If you've ever wanted a secret backyard garden, living alongside Gramercy Park is for you. The little enclave is the brainchild of a nineteenth-century real estate developer who figured that he could sell lots with keys to an exclusive private park. One hundred and fifty years later, those townhouse units are still among New York's most unique.

The surrounding area - south to 14th Street and west to Union Square, north to 23rd Street and east to the river - has some of its row-house character, although large apartment buildings have cropped up too. Private clubs like National Arts, housed inside an old Victorian mansion, give blocks their back-in-time quality. (You can even wind up the day with a drink at Pete's Tavern, the city's oldest bar.)

While it's still got a touch of uptown tranquility, there's some downtown variety here too. The Academy Cafe serves Police Academy recruits or you can find Japanese, Italian and Vietnamese cuisine to eat to your heart's content.

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