Deciphering what is where when visiting New York can be a frustrating and exhausting task. Yet, part of what makes New York so unique is the fact that it is compartmentalized—if you are looking for one thing in particular, you will find more than enough places selling it in any one area. With five boroughs and fifty-nine community districts, it is important to know where each “district” is. So, a bit of an overview:

Wall Street, in the Financial District, is still the stomping ground for suits and money savvy professionals. This area is home to the New York Stock Exchange. Chinatown is Chinese culture personified. Tourists crowd the streets to enjoy the food, markets, and shops, with most of the revenue in this area coming from the curious and adventurous. If you happen to be walking down Bowery between Grand and Kenmare Streets, you won’t be able to help but notice that you are in the Lighting District (and sunglasses will do you no good). Lighting stores line (and illuminate) the streets, selling everything from simplistic lamps to extravagant and rare chandeliers. The Lower East Side, once the site of immigrant life, is known for its bargain shopping. Hundreds of discount stores line the streets making a great deal quite easy to find, which is natural, seeing that this is the beginning site of the garment industry.

Mulberry Street is the heart of Little Italy, where Italian immigrants flocked and flourished. Resisting the aromas of the native restaurants and bakeries is quite an accomplishment! And if Brazilian culture is more what you are in the mood for, try Little Brazil, on 46th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Brazilian food and excellent bargain shopping are here…and like Little Italy, this community even has its own newspaper.

Art galleries and Soho go hand-in-hand. That spacious area that every New Yorker would love to come home to, also known as a “loft,” are what make up the converted warehouses in this creative belt. The young and trendy flock to the East Village, and always have (hippies in the sixties and punks in the seventies and eighties). The cutting edge crowd has formed an interesting and exciting array of alternative clubs, fashion stores, and theatres.

The Meatpacking District, around 14th Street and Ninth Avenue, is now the “hot spot.” Who would have ever thought the posh would invade this cobblestoned territory? When the sun sets, crowds of clubbers can be spotted standing outside the new “club to be seen in,” while celebrities breeze through the doors. Chelsea, located around Eighth Avenue between the teens and twenties, is known for being “gay-friendly,” although a heterogeneous crowd occupies the area. Although it is mostly residential, the bars, clothing shops, and shoe stores are always bustling. Chelsea Piers, an enormous shopping area and sports complex, is also a great stop.

From 23rd to 26th Streets between Sixth and Seventh Avenues is the Antique District. Weekdays are a little subdued and are for the serious shoppers, who can easily spend a pretty penny in some of the top dollar stores. But, on the weekends, flea markets crowd the area and bargain antiques buys are hard to miss. Seventh Avenue is also known as “Fashion Avenue,” and for good reason: anything involving fashion can be found from West 36th to 40th Streets between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. This is a fashion mecca, housing everything from buttons, to fabrics, and even furs.

Times Square is always a must-see for first time Manhattan adventurers, and can be an overwhelming and exhilarating experience. Huge billboards of fashion icons and bright advertisements can distract even a New Yorker trying to make his or her way through the dense crowds of people looking up. For tickets to the theatre, which will be just north in the Theatre District, check out the TKTS booth located in the heart of Times Square. You won’t be able to miss it….it’s always packed. Who can find the best diamond buy? That is the question for those in search of anything of glittering glitz in the Diamond District, located on 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. A great deal is not hard to find! In fact, store owners are often seen roaming up and down the street, ensuring that their prices are not being beat.

West of Central Park is the Upper West Side, home to a dynamic array of creative types pursuing the arts, such as actors, artists and writers. To the east of Central Park is the Upper East Side. This area maintains its reputation as home to Old Money, or, actually, money in general. It is also the home of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as upscale boutiques, fabulous dining, and the ritziest of the ritzy.

What does this all mean to you, the tourist that we love, the adventurer seeking the real New York? That it’s all here…anything you want…anything your heart desires! Just get out of your comfort zone and get out your MetroCard… life is only fifteen minutes away in any direction.