32nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues has become the most exciting block in Manhattan. Known as Koreatown, or Korea Way, the street consists of elegant turn-of-the-century buildings done in the style of the French renaissance. Elaborate, gray facades are now almost hidden behind bright signage in Korean and English. The life of the block extends inside the buildings: restaurants, bars, galleries, and karaoke joints are not only on the street level but also on multiple floors inside the structures: the karaoke studio I went to was on the fifth floor.

The studio served no food—it consisted of a series of soundproof rooms that groups rent by the hour. Customers bring in their own food and beverage. The karaoke menu is in many languages—the English one seemed to consist of every hit song that reached the top five in the American charts since the early days of Frank Sinatra. In our studio there was not only a large flat screen console, but also two smaller screens mounted in the corners as well as two mics, two tambourines, and two sound speakers. We all sat on a brightly colored sectional sofa that with a coffee table filled half the room. The images the VJ’s provided us varied from 80s-style dance videos to recent adventure movies starring the Rock, always with the supertitled lyrics in a large, easy to read font (some of the lyrics weren’t accurate and they were some technical snafus, which only added to the charivari of the event). My version of Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman” was surprising well rendered (or at least I thought so, probably deluded by the technology, the wine, and my own intensity). The common spaces of the colorful studio were as lively as the private rooms, and the party atmosphere spilled out into the drab hallway of the rest of the floor.

We left the studio after midnight, and the street was as active as the fifth floor. Many of the businesses stay open all night and it was clear that more than a few of the denizens were in it for the long haul—they hung out in groups along the crowded sidewalks plotting their next move, texting to others, laughing. The city became markedly more quiet and staid as soon as we reached Fifth Avenue—some sort of border had been crossed. The competition for cabs was fierce but we managed to wrangle one to get me back to the East Village. Also known as a site for late night prowling (there’s a shady video store, a bar, and some Indian restaurants), my block now seemed boring and old-fashioned in comparison.

(Image of Koreatown is by Ulla at http://goldilocksfindsmanhattan.blogspot.com/)