With so many iconic landmarks New York would be a fantastic location.
Most fo the cities structures would have had the tops blown away by air burst nukes in the war but for the most part would be still standing.
The Empire States building... The Statue of Liberty...Central Park...The UN building...The Twin Towers (still standing)...The famous bridges and tunnels...Wall Street...The list goes on.
On ground level (and under) the city would be an absolute nightmare. Better conditions for New Yorkers would be found in the higher levels of the city buildings.
I even thought up a plot for the game
Living in a Vault under New York (under the river) the player finds himself part of a repair team trying to stem a leak in the Vault. Disaster strikes and a major flooding of the vault results in our hero being expelled from the vault and washed up on the New York City shore line.
The over-arching plot could involve the UN building with some of the powers that be (enclave / commonwealth) attempting to install a new world order.
Just a few ideas