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MacDougal Street is a fantastic place to go once the sun starts going down. Famously home to the folk boom of the 1960's, this street has played host to some of the most famous musicians of the 20th century. Not to be outdone, there are still plenty of great venues for up and coming talent, not to mention fun bars for the crowd to spill into. On top of this, great (and cheap) eateries like Mamoun's Falafel mean people will always be flocking here. There is a reason so many movies have used this street as a backdrop - it is spectacular.

Manhattan's E 4th St is a classic New York City street, with some great quirks thrown in. Just east of Cooper Square is an excellent lineup of amazing theatres and playhouses, with La Mama Etc. and the New York Theatre Workshop among them. Nearby are an amazing Co-op and coffee house, not to mention a tasty Italian restaurant Cucina di Pesce. As if that block isn't enough, the next offers Jeollado, fantastic Korean and Japanese food out of a former parking garage, and a useful health food store too! A great neighborhood feel, this is a wonderful street.

14th Street, being one of the major two way thoroughfares of New York City, is a highly trafficked street. Well served by the L trains and buses, it has a bevy of stores, shops, and restaurants. Bountiful in its variety, there are corners that feel like they taken over by fast food, complete with KFC's and Papaya Dogs near and past 1st Ave, but nearby are some of the trendiest restaurants in town, like Momofuku Noodle Bar and Una Pizza Napolitana. The street itself is loaded with shops, including pet stores, dollar stores, and the normal neighborhood necessities. Being so busy, it isn't the cosiest, but it gets the job done.

St Marks Pl is a street that has changed a great deal in the last thirty or so years. Somehow, though, little pieces of each stage have stayed throughout. There is the classic flophouse, the St Marks Hotel, through to some Irish bars, then a new outpost of the iconic CBGB club from a couple blocks away, a dive bar or several, but then the newer tattoo parlors, Japanese food joints, Korean restaurants, and the Automat food vending machine. Still a great street, and always entertaining, through all of the guises.

Everyone seems to have their own favorite curry place on E 6th St. They all offer more or less the same dinners and prixe fixe options (and are rumored to be owned by a small group of the same people, though with the high turnover this would be surprising). However, they do differ greatly. But once you find your place, dig in to the delicious and cheap food available. Unfortunately my go to just shut their doors, so I'll be on the hunt for a new one too!

Union Square West encapsulates New York City pretty well - Blue Water Grill for chic dining, Union Square Cafe for celebrity spotting, Republic for cheap and cheerful Thai food, Heartland Brewery for touristy-type bar atmosphere, Diesel and American Eagle stores for shopping, an NYU dorm to round things out. Of course, this doesn't even include the great Union Square and its Farmer's Market, or mention Paragon (the best sports store in New York), or Strand (ditto for books). A great place!

Despite being any old street in New York City, this has a distinct university feel to it. In between classes at nearby New York University the street floods with college coeds coming and going, many to the shops and restaurants on or near Washington Place. However, just as many (if not more) are just going to class. The street sits near a number of NYU's central buildings and houses many of its departments and offices. It may not ooze distinct New York character but it certainly is buzzing.

Home to many of nearby (and enveloping) New York University's foreign language buildings, Washington Mews is a tiny little street with age-old character. With iron gates on either end of its short stretch, there is hardly any through traffic (or foot traffic period). While this does mean there aren't any stores or interesting art finds, it does prove there can be blocks of quiet within the big city.

With construction and redesign afoot in Washington Square Park, it is somewhat in flux. Add in the surges of New York University students in between classes and there is a motion to the park. Not that this is new, having had roles from military parade grounds to pauper burial grounds, this has always been an interesting spot. Nowadays, it regularly plays host to street hustler chess players, acoustic guitar and jazz buskers, light saber battlers and hula hoop aficionados. Always interesting!

Great Jones Street is a short street between several neighborhoods in New York City, in what a real estate agent would call NoLiTa. It has a great atmosphere of change, with an auto shop and a firehouse right next door to boutique shops and a fantastic cafe (try the chili, and the sweet potato fries). It is short, but is in a great area and full of great little finds!