The neighborhood of my choice for this semester will be Kips Bay, which spans from FDR Drive to Lexington Avenue, and Twenty-Third to Thirty-Fourth Street. The reason as to why I chose this particular neighborhood is because I spend most of my time in Kips Bay. I live there and also visualize the problems and atmosphere that it has, during both the day and night.

During the day, it seems like a normal New York neighborhood- you have a few playgrounds, apartment buildings, semi-expensive restaurants that have been around for over a decade, and etcetera.

When the day turns to night, however, it is a completely different story. People come out and venture out into their favorite sport bars, one particular establishment being Tonic East. Every Friday and Saturday, Tonic has the dynamic of a nightclub as music bursts through the apartment walls adjacent to the building. Do not be surprised if you walk out your apartment door with a trail of bile on your front porch.

There is a homeless problem, in my eyes, that needs to be looked at more carefully. It’s understandable that homelessness is normal in Manhattan, but it has gone to the point where you can see the same people in the same place at the same time, countless times as if they are residence at the twenty-four-seven bank on the east side of Third Avenue between Twenty-Ninth and Twenty-Eighth Street.

The homelessness problem does not compliment the restaurants, bars, and apartments for rent, which could average to about $4,000/month for a two bedroom apartment.