On Tuesday we took a walk down 74th Street in Jackson Heights and I noted the influence Indian culture had on the block. Just one Subway stop to the east  the layout of the block remains strikingly similar, but the culture changes are drastic. While not strictly defined by one country or group, you're definitely likely to see more bilingual Spanish signs here than back on 74th. There are also more chain stores than I saw on the previous block…Perfumania, Chase, Bank of America, Petland Discounts and others all sit alongside no-name retailers.

Throughout the entire length, the street does this strange, undulating thing in which the sidewalk gets wider and thinner at different parts. It seems this is done to accommodate parking, but the result is just something where I have more opportunities to fall off the curb when I'm not paying attention.

After much hemming and hawing on the corner of 47th and 8th, I finally made the bold decision to walk towards Times Square. Anyone who lives in the city knows that making such a choice usually involves either a chore of necessity or some sort of masochistic death wish. Either way, before long I found myself willfully walking towards the most aggravating place in all of New York.

With a handful of Broadway theaters lining the block, this part of the street is mostly dead in the morning (when I visited), but it's safe to assume it's nothing but madness come showtime. The W Hotel near Broadway has an interesting facade, but it stands in stark contrast to some of the more classic buildings in the area. I guess that's the nature of this always-evolving neighborhood, though. The saving grace of taking 47th Street across to 7th Ave is that you're near the northern end of Times Square which isn't nearly as crowded as the middle of southern parts can be. 

Having lived here for several years and walked through this part of town more times than I wish to remember, the spectacle of the billboards and lights numbed me long ago. However, if I step back I can sometimes, for a brief moment, remember the sheer joy the first time I noticed that Hershey's had a gigantic store just for candy.

Representing one of countless culturally-rich blocks in Jackson Heights, this segment of 74th Street is overflowing with the smells and sights of India. Colorful and vibrant, every inch of the street is blanketed with people, shops and cars. And while there are certainly more crowded blocks throughout the city, this one gets a strong boost from the huge Subway station on Roosevelt Avenue (serving the 7, E, F, V and R trains).

With hardly a new building in sight, pretty much everything here is crammed into converted storefronts and upstairs boutiques. You're not liable to find many chain stores, but despite that, you could still probably buy everything you'd ever need right here.

After 450 posts covering blocks in Manhattan and Brooklyn, I finally managed to visit a few in Queens. Sorry Staten Island and The Bronx…you'll have to wait a bit longer. It's a common sentiment I'm sure, but the street numbering system in this borough is totally fubar'd. While similar to Manhattan in many ways, it lacks the simplicity of the numbered grid plan which makes its cousin so much easier to navigate. Instead you end up with streets with very similar names intersecting each other; forcing you to notice if it's an "avenue", a "street", or a "place". Plus, as someone who is far more used to Manhattan, something about "37th Avenue" just sounds wrong.

The neighborhood itself is incredible and bustling but not without its flaws. The vast majority of the stores are locally-owned and often feature signs in two or three languages. While a few blocks here and there may have a Chase bank or a Duane Reade, they're far outnumbered by the discount clothing stores and pharmacies.

Looking like any number of other blocks in the neighborhood, this segment of 59th Street feels lost amonsgt all the noise. With a mixture of high-rise buildings creating an inescapable shadow, the block is dark and lonely. It features a rare mid-block Duane Reade store which sits across from an interesting-looking Off-Off-Broadway theater.

Park Avenue is a nice breath of fresh air as you finally get to see daylight again. These short midtown blocks feel so restrictive. Thanks to their small footprint they rarely feature any notable architecture. However the buildings that do get constructed try so hard to maximize their space they end up blocking out all the life on the sidewalk below.

For most of its entire length, 66th Street runs as a westbound thoroughfare – the exception being right here. For reasons unknown (to me, at least) this one block is wider, has two lanes for driving westbound and east bound, an extra lane for parking, and a large median right in the middle. The center sidewalk is lined with as many parking meters as trees. The Parks Department marks this otherwise-vacant stretch as part of the Greenstreets program.

It would almost make more sense to treat these as two separate streets. The southern half is lined with a massive high-rise complex complete with balconies and white brick. Meanwhile, the northern side is far more classic and architecturally conservative with its 5-story apartment buildings nestled up next to each other. Of course, that dichotomy goes straight to hell at the end of the block when a second, this time glass-sheathed, high-rise takes over the quaint buildings on the northern side.

Nestled between Carnegie Hall and Central Park, these blocks have an even mixture of extremely expensive buildings and aimlessly roaming tourists. Prime architecture examples such as Alwyn Court attract and delight just about everyone who walks by with its unbelievably detailed facade.

On the other end of the architecture spectrum we have 200 Central Park South. The curved glass building epitomizes mid-century american design and actually meshes well with the surrounding neighborhood. Noticeable from just about any direction between 7th Avenue and Central Park South, the building surely has enviable views from its non-stop balconies.

The standout feature on this block is the previously-mentioned SVA Ludlow Residence. However, since you can't really see the building from this block, its architecture isn't nearly as imposing. As an SVA alum myself, I've been curious what it's like living down here while attending classes up near Gramercy and Chelsea. I have very fond memories of living in their residence building on 23rd between 2nd and 3rd, but this neighborhood is an entirely different beast.

Walking down the street I found myself wondering which stores and restaurants the students most frequented. There's a bodega or two which seem ripe for underage shenanigans (not an accusation, just a pure guess on my part). The dorm is also amusingly close to the sex toy store Babeland.

The block isn't exactly a prime example of anything in particular…it's perfectly average. It's got the right feeling for the Lower East Side: Dark, evolving, and unimpressive.

I love this stretch of 8th Avenue. Not because it's pretty…it isn't. Not because it's full of great examples of architecture…it's not. Not because there's a wide variety of great attractions…there isn't. But because it's a step in the right direction to get away from the Port Authority Bus Terminal and Times Square. The further away I can get from these two things, the happier I am. While engaging in this escapism, you're surrounded by a myriad of buildings ranging from brand-new eyesores to dilapidated classics which barely warrant renovation. Sure, you could argue that the Milford Plaza Hotel is a nice example of design, but you're better off looking over at skyline and at some of the buildings on nearby side streets.

This is one of the few areas where some of the classic "dirty" Times Square culture remains. Though there's a ton of commercialization and touristification to be had, you'll still have no trouble finding a porn shop, a dive bar, or some questionable electronic retailer. And really, what more does a man need than booze, naked ladies and rip-off iPods?

Every time I find myself on Delancey street I have to do a double-take to make sure I'm not on Houston, or even 14th. It sounds foolish, but there are many striking similarities. While the other doppelgangers are far more polished thanks to the past 20 years of gentrification, Delancey still remains a bit rough around the edges. Regina Spektor's song "That Time" has a lyric:

"Hey remember the time when I found a human tooth down on Delancey?"

...which is seems very appropriate, but less and less plausible as time goes on.

While the nearby Tenement Museum celebrates the neighborhood's questionable past, the new SVA Ludlow Residence seem to give a glimpse into the future. A controversial building, the brown-brick-mosaic facade is a strange addition to the skyline. Personally, I don't mind it. It's nice to see something that isn't glass and steel. The blocky structure isn't anything thrilling (It reminds me of a telco headquarters that you'd find in the 1960's – especially with those narrow window columns), but I have to commend the architect for the clever use of color. It certainly doesn't appeal to everyone, but I'll be very interested to see how tastes evolve as time goes by. There are also plenty of complaints about the influx of "snobby art students". I can't comment on that assessment (I was one of said snobby art students), but personally I'd much rather have a group of artists than a group of miscellaneous NYC undergrads.