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Manhattan -
Fort Tryon Park, most of Washington Heights on top of the hill (Pinehurst is gorgeous), Riverside Dr in the UWS and Harlem, Covenant Ave, Sylveon St in Washington Heights (doubt many people know this one), UWS in the townhome areas, Manhattan Valley, area around 52nd and 2nd (lots of Japanese stuff that's actually pretty close to the stuff in Tokyo, St Marks is more Osaka sans Decibel), LES, Chinatown in most capacities, West Village/Greenwich Village, 9th Ave in Hells Kitchen, Bryant Park to Rockefeller Center in different capacities (Nintendo World, Book Off, Kinokinouya, HQ Video, etc.), the Asian side of St Marks.
Brooklyn -
Midwood, Brighton Beach, Coney Island during warmer months, Sunset Park, Carrol Gardens, Bay Ridge, Greenpoint, a select few spots in Williamsburg and Bushwick (Radegast for instance), Red Hook by the water (it's pretty ugly otherwise), brownstones in BedStuy, that Jewish area in Crown Heights.
Queens -
Forest Hills!!, Jackson Heights, some of Astoria (architecture is really displeasing here), Woodside, Blackthorn 51 (in Elmhurst), Flushing, Kew Gardens, Ridgewood, Douglaston/Little Neck, Bayside, Far Rockaway in parts.
Bronx -
Pelham Parkway, Buckner Blvd, Belmont/Little Italy, Kingsbridge, Riverdale, City Island, Pelham Bay Park, Pelham Gardens (A lot of the Pelham area I like), Morris Park, Woodlawn somewhat.
Staten Island -
Chillin' with my friends on Midland Beach.
Woodlawn. Learned to drink in a bar here. Cozy little spot that feels a million miles from Midtown.
Wakefield. I spent a lot of time here early in life so it is imprinted on me. In many ways, the intersection of White Plains Rd. and 241st is what "NYC" means to me even though it is technically about as far flung from the typical 'Empire State Building/Central Park' stereotype as can be.
The part of the Village my parents lived in.
Natural:
Bronx River. I grew up a block from the river so I am partial to the parts where it shines and still has a semblance of its natural state. That would be the Botanical Gardens and the Bronx Zoo.
Pelham Bay Park and Orchard Beach.
Far Rockaway. Took the subway all the way out there once (starting at GCS). It was a surreal experience crossing the city and seeing the ocean. The whole reason we went was because there was a hurricane off shore. The sky and waves were intense.
Culture:
Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of my favorite places. I am a history and art history buff, and I love the architecture. I still go at least once a year.
The Cloisters. Only went once when I was a freshman in High School, but it always stuck with me. It was a perfect late Spring day, cool and breezy and I felt like it was the top of the world.
I like some of the neighborhoods that have retained some of their original neighborhood feel with their own character.
Most are in the outer boroughs, but I also like in Manhattan:
Morningside Heights - I like that it has more character than the Upper West Side, the academic feel
In Queens:
I really like Forest Hills, because it feels so green and peaceful compared to most NYC neighborhoods
In Brooklyn (my favorite borough):
My favorite is the Kings Highway neighborhood in Midwood/Gravesend/Homecrest - I love the non-gentrified feel, the neighborhood looks similar today as it did 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, etc.
There are still lots of independent retailers (mostly not chain stores), I love the Middle Eastern atmosphere, thanks to the longtime Syrian Jewish community and a lot of Turkish residents and stores in the neighborhoo as well
I also really like Borough Park. Wow, what a unique neighborhood. It doesn't even feel like NYC. Happy chassidic music blares from storefronts, and people are pleasant and low-key/polite, and children walking by speak Yiddish.
In short, I do like a lot of the ethnic neighborhoods in NYC, and I look forward to exploring more of them!
This is a great list! (although I don’t care for any of those flatland Brooklyn neighborhoods; I like the brownstone belt, gentrified as it is). I’d add Washington Heights and the Inwood Hill/Isham Park section.
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