Upper West Side

Making up a huge area from Central Park to the Hudson River between 59 St to 110 St, the Upper West Side (UWS) represents one of Manhattan’s largest and most concentrated residential areas. Charming and active, but not too busy, the Upper West Side is a great place to make a home with more space than some of the cramped or busy downtown locales. Less fancy than the Upper East Side across Central Park, the Upper West Side is refreshing, refined and unpretentious.

The Upper West Side is made of many longtime residents as well as newer ones who moved their make a longterm home. Before new families started deciding to move to Brooklyn, they came here first.

With the incredible Central Park to the east and the underrated Riverside Park to the along the Hudson, Upper Wide Siders have better and easier access to greenspaces than just about anyone in New York. Families are welcome here and good public and private schools can be found easily. A calm, inviting sense is exhuded by this neighborhood and good train coverage from the 1/2 trains to the west and A/B/C trains to the east make it easy to get around within or out of the neighborhood. It also offers street parking for car owners and easy access to the West Side Highway for out of town getaways. And a jewel of the neighborhood is the famous Natural History Museum at 77 St.

Though the UWS does offer a bevy of restaurants and bars, it’s not a “nightlife destination” like its neighbors to the south and on the streets things stay calm and quiet.

The Upper West Side is a large area running from 59 St north to 110 St, from Central Park West to the Hudson River. Many of the streets are treelined and the lengthy Avenues provide commercial thoroughfares for residents to shop, eat and drink. There are plenty of families of all types to be found and the low-key sensibility provides an older Manhattan neighborhood vibe.

With Central Park to the west, Riverside Park to the east and trees lining most of the streets, the Upper West Side does not hurt for easy access to greenspaces. Central Park, with its open spaces, ball fields and bike/running loop is obviously wonderful, but Riverside Park is also quite large and provides beautiful views of the Hudson River.

There is considerably less hotel lodging available than further south in midtown, but there are still enough in the Upper West Side to be useful. Top choices include: Millburn Inn, La Quinta Suites, NYLO NYC and the Lucerne Hotel

The UWS offers generally good train coverage from the 1/2 trains to the west and A/B/C trains to the east make it easy to get around within or out of the neighborhood. Express trains run on both lines making it faster for those further up north to get too around.

Transportation options: 1 2 A B C Bus service

Street parking, though it isn’t easy to come by, can be found on many of the streets in the Upper West Side. The hassle of finding an open spot may be frustrating enough for some to still consider renting a garage spot for their vehicle to avoid it all.

The UWS also easy access to the West Side Highway for out of town getaways

Yellow cabs for passenger pickup are also readily available just about anywhere.

Distance from main airports by car:
LaGuardia: 35-50 minutes
JFK: 60-90 minutes
Newark: 50-75 minutes