My hotel of choice for this trip is the Yotel on 10th and 41st which has given me a chance to explore the length of 42nd street from west to east and back again. Looking east along 42nd street from 1st Aveįor the last few years, I have been going to New York City each January to attend the New York Times Travel Show. Next comes Hell’s Kitchen and the Theater District, once the grittier side of New York which is now getting gentrified and redeveloped. Then, continuing west to Broadway and 7th Ave., it is the busy, noisy and colorful Times Square area that sets the pulse for the city that never sleeps. Approaching Park and 5th Avenues, the ambiance is definitely more upscale and expensive. is Turtle Bay which has roots back to the 17th century Dutch Colonial times, and which feels quieter and more residential. Lyrics to “42nd Street” by Al Dubin and Johnny MercerĮven though 42nd street is only two miles long, the character of the neighborhoods changes every few blocks. You also pass by some of the city’s most iconic and decorative buildings, both old and new.Ī crazy quilt that “Wall Street Jack” built, It’s only a two mile walk from the East River to the Hudson River on this historic lane, but you pass through a handful of defined neighborhoods in the process, each with its own distinctive flavor. If Midtown is the heart of Manhattan, then 42nd street in New York City must be its main artery.
