Hello.

I just moved to Manhattan a couple of months ago and am really enjoying walking around different neighbourhoods and soaking it all in. I haven't yet seen too much, chinatown, chelsea, LES around 14th st, 1st ave. Any suggestions of some other fun neighbourhoods for me to check out? I know this is a general question but I'm not sure where to start. Cheers.

Unfortunately NYC is losing it's neighborhood feel in favor of Starbucks and unoriginal "Sex in the City" clones. But in spite of that, NYC still retains some of its charm. It can take years to appreciate the different neighborhoods. There are several walking tours that give good "neighborhood" tours as a starter. Big Onion is one that comes to mind www.bigonion.com

You might try Greenwich Village. Parts of the West Village were heavily influenced by Italians. Of course there was the beatnik generation in the '50s and the gay rights movement in the '70s. Try dinner at Chumley's 86 Bedford Street. It used to be a speakeasy and they've kept that mystique by not putting up a sign.

You might take a walk around Yorkville, which is the Upper East Side in the 80's around First Ave and York Ave. This used to be a big German neighborhood. There was a brewery around 91st Street.

Check out the lower East Side around Orchard Street. A great museum is Lower East Side Tenement Museum at 90 Orchard Street. They have converted several apartments in the building to reflect what they would have looked like when they were originally inhabited. Eat at Katz Deli 205 East Houston Street. They've been in business since the late 1800's and serve a great pastrami sandwich.

Maybe if you could tell us some of your interests we could help you to find some other interesting places.

Hi!
My interests include music, different ethnic foods, and I just enjoy looking at the different areas and how different they are. Sorry, this is still general but I am just hoping to explore the different areas while I am here. Any suggestions are still appreciated. Thanks.

Why not use what you've learned about New York already to make some newer chums happy, and at the same time learn about areas you haven't yet been into? Contact Big Apple Greeters on www.bigapplegreeter.org/ and show visitors around the parts of New York you have so far been captivated by. As a Big Apple Greeter yourself, you would get to know others with knowledge of various areas (when we visited, we were assigned to a wonderful lady named Ellen from Brooklyn, and we couldn't have been happier with the areas she showed us around)and you will soon be an expert on all of New York. By the way, how I envy you.... having moved to one of the three or four great cities of the entire world! We only had four days there, about three months ago.... but our hearts are still walking around the canyons of steel! And our very best memory of the whole city is the Big Apple Greeter organisation!

It is a sad subject these days, but the Wall Street area is great. We used to live on Broadway near John from 80 to 83. When we moved into the area there were only a couple other residential buildings just starting to get people living there. Great area. Wonderful old buildings. The post office used to be the main headquarters for the Cunard Line. Walk to Flat Iron Building. Walk to Battery Park and check out Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty. Stock exchange. Frauncies Tavern. The old fish market. The thing that upsets me is the Trade Center used to be our night light. But the area was great.

Brooklyn Heights is one of the most beautiful (and oldest) neighborhoods in NY. Great place to walk around, especially in the spring. I lived there for 10 years.