The '''Upper West Side''' (including '''Morningside Heights''') covers a large area in upper Manhattan bounded by 59th Street in the South, 125th Street in the North, the Hudson River on the West, and Central Park and Morningside Park on the East. The area encompasses four distinct Manhattan neighborhoods -- the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, Bloomingdale, and Manhattan Valley -- and includes one of its finest parks, Riverside Park, which runs along the river all the way from 59th Street to 125th Street.

Often called the city's quintessential neighborhood, the area includes delightful residential streets, the twin-towered facades of the old apartment hotels on Central Park West and Riverside Drive, two of the city's best-known markets (Zabar's and Fairway) , one of its major museums (the American Museum of Natural History), an Ivy League university (Columbia University), and the Neo-Gothic Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The area is an architectural historian's delight with many of its buildings (especially in Morningside Heights) built before the Second World War and quite a few built before the First World War, though the area is changing with the construction of large condominium buildings south of 110th Street. The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, running from 62nd Street to 66th Street, contains the Metropolitan Opera; the New York State Theater, home of the New York City Opera and Ballet; Avery Fisher Hall, the home of the New York Philharmonic; the Juilliard School; and the New York Public Library's Library for the Performing Arts, among other institutions.

Understand

From west to east, the Upper West Side is oriented along Riverside Drive, West End Avenue (11th Avenue), Amsterdam Avenue (10th Avenue), Columbus Avenue (9th Avenue), and Central Park West (8th Avenue). (All the avenues except Broadway change from numbers to names north of 59th St.) The 66-block stretch of Broadway forms the backbone of the Upper West Side and lies diagonally across the avenues; it begins at its juncture with Central Park West at Columbus Circle (59th Street), crosses Columbus Avenue at Lincoln Square (65th Street), crosses Amsterdam Ave. at Verdi Square (72nd Street), and then merges with West End at Straus Square (aka Bloomingdale Square, at 107th Street).

See

Landmark buildings

  • '''Dakota Building''', 1 West 72nd Street - this massive apartment building has been (and is!) home to many celebrities. Probably best known was the former Beatle John Lennon, who was gunned down outside the building on 8 December 1980 by a crazed fan named Mark Chapman. Lennon had been living at the Dakota with his second wife, Yoko Ono, who still resides in the building. A memorial to the former Beatle exists nearby in Central Park. The building has become a popular place of pilgrimage for many who admire Lennon.
  • '''Apthorp''', 2207 Broadway and 390 West End Avenue, a beautiful early 20th-century high-rise luxury apartment building, takes up the entire square block between 78th and 79th Sts. between Broadway and West End Av. Its companion, the Belnord, takes up the square block between 86th and 87th Sts. between Broadway and Amsterdam. Both buildings were completed in 1908, at a time when the Upper West Side was still full of wide open spaces.
  • '''Time Warner Center''', the new skyscraper on Columbus Circle (59 St. at the junction of 8th Av./Central Park West and Broadway) is the new home of Jazz at Lincoln Center and also contains some of the most expensive and critically acclaimed restaurants in New York, as well as a shopping mall.
  • Museums and galleries

  • '''New-York Historical Society''', 170 Central Park West at 77th St, [http://www.nyhistory.org/]. Tu-Su 10am-6pm. Americana inc Audubon_fs watercolors of birds. Adults $10.
  • the '''American Museum of Natural History''' [http://www.amnh.org/], ''79th St and Central Park West, Subway: B (weekdays only), C to 81st Street-Museum of Natural History, tel 212 313-7278, open daily 10am-5.45pm, suggested admission $13 adult'' - The 4th floor has the history of vertebrates with excellent exhibits on dinosaurs, pterosaurs, prehistoric mammals, etc. The most important museum of natural history in the United States, AMNH houses a wide variety of collections, including the popular Rose Center for Earth and Space and the remarkable and remarkably popular paleontology galleries. Allow for a full day, if not more, if you hope to see the entirety of the collection. On the first Friday of every month, there is a free jazz show.
  • '''Nicholas Roerich Museum''', 319 W. 107th St, (212) 864-7704, [http://www.roerich.org/]. Tu-Su 2-5pm.
  • Churches and cathedrals

  • '''Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine''', 1047 Amsterdam Avenue at 112th St. [http://www.stjohndivine.org/] The world's largest (neo-)Gothic cathedral. A work in progress for over a century! The campus also attracts many songbirds in season.
  • '''Riverside Church''', just south of Grant's Tomb at Riverside Av. and 122 St., is a large and historically important Protestant church and center of progressive social activism. [http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/]
  • Institutions of learning

  • '''Columbia University''', centered around Broadway and 116 St., is a famous Ivy League college of very long standing in New York.
  • '''Barnard College''' across Broadway to the west, is one of the Seven Sisters college, and is affiliated with Columbia University.
  • '''Teacher's College''' on 120th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam. Affiliated with Columbia, Teacher's College is an architectural gem with its block length Beaux Arts and Gothic facade buildings.
  • '''Juilliard School of Dance, Drama, and Music''' on 65th St. between Columbus and Amsterdam, is one of the foremost conservatories of those disciplines in the United States.
  • '''Manhattan School of Music''' on 122nd St. and Broadway, is another major conservatory of music.
  • '''Fordham College at Lincoln Center''', on 60th St. between Columbus and Amsterdam, is a branch of Fordham University.
  • Monuments

  • '''Grant's Tomb''', Riverside Drive and 122nd Street, ''(125th St. on #1 Subway)'', +1 212 666-1640, [http://www.nps.gov/gegr/], 9AM - 5PM. General Grant National Memorial. General Ulysses S. Grant and his wife are buried in this imposing mausoleum; the largest tomb in North America.
  • '''Shinran Shonin''', 331-332 Riverside Drive (between 105th and 106th Streets). Staring pensively across Riverside Drive at the children playing in the park is the statue of Shinran Shonin, a 13th century Buddhist reformer. In another life, the statue stood in Hiroshima and witnessed the devastation caused by the bomb. His New York home is between two Riverside Drive buildings right next to the '''New York Buddhist Center''' [http://www.newyorkbuddhistchurch.org/index.html].
  • '''Soldiers and Sailors Monument''', Riverside Drive at 89th Street. A memorial to the Civil War dead (though, in typical New York fashion, it wasn't constructed till 1902, almost 40 years after the Civil War ended!).
  • Do

  • '''Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts''', between West 62nd and 66th Streets and Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues (''Subway: 1 or 9 to 66th St or walkable from A, C, B, and D trains at 59th St. NB: Rose Hall venues are in the Time Warner Center, Broadway at 60th St''), [http://www.lincolncenter.org/]. The world's largest cultural complex. See theater, symphonies, ballet, opera, movies, art exhibits or just wander the architecturally beautiful buildings. The buildings are modern, and even have modern chandeliers. There are two opera companies, and the famous Juilliard School of Music is also here. Also part of the complex is the New York Public Library's Library for the Performing Arts, containing circulating and non-circulating collections in music, drama, and dance, as well as special collections of priceless documents that scholars from around the world come to look at. Across the street are a large Tower Records, a large Barnes and Noble Bookstore and a Loews movie theater.
  • *'''Metropolitan Opera''', [http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/home.aspx]. Confusingly referred to simply as "the Met" (together with the Metropolitan Museum of Art), the premier opera company in New York has been housed at Lincoln Center since 1966, behind five soaring glass arches in the east facade, and within a vast white travertine-clad building. Two Marc Chagall murals grace the foyer. The hall has wonderful acoustics, and its ceiling is lined with gold leaf and chandeliers.
  • *'''Walter Reade Theater''', [http://www.filmlinc.com] is the home of the '''Film Society of Lincoln Center''', the premier film society in the United States. The theater itself is a good place to catch the latest trends in cinema from all over the world with annual showcases from Africa, Spain, France (naturally!), Italy, Israel, and Asia. The film society organizes the annual New York Film Festival at nearby Alice Tully Hall (at the Time Warner Center in 2007 because of construction at Alice Tully) in late September-early October.
  • *'''The New York State Theater''' is the home of the New York City Opera [http://www.nycopera.com] and the New York City Ballet [http://www.nycballet.com]. The Nutcracker staged by the New York City Ballet every December is a holiday classic, popular with New Yorkers and tourists alike.
  • Walk in the park. There are two beautiful parks on the Upper West Side: '''Central Park''', east of Central Park West, and '''Riverside Park''', west of Riverside Drive. Both have many foot and bike paths and playgrounds. While Central Park is justly famous and finds its way onto a "must see" list for most visitors to New York, Riverside Park also has its charms, as its riverfront location provides pleasant views of New Jersey and sometimes breezes off the river. Summer brings al fresco movies and music to Riverside Park.
  • '''A walking tour of Morningside Heights''' Morningside Heights remained relatively bucolic till the turn of the 20th Century because of its relative inaccessibility, and most of the existing apartment buildings were constructed between about 1900 and 1910. The buildings survive because elevators were being introduced then and consequently most of the buildings are ten to twelve story apartment blocks rather than smaller townhouses or single family homes. Juliet balconies, details on the facades, grand lobbies, a great place to building watch.
  • Lincoln Square 13 Cinema. roadway and 68th Street. 998 Broadway. subway to 66th St. 212) 336-5020. ttp://www.fandango.com/amcloewslincolnsquare13withimax_aabqi/theaterpage?wssac=99&date=09/26/2008&wssaffid=11655_AMC_MW_HomePage. irst showings begin around noon, last showings begin around 11pm. 12-$16. Multiplex on the Upper West Side, two blocks from Lincoln Center, showing major, first-run films on 13 screens. It also contains an IMAX cinema showing mainstream feature films.

    Buy

    The neighborhood, especially the Morningside Heights area, is home to several bookstores for browsing and buying.

  • '''Bank Street Bookstore''' Broadway at 112th Street. Associated with the '''Bank Street College''', a leading teacher education school in the country, this is one of the best places to buy books, educational toys, and other educational material in the world. The helpful staff will patiently produce the perfect gift for any kid.
  • '''Book Culture''' 112th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam. Formerly known as Labyrinth Books, Book Culture is a scholarly bookstore, worth browsing for the books on science and the liberal arts. The sale tables on the second floor are full of bargains that will delight any booklover.
  • '''Morningside Books''' Broadway at 114th Street. Another independent bookstore with an idiosyncratic tilt toward liberal books. A reasonable collection of fiction of all types.
  • '''Columbia University Bookstore''' Broadway at 115th Street. Run by Barnes and Noble, this is the best place in the neighborhood to pick up travel guides for anywhere as well as Columbia University branded gifts.
  • '''Teachers College Bookstore''' Amsterdam at 120th Street. Also run by Barnes and Noble, a good place for books in the liberal arts and education.
  • '''Barnes and Noble''' There are two large Barnes and Noble bookstores in the neighborhood: one on 66th and Broadway and another on 82nd and Broadway.
  • '''Gryphon Bookshop''' Specializing in used books. Broadway between 80th and 81st.
  • '''Applause Theater Books''' Specializing in theater and film, including scripts. 211 W 71st Street.
  • Eat

    Budget

  • '''Tom's Restaurant''', corner of Broadway and 112th, close to Columbia University. The restaurant from the comedy series ''Seinfeld''. Strictly located just outside the Upper West Side, this place is a shrine for many TV pilgrims; for the locals, just a diner.
  • '''Ayurveda Cafe''', 706 Amsterdam Ave at 94th St. Eat in and take out lunch and dinner. The restaurant/cafe serves a daily fixed menu ideal for vegans, vegetarians and celiacs. Exceptionally friendly and warm, while light and charming.
  • '''Metro Diner''', on the corner of Broadway and 100th. Has everything you could look for in a diner breakfast menu.
  • '''El Malecon''', a Dominican restaurant on Amsterdam between 97th and 98th Sts., is known as one of the best places for ''pollo a la brasa'' (rotisserie chicken) in Manhattan. They also serve a number of daily specials for lunch and dinner.
  • '''Jerusalem Restaurant''', 2715 Broadway between 103rd and 104th, serves very tasty falafel at inexpensive prices. The place is a little hole-in-the-wall, but you're there for the food.
  • '''Ollie's''', Broadway at 116th. Workday chinese. Great for fast and cheap lunch or dinner.
  • '''The Mill''', Broadway at 113th. Korean. Started life as a diner many years ago but when the owner started adding a few of his native Korean dishes, they caught on and now it is an excellent Korean restaurant.
  • '''Amir's Falafel''' Broadway at 114th. Lebanese/Middle Eastern. Good and inexpensive falafel, shwarma, kebabs, and other standard middle eastern fare.
  • '''The Heights''' Broadway at 111th Street. Tex-Mex. The bar is the best part. A rooftop terrace is open on warm days for al fresco dining.
  • '''Mussawa''' Amsterdam at 121st Street. One of the oldest Ethopian (Eritrean) restaurants in the city with a no frills decor but good food and service.
  • '''Le Monde''' Broadway btwn 112th & 113th St, http://www.lemondenyc.com/. Faux French food but a great international beer selection and good burgers.
  • Mid-range

  • '''Kefi''', Columbus between 84th and 85th Sts., is a high-quality and very popular Greek restaurant (not a diner in any sense). Reservations strongly suggested, especially for dinner. Figure on roughly $30-35/person for a full dinner.
  • '''Indus Valley''', a Northern Indian restaurant on Broadway and 99th St., is a classy place that serves excellent food. Their lunch special is a bargain; dinner is a little more, but still a fine value.
  • '''Turkuaz''', Broadway and 100th St., is popular for its Turkish food. It can get a little crazy with crowds and belly dancing at times, but many regulars think it's well worth it.
  • '''Mama Mexico''', Broadway and 102nd St., is a popular Mexican restaurant. Their food and margaritas are great, although it can be quite noisy due to the mariachi band that roams from table to table.
  • '''Sookk''', Broadway between 102nd and 103rd Streets, is a cozy Thai restaurant with great traditional and fusion.
  • '''Pio Pio''', Amsterdam and 94th Street, a Manhattan outpost of a very popular upscale Peruvian chain. Serves great rotisserie chicken, and tends to be very loud due to the large crowds of locals that come here.
  • '''Saigon Grill''', Amsterdam and 92nd Street, a large Vietnamese restaurant that also serves sushi and Thai cuisine.
  • Splurge

  • '''Masa''' in the Time Warner Center is probably the most expensive restaurant in New York, so go only if money is no object. Those who have been there strongly recommend that you sit at the sushi bar in order to have the best experience. Reservations necessary.
  • '''Per Se''' in the Time Warner Center is the New York outpost of Chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in Yountville, which is in the Napa Valley of California. Chef Keller is one of the most famous and highly praised chefs in the United States. It used to be necessary to call months in advance for reservations, but due to the recession, same-day reservations may be worth attempting.
  • '''Sapphire Indian''', Broadway between 60th and 61st Streets (near the Lincoln Center). Excellent unadventurous North Indian food served by knowledgeable waiters in this upscale restaurant. A bit pricey, but you will get a fair value.
  • '''The Terrace''', Butler Hall, 119th Street and Morningside Drive. An upscale restaurant with a terrace with great views of Manhattan. Expensive, good views, but the food doesn't get rave reviews.
  • Markets

  • '''Schatzie's''' - A great Upper East Side butcher is coming to 87th and Amsterdam. Totally friendly, great meats, great butchers, order by phone, and cheaper than Citarella. And they will cook dinner for you if you like.
  • '''Westside Supermarket''', 110th and Broadway. An old neighborhood establishment gone upscale. Amazing choice of prepared foods and good fruits and vegetables. The cheese section is outstanding, as also are the meats and fish.
  • '''Milano Market''', Broadway between 112 and 113. Italian products with a good deli, reasonable cheeses, and a good selection of international beers.
  • '''Morningside Heights Farmers Market''', Broadway between 114th and 115th on the eastern sidewalk. This outdoor market is year round but is best enjoyed in summer and fall. Delicious New York strawberries and blueberries in mid and late summer, fresh apples (including varieties that never make it to the supermarkets) in Fall. Pumpkins, fresh local tomatoes, melons, watermelons, lots of apple cider, a stand that sells preserves of local fruits, all make this a worthwhile place for browsing if you have your own kitchen.
  • '''Lincoln Square Farmers Market'''
  • '''Zabars'''
  • '''Citarella'''
  • '''Fairway'''
  • Cafes

    The Upper West Side has many idiosyncratic cafes, some of long standing in the neighborhood. Of course, there is no shortage of Starbucks in the area but, for something different, try one of the following:
  • '''Cafe Lalo''', on 83rd Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway. Around in the neighborhood for almost twenty years, Cafe Lalo is packed with a mostly young crowd until late in the night. Excellent cakes and pastries, coffee and tea in many varieties, and digestifs.
  • '''Cafe Edgar''', 84th Street (Edgar Allan Poe Street) ''between Broadway and West End Avenue''. Marble tables and a great vaulted ceiling aid the setting for the coffees, teas and light meals in this long standing cafe.
  • '''Cafe Mozart''', 70th Street between Broadway and Columbus. Another excellent European style cafe with desserts and coffee, but also with full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus.
  • '''Max Cafe''', Amsterdam Avenue between 122nd and 123rd Streets. A laid back place for coffee, tea, sandwiches, and free wireless in the Columbia University neighborhood.
  • '''Oren's''', A local chain with good coffee and excellent teas. The Upper West Side branch is on Broadway between 112th and 113th street.
  • Street Food

  • '''Halal Cart''', 116th and Broadway. Good chicken, veggies, lamb with rice combos for lunch. Coffee and Bagels in the mornings.
  • '''Italian Ice Lady''', 110th and Broadway. Late Spring to early Fall only. Cheap ices ($0.75/$1.50).
  • '''Fruit Stands''', 116th and Broadway, 110th and Broadway, 112th and Broadway. Spring to Fall only.
  • '''The Taco Stand''', 96th and Broadway. A popular stand with excellent tacos.
  • Drink

  • '''Smoke Jazz Club and Lounge''', at 2751 Broadway (between 105th and 106th), [http://www.smokejazz.com/]. Live jazz seven days a week. Performers often jam late into the night so go for the late set if you can.
  • '''The Abbey Pub''', 105th Street off Broadway. An old style pub popular with Columbia University students.
  • Sleep

    Budget

  • '''Belnord Hotel''', 209 West 87 Street New York, New York 10024, [http://www.belnord.com]. Budget hotel near Broadway comprises two adjoining buildings with a hotel section and seasonal accommodations in a dormitory. Complimentary wireless internet access and luggage storage. Guest laundry available.
  • '''The Broadway Hotel & Hostel''', 230 West 101 Street New York, NY 10025, (212) 865-7710 [http://www.broadwayhotelnyc.com]. Very inexpensive, starting at $30/night.
  • '''Central Park Hostel''' [http://www.centralparkhostel.com/] at the corner of 103rd and Manhattan Ave. Dormitory beds start at $29.
  • '''West Side YMCA''' [http://www.ymcanyc.org/index.php?id=1096] at 63rd St. between Central Park West and Broadway. Rates are a bit more than the youth hostel but still inexpensive for Manhattan.
  • '''Hostelling International New York''', 891 Amsterdam Avenue @ 103rd Street, (212) 932-2300, [http://www.hinewyork.org]. One of the largest hostels in NYC. Close to the subway. Internet. 24-hour reception. Subway: 1 train to 103 St. and Broadway. You may also walk further from B (weekdays only) and C trains at 103 St. and Central Park West.
  • '''Jazz Hostels''', 6 hostel locations in New York City starting as low as $12/night, (212) 932-1600, [http://www.jazzhostels.com/]. Subway: 1, B or C trains to 103rd St, Bus: M10 from Penn Station to West 103rd Street and Central Park West. On-site cafe, 24 hour internet and reception, ATM, laundry, no curfew.
  • '''The Marrakech Hotel''', 2688 Broadway New York, NY 10025, (212) 222-2954, [http://www.marrakechhotelnyc.com/]. A boutique-style hotel with a chic design, newly renovated accommodations, near Columbia University and jazz bars and within walking distance of Central Park, stores, restaurants, and night spots.
  • '''Riverside Tower Hotel''', corner of 80th street and Riverside Drive, Phone: 1 800 724 3136, [http://www.riversidetowerhotel.com/index.html].
  • '''Royal Park Hotel''', 258 West 97th Street, New York, NY 10025, [http://www.royalparkhotelnyc.com]. Budget and discount hotel and hostel for individuals, students and groups seeking cheap affordable lodging accommodation rates.
  • '''Hotel Newton''', 2528 Broadway, [http://www.thehotelnewton.com/]. Newly refurbished budget AAA inspected and approved hotel with amenities like microwave ovens, mini refrigerators and flat screen televisions.
  • Mid-range

  • '''Comfort Inn Central Park West''', 31 West 71st St, [http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel-new_york-new_york-NY209]. This Comfort Inn, which calls itself a European-style boutique hotel, offers free high-speed internet, free continental breakfast, and an exercise room.
  • '''Milburn Hotel''', 242 West 76th St, [http://www.milburnhotel.com/]. A spacious apartment-like hotel with kitchenettes and upscale amenities. The hotel has a lobby with fireplace, library/lounge and soft couches, computer room and exercise facility.
  • '''Union Theological Seminary''' For something different, try to reserve a room at the Union Theological Seminary [http://www.utsnyc.edu/]. Well appointed rooms are set around a beautiful cloister and, if available, are under $150, less for visitors with a Columbia University affiliation.
  • Splurge

  • On the Avenue. 178 Broadway. t 78th street. 00-509-7598. ww.ontheave-nyc.com. The rooms are larger than in most Manhattan hotels, and the fresh, modern design is a pleasant antidote to the fussiness of so many older hotels. Plus, it's in walking distance of all the UWS highlights. With rooms in the $200-$250 range, it's a good option for families.
  • '''Mandarin Oriental Hotel''', Time Warner Building, 60th Street and Broadway. The hotel has a spa, upscale dining at Asiate, amazing views, and a fitness center on the premises.
  • '''The Excelsior Hotel''', 45 West 81st Street, [http://www.excelsiorhotelny.com/]. A luxury four-star french motif hotel located between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue on the same block as the Rose Center for Earth and Space and right near the American Museum of Natural History.
  • '''The Lucerne Hotel''', 201 West 79th St., [http://www.thelucernehotel.com/]. An upscale boutique hotel fully restored and recently recognized as a landmark building.
  • '''Trump International Hotel Towers''', 1 Central Park West, [http://www.trumpintl]. A diversion from the common experience, the Trump International Hotel & Tower New York is an icon to exclusivity and elegance. The hotel is located at the juncture of Columbus Circle, Central Park and Broadway, rising 52 stories. Designed by noted architects Philip Johnson and Costas Kondylis, the property has been honored with two top awards for best hotel in New York City and the U.S.
  • Contact

  • '''Pinnacle Pizzeria''' Broadway at 115th has a few internet terminals.
  • '''Columbia University''' has free unsecured wireless service in the neighborhood (best on campus) if you have your own computer with a wireless card.
  • '''The New York Public Library''' The NYPL branch libraries at Morningside Heights (114th and Broadway); Bloomingdale (100th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam); St Agnes (Amsterdam Avenue and 81st Street); and Riverside (Amsterdam Avenue at 65th Street) all have computer terminals for public use (library membership is not necessary).