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find the bright lights and bustle that draw people from all over. As
such, this is the city's biggest hotel neighborhood, with options
running from cheap to chic.
The 1, 2, 3 subway line serves the neon-lit station at the heart
of Times Square, at 42nd Street between Broadway and Seventh
Avenue, while the F, V, B, D line runs up Sixth Avenue to Rock-
efeller Center. The N, R, W line cuts diagonally across the neigh-
borhood, following the path of Broadway before heading up
Seventh Avenue at 42nd Street. The A, C, E line serves the West
Side, running along Eighth Avenue.
If you know New York but haven't been here in a few years,
you'll be surprised by the “new” Times Square. New Yorkers like
to kvetch about the glory days of the old peep-show-and-porn-
shop Times Square that this cleaned-up, Disneyfied version sup-
planted. And there really is not much here for the native. The
revival, however, has been nothing short of an outstanding success
for tourism. Expect dense crowds, though; it's often tough to
make your way along the sidewalks.
To the west of the Theater District, in the 40s and 50s between
Eighth and Tenth avenues, is Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clin-
ton, an area that is much nicer than its ghoulish name and one of
my favorites. The neighborhood resisted gentrification until the
mid-1990s but has grown into a charming, less-touristy adjunct
to the neighboring Theater District. Ninth Avenue, in particular,
has blossomed into one of the city's finest dining avenues; stroll
along and you'll have a world of dining to choose from, from
American diner to sexy Mediterranean to traditional Thai.
Unlike Times Square, Rockefeller Center has needed no reno-
vation. Situated between 46th and 50th streets from Sixth Avenue
east to Fifth, this Art Deco complex contains some of the city's
great architectural gems. If you can negotiate the crowds, holiday
time is a great time to be here, as ice-skaters take over the central
plaza and the Christmas tree twinkles against the night sky.
Between Seventh and Eighth avenues and 31st and 33rd streets,
Penn Station sits beneath unsightly behemoth Madison Square
Garden, where the Rangers, Liberty, and the Knicks play. Taking
up all of 34th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues is Macy's,
the world's largest department store; exit Macy's at the southeast
corner and you'll find more famous-label shopping around Her-
ald Square. The blocks around 32nd Street just west of Fifth
Avenue have developed into a thriving Koreatown, with mid-
priced hotels and bright, bustling Asian restaurants offering some
of the best-value stays and eats in Midtown.
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