City Walk #8 - Tribeca

Card no. 6 - photos
Tribeca's riches run the gamut from antiques to restaurants to blue-jeaned celebrities - all of them certifiably hip.

Begin at Chambers and Church Streets (A or C train to Chambers Street).
Of the many catchily rechristened and New York neighborhoods, Tribeca (Triangle-below-Canal) may be the hardest to sum up. It is at once homey and trendy, spare and luxe. Whether you bump into Robert De Niro at Bazzini's grocery or get no closer than the paintings by his father on the walls of the Tribeca Grill, this is an appealing neighborhood to wander and far more rewarding than Park Avenue, whose price per square foot Tribeca lofts now exceed. It's especially appealing if you're in search of a memorable meal. Walk west on Chambers Street to West Broadway and turn right. Odeon, one of Tribeca's early bistro hits, is on the east side of West Broadway (#145); Bouley Bakery, one of the four outposts of the local David Bouley empire, is on the west (#120). Turn left onto Duane Street and continue to Hudson, where triangular Duane Park leads into Washington Market; once the center of New York's eggs and butter district, it's now Tribeca's priciest stretch of real estate. Turn right on Greenwich Street, past the former Bazzini nut factory, now an upscale market. The Tribeca Film Center and Tribeca Grill, at #375, and are both owned by De Niro. Turn right on N. Moore Street and right again on Hudson, where the lineup of gustatory destinations continues; Bubby's (#120), Nobu (#105), Puffy's Tavern (#81), and Chanterelle, at 2 Harrison Street. Turn left on Worth to West Broadway and left to Varick Street. Just north of the Square Diner (very good cheeseburgers, attractive clientele) you'll find the subway at Franklin.

From City Walks: New York: 50 Adventures on Foot by Martha Fay