34th Street - Herald Square (B, D, F, M, N, Q, R, W)

Even if you’ve never been to New York, you could probably recognize the area around this station. It’s home to the flagship Macy’s, around which the city’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade is broadcast.

This area feels like a mini Times Square: tourists, department stores, NYC memorabilia trinkets, tall buildings. The out-of-towners come here to shop and visit the Empire State Building. The locals come here for Korea Town, or whatever business they need to attend to in an office that’s located in one of the high rises around here.

The view from Herald Square, right outside the station. 

The Tourist Version

There are a lot of day-trip tourists around here, probably because the New Jersey Path trains stop here, and Penn Station is one avenue to the west. The tourists hit up the Macy’s and the H&M for holiday shopping or people-watch from one of the open-to-all outdoor tables in Herald Square.

K-Town

The locals are coming here for good food, karaoke, and Asian stores like H-Mart in the narrow stretch of K-town on 32nd street between Broadway and 5th Ave.

If you’re into Korean skincare, this is the block for you. My recommendations are Kosette Beauty Market, The Face Shop, and Besfren Beauty.

Kosette 

I also love Koryo Books, a K-Pop and Korean media/stationary mecca.

Koryo Books (yes, more than just sticker books). 

For food, whatever you find is likely to be good in this narrow stretch of K-Town; stray beyond K-town into the regular midtown area and you’re likely to get something mid.

What did I miss? Scroll past the map to let me know in the comments.