34th St Between 2nd Ave and 3rd Ave

   

Filled with cars and people, as is normal for 34th Street, this block has the traffic of midtown with the grit of downtown – and it's not a pleasant combination. Though there are some bright spots, such as the Clover Delicatessen sign on the corner of 2nd Avenue. However the remainder of the block seems to either be devoted to overpriced housing (a massive condo/apartment thing stretches for the majority of the south side of the street), or drinking.

Nearer to 3rd Avenue you'll find an exit street for the Queens Midtown Tunnel. I know I said it last time I encountered one of the tunnel's exits: but you really can see the two or three plots of real estate that they plowed through to make room for this road. You can just imagine some small tenements – similar to the ones which still stand adjacent to it – where the road is now.

31st St Between 5th Ave and Park Ave

Hidden amongst other more notable blocks, this stretch of 31st is significant for being completely unimpressive. The street is lined with utilitarian storefronts and building entrances which appear to serve their purpose well-enough, but don't seem to offer anything in terms of memorability. There's a distinct industrial feeling, though it's never able to take hold as restaurants and a Baptist church do their best to ward it off.

5th Avenue certainly has some popular imagery associated with it–mainly high-end shopping, crowds, and St.Patrick's–which is why it's so startling and depressing when 5th Avenue turns into nothing more than Madison Avenue's twin down here. Filled with fast food, slow busses and tourists who are beginning to fear that they've wandered too far south, it's simply a sorry atmosphere to experience. Walking two blocks to Park Avenue, things begin to get more pleasant as neighborhood life seems to take hold once more.

26th St Between Lexington Ave and 3rd Ave

To the north: Stoop after stoop leading to a row of squat apartments. To the south: An unflinchingly dominant building belonging to Baruch College. Put them together and you get a street that offers two very different experiences depending on which side you choose.

While the Baruch building is rather nice in it's detailing, the sheer monotony of its presence leaves a lot to be desired. The north side, on the other hand, is full of interesting details that give way to a new building every few feet. Consistency has never been New York's strong suit. If you come across a stretch of sidewalk that feels the same for more than a hundred feet, you've found a unique place, indeed.

This block has a rather unique feature in the form of Broadway Alley. Where it got the lofty name I'll never know, but according to a Times article from 2005 it's quite possibly the last unpaved road in the city. Privately-owned (which is how it's escaped the DOT's paving prowess), the alley–which extends all the way through to 27th Street–holds a rich history dating back nearly 200 years. However, what drew my attention to it wasn't any of that, but rather the oddly-placed street lamp hanging from the corner. I'd have to come back another time to see if the light actually works, but the combination of the ornate iron arm and the semi-modern light fixture seem to imply that it's been through a few upgrades over the years.

27th St Between 3rd Ave and 2nd Ave

Sometimes neighborhoods end abruptly, immediately giving way to the next part of town. Sometimes neighborhoods dissolve, allowing for a slow evolution of culture and architecture which muddies the lines between different areas. This block falls into the latter category. While I normally wouldn't considered the bar-laden territory of 3rd Avenue to be of the same world as the Kips Bay superblock land to the east, you can feel a very gradual transition occur here on 27th Street. A good deal of small tenement-style apartments still line the street, though a handful of larger project-style ones have moved in to take their place.

While trees provide a tremendous amount of shade on the already-narrow stretch, a large construction canopy on the north side of the street  makes the block seem downright dank. Emerging on 2nd Avenue to a dead-end, you can see why not too many cars are present, making this a rather quiet and residential street.

Lexington Ave Between 23rd St and 25th St

Although you wouldn't expect it at first glance, this is a very academic block. After passing by a typical corner bodega, the east side of this stretch is initially dominated by the 82-year-old George Washington Hotel. Originally a low-cost hotel with a history of bootlegging and prostitution, it's currently used as overpriced housing for the School of Visual Arts. Though a handful of original residents remain, the vast majority of the rooms are occupied by students and SVA offices.

Across the street from the GW Hotel you can find a lineup of small restaurants and stores, which includes a Duane Reade Express – the "Express" being added on in the past few years since a larger DR opened one block east. Crossing 24th Street the west side of the block expands to include a high-rise apartment building, while the east side is a completely different story…

Established in 1919, Baruch College is one of the flagship schools for the City University of New York. For many years it resided on 23rd Street in a beautiful landmarked building – currently known as the Lawrence and Eris Field Building. In early 2000 a new structure began to arise here on 24th Street which would soon replace the classic structure as Baruch's main headquarters. Dubbed the Newman Vertical Campus, the new building features a massive curved facade in a stumpy 17-story body. Giving the illusion that it's fighting a losing battle for space with a square brick building which intersects the bottom few floors, the Vertical Campus is a strange sight to behold while walking around the more conservatively-designed neighborhood.

2nd Ave Between 30th St and 33rd St

Hello and welcome to Loews Theater Avenue, where all your multiplex needs are met! We've spent millions of dollars and countless years transforming this super block into one long strip mall perfect for the entire family. While you enjoy your stay in our humble village please be sure to visit any of our other chain establishments – including Petco, Rite Aid, Borders or even Crunch fitness. We used to have an Office Max, but now it's just a seasonal halloween store. We recommend that out-of-towners stay clear of the western side of the neighborhood since it's filled with unpredictable and unreliable locally-owned businesses. I mean, seriously, who needs fresh fruit and vegetables? 

You'll be happy to know that in recent years we have been thrilled to welcome both Starbucks and Duane Reade into our happy neighborhood – thus removing older undesirables. While there is still much work to be done – By 2012 we can only hope and pray to have our very own Chase Bank (currently the nearest one is over 800 ft away, which our tourism counsel insists is too far), and a McDonald's or Five Guys (never let it be said that we aren't hip to the needs of our residents). 

So we hope you'll visit soon. There's plenty to see and do for the entire family – so long as it involves seeing one of the Twilight movies.