Midtown East is an interesting place. I think part of the reason it remains "nicer" is the allure of Park Ave. That stretch of Park Ave from Grand Central up t

Midtown East is an interesting place. I think part of the reason it remains "nicer" is the allure of Park Ave. That stretch of Park Ave from Grand Central up to 59th is actually owned by the old Penn Railroad. It was cut-and-covered long ago for a Metro-North rail yard, and all the buildings above it lease space from the now-defunct railroad's holding company. And what buildings they are: the Lever building and the Seagram building are two of the most important modernist skyscrapers. And 432 Park Ave is probably the most important building currently under construction. Beyond that, a lot of the neighborhood's culture comes from the elevated lines. The 3rd Ave and 2nd Ave above-ground lines were, for a long time, a boundary. It's easy to watch the neighborhood become more residential (and to see all the old tenement buildings) as you walk east. A lot of college students and young professionals live there now, as well as a growing Japanese population centered around 52nd st. It's clear that Midtown east of 3rd Ave was always residential, if not as wealthy. Midtown west was the exact opposite: heavily industrial. The High Line, now a park, had tons of intermodals for massive, well-known businesses such as Nabisco (the ground floor of which is now Chelsea Market). The piers were used for shipping. 11th Ave was known as "Death Avenue" because of the heavy transportation use. The neighborhood's face was shaped by warehouses, industry, and transportation, resulting in both Tribeca's industrial-chic and Midtown's seeming blocks of nothingness. Hell's Kitchen was a home to the Irish mafia. Times Square was teeming with prostitutes. My feeling is that these histories shaped the development of the neighborhoods, and you still feel it echoing today when you step off a train and onto the island.