Tribeca is short for Triangle Below Canal Street, and this stylish lower Manhattan neighborhood runs from, you guessed it, Canal Street to Park Place and from the Hudson River to Broadway. But while Tribeca makes for a snappy real estate neologism, what makes this most fascinating of lower Manhattan neighborhoods is harder to encapsulate. Defined by warehouses and industry during the last century, Tribeca has reinvented itself in the last 30 years as a surpassingly hip and sophisticated Manhattan neighborhood that is... still kind of defined by its warehouses and historic structures. Many of Tribeca's old industrial buildings have been refitted as luxury condominium conversions or high-end retail, while others have been replaced by new structures offering some of the most distinguished condominium listings in Manhattan. An elegant study in contrasts, Tribeca is also one of the most in-demand residential neighborhoods in Manhattan.

While Tribeca is best-known for its popular nightspots, sophisticated dining and luxury shopping, Tribeca is still a thriving arts community, albeit thanks more to the neighborhood's art galleries and the annual Tribeca Film Festival than the presence of actual artists, many of whom have been priced-out of the neighborhood. There's more to do in Tribeca than seeing and being seen, in short, and a simple walk through the neighborhood -- from the quiet cobblestone streets on the Hudson River to the bustling boutiques closer to Broadway -- is about as interesting a perambulation as Manhattan has to offer.  Of course, it’s a much nicer walk if you’re heading home to a Tribeca condominium of one’s own.

The spare loft apartments of Tribeca have given way to a more luxurious breed of pre-war condominium. The luxurious pre-war condominium conversion Tribeca Summit recast a century-old former factory on Greenwich Street as a luxury condominium; the elegant boutique condo conversion Tribeca Five executes the same alchemy on a smaller scale. The new construction condos range from the sleek, futuristic One York to the understated red-brick classicism of The Fairchild. Disparate in design and character, Tribeca condominiums have one vital thing in common -- a spot in one of Manhattan’s most distinctive and desirable neighborhoods.