A recent picture of this elegant neighborhood's Gramercy Park; No Idea looms large in the background.

When No Idea first opened its doors in 1992, people wondered if we could survive. East 20th Street was a virtual ghost town with nothing more than an old German restaurant and a then-secret sushi haven called Himachi.

Frankly, we own the neighborhood now. Nothing happens without No Idea's approval. We sign off on all Danny Meyers' adjectives. We select the wattage of the showroom floor light bulbs at ABC Carpet. You don't open your guitar case in Union Square Park without paying tribute to No Idea. We are the Stonecutters. Oh, many of New York's finest restaurants are on this block or with crawling distance. Don't hate us because we're beautiful.

Here's a few popular neighborhood destinations:

• Angelo & Maxie's
• Bangkok Cafe
• Bread Deli
• City Crab
• Crab City
• Elite Models
• Gramercy Tavern
• Himachi
• L'Express
• Metronome
• Olive
• Patria
• Republic
• The Silver Swan