45-02 Ditmars Boulevard, #302

If nothing else, living in Astoria promises flawless views of the East River. This neighborhood in northwestern Queens overlooks the river, whose crowning glory is the distinctively arched Hell Gate Bridge. Its proximity to Midtown Manhattan is what makes living in Astoria so appealing to its largely global community. Getting to Times Square, for instance, takes roughly 25 minutes by train and 40 minutes by car. Served by the N and Q trains at the Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard station above 31st Street, Astoria also allows drivers access straight into Harlem or the Bronx via the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge – or the Triborough Bridge, as locals still call it.