But New York nightlife isn’t confined to one neighborhood. The sidewalks are crowded with young fun-seekers until late at night in this happening area, home to many popular cafes and dance clubs.

Best NYC Neighborhood for Nightlife: Meatpacking District.While there’s much to see everywhere in the city, the most sights in one neighborhood by far are those clustered in Midtown, the heart of New York shopping and theater and home to some of its most iconic buildings. Best NYC Neighborhood for Sightseeing: Midtown.The The Chatwal (luxury) and the citizenM (midrange) are great places to stay for New York first-timers. Another plus: The 42nd Street Broadway subway stop is served by many lines, making it easy to visit other parts of the city. The great central location eliminates the need to fight crowds for transportation after a Broadway show. This area has the greatest variety of affordable lodging choices, is an easy walk to Fifth Avenue and (of course) Times Square and the theaters. Yes, it gets crowded but there is no more convenient home base than the Theater District, roughly 42nd Street to 50th Street west of Sixth Avenue. Best NYC Neighborhood for First-Time Visitors: Theater District.Hotel Indigo Financial District Best Neighborhoods in NYC for ….Hotels within steps of NYC subway station: Sheraton Times Square The winding lanes in the older parts of the city also are quite walkable, but in these areas, street maps or mobile phone maps are recommended to guide your way. For example, Midtown between 34th and 59th streets, where many famous sights are found, is less than 1.5 miles long and easily walkable. To calculate distances, 20 blocks in Manhattan equals roughly one mile.

Fifth Avenue is the dividing line between what New Yorkers call “east side” and “west side.” Major two-way arteries like 14th, 34th, 42nd, and 57th streets have buses going in both directions and a subway shuttle train crosses the city on 42nd Street from Grand Central Terminal to Times Square. “Crosstown” literally means going across the city from east to west. Subway stations are labeled either uptown or downtown to show the direction of the trains on that track.

Most of the avenues are one-way, so buses travel in only one direction (route maps are posted at every stop). If numbers go up, they are leading north or uptown, descending numbers head south or downtown. Learning the transit system is not difficult since much of central Manhattan is laid out on a grid with cross streets clearly numbered. The best things to do, the best NYC hotels, and the best family hotels are spread around Manhattan, but wherever you stay, it’s easy to get around as long as lodgings are near a subway station (or even a bus stop). New York has neighborhoods for almost any interest, whether theater, art, nightlife, or food. The trendy Andaz 5th Avenue is close to upscale shopping and a short walk from Times Square and Broadway theaters.

Map of new york city time square area