New York Neighborhood Walks: Borough by Borough
New York is a city of neighborhoods, each with its own rhythm, architecture, and food. The best way to understand any of them is to walk through slowly, with nowhere specific to be. Here are four walks that show very different sides of the city.
Manhattan: The High Line to the West Village
Start at the High Line's southern entrance at Gansevoort Street. This elevated park, built on a defunct freight rail line, runs 1.5 miles through Chelsea. The architecture visible from the walkway tells the story of Manhattan's transformation — 19th-century warehouses next to Zaha Hadid condos, Frank Gehry's IAC Building gleaming against the Hudson.
Exit at 16th Street and walk east into Chelsea Market, a food hall inside the former Nabisco factory where Oreos were invented. Grab something to eat, then continue east across 8th Avenue into the Meatpacking District.
Head south into the West Village. The grid system breaks down here — streets curve and intersect at odd angles because this neighborhood predates the 1811 street plan. Walk along Bleecker Street between 7th Avenue and 6th Avenue for independent shops and cafés. Turn down any side street that looks interesting; Perry Street, Bank Street, and Commerce Street have some of the most beautiful residential blocks in the city.
Brooklyn: DUMBO to Brooklyn Heights
Take the F train to York Street. DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) has the most photographed view in Brooklyn — the Manhattan Bridge framed by brick warehouses on Washington Street. Walk to Brooklyn Bridge Park along the waterfront. The park stretches for over a mile along the East River with Manhattan's skyline as a constant backdrop.
From the park, climb the stairs up to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, a walkway perched on the bluff above the BQE. The view of lower Manhattan from here, especially at sunset, is arguably the best in the city. Walk through Brooklyn Heights' tree-lined streets — Pierrepont Street, Montague Street, Cranberry Street — past brownstones that have stood since the 1840s.
Queens: Jackson Heights Food Walk
Take the 7 train to 74th Street-Broadway. Jackson Heights is the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in the world, and that diversity is best experienced through food. Walk along 74th Street (known as Little India) and Roosevelt Avenue. Within a few blocks you'll pass Indian chaat counters, Tibetan momo shops, Colombian bakeries, and Thai restaurants.
Stop at the Jackson Heights food court at 37th Avenue for a samosa chaat or a dosa. Continue east on Roosevelt Avenue under the elevated 7 train — the Nepali, Bangladeshi, and Filipino restaurants along this stretch are some of the best and cheapest meals in the city. The Diversity Plaza at 73rd Street has an excellent Ecuadorian restaurant with ceviche that rivals anything in Quito.
The Bronx: Grand Concourse Architecture
Take the B or D train to 161st Street. The Grand Concourse was modeled after the Champs-Élysées and built in 1909 as a grand boulevard connecting Manhattan to the northern suburbs. Walk north along the Concourse from Yankee Stadium. The Art Deco apartment buildings between 161st and 170th Streets are stunning — the Fish Building at 1150 Grand Concourse and the Andrew Freedman Home at 1125 are standouts.
Continue to the Bronx Museum of the Arts (free admission) at 165th Street, then walk east to Arthur Avenue, the real Little Italy of New York. The Arthur Avenue Retail Market has been operating since the 1940s — get fresh mozzarella, a cannoli, and some crusty bread.
Getting Around
A single MetroCard or OMNY tap works on all subways and buses. The subway runs 24/7. Walking between neighborhoods within a borough is usually feasible; between boroughs, take the train and walk from there.