I have a friend who has a huge apartment on W 47th street, complete with a good sized backyard, but because of the location, the rent is surprisingly reasonable. That's obviously an exceptional case, but there are also pretty good restaurants on 9th ave, and great access to all the subway lines.

Hell's Kitchen has become something of a happening area over the past few years but it wasn't historically considered a desirable area of Manhattan.

Yup, not from New York. Thanks for the note.