What it is
Tribeca (TRIangle BElow CAnal) is a former industrial and warehouse district that began converting to residential lofts in the 1970s and 1980s — following a similar path to SoHo but developing a noticeably quieter, more residential character. Streets are wider, buildings lower, and the neighbourhood has fewer shops competing for tourist attention per block than almost anywhere else in lower Manhattan.
The food scene
Tribeca has some of the city's most consistently well-regarded restaurants — not a "scene" the way the East Village or Lower East Side is, but a steady concentration of serious kitchens serving what is largely a wealthy residential clientele. Prices reflect the postcode. The Tribeca Film Festival (co-founded by Robert De Niro, who has lived in the neighbourhood for decades) draws a larger crowd each spring.
Getting there
The 1/2/3 trains (Franklin St or Chambers St) serve Tribeca directly. It borders the Financial District to the south, SoHo to the north, and the Brooklyn Bridge is a comfortable walk east.