10th Ave Between 55th St and 53rd St

Feeling both desolate and crowded at the same time, this segment of 10th Avenue is pretty typical of the west side. With equal parts industry (hello massive, imposing AT&T building) and residential (classic, low-rise apartment buildings line most of the eastern side of the street), this part of town is right in the middle of nowhere – Times Square is safely to the south east, Lincoln Center is about 8 blocks north, and the waterfront is a good two to three blocks away.

With the exception of the aforementioned AT&T building, most of the area keeps pretty low to the ground; allowing for some great vistas of midtown. There's definitely a sense of community of belonging here. As it is, I would bet that most of the people you see on the street live within a few blocks of here.