Midtown Manhattan

Right smack down in the middle of things

By Jonathan Scheff | Special to amNewYork

August 3, 2006

Many New Yorkers don't go -- or say they don't go -- to Times Square, in the heart of central midtown.

"It's beautiful to look at, but to hang out, not really. It's ridiculously expensive," said a clerk who lives in Queens and commutes to work at Charles Thwitt, a retailer on Seventh Avenue.

Instead, they point away from the tourists and flashing billboards to Eighth and Ninth avenues, where a variety of restaurants and local hangouts flourish.

Still, conversations about the area have a way of coming back to Times Square.

"If you went to Times Square 20 years ago, you'd be nervous. There were hookers, pimps " said John, a bartender at Rumours, on Eighth Avenue.

Like all development, the transformation and the cleanup of Times Square have their negative aspects.

An employee at the tobacconist De La Concha said: "When the lease is up, rents double, triple no one can afford to stay. You can't build up a clientele."

New Yorkers remember the squalor of the old-time Times Square, but the area used to house more than drug dealers. At the Edison Hotel, for example, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and B.B. King all took residence.

Despite what some see as the downfalls of economic development, central midtown continues to attract New Yorkers who keep moving into the area (an apartment building is rising in Times Square) -- as well as the tourists. From shopping on Fifth Avenue, to the razzmatazz of Times Square, to the spectacular views from atop Rockefeller Center, central midtown will always represent the magic and possibility of New York City.

Boundaries

Central midtown is not a common geographic delineation in the lexicon of New Yorkers. The best definition comes from the New York City Department of City Planning: Community District 5 includes midtown and midtown south, running east-to-west from Eighth Avenue to Lexington Avenue. Midtown is bounded by 60th Street on the north and approximately 40th Street on the south.

The Buzz

Most buzz in central midtown revolves around new developments and neighborhood opposition to these developments. Residents protested and lost a battle to stop the expansion of the Jacob Javits Center. Other new developments include 1600 Broadway -- a new condominium building -- and the Bank of America tower across from Bryant Park on Fifth Avenue.

To shop

Pink
Thomas Pink's signature shopping bag from this women's clothing store can be seen all over New York City, attesting to its popularity.
520 Madison Ave.
212-838-1928

The Shops at Columbus Circle
This mall within the Time Warner Center includes a large Whole Foods, Borders, J.Crew, L'Occitane, and many more.