New York City consists of five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. Each of the boroughs comprises many neighborhoods and sections, some of which are described below. Traveling within and between boroughs is relatively convenient thanks to New York City's extensive
public transportation system, which includes subways and buses.
Manhattan is an island, with the Hudson River to the west, the East River on the east and south sides, and the Harlem River to the north. Avenues run north-south starting at First Avenue on the East Side and ending at 12th Avenue on the West Side. Numbered streets run east-west, from First Street in lower Greenwich Village to 220th Street at the northern edge of Manhattan. Fifth Avenue is the dividing line between the East Side and the West Side. Building numbers increase as they move away from Fifth Avenue.
Greenwich Village: West Village
Fifth Avenue to the West Side Highway, Houston Street to 14th Street
Home to many of NYU's faculty, staff, and students, this historical area surrounding Washington Square Park is dotted with brownstones, row houses, tree-lined streets, quaint cafés, and restaurants. Also located in this area are a number of jazz clubs, piano bars, and art galleries.
Greenwich Village: East Village
East of Fifth Avenue, First Street to 14th Street
Known for its reasonably priced housing and St. Marks Place, this area of the city is also home to many NYU students. Restaurants and shops abound.
NYU's main campus is primarily located in the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan
Union Square
Fifth Avenue to Park Avenue South, 14th Street to 18th Street
This neighborhood, once the site of union workers' rallies and factory lofts, has become a comfortable and desirable place to live and is only a few blocks from Washington Square Park. It is the site of the popular Farmer's Market, fine restaurants, and shops.
SoHo
South of Houston Street to Canal Street, Lafayette Street to West Side Highway
Originally an industrialized neighborhood of cast-iron factories built at the turn of the 20th century, SoHo (SOuth of HOuston Street) underwent a major transformation as artists began to inhabit the empty loft spaces in the early 1970s. It is home to many artists, galleries, and fashionable boutiques and restaurants and is just a few blocks south of the NYU campus.
Chelsea
West 14th Street to West 34th Street
One of the city's most popular residential neighborhoods, it offers a wide variety of apartments from brownstones to pre-war elevator apartment houses. This area has been growing in appeal, with many new restaurants, art galleries, and stores.
Gramercy
East 14th Street to East 34th Street
This area, surrounding Gramercy Park, was the site of some of the oldest luxury apartments and clubs in the 1880s. It is quieter than the lower streets of the Village, but still within walking distance of the campus. It is also conveniently located near the NYU School of Medicine and the College of Dentistry.
Downtown
Located below First Street, downtown includes the Financial District (Wall Street, South Street Seaport, Battery Park), Chinatown, Little Italy, TriBeCa, and the Lower East Side.
Midtown, East and West
34th Street to 59th Street
The east side includes Murray Hill and Tudor City.
Upper West Side
59th Street to 96th Street, west of Central Park
Upper East Side
59th Street to 96th Street, east of Central Park
A desirable location with an easy commute if near the 4/5express trains.
Harlem
96th Street to 145th Street
Harlem's "gateway", borders, the northern edge of Central Park at 110th Street. This neighborhood is famed for being an African-American cultural epicenter that prospered in the 1920's, during the "Harlem Renaissance". Recently Harlem has experienced a socio-economic transformation with new businesses and housing developing in areas previously impoverished. The prices for housing in both rentals and sales are still some of the best deals in Manhattan.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn, famous for unique neighborhoods, as well as landmarks and attractions such as the Botanical Gardens, Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Zoo, BAM, the Brooklyn Museum, and three (Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and Manhattan) bridges, to name a few, offers various types of dwellings, from studio apartments to single and mutli-family homes with with backyards. Neighborhoods in Brooklyn include downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Brighton Beach, Fort Greene, Park Slope, Prospect Park, South Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Carroll Gardens, Windsor Terrace, and Coney Island, known for Nathan's famous hot dogs.
Queens
Queens has a mix of ethnic neighborhoods, with large Greek and Asian communities. Neighborhoods in Queens include Flushing, Corona Park, Astoria, Long Island City, Hunters Point, Jamaica, and Ridgewood. New York's largest airports, La Guardia and JFK International, are in Queens, as are Shea Stadium (home of the Mets) and the USTA National Tennis Center (home of the U.S. Open and the Arthur Ashe Stadium).
The Bronx
The Bronx is home to the New York Yankees and the Bronx Zoo (Wildlife Conservation Society). Rich in ethnic diversity, the Bronx has large Hispanic and Russian communities. Neighborhoods in this borough include Riverdale, Van Cortlandt Park, Pelham Bay Park, and the South Bronx.
Staten Island
Staten Island lies south of Manhattan across New York Harbor. The famous Staten Island Ferry is free for a round-trip with views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Governor's Island. Neighborhoods on Staten Island, with its scenic shoreline, include Emerson Hills, Willowbrook, Pleasantville, and Charleston.
New Jersey
Within easy commuting distance to NYU, Hoboken, Jersey City and Weehawken are comfortable and convenient places to live. They are now home to students, writers, and artists, with a lively social environment, shops, and restaurants. Some residences even offer a spectacular view of Manhattan across the Hudson River.