West Broadway Between Leonard St and Beach St

With the towering monuments of the financial district sinking into the background, and the yet-to-be-encountered shining obelisks of midtown just peeking over the horizon, the quiet and welcoming streets of TriBeCa sit in a time warp. Old wall advertisements cut through years of paint and neglect while local shops sit side-by-side with massive corporations. The amount of diversity and contrast you can see down here is inspiring and fascinating. While it may be known as an expensive and privileged part of town, the character that has been maintained on the streets is something all neighborhoods should strive for.

Sure, it may be all a facade, but that doesn't bother me. I tend to be a person who takes joy in how a street looks rather than what it offers. I may be in the minority as far as that goes. But a friendly, good-looking, character-filled block can go a long way to shaping how the surrounding neighborhoods turn out. Besides, it's always free to walk down a street- no matter how expensive the apartments or businesses may be. At least I can enjoy the public space.

Now, is this all a sign of gentrification? Possibly. I'm not smart enough or in an appropriate enough position to pass judgement on how those changes can affect a community. But be that as it may, if you were to offer me a choice between a block such as this or a purely anonymous one in the center of midtown, I'd take this one any day.