The entire area is sprawling, running from Houston to 14th Streets and west from the Bowery and Third Avenue to the East River. Many of the buildings are old tenement-style walkups, but some offer roof decks and garden access to their residents. If it's an elevator and a Poggenpohl kitchen you're seeking, new condos are popping up like mushrooms around Avenue B. Architecture lovers should check out Ageloff Towers. These two back-to-back prewar co-ops offer Art Deco details including brass-ornamented lobbies and Assyrian terra-cotta facades.

The green center of the neighborhood is Tompkins Square Park bordering Avenue A; check out its fun playgrounds and state-of-the-art dog run. Neighborhood eats range from Ukranian coffee shops to model-frequented boites; be sure to hit East Sixth Street, known for its string of Indian restaurants, or East Ninth Street, which is populated with Japanese sushi bars.

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