The Most Beautiful Streets in New York City

Despite repugnant rent wage increase , showers in kitchens , rats bigger than small blackguard who dwell rent - innocent in our apartments , overcrowd on the subway , overcrowding in ballpark , and overcrowding at Trader Joe ’s , we still do to really , truly love New York City . Why ? A Brobdingnagian part of it is the incomparable peach you’re able to take on every day just walk down the street – peach that is somehow even more telling than what you’re able to find in ourmuseums , store , or , rent ’s be honest , while eating aburger . From Brooklyn Heights ' historic Cranberry Street fromMoonstruck , to the townhouses along tenth Street between 5th & 6th that you ca n’t help but peer into as you top , to the hushed good luck charm of Marlborough Road in Ditmas Park , these are some of our favorite streets in New York City .

Minetta Street, Greenwich Village

Minetta Street offers a welcomed recess from Greenwich Village ’s notorious crowds , tourer , and traffic . The quiet block has all the best of this town : nineteenth - century computer architecture , trees , peace & quiet , solitude … and a rich history you ca n’t serve but find as you take the air the street ’s close - empty sidewalks . In the 17th hundred , the area was occupied bypartially freed slaveswho farmed and made their home along a brook called " Mannette " that flux into the then - pristine Hudson River . expression workers in the 19th century cover the creek to make manner for expansion – but the bend dexter in Minetta Street today hints at the water system still feed underneath .

Minetta has survived many Incarnation : ball over New Yorkers in the late 1800s with assorted - race pub , brothels , openly gay BAR , murders , and rearing crime ; a 1920s renaissance of tenement split - downs , building restoration , courtyards , and gardens ; and a quiet , put down epoch that turned the block into a popular filming location ( Serpico,13 Conversations About One Thing ) . And because all Greenwich Village locations partake in music history , Bob Dylanfamously write " Blowin ' In The Wind " in 1962inside the erstwhile Fat Black Pussycat coffeehouse – now Panchito ’s Mexican Restaurant , visible in bright red in the above photo .

Prospect Park West

Prospect Park West is peak Park Slope – quite literally , as the neck of the woods ’s mark street run downhill from Prospect Park . But more than that , the Mungo Park ’s western boundary has answer as the backdrop for innumerous period pieces , include scenes from 2013’sWolf of Wall Streetand 2014’sWinter ’s Tale , thanks to its picturesque setup . The leafy canopy on one side of the street propose natural shadiness and a warm recess from the busy city , while the multi - million clam brownstones and flat blocks on the other ooze sophistication without the snobbishness of Central Park West . And at nighttime , if you face north , you ’ll get just a peep of Grand Army Plaza ’s lights , a reminder of the magnificence of Gilded Age Brooklyn .

Washington Street, DUMBO

Now that Brooklyn has been view as an acceptable side - tripper terminus for NYC tourists ( there are multiple Shake Shacks ! ! ! ) , everyone in the full world has probably run into this photo in their Instagram provender : the Manhattan Bridge at sunset from Washington Street , with the Empire State Building protrude up beneath it , wedged snugly between the former ’s drear - gray iron legs … belike with ~50 the great unwashed in front of it cluttering up the composition . Still , even locals can agree that there ’s just no better " gotcha " perspective shot in all of New York than witnessing these two architectural titans in the same frame , and no good space to appreciate both of them than Washington Street . Plus , sway Shack ’s right around the corner .

Riverside Drive (in the 90s), Upper West Side

There ’s something about Riverside Drive that ’s so New York … which may be because the street and its surrounding neighborhood are featured in the greatest New York movie of all time , You’ve Got Mail . Riverside Drive starts on the south end of the Upper West Side at 72nd St and go all the way up to Washington Heights , but the most beautiful section is close to the middle , in the 90s . Around 91st St , the two - way avenue split and gives direction to a minute street that ’s bordered on the east side by regal apartment building , and on the due west side by park plazas , which are fundamentally island extensions of Riverside Park dedicate to various statues ( 93rd St is home to Joan of Arc Island ) . The residential building and townhouses that draw these cul - Diamond State - sac - like blocks are pre - war lulu with limestone , granite , and molded - iron adornments , and though many are similar to what you ’d find on the upper stretches of Park Avenue , these ace are in reality on a park boulevard .

Cranberry Street, Brooklyn Heights

If you channelise north in Brooklyn Heights towards Dumbo , you ’ll stumble upon the fruit streets : Cranberry , Orange , and Pineapple . Surprisingly , these are n’t part of a children ’s TV show set – they were named by Lady Middagh , who , according to NYC Parks , thought the street ’s former monikers were pretentious , as they were named after aristocratic families ( she leave her own name for Middagh Street , though , because a Lady ’s catch ta be a little pretentious sometimes ) . While it would be uproarious if a street named after something as darling as a yield was actually a painful place mob high with trash and ratkings , Cranberry is , of course , ridiculously wizardly – a narrow street flank with coloured brownstones cast in nicety from marvelous Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . If you head down far enough , you ’ll strike the Promenade , and can even have a literal - lifeCher - kicking - a - can - in - Moonstruckmoment .

47th St (& Skillman Ave), Sunnyside

On a street a few stops forth from Times Square , the Empire State Building rises up in the background . No , you ’re not Downtown or Uptown or in Midtown – you ’re not on that smelly island at all . You ’re actually in Queens , about to take a walk through its nationally recognise Historic District , Sunnyside Gardens . While it might be one of the first contrive suburbs in the country , you wo n’t be finding any cul - de - sack here . The whole domain is root on by the planned garden metropolis move that started in England in the early 20th hundred . That means that interwoven between the row of red brick menage extend in ivy , you ’ll see grassy mew , partake courtyards , and yes , spate and band of garden .

Convent Avenue, Harlem

This stringently residential thoroughfare , which principally runs through Hamilton Heights and the City College campus , is a master class in New York neighborhoods that bridge old and new . It ’s at once home base to historic homes that , accord to the Municipal Art Society of New York , were decorate by the like of Duke Ellington , Jimmy Rushing , and Cab Calloway , and more industrial campus buildings and low - advance apartment . The heart of the neighborhood is still in the old home , though , include 339 Convent Ave , aka the house that Royal Tenenbaum bought“on Archer Avenue in the winter of his 35th year . ”

West 10th Street (Between 5th & 6th), Greenwich Village

Just four pulley-block to the south from rowdy 14th Street , this passive time out lets you escape everything you ’ve ever sound off about in New York City . OK , you may bid you sold out to that tempting hedgerow fund business to one day be capable to afford a brownstone on this beautiful , tree - lined street , but go ahead and adopt an empty stoop as your own ( until someone kick you out ) and take in the steady menstruum of interesting characters . Protected by the Greenwich Village Historic District , this residential area harkens back to a time when notable residents like Mark Twain ( 14 W. 10th ) and journalist Joseph Mitchell ( 44 W. 10th St. ) live here . Both ornate and unproblematic family line the block , many with plants creep out windows or spud on rooftop , making it an urban oasis in the center of Downtown .

Crosby Street, SoHo

If you need a glance at SoHo that does n’t demand put off European tourists looking for the World ’s Biggest Zara ™ , a promenade down the cobblestoned Crosby Street should suffice . What it lacks in big - name mercantile establishment , it makes up for in local ( read : laughably expensive ) boutiques , cafes , and bars . If you glint up , you ’ll see abounding Romany , pre - war architecture . If you look down , you might just see a celebrity ( Leo ! ) in a fatal baseball detonating gadget assay not to be noticed , or a Cadillac commercial message being shot in slow , steamy motion . It ’s the quintessential NYC street that all wayward travelers dream of finding on their way to the Times Square M&M store . It just feels … mysterious , even though it ’s decidedly a public street . Best of all , it ’s home to Thrillist . Your best-loved website . But do n’t come gossip us . We have security measure guards .

Marlborough Road, Ditmas Park

Marlborough Road , which runs northerly and south from the Prospect Park Parade Grounds until it suddenly - end just past Foster Avenue , is a tree - lined , single - lane road that cut through the middle of the westerly section of Brooklyn cognise as square-toed Flatbush ( or the historical territorial dominion of Ditmas Park , to get more coarse-grained about it ) . And it ’s just one of many neighboring roads that could stand to represent this eldritch slight slice of suburb . Argyle , Rugby , any number of cross street – they ’re all beautiful , because they ’re all flank by jumbo confect - colored freestanding house with massive wrap - around porch , columns , bay windows , varnished ice , and lush green lawns . Built in the first decade of the 1900s , the Victorian , Colonial Revival , bungalow , and Queen Anne - style homes are kind of shocking in their singularity . One wheel jaunt through the area and you ’ll blank out that you ’re only a half - hour B / Q ride from the cesspool that is Manhattan .

Grace Court Alley, Brooklyn Heights

There ’s a section off Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights between Joralemon and Remsen where two myopic streets break off on either side – that ’s Grace Court , and Grace Court Alley ( both are about the same distance , but it ’s clear which one is the “ back street ” ) . Grace Court boasts the church and fancy brownstones , and the end of the block command the weewee , which may seem more alluring ( skyline aspect ! A polluted river ! ) , but Grace Court Alley is full of older New York history , as well as some pretty envy - inspiring architecture . The beat - end street ( which is capped off by one very French countryside - looking go-cart theatre ) was in the beginning a private crime syndicate - have sawbuck stable , and got its name in 1847 after Grace Church was work up across the street . Now instead of horses , the street is populated with multi - million dollar townhouses , most of which still sport old atomic number 26 hay cranes . Though take a paseo down the alley may feel like you ’re invading private property , the street is very much open to the world ( and if a resident notice you lingering too long , just differentiate them very confidently that you ’re bet for horse cavalry ghosts ) .

Guernsey Street, Greenpoint

Just a few blocks from McCarren Park , Guernsey Street stands out as one of the most memorable blocks in Brooklyn , mostly because of its very real shade . Flanked with colourful run-in houses continue by a natural tunnel - like canopy of locust tree , Guernsey offers a much - require escape from the grey urban landscape painting of Manhattan and the crowded brunch blot beleaguer the green . Wander down the street while you await for your table at articulate brunch spot , and then explore the residue of the quaint area . Just do n’t go into the post office –you’ve been warned .

Henderson Place, Upper East Side

Cherry - red brick townhouses dating back to the 19th century melody this quaint street settle so far due east you’re able to almost feel the East River breeze . Practically plucked right out of a Connecticut suburbia ( except without the expansive lawns ) , this street that ends with a row of luxurious townhomes is the most suburban cul - de - pocket in all of New York City . And it ’s beautiful . affect you ’re attending a potluck or a account book club on the elite enclave to get a closer look at the 24 historic architectural jewel boxes , i.e. multi - million dollar homes , which harken back to an old , classier New York . There ’s room for all of us on the wide - enough - to - agree - the - fancy - of - baby - strollers sidewalks .

Joralemon Street, Brooklyn Heights

Most of Brooklyn Heights looks like the mankind ’s most adorable suburb ( orMartin Scorsese ’s Boston ) got transplanted to New York City , but Joralemon endure out in peculiar for its historical brownstone , Greek Revival - style rowhouses , and the cobblestone - pave street , which runs from Hicks straight down to the urine . It ’s the kind of street that you guess when you were little and thought New York City look like Martin Scorsese ’s Boston and that you ’d totally be able-bodied to afford a brownstone one daytime . The undivided best , and unearthly , part about Joralemon , though , is that it ’s home to afake townhousethat helot as a metro vent and emergency exit ( it ’s lovingly referred to as the “ Shaft House ” ) .

Fuller Place, Windsor Terrace

From the outset , Fuller Place face like a mass of the street that surround it in Windsor Terrace and nearby South Slope ( rows of brick house attached to one another , many with their own unique expressive style of roof , bay laurel window , and front porch ) . But the matter that digest out about this restrained street the most ( other than the fact thatThe Amazing Spider - Manwas filmed there , and more importantly , theGeena Davis movieAngie ) is a belittled row of nursing home that cap off the destruction of the street – a rarified sight in the urban center , and one that attain you experience like you ’ve somehow escaped to the suburb without leave Brooklyn .

Stuyvesant Street, East Village

If you ’ve spent any time at all in the East Village , then you ’ve noticed Stuyvesant Street – one of the only diagonal streets in a metropolis built on a well - ordered control grid system . The street , which runs from 9th and 3rd to tenth and second , has a ample history involving Peter Stuyvesant and his great - great grandson Petrus – which include the still - standing St. Mark ’s Church in - the - Bowery and the Hamilton Fish House . Today the street is best sleep together for being that one uncanny pulley block in the East Village with the crazy - look street corner . It ’s also home to the gross uniting of humans , with NYU Steinhardt students smoking cigarettes on one side of the street , and upper - family brownstone owners on the other ( further down the mental block , in Abe Lebewohl Park , it ’s an even more natural mix of crust hoodlum and 16 Handles - toting dog walker ) . But population aside , the best part of Stuyvesant is the fact that the street itself will always be unlike than anywhere else .

Kent Street, Greenpoint

There ’s something magical about this section of North Greenpoint between Manhattan and Franklin Avenues ; the way the light hits the top of the trees and debase out to the river at sunset . The cosy feeling you get walk around a small town when in fact you ’re in the center of Brooklyn . The uninterrupted survey of the Midtown Manhattan skyline from nearby Transmitter Park . walk down this serene enclave off of Greenpoint Avenue produce you find simultaneously at peace and jealous of the cylinder block ’s brownstone dwellers . In addition to being home to a smattering of different - colored townhouses you ’ll fantasize about living in one day , Kent is also a stone ’s throw from some of the best bars , restaurant , and shops in North Brooklyn ( that you’re able to mayhap possibly already afford ) .

Stuyvesant Street