Manhattan is connected by bridges and tunnels to New Jersey to the west, the Bronx to the northeast and Brooklyn and Queens on Long Island to the east and south.
Manhattan Landmarks
The Empire State Building, the theater district around Broadway, Columbia University, the financial center around Wall Street, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Harlem, the American Museum of Natural History, Chinatown, and Central Park are all located on this densely populated island. When one refers to a New York minute, one refers to the extremely rapid pace of living in Manhattan.
Uptown and Downtown
In Manhattan, uptown means north and downtown means south, either in direction of motion or in relative location. For example, an uptown train means a subway train heading north, while a restaurant located three blocks downtown would be three city blocks south of the person who is speaking. The terms uptown and downtown are most often used in the relative sense of north and south; however, uptown can also refer to the northern part of Manhattan (above 59th Street) and downtown to the southern part (below 23rd Street or 14th Street). The area in the middle, between 23rd and 59th Streets, is Midtown.
This usage differs from that of most American cities, where downtown refers to the central business district. Manhattan has two central business districts, namely the Financial District downtown and the newer business district in Midtown.
The term Lower Manhattan is commonly used for the southern part of the island, particularly the area below Houston Street.