nyc

November 15, 2005 1:07 PM

Is Murray Hill an interesting area to live? My sister just got a place there, and coming from LA she want to know what it's like.

I've only spent time in other areas of Manhattan, and never really went that area.

posted by The Jesse Helms to sports, hobbies, & recreation (23 comments total)

I work there on 32nd. Lots of business offices. But further east there's movie theaters and bookstores. Personally, I don't find it the most interesting of places. But it's a pretty straight down Lexington to the West Village.
posted by captainscared at 1:27 PM on November 15, 2005

Having passed through it a mere handful of times, I can see what captainscared is saying; it's a nice neighborhood, to be sure, but I wouldn't classify it as interesting. However, there are plenty of neighborhoods in Manhattan that are interesting and aren't terrifically far away from a Murray Hill apartment.
posted by cyrusdogstar at 1:46 PM on November 15, 2005

My girlfriend's brother lives there. It's known for: frat boys, sorority girls, bad bars, and pretty good Indian restaurants (between 26th and 32nd ... ish). The neighborhood does't have the best "feel" because the buildings are so tall and there's not that much going on. It is quite convenient to interesting stuff. There's a subway on 3rd Ave @ 33rd. It's the green lines (4,5,6). I think that only the 6 (local) stops there. There's a big crosstown street, with busses, at 34th. There are cabs everywhere of course, and a ride to the east village is 5 minutes / $8 including tip and to the West Village or Chelsea is 10 minutes / $11 including tip.

It's a good starting point for a life in NYC. I bet that after her lease is up she'll move. But it's safe, full of young people, and has a few good restaurants (ess-a-bagel is at 1st @ 22nd).
posted by zpousman at 1:49 PM on November 15, 2005

Not one of my favorite areas either, since there doesn't seem to be a ton of nightlife, but I did live at 30th and 5th for a couple years, so there are a few things I noted:

-If she likes Indian food, she's in luck. There's a huge concentration of Indian restaurants and groceries there. One of the better spice shops in New York is Kalustyan's. Huge variety and not expensive. They're on Lex and 28th or so. I am not a huge Indian food person, so I can't comment on restaurants specifically, but there sure are a lot of them.

-There's a good Vietnamese place a little further down and east, Boa Noodles at 22nd and 2nd.

-On 3rd Ave., there are a whole bunch of Irish bars. Most of them seem pretty frat-boy-type places, but I'm sure there's somewhere around there that's a good Guiness-and-Jameson place.

-I seem to recall there being a good Italian market somewhere near 1st and 28th.

-There is nowhere decent for groceries. I would bus or hike across town to the Whole Foods on 25th and 7th. However, this may have changed.

-Danny Meyers' Shake Shack is in Madison Square Park. Many people swear by the place and its shakes and burgers.

-Madison Square Park seems to be doing more events lately. They did a BBQ festival over the summer. Good food, but long waits.
posted by lackutrol at 1:56 PM on November 15, 2005

Oh yeah, they're right, one advantage is the easy access to subway lines and buses. And I forgot to mention that the sandwiches at Bao are great and a steal at $6 or so.
posted by lackutrol at 1:59 PM on November 15, 2005

captainscared meant the East Village, and I think Murray Hill is an excellent place to live. There are lots of businesses in the area, which in NYC means good food and it's quiet at night. It's safe. It is pretty boring but it's also the padded eye of a mini cultural hurricane -- you can head south to the village, north to the park (or grand central if you're feeling adventurous and want to get away), or northwest to times square. East is unexciting, but you'll find a great Borders bookstore, an okay megaplex movie theater, and half a dozen good Japanese restaurants.

It's a nice place to live.
posted by ducksauce at 2:03 PM on November 15, 2005

My sister lived there for a year, since her apt. was wedged between Lex & 3rd, even at late nights you could hear buses, garbage trucks, fire bridgade, cops, etc.

Apart from that, it's a decent neighbourhood to live in. There are many Indian places, Noodles on 28th is right there as well. Madison Square Park is nearby, and there's Food Emporium & Garden of Eden nearby so groceries and gourmet products are easy to get.
posted by riffola at 2:28 PM on November 15, 2005

Sorry I did mean the East Village. Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice place to live. And there are lots and lots of good places to eat. Great ethnic foods.
posted by captainscared at 2:31 PM on November 15, 2005

Also Kalustyan's is an excellent place to shop, browse & grab a bite.
posted by riffola at 2:32 PM on November 15, 2005

Riffola is right that those stores are there, but in my opinion Food Emporium isn't very good and Garden of Eden has a limited selection and is way overpriced. But they're available in a pinch.
posted by lackutrol at 2:36 PM on November 15, 2005

We call it Murray Hell.
posted by RJ Reynolds at 3:20 PM on November 15, 2005

There's a subway on 3rd Ave @ 33rd.

No there isn't. It's at Park Avenue and 34th Street or 33rd Street, depending upon which entrance you use.

The crosstown bus on 34th Street has been clocked as the slowest in the city: it's slower than walking.

Otherwise, the advice here is good: good neighborhood for a first-time New Yorker. You won't want to stay long, though.
posted by Mo Nickels at 3:43 PM on November 15, 2005

I live in Murray Hill after a few years on the UWS. Murray Hill is convenient, if not the most hip. The supermarkets are a little bit dreary but Union Square is not far away and Fresh Direct delivers to the area. For someone just starting out in NYC, Murray Hill is not a bad place: lots of transportation options nearby, restaurants, food stores, relatively clean (haven't seen many junkies) and safe. Depending on where you are, it can get a bit noisy with all the cars headed for the tunnel but it's not terrible.

Feel free to send me an email if you/she has q's.
posted by moxyberry at 4:38 PM on November 15, 2005

murray hill is awful. here's the full NYObserver piece that RJ referenced above;

Never mind that Murray Hill has as much metro-cred as a cul-de-sac in Great Neck. Or that its new residents wouldn't have survived a night in New York 15 years ago. The young Murray Hillites seem perfectly content with the mini-Manhattan theme park they've created, which allows them to feel like they're living the Big Apple experience while safely ensconced in a bubble of familiarity. Indeed, what's so jarring about Murray Hill is that its young people, who've been treated to everything from the best colleges to trips to Europe, have as much interaction with their adopted city as tourists on urban safari.

i can tell you from experience there, you meet people around the city and you can instantly guess that they live on 33rd and 3rd. stay away if you can!
posted by yonation at 5:28 PM on November 15, 2005

I live south of Murray Hill. It's dull. But you can easily walk to more interesting places. There is a big chunk of mid town, however, that holds little interest unless you're into generic irish bars and sport bars.

Curry Hill has a lot of excellent curry shops, but many of them have rodent issues. Essential tip for eating in New York: Restaurant Inspections Database.
posted by meehawl at 5:34 PM on November 15, 2005

When I first moved to New York I spent every other week in the Dumont Plaza on 34th.

It's a pretty thoroughly dull area, to be honest. But as others have said, it's within easy reach of far better places like Hell's Kitchen and Villages east and west.
posted by Decani at 6:37 PM on November 15, 2005

Also, yes, the generic Irish bars are hideous. I've never managed to get into a fight since I've been in New York but the closest I came was in a Murray Hill Irish Bar that thought it was cool to have IRA memorabilia all over the place. That got ugly.
posted by Decani at 6:39 PM on November 15, 2005

I lived on E 25th for a while. There's a terrific Irish bar at 23rd and 3rd - used to be called Molly Malone's but now I think it's just Molly's. Used to be the hangout of all the magicians in NYC but they've moved on, sadly, and I don't know where. (If anyone knows, please email me!) But they still have a fireplace, a great juke, bangers and mash and lots of crusty regulars.
Kalustyans, as has been mentioned, is a cook's dream.
Also, Garden of Eden on 25th and 3rd is great for gourmet groceries and there's a whole rash of hip restaurants on Park. Oooh, and Les Halles on 28th and Park. I miss Les Halles. And Tabla on 25th. And it's an easy stroll to the Union Square farmer's market on weekends.
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:40 PM on November 15, 2005

Yeah, to be honest, I don't spend much time north of 14th street. Yeah, there are places of interest - Central Park, various museums, restaurants, theatres/concert venues, etc. But I don't ever find myself "hanging out" up there. Don't really know many people who live there either - most of my friends either live in lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens.

It's all subjective, though. I have a fratboy cousin who just loves the shit out of the Yorktown neighborhood.

(shrug)
posted by afroblanca at 11:32 PM on November 15, 2005

(Yorktown is further north around 79th & York, but I find it to be very similar to Murray Hill)
posted by afroblanca at 11:33 PM on November 15, 2005

My Indian friends used to call it "Curry Hill" - apparently a lot of Indian folks live there, as well as the restaurants.
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:27 AM on November 16, 2005

Oooh, and Les Halles on 28th and Park. I miss Les Halles. And Tabla on 25th

Both good places. Damn, I used to go to Tabla's bread bar a lot. I haven't been in ages. Well, since my company threw me out of my nice Chelsea apartmjent, anyway.
I have fond (if drunken) memories of Sarge's deli on 36th and Third too. Very welcome for a greasy pastrami sandwich at 3:00 am, that. And there's a not-bad Vietnamese somewhere on Third, too. Can't remember where.
posted by Decani at 6:41 PM on November 16, 2005

/nostalgia
I was never able to afford regular Tabla, but would splurge at the bread bar. They had this drink - a Ginger Snap, made of champagne and ginger-infused vodka, with pomegranate seed floating in it - that was just heavenly.
/nostalgia
posted by CunningLinguist at 11:27 AM on November 17, 2005