City Guide

Upper West Side-- North of 59th Street and encompassing everything west of Central Park, the Upper West Side contains Lincoln Center, arguably the world's premier performing arts venue; the new (in 2004) Time Warner Center with its upscale shops, such as Hugo Boss, A/X Armani, and Sephora; Jazz at Lincoln Center; the Mandarin Oriental Hotel; the gargantuan Whole Foods Market, and possibly the most expensive food court in the world, with restaurants such as Per Se and Masa, and V, The Steakhouse. The Upper West Side is also the home of the American Museum of Natural History, whose renovated Dinosaur Halls and magnificent new Rose Center for Earth and Space garner justifiably rave reviews. You'll also find a growing number of midprice hotels whose larger-than-Midtown rooms and nice residential location make them some of the best values -- and some of my favorite places to stay -- in the entire city.

Unlike the more stratified Upper East Side, the Upper West Side is home to an egalitarian mix of middle-class yuppiedom, laid-back wealth (lots of celebs and monied media types call the grand apartments along Central Park West home), and ethnic families who were here before the gentrification.

The neighborhood runs all the way up to Harlem, around 125th Street, and encompasses Morningside Heights, where you'll find Columbia University and the perennial construction project known as the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. But prime Upper West Side -- the part you're most likely to explore -- is the area running from Columbus Circle at 59th Street into the 80s, between the park and Broadway. North of 59th Street is where Eighth Avenue becomes Central Park West, the eastern border of the neighborhood (and the western border of Central Park); Ninth Avenue becomes Columbus Avenue, lined with attractive boutiques and cafes; and Tenth Avenue becomes Amsterdam Avenue, less charming than Columbus to the east and less trafficked than bustling Broadway (whose highlights are the gourmet megamarts Zabar's and Fairway) to the west; still, Amsterdam has blossomed into quite a happening restaurant and bar strip over the last couple of years. You'll find Lincoln Center in the mid-60s, where Broadway crosscuts Amsterdam.

Two major subway lines service the area: the 1, 2, 3, 9 line runs up Broadway, while the B and C trains run up glamorous Central Park West, stopping right at the historic Dakota apartment building (where John Lennon was shot and Yoko Ono still lives) at 72nd Street, and at the Museum of Natural History at 81st Street.

Upper East Side-- North of 59th Street and east of Central Park is some of the city's most expensive residential real estate. This is New York at its most gentrified: Walk along Fifth and Park avenues, especially between 60th and 80th streets, and you're sure to encounter some of the wizened WASPs and Chanel-suited socialites that make up the most rarefied of the city's population. Madison Avenue from 60th Street well into the 80s is the monied crowd's main shopping strip, recently vaunting ahead of Hong Kong's Causeway Bay to become the most expensive retail real estate in the world -- so bring your platinum card. You can also use it to stay at one of the neighborhood's remarkably luxurious hotels, such as the Carlyle or the Plaza Athénée, or to dine at four-star wonders such as Café Boulud and Daniel.

The main attraction of this neighborhood is Museum Mile, the stretch of Fifth Avenue fronting Central Park that's home to no fewer than 10 terrific cultural institutions, including Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim, and anchored by the mind-boggling Metropolitan Museum of Art. But the elegant rows of landmark town houses are worth a look alone: East 70th Street, from Madison east to Lexington, is one of the world's most charming residential streets. If you want to see where real people live, move east to Third Avenue and beyond; that's where affordable restaurants and active street life start popping up.

A second subway line is in the works, but it's still no more than an architect's blueprint. For now, the Upper East Side is served solely by the crowded Lexington Avenue line (4, 5, 6 trains), so wear your walking shoes (or bring taxi fare) if you're heading up here to explore.

Harlem-- Harlem has benefited from a dramatic image makeover in the last few years, and with new restaurants, clubs, and stores is slowly becoming a neighborhood in demand.

Harlem is actually several areas. Harlem proper stretches from river to river, beginning at 125th Street on the West Side, 96th Street on the East Side, and 110th Street north of Central Park. East of Fifth Avenue, Spanish Harlem (El Barrio) runs between East 100th and East 125th streets. Harlem proper, in particular, is benefiting greatly from the revitalization that has swept so much of the city, with national-brand retailers moving in, restaurants and hip nightspots opening everywhere, and visitors arriving to tour historic sites related to the golden age of African-American culture, when great bands such as the Count Basie and Duke Ellington orchestras played the Cotton Club and Sugar Cane Club, and literary giants such as Langston Hughes and James Baldwin soaked up the scene. Some houses date from a time when the area was something of a country retreat, and represent some of the best brownstone mansions in the city. On Sugar Hill (from 143rd to 155th sts., between St. Nicholas and Edgecombe aves.) and Striver's Row (W. 139th St. between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Frederick Douglass boulevards) are a significant number of fine town houses. For cultural visits, there's the Morris-Jumel Mansion, the Schomburg Center, the Studio Museum, and the Apollo Theater.

You'll find 125th a fun place to shop with its mix of national chains like Old Navy standing side-by-side with emporiums of hip-hop fashion.

By all means, come see Harlem -- it's one of the city's most vital, historic neighborhoods, and no other feels quite so energized right now. Your best bet for seeing all the sights is to take a guided tour; if you head up on your own to sightsee, come in daylight. Don't wander thoughtlessly through Harlem, especially at night. If you head up after dark to a restaurant or nightspot, just be clear and confident about where you're going and stay alert.

Washington Heights & Inwood-- Located at the northern tip of Manhattan, Washington Heights (the area from 155th St. to Dyckman St., with adjacent Inwood running to the tip) is home to a large segment of Manhattan's Latino community, plus an increasing number of yuppies who don't mind trading a half-hour subway commute to Midtown for much lower rents. Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters are the two big reasons for visitors to come up this way. The Cloisters houses the Metropolitan Museum of Art's stunning medieval collection, in a building perched atop a hill, with excellent views across the Hudson to the Palisades. Committed off-the-beaten-path sightseers might also want to visit the Dyckman Farmhouse, a historic jewel built in 1783 and the only remaining Dutch Colonial structure in Manhattan.

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