Other neighborhoods may have history, but Battery Park City—a planned community less than four decades old—is thoroughly modern. Although adjacent to the Financial District, this residential neighborhood at Manhattan’s southern tip is a world away from the concrete jungle. With a full third of its area comprised of parks and open spaces, the neighborhood—a haven for plants and wildlife—offers plenty of space for recreation or just quiet contemplation. Whether strolling along the Esplanade, boating from the marina, or cycling the Hudson River Greenway, outdoor living is what it’s all about here.

Beekman sits as a reminder that New York’s past grandeur endures. Like its namesake—the two-block-long Beekman Place—the surrounding neighborhood is known for its characterful townhomes, spacious co-ops, and moneyed residents. J.D. Rockefeller III lived here. So did William S. Paley. From Bonfire of the Vanities to The Way We Were to Auntie Mame, Beekman has been a stand-in for affluent enclaves everywhere.

Often called an urban village, Carnegie Hill offers residents a small town feeling in an anonymous city. This is a place where neighbors still welcome newcomers in person, residents gather at the holidays to light the tress along Park Avenue, and independent shopkeepers (including several small specialist bookstores) greet customers by name.

Anchored by the ultra-opulent Plaza Hotel, Central Park South is a neighborhood of contradictions. Tourists flock for a glimpse of the area’s storied glamor, vendors sell trinkets and souvenirs, and horse-drawn carriages queue up to take visitors for rides through the park.

Chelsea has come a long way from its industrial past, emerging as one of New York’s most vibrant neighborhoods. It’s especially attractive to young professionals and artists who appreciate the varied housing options, from converted warehouses to ultra-modern luxury “starchitect”-designed high rises.

From Beat poets to punk rockers to avant-garde artists, creative spirits have always found a home in the East Village. Historically the epicenter of New York’s counterculture, the neighborhood still marches to the beat of its own drummer, embracing the new, the weird, and the provocative.

Perched on Manhattan’s southern tip, the Financial District is a study in contrasts. FiDi, as it is known, is both the oldest part of New York City and—as the financial center of the world—its most up to the minute. Gleaming glass skyscrapers sit side-by-side with cobbled lanes. While Wall Street workers race from the New York Stock Exchange to power lunches, tourists pause for reflection at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum and historic sites like Trinity Church.

Neatly fitting into to the triangle at the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and East 22nd Street, the iconic Flatiron Building lends its name to the surrounding neighborhood. The Flatiron District’s Beaux Arts charm is reinforced by many such distinctive architectural gems—cast-iron mid-rises and historic high-rises like Met Life Tower (the tallest building in the world until 1913).

Once the cultural (and countercultural) center of New York, Greenwich Village today is a well-established neighborhood with a laid-back and approachable vibe—the perfect, peaceful antidote to Manhattan’s go-go pace.

No one’s quite sure how Hell’s Kitchen got its name, but it’s unquestionably linked to its rough-and-tumble past, when gangs and organized crime flourished here. In recent years, however, Hell’s Kitchen has managed to emerge as a very livable neighborhood without losing its grit. Residents—many of whom are artists or other creatives in search of affordable living near the theaters further east—prize its authenticity and unpretentiousness.

Named for the Long Island Rail Road storage yards over which it is built, Hudson Yards—once a veritable no man’s land—is Manhattan’s newest and most futuristic neighborhood. The 28-acre mixed-use private real estate development (the largest in US history) opened Phase One in 2019. In addition to swank condos and apartments, it’s got offices, a hotel, a luxury mall, a public green space, an arts center, the made-for-Instagram tourist attraction (the Vessel), and the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere offering sweeping views in all directions.

Anchored by Lenox Hill Hospital, the neighborhood that bears its name exudes the hushed air of old money and understated sophistication. This well-established pocket of the Upper East Side—much of it historically designated—is known for luxury residences (townhomes and co-ops) and hotels (many built in the first decades of the 20th century). Along its main thoroughfares, Park and Lexington Avenues, you can indulge in the boutique shopping and gallery browsing.

In the late 19th century, waves of Italian immigrants—mostly Neapolitans and Sicilians—brought their language and customs to New York City, chasing the American Dream. Here they created Little Italy, a replica in miniature of their towns and villages back home. As their children and grandchildren grew up and left teeming Manhattan, however, the once substantial neighborhood dwindled to a few blocks along Mulberry Street.

Historically a neighborhood of immigrants and crowded tenements, the Lower East Side (LES) is today one of Manhattan’s trendiest sections. It not only boasts chic boutiques, edgy contemporary art galleries, and a thriving restaurant scene, it also has some of the best nightlife in the city. A quiet neighborhood this is not, and residents appreciate its youthful energy and the sheer variety of live music venues, burlesque shows, dive bars, and comedy acts.

Once the center of Manhattan’s meat production industry, the Meatpacking District is today better known for design houses than slaughterhouses. Posh boutiques, like Diane von Furstenberg and Helmut Lang, join trendy restaurants, hip hotels, and non-stop nightlife to give the neighborhood its buzzy energy. Area destinations include gourmet emporium, Chelsea Market (housed in the former Nabisco plant), the prestigious Whitney Museum, and The High Line greenway overlooking the Hudson River.

In the heart of Manhattan, vibrant, accessible Midtown East is renowned for its iconic landmarks. Attractions like the United Nations and St. Patrick’s Cathedral draw visitors from around the world, while Grand Central Terminal is the gateway to the city for tens of thousands who work here.

Characterized by its commercial, financial, retail, and theater districts, Midtown Manhattan (from roughly 14th to 59th Streets) is the bustling, beating heart of New York City. From the Empire State Building and Times Square to Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center, Midtown is what most tourists think of as “The Big Apple.” Its office buildings, hotels, entertainment venues, shops, restaurants, and bars comprise the world’s largest commercial and business district.

Midtown West is what many people imagine when they think of New York City. This bustling neighborhood has it all, from tourist destinations like the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center, to music and sporting venues like Madison Square Garden, to retail giants like Macy’s. It’s the pulse of New York’s entertainment scene, home to Times Square and Broadway, and the wakeful heart of the city that never sleeps.

One of Manhattan’s most affordable areas (studios start at under $300K), Murray Hill is a neighborhood in transition. Its past is on view in some of the city’s prettiest brownstones and row houses—several designed by prominent architects—like the historically designated Sniffen Court, a charming, gated mews where Cole Porter once owned a pied-à-terre. New development, however, is on the rise. This is especially true on the eastern edges of the neighborhood, where gleaming new high-rises take advantage of views over the East River and offer amenities usually associated with boutique hotels.

NoLIta—which stands for North of Little Italy—is one of Manhattan’s most picturesque and relaxed areas. Situated smack in the middle of several popular downtown neighborhoods, NoLIta blends the best of them all: the community feel and old world charm of Little Italy (which it was once a part of), the stylishness and sophistication of SoHo, and the history of NoHo.

NoMad (North of Madison Square Park) used to feel a bit like no man’s land, a commercial region tucked between actual “neighbor”-hoods like Chelsea and Kips Bay. Yes, it had stunning architecture like the turn-of-the-century New York Life Building, but who really wanted to live there?

Minutes from downtown yet a world apart, Roosevelt Island offers New Yorkers the unique experience of living in a community where people know their neighbors. Exuding a small-town vibe, the island’s notorious past of hospitals, almshouses, penitentiaries, and an asylum (now part of a luxury residential high-rise) has given way to apartment towers. Amenities include grocers, pharmacies, and casual eateries; and what Roosevelt Island lacks in nightlife and culture, it makes up for in green spaces, including a park with a historic lighthouse and the Louis Kahn-designed Four Freedoms State Park.

SoHo (South of Houston) is arguably Manhattan’s trendiest neighborhood, and one of its most expensive. Before Brooklyn became the darling of artists and designers, SoHo was a haven for creatives. As skyrocketing real estate prices drove them to more affordable areas, SoHo has become a resolutely luxury neighborhood, filled with designer fashion boutiques like Prada and Louis Vuitton and renowned restaurants. Large retail chains are the order of the day on Broadway, but independently owned businesses—from vintage shops and art galleries to hole-in-the-wall neighborhood eateries— can still be seen on smaller streets.

The island of Manhattan is, by definition, bordered by waterfront property. But perhaps none is more inextricably linked with its seafaring and trading past than the Seaport District. Anchored by the South Street Seaport historic area, it is a favorite with tourists for old sailing ships, the Fulton Fish Market, and buildings dating from the colonial era. But all this history doesn’t mean the Seaport District is living entirely in the past. It also boasts a new mall with boutique shopping and gourmet dining; a state-of-the-art movie theater; and the Pier 17 concert and exhibition venue.

The diminutive Sutton Place neighborhood is a peaceful pocket of affluence and gracious living close to—and yet a world away—from the frenetic pace of the rest of Manhattan. Nearly entirely residential, it is one of the safest and most walkable parts of New York City. Sutton Place is short on shopping, dining, and culture, but with Midtown and the Upper East Side within easy reach, residents can experience the best of both worlds.

Once a gritty industrial area, TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal) has evolved into a posh, artsy enclave, albeit one that relishes its hard-scrabble history. The enormous loft spaces that drew artists here in the first place are still sought after both as residences and galleries, while luxury mid-rises have become increasingly popular. The eponymous international film festival—co-founded by Robert De Niro—helped put TriBeCa on the map. The actor, who also owns a hotel and several restaurants here, has been credited with igniting the neighborhood’s vibrant culinary scene.

Turtle Bay is a quiet residential neighborhood tucked into Manhattan’s Midtown East. Although it doesn’t have a substantial dining or nightlife scene, residents appreciate being close to Manhattan’s livelier areas, while being able to go home to a peaceful, out-of-the-way neighborhood. The United Nations is also in Turtle Bay, which means that foreign missions and consulates often make their home here.

Upper Fifth Avenue is an exclusive enclave known for luxurious residential properties offering discreet service and over-the-top amenities, like rooftop pools with panoramic views across the most beautiful and wild landscape in Manhattan. For the northernmost reaches of Central Park are a quiet retreat of dense woodland, lakes and streams, ravines and bluffs. Upper Fifth’s Museum Mile features posh cultural destinations like the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and the Neue Gallery. And exceptional dining and entertainment are easily accessible throughout the Upper East Side.

Upper Manhattan is not one neighborhood but several above 98th Street on the East Side and 110th on the West, including Harlem, Inwood, and Morningside Heights, among others. Largely residential and culturally diverse, Upper Manhattan becomes more bucolic the further north you go. Myriad green spaces include Riverside Park, Fort Tryon Park, and Sakura Park, where thousands of cherry trees blossom in the spring.

The Upper West Side isn’t trendy or hip. And that’s exactly what locals prize about this relaxed enclave, which feels much as it did 20 years ago. A palpable sense of community and continuity is bolstered by long-time neighborhood stalwarts like food emporium Zabar’s and performing arts center Symphony Space. In fact, some residents find so much to like about the Upper West Side that they rarely leave (one joked that she needed a guidebook when going to the East Side). When they do, however, express stops on the subway make commuting to Midtown or Lower Manhattan a snap.

Uptown Manhattan is generally agreed to stretch from 59th Street to 110th on the West Side and to 98th on the East Side. Its neighborhoods include the largely residential Upper East and Upper West Sides, Lincoln Square, Carnegie Hill, Lenox Hill, and Yorkville. Uptown isn’t edgy like Downtown, or frenetic like Midtown. Rather, it’s known for its sophistication and livability. Museum Mile, Lincoln Center, and Symphony Space contribute to Uptown’s reputation as a center for arts and culture, while luxury boutique shopping and acclaimed gourmet dining are some of the amenities that residents most value.

When describing the West Village, it’s hard not to rely on words like “quaint” and “charming.” Aptly named, the neighborhood does indeed resemble a village, with its warren of winding, cobbled streets promising something new to discover around every corner. Eclectic shops selling everything from trendy fashion to assorted oddities make it a browsers paradise. While the West Village’s dining and drinking scene—all cozy cafes, candlelit boîtes, historic taverns, and hole-in-the-wall speakeasies—is pure comfort.