Koreatown

A unique pocket of the city often described as a “vertical neighborhood” for its densely packed stacks of independent small businesses?restaurants, exotic groceries, bookstores, and spas?with a penchant for brightly lit signage that many say mimics an authentic Seoul experience. K-Town, as it’s called, practically bursts with crowded BBQ spots, as well as specialty spas, and many are open 24 hours. Towering over it all is the Empire State Building, the 102-story Art Deco wonder that’s become a symbol of the city, with observatories that are open until 2 a.m. There’s a surprising amount of incredible architecture here, beautiful remnants of a bygone era, now repurposed to great effect.