Midtown Center Apartments & Rentals

If you rent an apartment in Midtown Center (also called Central Midtown, the Plaza District, or just Midtown), you'll be in the thick of Manhattan. This swath of skyscrapers, neon lights, crowds, and honking taxis is what tourists picture when they think of New York. While many in the city work here, however, it isn't a neighborhood where many live. In fact, with so many hotels in the area, tourists frequently outnumber the locals. Midtown Center runs more or less between 40th and 59th streets, and between Third and Sixth avenues, depending on whom you ask.

Midtown Center is home to media and advertising firms. Within its grid you'll find such New York staples as Rockefeller Center, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Plaza Hotel. Three of the four television networks have their headquarters on Sixth Avenue in Midtown.

Being the crossroads of the city, Midtown Center is full of hustle and bustle and business. Restaurants cater to the commercial crowd, but there's a bit of something for everyone. You can find sushi, pizza, fine dining, and McDonalds all along the same street. It's not known as a nightlife area, but there are some bars and entertainment options. Many of the New York's exclusive gentlemen's clubs, like the Harvard Club of New York and the Century Club, can be found here. (Although they're known as "gentlemen's clubs," most allow women.) While most of the stages are in farther west in the Theatre District, Radio City Music Hall is on Sixth Ave and 50th Street.

Plentiful shopping can be found along Fifth Avenue. There's a Barnes & Nobles, a Benetton, and even an NBA Store. The famous FAO Schwartz is also on Fifth, up at East 59th Street. It's not a neighborhood known for lollygagging, but if you need a break, Central Park abuts the neighborhood to the northwest.

Midtown Center is mostly office towers, but there are a few residential buildings. Look for upscale condos and luxury rentals in this neighborhood. In the northern part, you'll also find some older co-op buildings. Doorman-protected one-bedrooms in Midtown Central will rent for around $3,500 a month.

Transportation to and from this part of town is both great and terrible. On the one hand, you've got Grand Central Station and enough subway lines to get you just about anywhere. On the other hand, Midtown may be the birthplace of crosstown traffic. Don't let the crowds get you down. Besides the tourists and the businesspeople, your neighbors in Midtown Center will likely cover all bases. Students, singles, families, and retirees all find reasons to live in the center of the city.

There may not be a public library in Midtown Center, but there are three post offices. St. Patrick's Cathedral is on East 51^st Street, whether you want to worship, or just attend their concert series. Public School 18 is on Lexington Avenue. Most of Midtown Center is in Manhattan Community District 5.

Zip codes serving Midtown Center are 10017, 10019, 10020, 10022, and 10036.