Park Ave South, Murray Hill

When most people - New Yorkers and out-of-towners alike - think of Park Avenue, they're as likely as not to think of pearl-clad poodle-clutching ladies who lunch, wealthy society dames enjoying a life of leisure on the Upper East Side. But if Park Avenue (north) is quiet and idyllic, then Park Avenue South is fast-paced and exciting. A neighborhood made up largely of offices, stretching from Union Square to Grand Central Terminal, this thriving street is home to the husbands of those lunching ladies (and wives of lunching husbands). With a number of bars, hotels, and innovative upscale restaurants, mostly catering to a professional clientele, this stretch of Park Avenue offers the excitement and energy that uptown Park Avenue largely lacks, as well as a host of architecturally stunning Deco buildings. While prospective home-owners or renters are unlikely to find much on offer here, those employed in the area are lucky enough to have access to a number of the city's best-kept secrets, including Houston's Restaurant, I Trulli (on 27th Street), and the French standby Les Halles. Hotel 31, Hotel Giraffe, and plenty of other accommodation options are on offer here for savvy tourists and buisiness-trippers alike.

Park ave south is the section of Park ave that stretches towards Union Square. Although The Square itself is usually quite lively, Park ave itself is quite dark. Not many stores there stay open at night, although there are some great restaurants to check out, such as flute, and many sushi bars. It's a pretty decent area, but I would recommend going further east for some more going out options, or just basking in the intensity that is Union Sq. If the weather is nice, you can always spot a great deal of people just hanging out, dancing, listening to music on the steps of the square. It's a great spot to just chill out, even after dark, because the people there are friendly and, most of the time, they enjoy meeting new people. If all else fails, you can pop into Babies R Us or Barnes and Noble for some random shopping!