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Introduction

TheUpper West Side is bordered by Central Park to the east and Riverside Parkand the Hudson River to the west. Like its counterpart, it has its share of opulence and wealth, but the Upper West Side possesses a very different character. The many actors, directors and artistic types who reside in its 19th-century apartment buildings and brownstone houses have helped to impart a creative, liberal character to this neighborhood that makes it quite distinct from its conservative east side counterpart.

The main avenues (Broadway, Columbus, and Amsterdam) are a shoppers paradise by day and are crowded by revelers by night. Turn off the busy avenues, however, and you will find the quiet residential side streets for which the area is best known.

The Upper West Side first became a desirable residential neighborhood in the late 19th-century. Uptown migration was partly due to the creation of Central Park and partly to the rising real estate prices in midtown Manhattan. The advent of elevated trains, and eventually the subway, made commuting inexpensive and easy.

In 1884, after four years of construction, New York City's first luxury residential apartment building, the Dakota, was completed. Nearly a hundred years later, one of its most famous residents, John Lennon, was murdered in front of the building. Across the street, in Central Park, Strawberry Fields has been created to honor his memory.

Other luxury apartment buildings followed the Dakota along Central Park West and charming brownstone buildings were erected on the cross streets during the 1890s. Completed in 1931, the landmark twin-towered San Remo is one of the most magnificent residencies in the city. Rising high above the trees, the San Remo is visible from much of Central Park and has been home to celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Paul Simon and Dustin Hoffman.

For visitors, the Upper West Side is best known for the performing arts. Lincoln Center was built in the 1950s on the site of the slum area depicted in the musical West Side Story. Today, this single complex draws close to 5 million visitors a year and the surronding streets are lined with shops, restaurants and expensive real estate.

On Central Park West, the enormous American Museum of Natural History is one of New York City's most impressive museums and the only major museum on the Upper West Side. The recent addition of the dinosaur halls have proven to be extremely popular.

To the north-west of Central Park, Morningside Heights is home to Columbia University. Here, the streets reflect the needs of the students who frequent the many bookstores, coffeeshops, and inexpensive eateries that abound.

A little further north, centered around 125th Street, Harlem has been pivotal to the development of African-American culture throughout this century. The 1920s "Harlem Renaissance" produced some of the best-known jazz musicians in the world. Artists such as Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington performed at venues like the Apollo Theater and the Cotton Club.

Recently, Harlem has begun to show signs of another kind of renaissance. A new generation of residents, respectful of Harlem's past and tradition, are finding new ways to improve it for the future. Many young, successful African-Americans are returning to Harlem, refurbishing its beautiful brownstone houses and becoming new leaders in the community.

American Museum of Natural History

Founded in 1869 by Albert S. Bickmore and supporters such as Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. and J.P. Morgan, the American Museum of Natural History has a long tradition of attracting and educating visitors from around the world.

The museum focuses upon a broad range of subjects, from insects to dinosaurs, from marine life to planetary science. Comprising 23 adjoining buildings, the American Museum of Natural History houses more than 30 million specimens and cultural artifacts.

There are 40 grand exhibition halls, numerous laboratories and teaching facilities and the largest natural history library in the western hemisphere. The scientific departments conduct research in anthropology, earth and planetary sciences, biology, and paleontology.

The new dinosaur halls - the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs and the Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs - which opened in 1995, feature close to 100 fossil specimens. Included are two of the museum's best-known dinosaurs: Tyrannosaurus Rex and Apotosaurus (formerly known as the Brontosaurus) both of which have been remounted in light of contemporary understanding of these animals.

The Lila Acheson Wallace Wing of Mammals and Their Extinct Relatives, which opened in 1994, contains the most significant selection of fossil mammals ever assembled. The Hall of Vertebrate Origins examines the history of the physical development of vertebrates. Other museum highlights include the Hall of Human Biology and Evolution, the only permanent exhibit in the U.S. which documents the evolution of human life.

The other permanent exhibition halls focus on a wide range of subjects, including meteroites, gems, ocean life, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and north american mammals. The cultural history of the people of various nations and continents is also documented.
Location: Central Park West at 79th Street.

Lincoln Center

Lincoln Center is one of the world's leading performing arts centers. It is home to 12 resident companies dedicated to music, dance and theater including the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet & New York City Opera.

Also on the campus is the distinguished Juliard School of Music, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, & Vivian Beaumont Theater, as well as Lincoln Center's newest constituent - Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Every day, tours are offered in order to provide a behind the scenes look at the history, atristry, and architecture of this impressive arts center.
One the one-hour Classic Tour, you can experience the main stages at Lincoln Center - the Metropolitan Opera House, Avery Fisher Hall and the New York State Theater. You will hear stories about some of the artists who have appeared here and you may even catch a rehearsal in progress.

All of the tours originate at the tour desk located on the concourse level of Lincoln Center, which you can access through the Metropolitan Opera House.

Sony IMAX Theatre

The Sony IMAX Theatre presents a truly unique film experience - combining 3D sight and sound technology with an 8-story screen in a plush, futuristic theater.

IMAX is the largest film format available. Each frame of film is ten times the size of 35 millimeter film, and is projected onto a silver screen 80 feet high and 100 feet wide - the largest in the world to present IMAX 3D.

High tech headsets with liquid-crystal lenses recieve infra-red signals from the IMAX projector, creating the 3D visual effects. Built-in speakers, "move" the sound from the front of the headset to the back so that the sound can come from behind you, or from anywhere in the room. The personal sound system overlaps with the speakers of the main system which are distributed around the room. This theater is the first in the world to use this type of advanced sound technology.

Other Attractions

Opened in 1989, the Museum of American Folk Art exhibits everything from Native American art and carvings to traditional American crafts like quilts and rugs. The museum hosts temporary exhibits in addition to its permanent display. It is small enough to visit in an hour or so. The museum also sponsers events for children and craft demonstrations.
Location: 2 Lincoln Square, across from the Sony IMAX Theatre.

The Beacon Theater, once a movie palace, is now a regular concert venue which hosts top performers. The opulent interior is a designated landmark.
Location:Broadway at 74th street.

Founded in 1973, the Children's Museum of Manhattan is dedicated to teaching and inspiring children with playful interactive programs and exhibits. The museum's activities include the newly installed SoundsFun - a 3,100 square foot playground with an emphasis on hearing. Children can touch, bang and jump on ear-themed props including and ear drum trampoline, all of which make various sounds. The Warner Media Center provides kids with the opportunity to interact with a camera, create special effects, then edit and watch the tape they have made.
Location: 21 West 83rd Street.

In Morningside Heights, not far from Columbia University, Grants Tomb contains the remains of Civil War commanding General Ulysses S. Grant and his wife. After winning the Civil War, General Grant went on to become the 18th President of the Unites States. In 1885, after Grand died, the American people honored him by raising over $500,000 to build this massive monument. The interior was inspired by the tomb of Napoleon. You can visit the two exhibit rooms which document the life and career of Ulysses S. Grant.
Location: West 122nd Street and Riverside Drive.

Begun in 1892, the Neo Gothic style Cathedral of St. John the Divine is the largest church in the United States and is intended to be the largest cathedral in the world when it is finally finished. Presently, only about two-thirds of the cathedral is complete, the rest is scheduled to be finished sometime in the late 21st century. Its towers, nave, buttresses and windows are exquistly designed. The facade resembles Notre Dame in Paris, with a large bronze door in the center cast in Paris by M. Barbedienne, the same man who cast the Statue of Liberty. The cathedral hosts cultural events such as concerts, plays and exhibitions.
Location: Amsterdam Avenue at 112th Street.

The Cloisters, the medieval branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is perched high atop a hill overlooking the Hudson River, from northern Manhattan's Fort Trynon Park. Housed in a reconstructed medieval-style monastery, the setting is perfectly suited for the outstanding collection it contains. Cloistered walkways, courtyards, exhibition halls and galleries complement medieval art, sculpture, tapestries, illuminated manuscripts and more. Even the gardens continue the medieval theme with plant varieties typically grown at that time.
Location: Fort Trynon Park, at 190th Street.

The Apollo Theater was founded in 1914 as an opera house for a strictly white audience. In 1934, it was opened to all races and evolved into a premier black entertainment venue. Top African-American artists such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Michael Jackson and comedian Sinbad have all performed here. Wednesday night is "Showtime at the Apollo", a televised amateur night, where fresh talents sing and dance in the hope of being discovered.
Location: 253 West 125 Street, Harlem.

Open Spaces and Parks

Created by Frederick Law Olmstead, who also designed Central Park, Riverside Park is a sliver of green space running alongside the Hudson River. Its an extremely popular sport with Upper West Siders who walk their dogs, jog and cycle along the banks of the Hudson while enjoying the spectacular views. Within the park, at 89th street, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument commemorates those who fought and died in the Civil War.
Location:Hudson River, between 72nd and 145th streets

Set in the southeast corner of Lincoln Center, Damrosch Park is home to the annual Big Apple Circus. Throughout the summer, it also hosts free outdoor concerts and performances at the Guggenheim Bandshell. Across from Lincoln Center, Dante Park was designed in 1921, to honor the 600th anniversary of the authors death. This small, open area is marked by a bronze statue in his likeness.

A pleasant spot to relax amidst an array of beautiful flowers is the Lotus Gardens.
Location:97th Street, between Broadway and West End Avenue.

Nearby, Morningside Park is a wooded are extending from 110th to 123rd Strees. Further north, the medieval gardens and courtyards at The Cloisters provide a unique place to relax.