When I first rolled into New York City on a Greyhound from the Martha's Vineyard ferry terminal back in 1981, I never dreamed I would spend at least the next 26 years of my life here. I was crashing on the floor of my former college roommate's studio apartment in the far West Village and I hoped, as I meandered about those maze-like streets, that downtown Manhattan would someday be my home. After protracted periods of life on the Upper East and West sides, I finally settled in Greenwich Village with my family of five. With an office in Soho, downtown is pretty much my full-time stomping ground.
Mornings are perfect at Balthazar in Soho, where the locals meet for blazing hot coffee, bread, and pastries baked at the Balthazar Bakery next door. Farther west on 12th Street, the new Cafe Cluny has a quiet neighborhood feel and plenty of free newspapers to peruse while ... [more]
Andy Arons, Gourmet Garage
Theater District
The Theater District has good bones but it’s a bit shabby and uneven--our euphemism for "don’t go it alone after dark". The famous old theaters are gorgeous from the inside, and some from the outside as well, and they share their sidewalks with neon and glittering storefronts. Many fine restaurants wedge themselves behind small entries to offer theater-goers quickly delivered meals pre-theater, and a relaxed evening for post-theater diners. Recently the area has welcomed big business with grand shiny new buildings, most notably Reuters and The New York Times. Consequently, we suspect, the area will soon be posh: even the Port Authority, which in the 1980s was home to a large number of the city’s homeless men and women, now has a restaurant with linen service.