New York – Around Town : Upper West Side (part 2) – Apartment Buildings, Restaurants

by

Walk on the West Side


Morning

Begin at
Lincoln Center
 and admire the plaza, the Chagall windows at the Metropolitan
Opera, and the Henry Moore statue in front of Lincoln Center Theater.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts on Amsterdam Avenue,
behind the theater, is notable for its enormous collection of books on
the performing arts.

Make your way up Broadway, window shopping and noting some of the landmark buildings such as the
Apthorp Apartments
 and the
Ansonia Hotel
, and the West Side’s gastronomic palaces, such as Fairway, at 75th Street, and Zabar’s.
Almost any of the side streets will reveal examples of the area’s great
line-up of brownstone townhouses. Finally, head east to Columbus Avenue
and
Calle Ocho
 for a Cuban lunch.

Afternoon

The
American Museum of Natural History
 can easily fill an entire afternoon, and the
New York Historical Society
 has an amazing collection on show.

Stroll down Central Park West and admire the landmark
apartment buildings
 that can be seen here, and then head for
Central Park
, the city’s vast “backyard”. Take a boat out on the lake, or
enjoy a gondola ride around it, followed by refreshments at the Loeb
Boathouse, the perfect end to an afternoon.

Apartment Buildings




  1. Dakota

    Famous as the site where John Lennon was shot, the block was thought so far west in 1884, it might as well be in Dakota.

    • 1 West 72nd St at Central Park West

    • Closed to public

  2. Dorilton

    One of the most flamboyant examples of the Beaux Arts era, this 1902 apartment house has an iron gate fit for a palace.

    • 171 West 71st St at Broadway

    • Closed to public




    Balcony, Dorilton

  3. Ansonia Hotel

    This 1908 apartment-hotel included soundproof partitions, a feature that has attracted many distinguished musicians.

    • 2109 Broadway, between 73rd & 74th Sts

    • Closed to public

  4. Apthorp Apartments

    Modeled after an Italian Renaissance palazzo, this 1908 building includes a huge interior courtyard.

    • Broadway between 78th & 79th Sts

    • Closed to public

  5. Belnord

    Even
    larger than the Apthorp, this 1908 Renaissance Revival structure is
    where Nobel Prize-winning author Isaac Bashevis Singer lived and wrote.

    • 225 West 86th St, at Amsterdam Ave

    • Closed to public

  6. Majestic

    The first of Irwin Chanin’s two 1931 landmarks, one of the original four twin towers that dominate the West Side skyline.

    • 115 Central Park West, between 71st & 72nd Sts

    • Closed to public

  7. Century

    Irwin Chanin’s second twin tower, the tallest on the block, and an Art Deco icon.

    • 25 Central Park West, between 62nd & 63rd Sts

    • Closed to public

  8. San Remo

    Emery Roth’s 1930 Art Deco masterpiece is a sophisticated adaptation of Renaissance forms. The twin towers hide water tanks.

    • 145–6 Central Park West, between 74th & 75th Sts

    • Closed to public




    San Remo

  9. Eldorado

    Another Art Deco Roth design. Groucho Marx and Marilyn Monroe were once tenants.

    • 300 Central Park West, between 90th & 91st Sts

    • Closed to public

  10. Hotel des Artistes

    Built
    in 1918 as artists’ studios and apartments, the lofty spaces are much
    coveted. Residents have included Noel Coward, Isadora Duncan, and Joel
    Grey.

    • West 67th St, between Central Park West & Columbus Av

    • Closed to public




    Hotel des Artistes


Restaurants




  1. Jean Georges

    Jean Georges Vongerichten’s namesake restaurant is among the best in New York.

    • 1 Central Park West, Trump International Hotel

    • 212 299 3900

  2. Per Se

    Book well in advance for this critically-acclaimed restaurant owned by Thomas Keller.

    • Time Warner Center, Columbus Circle

    • 212 823 9335

  3. Shun Lee Café

    This clean-lined, black-and-white dim sum café is arguably the best north of Chinatown.

    • 43 West 65th St at Columbus Ave

    • 212 769 3888




    Shun Lee Café

  4. Café Fiorello’s

    The bountiful antipasto bar is good enough reason to visit, but the thin-crust pizzas and Italian menu are equally tempting.

    • 1900 Broadway, between 63rd & 64th Sts

    • 212 595 5330

  5. Tavern On The Green

    Eclectic
    contemporary American cuisine is served at this grand restaurant on the
    edge of Central Park. Dine al fresco in the private garden in summer.

    • Central Park West at 67th St

    • 212 873 4111

  6. Gabriel’s

    Sophisticated Tuscan food keeps this stylish room filled with Lincoln Center-goers at night.

    • 11 West 60th St at Columbus Ave

    • 212 956 4600

  7. Rosa Mexicano

    A branch of New York’s top Mexican restaurant, famous for its guacamole made to order and power-packed margaritas.

    • 61 Columbus Ave at 62nd St

    • 212 977 7700




    Rosa Mexicano

  8. Café Luxembourg

    A classic Parisian bistro with a zinc-topped bar and a hip clientele. The steak frites can’t be beat.

    • 200 West 70th St at Amsterdam Ave

    • 212 873 7411

  9. Calle Ocho

    Every night feels like a Latin party here; modern dishes from the Cuban chef are inspired by cuisine from Peru to Puerto Rico.

    • 446 Columbus Ave, between 81st & 82nd Sts

    • 212 873 5025

  10. Gennaro

    Fans
    say this tiny café serves the best Italian food on the Upper West Side,
    at the most reasonable prices, which explains the constant lines.

    • 665 Amsterdam Ave, between 92nd & 93rd Sts

    • 212 665 5348

    • No credit cards



Unless otherwise stated, all restaurants accept credit cards and serve vegetarian meals