There are fifty-nine community districts and hundreds of neighborhoods in Manhattan alone that provide great memorable experiences and interesting photo opportunities. Experience the day in the life of real New Yorkers or see where some of the island’s immigrants first settled!
Greenwich Village
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Located between Houston and 14th Street, Greenwich Village is a charming neighborhood known for its Bohemian lifestyle. You can drive your New York car hire throughout the quaint streets or park and then venture into some of the coffee shops, jazz clubs, bars, off-Broadway theaters, and exquisite restaurants. When you are exploring Bleecker Street make sure to watch out for your favorite celebrities!
Greenwich Village, NYAt the turn of the 20th Century, Greenwich Village drew free spirits from around the nation, including poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and playwright Eugene O’Neill. As the years went on, rents inevitably rose. Now, its townhouses are some of the most expensive in the city. New York University students gather here in Washington Square Park. A diverse array of shops, bars, and music clubs exist along Bleecker Street.
East Village
Artists, students, and young professionals have gone a long way towards gentrifying the long poor and multi-ethnic neighborhood. Even today, the artistic spirit that initially brought about change remains, evident in such vibrant cultural establishments as St. Mark’s-in-the-Bowery Church. Urban gardens, like Tompkins Square Park and art exhibits, sit beside cafes, craft shops, and vegetarian restaurants.
Harlem
Long the national epicenter of African-American culture, Harlem was home to the Harlem Renaissance, arguably this country’s most influential artistic, literary and cultural movement. Harlem is known for its jazz clubs and Southern restaurants.
SoHo
Located at Canal Street, between Sixth Avenue and Lafayette Street, SoHo is a neighborhood whose name stands for South of Houston Street. The old factories and warehouse buildings have now been turned into trendy designer shops and art galleries. SoHo attractions include the Guggenheim Museum SoHo, the Museum of African Art, and the New York City Fire Museum.
Once home to massive factories, artists moved in and transformed the area into a bustling urban mecca. Galleries, designer shops, sophisticated restaurants, and trendy bars followed soon after. Among many others in the area, a Hundred Acres is a great restaurant, with fresh seasonal cuisine and an upbeat atmosphere. Today, tourists flock to the area and rents have risen sky-high.
Tribeca
As a very trendy residential neighborhood in New York City, you might like to venture through Tribeca with your New York car hire to get a glimpse of the loft apartments that many celebrities call home. This area is adjacent to SoHo and stands for TRIangle BElow Canal street. Harrison Street is home to a row of historic townhouses, while Washington Market Park provides a great place to relax.
Chinatown
As New York City’s largest and most famous ethnic neighborhood, Chinatown has many shops with great deals on clothing and leather. Canal Street is filled with open markets with designer knockoffs, while Mott Street has hundreds of Asian restaurants with delicious cultural delights. Asian restaurants, grocery stores, and trinket shops line the ever-crowded streets of Chinatown. Dim Sum and other favorites attract diners on practically every corner, especially on the famous Mott Street.
Little Italy
Located next to Chinatown on Mulberry Street, Little Italy in New York City’s Italian section with an amazing assortment of restaurants and bakeries. Frank Sinatra, Italian restaurants, and kitsch draw tourists to the lively neighborhood of Little Italy surrounding Mulberry Street. The Feast of San Gennaro still welcomes its throngs, but the neighborhood is fast becoming surrounded by nearby Chinatown.
Lower East Side
Located only a few blocks away from Chinatown and Little Italy, the Lower East Side is the area of Manhattan in which many immigrants first settled and started their own cultural communities. While you drive down Orchard Street in your New York car hire, take a look at the buildings in which New York City’s garment industry was first established by Jewish immigrants. The Lower East Side also houses the Tenement Museum on Delancy Street, many different restaurants, shops, and bars around Allen Street, and is the entrance point for the Williamsburg Bridge. Sit back in your car hire in New York and relax as you take in all the different neighborhoods!
Manhattan
You could very well spend your entire vacation right in Manhattan, but you’ll still need your car rental in this section of New York to get about. Top tourist attractions include the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Apollo Theater, Battery Park, Carnegie Hall, The Cathedral of St. John The Divine, Central Park, City Hall, Grand Central Station, Madison Square Garden, New York Public Library, New York Stock Exchange, Rockefeller Center, South Street Seaport, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Times Square, Trinity Church, Ground Zero, the United Nations, Washington Square Park, and the list goes on and on!
Brooklyn
Located right across the river from Manhattan, Brooklyn is famous for the famous Brooklyn Bridge that connects it to Manhattan. The Bridge provides spectacular views of the New York City skyline as you travel across in your car rental. When you get to Brooklyn, there is much to see and do. Try visiting the theme attractions of Coney Island, New York Aquarium, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, or the Opera Company of Brooklyn.
The Bronx
The Bronx is actually the only New York City borough that is not on an island and it actually is compromised of more green space than any other borough. With 24% of its land filled with parkland, the Bronx is actually quite different than the busy streets of Manhattan. The Bronx has many attractions to consider including the famous Bronx Zoo, New York Botanical Garden, St. Peter’s Church, the Bronx County Historical Society, and the famous Yankee Stadium.
Queens
Located across the East River from midtown Manhattan, Queens has recently become a popular destination for those tourists with an interest in the arts or cultural history. Drive your car rental in New York over to Queens and enjoy the Museum of Modern Art, the Socrates Sculpture Park, and the Noguchi Museum, among many others. Queens is also the home to the Aqueduct Race Track, the New York Hall of Science, Queens Botanical Gardens, Queens Wildlife Center, and Shea Stadium.
Wall Street & the Financial District
New York’s first district remains it’s most historic. Wall Street investment banks coexist with landmarks like Trinity Church. Battery Park draws people for its panoramic views. The World Trade Center was also one of the area’s most popular destinations, until its tragic destruction on September 11, 2001, which took the lives of many New Yorkers and affected the entire nation. New World Trade Center buildings and a September 11 memorial and museum are under construction.
Gramercy & Flatiron
The majestic Flatiron Building lords over this beautiful, eclectic district marked by loft spaces to the west and pre-war residences to the east. More than a century after their construction, the apartment buildings and townhouses around Gramercy Park remain coveted residences.
Chelsea
Once a working-class community, Chelsea has also become a posh address. As rents in Greenwich Village rose, the vibrant gay community moved upwards to occupy Chelsea’s many brownstones and loft spaces. Others followed, and today it reflects all of New York’s ethnic and cultural diversity. West Chelsea is home to many art galleries, and there are a number of great restaurants, such as Cookshop, which serves seasonal American cuisine. Chelsea still retains some reminders of its more conservative past, as evident by the General Theological Seminary and the Church of the Guardian Angel.
Midtown
As the name implies, Midtown is smack in the middle of everything. Nobody is really sure where Midtown begins (most would say somewhere at the 30-block), but most agree it stops around Central Park. Publishing houses, financial firms, import/export companies, and fashion houses all do business here. Trump Tower entices shoppers, along with all those glorious stores along Fifth Avenue. Ice skaters twirl at Rockefeller Center and the spectacular St. Patrick’s Cathedral offers serenity and spirituality.
Times Square & Hell’s Kitchen
Some New Yorkers miss the former seediness of Times Square, as the World of Disney has replaced age-old bookstores and entertainment venues. However, most people begrudgingly admit that it is better this way. Visitors adore everything from souvenir shops to enormous billboards and Broadway musicals. A few blocks west lies Hell’s Kitchen, a community filled with eclectic restaurants, such as Five Napkin Burger, bars, shops, and, of course, the Actors Temple.
Upper East Side
Park, Fifth, and Madison have always been posh avenues. Whether in the gilded manors of yesterday, like Gracie Mansion in Schurz Park, or the area’s high-rise modern apartments, old money and high society have long made their home here. Consequently, shops to serve them line Madison Avenue. Baby Gap coexists with art galleries and antique shops. Further east, new money has overtaken the old Yorkville slum.
Upper West Side
When the co-ops of the East Side were freer to restrict residents, the Upper West Side became home to new money. Then, as “modernist” Eastsiders tore down their pre-war palaces, Upper West Side residents kept their old buildings, such as the famous Ansonia and the Dakota; renters now value the neighborhood’s attractive real estate. Meanwhile, bars and restaurants catering to Long Island and New Jersey folk (aka, the “Bridge and Tunnel” crowd) continue to sprout up along Columbus and Amsterdam avenues.
Staten Island
The borough of Staten Island is primarily residential houses. It is thought of as more of a suburb of New York and can provide an escape from the hustle and bustle of other boroughs when you travel in your car rental in New York. While in Staten Island, you can choose to visit the Staten Island Zoo, the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, or the Greenbelt Conservancy.
A popular destination on Staten Island is Historic Richmond Town. This living exhibit restores history to capture the interest of all ages, with many colonial buildings including a general store as well as the oldest elementary school in America. Visit Staten Island in your car rental in New York for a glimpse into American history!