What do you think of when you hear...

Staten Island:

“Mobsters”
— Alan Pagan, 38; Woodhaven, Queens

“A lot of loud talkers; maybe some really cut dudes who like Jäger bombs; and some big old ladies who would be talking about the decorations in their front yards and their lawns, maybe their Christmas lights.”
Mary Clare Jensen, 24; Park Slope, Brooklyn

“They live in a house.”
Thomas Morales, 16; Bronx

“They’re white and say ‘brah’ instead of ‘bro.’ ”
Anna Fischer, 26; Spring Creek, Brooklyn

Chelsea:

“Low-cut V-necks and gymgoers with puppy dogs in gay bars and restaurants. You couldn’t tell if they’re girls , even if you paid to know!”
Yushemepree, 23; Bronx

“Either very good-looking gay men, or families with babies who are taking over the gay neighborhoods.”
Miya Rotstein, 34; Park Slope, Brooklyn

East Village:

“Snotty—they like to go out every day, like to drink.”
Sohaib Marie, 22; Sunset Park, Brooklyn

“Rich people who come from a rich family. They listen to John Mayer.”
Thomas Morales, 16; Bronx

“They’re fun people. Easygoing, easy to mix with.”
Carson Roberts, 26; Bronx

South Bronx:

“A lot of different crowds, people strung up on drugs, working-class people, a lot of gangs; you see everything.”
Bill Richardson, 34; Bronx

“Gangbangers. Mostly hip-hop.”
Thomas Morales, 16; Bronx

Harlem:

“I assume they might be more cultured.”
Finbar Lewis, 34; Brownsville, Brooklyn

“Old-time New Yorkers, born and raised there and would never move out. They’re very casual, very loud and, you know, it’s probably a stereotype, but they’d be blaring hip-hop.”
Martin Villalon, 36; Midtown East

Park Slope:

“I could walk through there and I won’t get mugged!”
Thomas Morales, 16; Bronx

“They all have babies, like, nannies pushing baby strollers everywhere—it’s crazy.”
Stephanie Farah, 24; Lower East Side

Midtown:

“Their commute is about 30 seconds and I hate them.”
Renée Gloger, 26; Forest Hills, Queens

Williamsburg:

“They dress from Beacon’s Closet, drink soy lattes and never play mainstream music in their iPods. They’d rather die than let someone find out they were listening to Beyoncé.”
Gregor Nemitz, 29; Bushwick, Brooklyn

“Tight jeans, probably too cool to be friends with me, possibly wearing something ironic.”
Nora McInerny, 25; Park Slope, Brooklyn

Woodside:

“They like the Mets, not the Yankees.”
Ricky Mareno, 68; Flushing, Queens

“Woodsiders look like all native New Yorkers. Clean-cut, not grungy, not hipster. It’s not trendy or avant-garde, just a good, old-fashioned Queens neighborhood.”
Vitoria Lee, 24; Flushing, Queens

Upper East Side:

“A lot of spandex, a lot of straight hair; everyone seems like they came out of a Gap ad. It’s very Abercrombie, very ‘I just got out of college, show me the nearest Brother Jimmy’s.’ It’s definitely cleaner than downtown, and the sidewalks are bigger.”
Beth Maeyer, 31; East Village

Upper West Side:

“Established, have money. Older people, usually casual.”
Shou Shi, 29; Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Murray Hill:

“Recent college graduates, recently moved to the city, perhaps don’t have jobs yet, and their parents are helping them pay their rent.”
Jenn Batterton, 27; Park Slope, Brooklyn

“A little bland.”
Carleen Spencer,late sixties; Hamilton Heights

Fort Greene

“They’re from the projects. Fort Greene is wherethe real 50 Cent came from.”
Joel Mead, 25; Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Astoria:

“Greeks and Yugoslavians. It’s a community type of life.”
Venus Flores, 25; West Village

Bed-Stuy:

“People do get shot there, but it’s not like that—you just have to be careful.”
Lindsay Quayle, 25; Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

» NEXT

Inwood | Lower Manhattan | West Village | Williamsburg | Hell’s Kitchen | East Village | Lower East Side | Jackson Heights | Parks of Egbertville, S.I. | Street culture of Coney Island | Park Slope | ’Hoods to be seen in | What do you think of when you hear… | Construction junction | Got room for seconds?