East 29th St, Kips Bay

29th doesn't start in Kip's Bay until 1st Avenue because everything east of that is taken up by Bellevue Hospital. I guess that makes for a convenient street to live on if you have a pole through your head, but not such a great street to live on if you don't like being creeped out by being next to a hospital famous for its looney bin.
The block between 1st and 2nd Avenues is taken up mostly by big, boring apartment buildings. There's really not much else to say about this block other than a bunch of apartments that are too expensive for how ugly the buildings are, a Boys and Girls Club, a deli and a random NYU bookstore. There's no energy to this block and nothing to do or see. It just looks like a big street full of dorms in my opinion.
The next block is a lot more eventful. There's a little Irish pub right on the corner, a little pizza place next door to that and a cafe. That's not a lot for a great New York block, but that's way more than most other blocks in Kip's Bay. There's also a cool old firehouse and a playground on this block. But, the two highlights of this block are at 201 1/2 and 203. 201 1/2 is a carriage house from 1790 which is pretty rare for New York. Most of the pre-19th century buildings are gone now due to fires and land development. And, this whole area is lacking quite a lot in historical buildings, so this building is both really out of place and a lovely surprise. Next door to the carriage house is a building from 1870 that actually has a wood frame which is even more rare than an 18th century building. I would highly recommend checking both of these buildings out if you happen to be in this boring as hell neighborhood.
29th is better than a lot of other Kip's Bay blocks but there still isn't much to do, most of the buildings are ugly and it's way to close to midtown for my liking. Some people seem to like it just fine, but I wouldn't live here unless I was willed some sort of amazing apartment.

East 29th Street is mainly residential, but had a few great bars and restaraunts. It’s a pretty young area of town, lots of post-graduate students and young professionals. It’s not as family oriented as let’s say the upper east side, but a family could definitely be happy here. There is a lot of construction, so noise levels are high, but the feel of the street is artsy and fun, and the people were friendly and helpful ( I got lost on my way to 1st avenue).


East 29th street is close to the following metro station: 6 at 27th street, and is accessible to many buses. Foot traffic is light and it is a good neighborhood for young people.