East 15 St, Gramercy Park

15th around Irving starts off with a lot of giant buildings that don't have a lot of character, but as you travel east, the neighborhood does get more pleasing to the eye (though not as pleasing as higher streets in the neighborhood). There's a massive Con Ed building right on the corner of 15th and Irving that's actually really pretty but the gym on the ground floor kind of takes away from the grandeur of it all. And, further taking away the luster is the hideous building across the street that just looks like a slab of concrete. There is, however, a really cool bar next door to the monster slab that I highly recommend.
There's a gorgeous brick building from 1860 that looks like a house (it's a synagogue) right on the corner of 15th and Rutherford. It's across the street from Stuy park which only adds to the house kind of look of this place. Stuy Square, across the street, is one of those parks that just never has any people in it so it almost looks like a private lawn. This is a good spot for actually grabbing a seat on a nice day but it's not so great for people watching or energy. Once you get past Stuy Square, 15th is almost entirely taken up by hospitals which may be another reason why the park is kind of lackluster. I find it so bizarre that there are so many hospitals around here and now there's not one of the West side. I'm not sure why that is.
There's a really pretty high school in the midst of all the hospitals called High School for Health Professions. It used to Stuyvesant High School and it was the top public high school in New York. Four Nobel Laureates came out of this school as well as many political figures and a few celebrities. I don't know why they would change it if it was doing so well, but that's New York. Another "only New York" school is across the street from Stuy High and it has both day school and night school for High School! I don't know what high schoolers are taking class at night, but there must be enough to keep this thing running.
15th just isn't as pretty or cool as other streets in Gramercy or even below in the East Village. But, it's an ok street to live on. My only gripe is that for the Gramercy price tag, you should be able to live on a Gramercy kind of street and this one isn't really.

When on this street you have to try Murray’s Falafel & Grill. From what I hear, it’s got great food at great prices. I really enjoyed this neighborhood, and a friend -of -mine’s new apartment in Stuvesant Town. It’s been gentrified, as 10 years ago, maybe even five, this area of town was quite dilapidated and not safe. Now, it’s filled with good eats, a diverse crowd, and plenty of New York Charm. It is also the heat of the park in the neighborhood.

East 15th street is close to the following metro station: L at 3rd ave., and is accessible to many buses. Foot traffic is heavy and it is a good neighborhood for young people and couples .