I hope every single item on your wish list for the last year of the millennium does indeed come true. 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.