Chelsea—The area bordered by Sixth Avenue and the Hudson River between W. 14th and W. 28th streets is New York City’s capital of contemporary art. Here, hundreds of art galleries exhibit and sell cutting-edge works in all mediums. Attractions include Chelsea Piers, an all-weather multisport complex.

Chinatown—The nation’s largest Chinese enclave is bounded by Chambers Street to the south, the East River to the east, Broadway to the west and Canal Street to the north. Residents from countries throughout Asia—Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines, among others—live as neighbors here. Tiny stores touting bargain-priced clothing, bags and jewelry line the narrow sidewalks, while restaurants present authentic offerings, including dim sum.

Financial District/Lower Manhattan—The roots of New York City were planted south of Chambers Street in the 17th century, when Dutch fur traders built a wall half a mile from the southern tip of the island and dubbed the plot Nieuw Amsterdam. Soon after, the British conquered the nascent metropolis and renamed it New York. The wall was torn down, but Wall Street remains and is now the location of the New York Stock Exchange. At Ground Zero, site of the former Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, the National September 11 Memorial has opened to the public. Two must-see exhibits, the educational Bodies … The Exhibition and Dialog in the Dark, a sensory experience, are in the South Street Seaport. Free Wi-Fi is on the menu at McDonald’s restaurants in Lower Manhattan. New York Water Taxi makes an East River stop at Pier 17. Statue Cruises’ round-trip ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island depart from Battery Park, while Liberty Helicopter sightseeing tours lift off from Pier 6. Visitors heading to Liberty Science Center and Pole Position Raceway in Liberty State Park (Jersey City, N.J.) can hop a Liberty Landing Ferry at the World Financial Center terminal.

Garment District/Hell's Kitchen—Despite covering no more than one square mile from W. 34th to W. 41st streets between Sixth and Ninth avenues, the influence of the Garment District spans the globe. One-third of all clothes manufactured in America are designed and produced here. Trend-spotting shoppers can explore the racks at Macy’s Herald Square, the world’s largest department store. Shutterbugs and geeks can stock up on equipment at megastore B&H Photo Video.

Harlem—Originally a Dutch farming village by the name of Nieuw Haarlem, the area roughly defined as 108th to 157th streets from the East to the Hudson rivers is experiencing a renaissance today. On W. 125th Street stands the Apollo Theater, whose stage has welcomed James Brown, Lauryn Hill and more. Amateur Night at the Apollo famously jump-started the career of Ella Fitzgerald, among others.

Little Italy—Marked by turn-of-the-last-century walk-ups with ubiquitous fire escapes, Little Italy has been a stalwart ethnic community since the 1800s. While the boundaries between it and surrounding neighborhoods (Chinatown and NoLIta) blur more and more each day, one thing remains constant: Mulberry Street. On this lane, visitors find a profusion of regional Italian eateries, as well as a charming American café, The Grey Dog. The Italian American Museum tells the history of the neighborhood through exhibitions, lectures and events.

Lower East Side—This melting pot was the first destination for thousands of immigrants between 1863 and 1935. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum, a former apartment building that housed settlers from 20 different nations, is a remnant of that era. The large Jewish population left its impression on the community, recognizable today in everything from Katz’s Delicatessen to historic synagogues. Orchard Street and its environs, where pushcarts once predominated, continues to be the neighborhood’s commercial hub, lined with storefronts selling designer apparel, jewelry, fabrics and leather accessories, often at discounted prices.

Meatpacking District—Long before this neighborhood was crowned the epicenter of hip, it was known as the Gansevoort Market, an enclave of wholesale beef purveyors that served restaurants in the city and throughout the tristate area. Creative minds were drawn to the gritty, yet picturesque cobblestone-paved area west of Hudson Street between Gansevoort and W. 14th streets in the 1990s, when artists established lofts and galleries, which, in turn, led to high-end boutiques bearing the names of designers and brands such as Hugo Boss, Tory Burch and Moschino. Restaurateurs and nightlife impresarios feed the fashion frenzy with hot eateries (Dos Caminos, The Standard Grill) and cool clubs (Cielo, GunBar).

Midtown East—On its western fringe, the residential/corporate hybrid of Midtown East (E. 30th to E. 59th streets, from the East River to Fifth Avenue) lays claim to a New York icon: the Empire State Building. A New York CityPASS can be purchased at the Empire State Building for admission to it and five other attractions. The Morgan Library & Museum on Madison Avenue houses literary and artistic treasures, while Grand Central Terminal contains shops (including the city’s largest Apple store) and eateries (Michael Jordan’s The Steakhouse NYC). As its name implies, Golfsmith caters to golfers.

Nolita—By the mid-1990s, the area NOrth of Little ITAly—between Broome, Houston and Lafayette streets and the Bowery—had almost completely lost its Italian character. An influx of yuppies supplied a newfound cachet to the neighborhood and demanded a sexier name. Chic boutiques ooze charm for fashionistas, while restaurants serving a variety of cuisines satisfy hungry palates. Cozy wine bars and lounges with fun and evocative names—Epistrophy, Monday Room, Mother’s Ruin, Sweet & Vicious—beckon.

Rockefeller Center—The Art Deco complex of commercial buildings, bordered by 46th Street, Fifth Avenue, 55th Street and Sixth Avenue, is home base for NBC-TV’s Today show, which broadcasts live from its ground-floor studio, as well as gaming exclusives at Nintendo World. The wraparound views from the Top of the Rock Observation Deck are commanding. Radio City Music Hall is a prized concert venue.

SOHO—The area SOuth of HOuston Street—between Canal and Crosby streets and the Hudson River—has made the transition from a manufacturing center to an artistic enclave to a retail destination. Eclectic options run the gamut from Onassis Clothing (men’s essentials) to The Future Perfect (decorative arts and design for the home).

Theater District—Attracting in excess of 26 million annual visitors, Times Square is at the very heart of the Theater District. Families flock to the area between W. 42nd and W. 55th streets, searching for clothes and amusement at 77Kids by American Eagle. Forty Broadway theaters offer entertainment seekers a wide choice of dramas, comedies and musicals, including Chicago The Musical, the longest-running American show in New York theater history, and two crowd-pleasing spectacles from Disney: The Lion King and Mary Poppins. Megahit songs from the 1980s drive the ever-popular Rock of Ages. At Madame Tussauds New York, visitors can rub elbows with wax celebrity look-alikes, including Gwen Stefani, Alicia Keys and Anderson Cooper. Adventurers can take to the high seas on a boat tour offered by Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises at 42nd St. For up-to-date information on the neighborhood, click onto the Times Square Alliance’s website, www.times squarenyc.org.

Tribeca—The TRIangle BElow CAnal Street is really a trapezoid, with Canal Street, Broadway, Chambers Street and the Hudson River as its borders. Its transformation from an industrial into a coveted residential and commercial precinct was prompted more than 20 years ago, in part, by actor Robert De Niro, who helped create two of its most eminent restaurants, Tribeca Grill and Nobu. De Niro is also a force behind the annual Tribeca Film Festival, held Apr. 18-29, 2012.

Upper East Side—Within the boundaries of the East River, Fifth Avenue, E. 59th and E. 96th streets, the city’s elite nests in luxury apartments and town houses. Some of the world’s most important museums are in the neighborhood, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jewish Museum and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Many commercial art and antiques galleries (Jason Jacques, Craig F. Starr, Mitchell-Innes & Nash, Karl Kemp), as well as auction houses (Sotheby’s, Doyle New York), complement the museums. Chic boutiques, including Missoni, Morgane le Fay and Paul & Shark, predominate along Madison Avenue. Dining, too, is thoroughly top-drawer (David Burke Townhouse, Sasabune, Desmond’s).

Upper West Side—Families, socialites and celebrities live and play along the tree-lined blocks between Central Park West and the Hudson River from W. 59th to W. 110th streets. Columbus Avenue is a thriving thoroughfare known for casual dining spots that are popular for Saturday and Sunday brunch. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts houses the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet and Metropolitan Opera, while the American Museum of Natural History contains an astounding number of real dinosaur fossils and exhibition halls documenting human evolution, in addition to the Hayden Planetarium within the museum’s Rose Center for Earth and Space.

West Village—The West Village is a maze of narrow streets, from Sixth Avenue to the Hudson River and Houston to W. 14th streets. Gentrification has transformed several blocks of Bleecker Street into an upscale shopping mecca for fans of Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors and Jo Malone, among others. West Village dining choices can be cozy (Home), kid-friendly (Cowgirl), trendy (Spotted Pig) and chic (Perry St.). Preserved 19th-century town houses on cobblestoned streets and newer high-rise lofts along the West Side Highway, designed by noted architects such as Richard Meier, have attracted A-listers Liv Tyler, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Radcliffe who, when he was starring on Broadway last year, said that his favorite thing to do in New York was to walk around the West Village.