West 32 St, Chelsea

W 32nd St is a busy street between 11 Av and 5 Av. It is where the Madison Square Garden and New York Penn Station are. It is also in the heart of Korea town, a primarily Korean business district, where you can find a great choice of Korean restaurants. The food, trains, and events at the Madison Square Garden are the main reason to go there. It is too a noisy and crowded street where to live.

West 32nd Street is rather nice and offers a great deal of dining options to visitors and residents but it's completely and utterly dominated by Penn Station traffic. With any street near a major station 32nd has had to hand over it's charm to the large train station. There are still some good eats though, mainly Korean and Asian in nature for everyone. One redeeming quality is the fact that the flow of traffic leads people from Penn Station and saves some of the streets charm. Once you head away further towards 5th things clear up a great deal and make the street much calmer.

This block is nearby EVERYTHING! Madison Square Garden, New York City Library, Herald Square, Times Square. I wasn't expecting a small haven of Seoul in midtown. This place is jam packed with Korean restaurants including Kum Gang Incorporated where the kimchee looked delectable, Wojo Victorian, Gam Mi Oak Restaurant, and finally Shila Korean Food Restaurant, which was probably the cleanest. Once again, this is more of a commercial street, so no living options here, but hey, who knows... maybe there's space available above Kum Gang Inc!

West 32nd Street is close to the following metro stations: A, C, E, L at 34th Street, Penn Station, 1,2,3 at 28th Street, an the B,D,F,N, J, R, N, W at 34th Street & Herald Square, 6 at 28th. It is also accessible to many buses. Foot traffic is heavy, and it is a good neighborhood for all people!

So you are looking for a decent place to eat after arriving at Penn. You only have so much time before the show or game. Where do you go? K-Town. The stretch of 32nd between 5th and Broadway is filled with all sorts of delicious food. From the sweet and salty bbq to the tender mandoo (dumplings) to the spicy kimchee. I wouldn't live on this street (it's not the cleanest) but to visit frequently, it can't be beat. For those living in the area, there is an Asian grocery on the block and it is obviously much closer than Chinatown for the hard to find Asian ingredients.

If you are somehow stuck near Macy's in Midtown and can't find any place to eat...make sure to head over to Korea Town at East 32nd st near the La Quinta Hotel. The Korean food is to die for and there is something for all tastes...high to low. There is also good karaoke if you move up towards the time square area. A must see for manhattanites.

If visiting NYC, try La Quinta on 32nd. Nice, relatively cheap, and close to great subway station.