If one of those items is dreaming of a permanent move to NYC, let me play fairy godmother and help you get acclimated. For starters, New Yorkers are positively chauvinistic about their neighborhoods. Most residents are liberals with an artsy-craftsy bent or a passion for academe. Downtown, you'll find Battery Park City, Tribeca, Soho, Greenwich Village, Chelsea and Clinton. All are fairly near New York University and Washington Square Park as well as lots of off-Broadway venues.
Living spaces are lofts and brownstones along with high rises.
Quirky, winding streets lined with trees, cafes, shops and art galleries give the area a Bohemian feel. If this appeals to you, you've found your Shangri-La. But if you're into the pulse-pounding rhythms of big city life, look farther uptown. Midtown starts at 42nd Street and ends at 60th Street. Here's where you'll find Times Square, the Theatre District, Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall, Hell's Kitchen, Restaurant Row, Columbus Circle, the Broadway Dance Center, most of the dance retail stores, and the south entrance to Central Park.