We all know the bubble doesn’t apply to NYC—we are in our own wacked-out world here. It’s still expensive to buy, and rents in central neighborhoods remain higher than should be legal. And yet, because this is New York, there are still pockets where you can find attractive places to plunk down your hard-earned dough, whether because the rents are reasonable (relatively), the vibe is energetic or the future is bright. Here, we laud four of our favorite neighborhoods, each with its own attraction.

HUDSON SQUARE  |  SUNSET PARK  |  SOUTH BRONX  |  BAYSIDE

Hudson Square, Manhattan

Photographs: Shane Bar-On and Jackie Johnston

No ad for the new developments in Hudson Square is going to brag “Holland Tunnel–adjacent,” but that’s exactly where they are—and that’s okay. Away from the tourist-flocked streets of Soho and the high prices of Tribeca, this former no-man’s-land bounded by Varick, Canal and West Houston Streets is coming into its own as a place to buy. “It’s like Tribeca in the early 2000s,” says Corcoran Group vice president John Gasdaska, who notes that at least five condos have been built in this formerly industrial neighborhood in the past four years, with more coming. In fact, two particular buildings (one of which is the love-it-or-hate-it Philip Johnson–Alan Ritchie project) are going up now on a single block of Renwick Street.

Affordability is relative, but for now the numbers are lower than they are a few blocks south. Condos are selling for about $1,350 per square foot, Gasdaska says—compared with a range of $1,500 to $2,000 for Tribeca or the rest of Soho. What’s more, you’re not as cut off from the world as you think: Don Hill’s (a locus of NYC’s rock scene since the music died at CBGB and the Continental) and the Ear Inn (one of the oldest bars in the city) are not the only nightlife in the area anymore. The Jazz Gallery features both established and young musicians, the new restaurant Lomito brings an Italian-Argentine flavor to Spring Street, and French wonder La Sirène just won a TONY Eat Out Award. Weekends do still find streets on the empty side, with joggers and dog-walkers merely passing through on their way to the park space along the Hudson River. But Christine Messineo, an art dealer who works in the nearly one-year-old Renwick Gallery, says she has gotten to know some of the locals. “They’ve been great about supporting us and some of the other new businesses in the area, and welcoming us to the neighborhood,” she says. We’re sure they’ll do the same for you.