on New York trips, like Fifth Ave shopping district and Central Park.

There are some relatively inexpensive hotels on West End, if you’re into that kind of thing. This is a good location for tourists, especially during the summer, as it’s close to Central Park (which is a beautiful place to tour at any time of the year – it’s a great break from the city streets), and it’s close to Upper West Side amenities like shops and restaurants. There are certainly cheap eats on this road, too – though if you’ve saved enough money on your hotel room, you can definitely find places to splurge on West End Ave.