Nest Seekers International

Upper West Side

The Upper West Side is, perhaps, the most iconic of all New York neighborhoods. Will Truman, of Will & Grace had an apartment on the Upper West Side, as did Jerry Seinfeld of Seinfeld, Charlotte and Miranda of Sex and the City, Ted, Marshall and Lily of How I Met Your Mother, and finally, Liz Lemon of the Emmy Award winning 30 Rock. Located west of Central Park and north of Columbus circle, the Upper West Side is a living montage of New York life. The area has an abundance of restaurants, cafes and movie theaters.

There is the city's greatest arts complex, Lincoln Center - venue to Jazz and theater performance, and the home of the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, and Avery Fisher Hall (home of NY Philharmonic). It also encompasses the New York State Theater, home of NYC Opera and New York City Ballet, the Juilliard School of Music, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the School of American Ballet, the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, the Mitzi Newhouse Theatre, Damrosch Park and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Lincoln Center is also very near to a large cinema complex, the Lowes at 66th (featuring one of the city's largest IMAX screens), as well as a sizable Barnes and Noble.

However, Lincoln Center is nto the be all and end all of Upper West Side theatrical offerings. The Beacon Theater and Merkin Concert Hall are also located in the neighborhood, as is the Ballet Hispanico.

In addition to a very strong presence of the arts, the Upper West Side boasts a large number of Museums, many of them famous. There is the Museum of Natural History, the stuffed animals and dinosaur skeletons of which are a time-honored favorite for children, and which featured in the blockbuster Night at the Museum. Within the museum itself is the Hayden Planetarium, as well as numerous other exhibits and treasures. The Nicholas Roerich Museum, the Museum of Biblical Art, the Children's Museum of Manhattan and the Bard Graduate Center Gallery are also all located on the Upper West Side. In addition, it is on the Upper West Side that the New York Historical Society maintains their headquarters.

The retail options of the neighborhood, while not as extensive as those of the famous Fifth Avenue, are nothing to be laughed at. There are two large Barnes & Noble bookstores. There are top culinary outlets like Zabar's and Fairway. And there are plenty of health clubs, trendy bars and good bagel shops to enjoy. Culinary enthusiasts and epicureans will not be disappointed either. Boasting such gems as Alice's Tea Cup (a wonderful and imaginative place for delicious tea and sconces), Isabella’s, Ollie’s Noodle Shop and Grill, Pasha (for authentic Turkish food), Shalel Lounge and The Cottage, the Upper West Side does not lack for dining options. Nightlife hotspots make an appearance as well, boasting names like Dead Poet (a classic Irish pub), Cream (a dance club and accompanying lounge only open on the weekend), Evelyn Lounge, Sugar Bar and The Parlor (an alleged favorite of John Lennon).

ABC, Time Warner and the College Board all maintain headquarters in the neighborhood, as do ASCAP and BMI. The Jewish Guild for the Blind is also located in the neighborhood.

Educational options are plentiful in the area, which boasts a number of academic institutions from elementary school through university, including but not limited to: Anderson School PS334; Alexander Robertson School; Bloomingdale School of Music; MS54 Booker T Washington Middle School; Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School; MS44; PS75; PS87; PS97; PS9
PS163; PS187; Martin Luther King, Jr. School; St Agnes Boys High School; Trinity School; Yeshiva Ketana of Manhattan; Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts (the school made famous in the movie Fame); American Musical and Dramatic Academy; Bard Graduate Center; Fordham University; New York Institute of Technology; Mannes College The New School for Music.

Visitors to the area will enjoy a number of excellent hotels, such as the Excelsior, Trump International Hotel Towers, the Lucerne Hotel, the Milburn Hotel, Hotel Belleclaire and the West Side Inn. Local festivals include the American Landmark Festival, teh American Crafts Festival adn the Brazilian Film Festival, to name a few.

On top of this, there are also good public schools, two large parks - Central and Riverside - and a large variety of good-sized apartments and classic brownstones. All this makes the Upper West Side, which stretches from West 59th up to 96th Street and beyond, one of New York's most attractive districts, for both singles and families. Indeed Central Park West has in recent years become one of New York's most desirable addresses, rivaling Fifth Avenue in its lavishness, views, and proximity to amenities.

Known famous buildings in the area are the Apple Bank Building, 15 Central Park West, The AOL Time Warner Center at 60 Columbus and 80 Columbus, Trump Place at 120, 140, 160, 180, 200, 220, 240 Riverside Blvd., West End Towers, 2 Columbus, The Heritage, The Ansonia at 2109 Broadway, The Beresford, Century Towers and the San Remo on Central Park West, The Apthorp and 200 West End Avenue, PS 199 School District.

Transportation available in the area includes numerous bus and taxi services, as well as service from the MTA subway. Line running through the neighborhood are the red line (1, 2 and 3 trains), the blue line (A and C trains) and the orange line (B and D lines).

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