NY Confidential

New York first came to life in Downtown Manhattan in 1626, which now includes areas such as Soho, Greenwich Village, Little Italy, TriBeCa, Chelsea, Meatpacking District and Chinatown. These districts represent the cosmopolitan condensation of New York and have been influenced by the various waves of immigration and the new generations of off-beat film lovers, writers and artists. Skyscrapers have sprung up amid old buildings and tiny tree-lined streets. Explore these “trendy” districts, in the throes of renewal, where art galleries and second-hand clothes shops compete with cafés and Chinese restaurants!

For a long time, The Bronx was considered one of the most deprived, dilapidated and dangerous places in the U.S. but the reality of the latest decade has been proving somewhat different. Not only is The Bronx the birthplace of hip-hop and the most tree-lined neighbourhood of NYC, it is today its most mysterious and least-known borough.

Queens is New York’s largest borough with 461 square kilometres and over two million inhabitants. It is a little-known neighbourhood that is often neglected by tourists, who prefer the bordering districts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. But Queens possesses wealth - a wealth of 150 nationalities, and a wealth of cultures, languages and religions. Here, communities from all four corners of the globe live together in utmost respect. Such is the magic and mystery of this enticing district.

Brooklyn is the up-and-coming and the most densely populated borough. But despite the fact it is undergoing a process of gentrification, it still remains a vibrant melting pot. It is a patchwork of neighbourhoods with their own local atmospheres that are very different from those of Manhattan. Hurry on down to discover the hype and evolving, environmentally aware neighbourhoods of Williamsbury, Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope.

Harlem, the cradle of jazz, gospel and Afro-American culture, is currently undergoing transformation. The Harlem of today is searching for identity in an elusive neighbourhood, between retrospection and restless activity, between its mythical past and an indeterminate present.