Stretching from the northern end of Central Park to the Harlem River, Central Harlem promises neighborhood living with easy access to all varieties of public transportation. A birthplace of the Harlem Renaissance and home to the legendary Apollo Theater, the neighborhood maintains a thriving music, culinary, and visual and performing arts scene. Its tree-lined streets are home to cultural landmarks as well as historic brownstones and new developments.

By day, the East Village bustles with the creative energy of independent boutiques, hip coffee shops, vintage stores, and their patrons. By dusk, its music venues, bars, and restaurants are abuzz with nightlife enthusiasts and seekers of the next big thing in art and live music. Located to the east of Bowery Street between Houston Street and East 14^th Street, this eclectic neighborhood offers easy access to public transportation, the beloved Tompkins Square Park, and a chance to discover something new at every turn. 

An enclave at the northern tip of Manhattan, Inwood has all the conveniences of the big city, but little of the hustle. With most buildings less than seven stories tall, a hilly geography, and plenty of green space, the neighborhood has a low-key, almost suburban feel. Bounded on three sides by the Harlem and Hudson Rivers, and just north of the Met Cloisters, Inwood has beautiful views in practically every direction.

Centered on the intersection of Broadway and Columbus Avenue, the Lincoln Square neighborhood, is one of Upper Manhattan’s most sought-after neighborhoods. The neighborhood’s residential architecture is a blend of elegant 18th and 19th century townhouses, turn-of-the-century apartment buildings, and high-rise condominium complexes, many with views of the Hudson River and Central Park. Whether a young professional or an empty-nester, anyone will find this upscale area to be the perfect place to call home. Lincoln Square has easy access to public transportation (the 1 train offers a direct route to Times Square and the West Village). Buzzing by day with college students from The Juilliard School and Fordham University, and by night with well-dressed theatergoers, or locals enjoying the many relaxed bars, cafés, and bistros—Lincoln Square welcomes the world.

A sizeable square of Manhattan running from 42nd Street to 59th Street east of Sixth Avenue, Midtown East is known the world over for its luxury department stories, iconic skyscrapers, and A-list attractions like Rockefeller Center, the United Nations Headquarters, and Grand Central Terminal. But for folks who live in this centrally located neighborhood, Midtown East offers all of this and so much more: restaurants and shops for all tastes and budgets, charming residential streets off the main drag, and abundant opportunities for leisure and recreation in neighboring Central Park. On the neighborhood’s far eastern border, residents and visitors enjoy beautiful views of the East River and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park on Roosevelt Island.

A high concentration of esteemed educational institutions, including Columbia University, Barnard College, Manhattan School of Music, and Bank Street College, lend an intellectual air to Morningside Heights. A West Side haven, sandwiched between Morningside and Riverside Parks, the neighborhood is beloved for its green spaces and distinguished architecture that ranges from charming brownstones to the magnificent church of St. John the Divine. A mosaic of cultural influences means you’re never far from a Hungarian bakery, Mexican taqueria, Szechuan hot-pot-spot, or other culinary delight from around the world. 

Every avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side offers something unique, from the world-renowned museums on Fifth Avenue, to the upscale shops on Madison Avenue, to the elegant homes along the wide boulevard that is Park Avenue, all the way to the quiet residential area of East End Avenue. This neighborhood may be known for its designer boutiques and famous cultural institutions, but for those who live there, it also offers a wide variety of housing choices, plenty of conveniences, and proximity to parks and schools. The fact that the Metropolitan Museum Art, the Guggenheim Museum, Central Park, and more are all just a stone’s throw from home is the icing on the cake. 

Among Manhattan’s most quintessentially residential areas, the Upper West Side is replete with high-quality neighborhood restaurants, great schools, plenty of parks, and more than its fair share of specialty markets and bakeries. It’s also a cultural hub that hosts performing arts institutions like Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, and the New York City Ballet, as well as museums including the American Museum of Natural History, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, and the New York Historical Society. Its main thoroughfares, including Broadway and Columbus Avenue, have shops to serve every style and price point, while tree-lined residential streets with brownstones and apartment buildings offer easy access to both Riverside Park and Central Park.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway musical turned major motion picture, In the Heights, may have brought new attention to Washington Heights. But this storied neighborhood has always been known among locals for its energy, abundant green spaces, diverse cultural influences (including a large Dominican community celebrated in the musical), and a variety of housing and transportation options. A sprawling neighborhood that stretches from 155th Street all the way to Dyckman Street, it has unparalleled views from both east and west sides of Manhattan.