Park Ave, Murray Hill

Park Avenue South turns into Park Avenue proper at 32nd street and there is definitely a distinct turn in architecture on this block if not necessarily as swift a turn in energy. There are some great art deco buildings at 32nd street from the 1920's. Ayn Rand worked in the one on the corner at 33rd before The Fountainhead came out. There's also a great wine and cheese place on this block called Artisanal. I kind of like this block despite it being commercial. It's a older version of New York to me and surprisingly quaint for a commercial kind of street.
The next block up is really beautiful. It holds the Vanderbilt apartment building which used to be the Vanderbilt Hotel -- one of the nicest hotels in New York. It's a stunning castle looking kind of building with a fancy steakhouse underneath. There's a skyscraper technical high school across the street with sculptures at the front. It's a weird looking building but I kind of like it and there's something so New York to me (albeit bizarre) about the thought of kids going to high school in a sky scraper. It's like the Victorian era and the future are directly across the street from each other on this block.
The next couple of blocks are very residential but more in the apartment vein wherein they used to hold homes. There are some beautiful and I'm sure very expensive apartment buildings at 34th and a gorgeous smaller apartment building at 35th that used to be a one family mansion. It's massive and decadent and you can tell it used to be a home for a very very wealthy family. I love that building.
Once you get past 36th there's an even mix of old smaller apartment buildings and massive modern high rises that continues on you start getting into Upper East Side territory. It's a cool looking street but I think it's a little too commercial and there's a little too much traffic for me to want to live here. There are some little restaurants but the noise on the street doesn't come for local energy, it comes more from people going to and from work.