West 32 St, Garment District

West 32nd in this neighborhood is jam packed with Asian restaurants and shops. There are a lot of great spots to eat in this little stretch and they're great finds because there is a minimal tourist contingency. The corner of 32nd and 5th houses Pho 32 and Shabu which is a fantastic spot if you're into Pho and Shabu Shabu. If you're not, however, there's a great deli and Mandoo bar which has fantastic dumplings all in the same building. Basically, if you like Asian food, go to this spot and you're bound to find something. Two buildings over, there's a great Korean BBQ place with a 24 massage parlor above it. So, you can get some BBQ and a happy ending without having to take more than 10 steps. That kind of business doesn't do much for the neighborhood vibe, but I'm sure it's popular with the big business set in this area. Next door to that is a 24 hour Korean Buffet with another Korean restaurant across the street. I think what this block is trying to say is that if you're into vice, you can stay here, literally, 24 hours and never want for anything. This block also features a couple of little, cheap hotels, a karaoke bar, a coffee shop, and a 24 hour spa. This block really adds to the rumor that this city never sleeps. You can find something to do 24 hours a day on one single block. The best oldest Korean restaurant is up at Broadway and there is a very comprehensive Korean market directly across the street. It's a really popular block for local New Yorkers because most things are open all day and night and it's not exactly advertised in tourism books. Plus, the food is pretty great across the board. I have spent a couple of nights on this block starting with dinner and ending up with walking out of a karaoke bar at dawn. Not my proudest moments but they sure were fun.
Across Broadway, there's Greeley Square and a couple of dingy little shops. It's nice to have a bit of green in this area, but it's so big building, loud, busy and dreary in this part of town that Greeley isn't even my 20th choice for a place to hang out and enjoy a bit of "nature." It's a great stretch for a night every now and then but I would hate to live here. The neighborhood vibe is minimal and it's loud and dirty all the time. I kind of feel bad for the residents because of the 24 hour nature of this street.