East 25 St, Kips Bay

25th Street starts off in Kip's Bay at the East River. The East River isn't exactly the Hudson but it's a body of water which is always nice to look at when your other option is trash and cars. There's a weird, UN started private International School right at FDR on 25th. Apparently, they teach in a number of languages here which is nice is you're foreign and rich.
Across FDR, there's a teeny park (again, not complaining about those, no matter the size) and then we kick off into some serious school and hospital stuff. Hunter-Bellevue School of nursing and the VA Medical Center are both right at 1st Avenue. And, across 1st Avenue from those medical facilities is the NYU Dental School (the largest private one in the country). The same block holds a huge apartment building and an Italian restaurant. Both are, presumably filled with doctors so if you're looking to marry one, this restaurant in particular may be a good spot to start hanging out.
The block between 2nd and 3rd is mostly big, not special looking apartment buildings to house, again, all the doctors and school / hospital people. The apartments are ugly but they're not cheap, presumably because of convenience and view. There's also a pet shop on this block as well as a bar where I'd like to imagine that a Grey's Anatomy sort of drama is played out in every night. Huh, maybe I should start hanging out here on second thought.
Across 3rd is Baruch College (Business School) mixed in w a great little grocery, a pizza spot and the Carlton Arms Hotel. The Carlton is such a weird space because it is a tiny hotel that's really inexpensive that used to be a major slum. It's still pretty slummy but all of the rooms have been individually done by different local artists so the place has become somewhat famous for cheap hotels. I've seen pictures of the rooms and they really did a fantastic job considering what they were working with.
I don't like Kip's Bay, in general, and 25th is no exception. There's no energy here and the bar and restaurant scene is pretty pathetic. It's like a ghost town around here at night and it just seems a little off even when it is busy. If you're looking to enjoy your neighborhood, I wouldn't live here. But, if you're looking to hang out with people on the fast track to respectable jobs, this is the place to be.