I used to live there (about 30 years ago!) and have always been amazed at how much its changed. The lower East Side was my area, and I'd recommend that and Greenwich Village. The Lower East Side, especially "Alphabet City", as it was known, became a really hip area after I was left (it used to be a no-go zone) and became full of clubs, cafes and boutiques. Worth a ramble. Last time I was there, a couple of years ago, I stayed in a little hotel called East 17. Unpretentious, to say the least, but clean, quiet and comfortable and full of a nicely diverse, funky and young crowd. For diners, of course, there's Katz's on Houston Street (When HArry Met Sally fame), Chinatown and Little Italy. Try the Strand bookshop (lower Broadway), which is still a great place to browse, and also take a stroll in the streets around Washington Square downwards (where "Friends" was set). Of course, that whole area's currently cut off after Sandy, and I'm still waiting to hear if the friends I still have there are okay.
Adam Kimmel ● 5065d