Most magical urban neighborhoods in the US (apartments, hotels)
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Over The Rhine Cincinnati, Dupont Circle & Georgetown D.C., The Fan/Monument Ave Richmond VA, Old Town Alexandria VA, & Hampden,Mount Vernon, Fells Point Baltimore MD are my choices. Every area mentioned is special to me in some way when it omes to urban experiences!
Lots of "magical" areas in NYC already mentioned, but I'll add one more that has that special feeling to me: East Midtown, by which I mean between 3rd Ave and the East river (east to west) and 34th to 59th streets (north to south). It's the quintessential big-city urban mix to me, with high-rises, brownstones, plenty or restaurants and local shopping, office buildings, the United Nations, and LOTS of pedestrian and auto traffic. It gives off a real vibe of the expensive, sophisticated, worldly, urbane, and busy New York that's always somewhat intoxicating to me, even as I love many other parts of the city.
Outside of NYC, I'd call these magical neighborhoods:
The Gold Coast, Chicago
The Haight, San Francisco,
Back Bay, Boston
Le Plateau, Montreal
All different in character, but all have that special something.
Lots of "magical" areas in NYC already mentioned, but I'll add one more that has that special feeling to me: East Midtown, by which I mean between 3rd Ave and the East river (east to west) and 34th to 59th streets (north to south). It's the quintessential big-city urban mix to me, with high-rises, brownstones, plenty or restaurants and local shopping, office buildings, the United Nations, and LOTS of pedestrian and auto traffic. It gives off a real vibe of the expensive, sophisticated, worldly, urbane, and busy New York that's always somewhat intoxicating to me, even as I love many other parts of the city.
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I totally get what you are saying.
This area is prime urban vibrancy, mix of usage, density, and tons of options for food, drink and shopping, totally agree.
One of the best overall huge urban districts in the country, if not the world.
Agreed, these are good ones. Feel like basically endless patchworks of interesting shops and old (for Seattle) architecture. Fewer homeless than closer-in parts of Seattle. Probably really nice around Christmas after a snow.
The Northwest District of Portland can be the same way. There are a ton of cafes in the area, but but the Hostel Cafe might be the most magical-feeling --- it's cool knowing the clientele is constantly changing. Mox Boarding House (giant store for board/card games and tournaments) also has an exciting, always-changing vibe. The PNW rain and fog also help.
Warning: this will be long and rambling, as my ode and reminisce to the NYC I knew and loved.
“Magic” as in charming, charismatic, romantic, cinematic, goose-bumps, lingering and even haunting?!
In no particular order:
Midtown East NYC: Sutton Place!
Along the East River near Sutton Place in winter time was absolutely charming. (And I don’t even like winter!)
Upper East side near the Metropolitan museum. Once I was strolling with a guy at night after a date (I wasn’t into him much, although he went to Dalton.), again in winter, bone-chilling cold December night, but the neighborhood was so beautiful and dream-like I almost agreed to marry him.
The neighborhood near Morgans library/museum (Madison crossing 37th/38th) next to the now closed Ian Schrager Morgans Hotel: it’s quiet, very residential, almost European, it exudes the elegance and sophistication (because a few blocks below are touristy and loud and very “wholesale” garment district.) I’ll forever miss Morgans Hotel.
West Village: my friends and I used to do this walking trip from my apartment in Noho/Soho/Nolita along with Bleecker all the way passing NYU, passing Blue Note, passing Carmine St (because that part of Manhattan was not grid, it was winding and twisting and maze-like.) but all Bleecker st still. We would wind up passing Seventh Avenue (Sushi Samba anyone? One on 7th ave and one near Park Avenue South. It was red hot in early 2000.) to where the Magnolia cupcakes now (I don’t care for Sex and the City so I never ate there.) and swing by Marc Jacobs store and end up in Paris Commune restaurant which was on Bleecker at the time.
We also hung out in Tartine, another unassuming French restaurant on, get this (because even NYC cabbies were very confused.), 11th street on 4th avenue-many cabbies couldn’t find it.
If Midtown Madison/Morgans Museum felt like Paris, West Village felt like London, the charming little village in London, all you need is some high tea and bone china.
I realized many of my very fond/pleasant memories about the NYC neighborhoods were all surrounded around French restaurants.
Meatpacking District around Pastis: cobblestone streets, winding roads and so much old NY charm among the cold, stainless steel modern massive designer boutiques such as Stella McCartney & Jefferey at the time. I love the cobblestones, it’s the best test of one’s walking skill.
Tribeca: Odeon on West Broadway, Bunny’s on Hudson, we passed by JFK Jr’s North Moore St loft all the time, before and after his death. (He was such a son of NYC!) Tribeca near Warren St, Greenwich Avenue & Church used to be my daughter’s playground (Merchant Park?) as a newborn I would push her stroller to Le Pain Quotidien to wait for my husband coming home from work. There were so many good food trucks such as chicken over rice bear J&R & Pace University.
I went to Fordham University in Columbus Circle for one semester and remember hanging out in Carnegie Diner/Cafe a lot (I love NYC diners!) as well as this Europa Cafe, they were all near/between Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center. I love that neighborhood a lot too. I am not Jewish but I love the Jewish NYC. NYC wouldn’t have been the same charm and substance bad it but for its Jewish community.
Soho/Nolita: my homebase. My playground. My turf. I knew everybody and knew every store/restaurant. The corner of Lafayette & Spring was for the years late ‘90s to mid 2000 for many Downtown fixtures to be who’s who and be see/be seen. I lived on Lafayette St between Kenmare & Spring, back then it wasn’t yet gentrified and attacked by Pink Berry and designer cupcakes, many avant-garde clothing boutiques and independent art/design/fashion magazines were published/sold exclusively here. Café Gitane/Dean & Decluca/Kelly & Ping were my hang-out. In any given day I came home from work in fashion, on the way home I would (literally) bump into Alan Rickman in front of the Apple Store on Prince/Mercer (who was really grumpy I bumped into him.), seeing Richard Ash-croft from the band Verve holding a baby in front of the Miu Miu store, Molly Ringwald walking into Balthazar and then later seeing Lou Reed in the Levi store party on Broadway and Mich Jaggar in Joe’s Pub! (I didn’t and don’t get starstruck, but I slightly freaked out seeing Lou Reed 3 yards from me because he was wearing head to toe leather on a very hot late July summer night in NYC!)
I wouldn’t use the word magic to describe these NYC neighborhoods, but their energy, collective vibe, youthful (even for people as old as Lou Reed.) ambiance, creative and almost haunting aura, they made NYC such a sexy city. I lived in Paris before moving to NYC, I lived in all very bourgeoisie neighborhoods such as the 7th/8th/16th arrondissement so it was beautiful, sophisticated, elegant but notably very mature (which could be so placid for me as I was so young.) When I moved to NYC with my kitty on 8/31/1998, the moment the car service guy helped me (poor him. 3rd floor walk up) with my suitcases, I walked to Met supermarket on Mulberry to buy kitty litter, it was late afternoon late summer day, I just felt such an exciting energy from the street, it was almost bouncy and electrical.
The end. (apology for the long and rambling post.)
Last edited by achtung baby; 11-08-2022 at 05:23 PM..
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(apology for the long and rambling post.)
