Upper West Side
The Upper West Side of NYC is renowned for its vast greenery and enduring heritage, and is located between Central Park and Riverside Park. The Upper West Side is perfect for a stroll through cinema and television history, as it is lined with residential structures that appear instantly recognizable.
There are many reasons to visit New York City, including the Lincoln Center, the American Museum of Natural History, and the most idealized renditions of brunch and delicious New York City specialties. This area lives up to its long-standing reputation as a hotspot for culture and architecture lovers. Residents appreciate the neighborhood’s dynamic composition, which combines tree-lined lanes with the buzz of Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues near NYC.
The Lincoln Center, home to the New York City Ballet and the Metropolitan Opera. The American Museum of Natural History, nestled among the posh high-rises of Central Park West, features displays on topics as diverse as dinosaurs and space travel. Families out for a stroll, cute dogs, and people eating outside at sidewalk cafes characterize this picturesque area. Beacon Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Juilliard are just a few of the cultural institutions that make the Upper West Side a cultural mecca.
When Dutch colonists arrived in the area in the early seventeenth century, the Munsee, a Lenape offshoot, already lived in the Upper West Side. Dutch advance was initially halted by Munsee raids and conflict, but the Dutch eventually made it to what was then called Bloomingdale in the region’s northernmost reaches.
Farms and towns along Bloomingdale Road, now known as the Boulevard and part of the Upper West Side, were integrated into the city and became known as the Bloomingdale District. Despite the increasing urban character of the city, the “West End” remained rural for the majority of the nineteenth century.
Slowly but surely, Bloomingdale Road was being supplanted by Broadway. When Columbia University moved to Morningside Heights in the late nineteenth century, it did so on the site of the former Bloomingdale Asylum, marking the beginning of gentrification on the Upper West Side. In 1910, the first major high-rise developments like The Dakota and The San Remo appeared in the neighborhood.
Explore the area’s top attractions to get a feel for it and its history. Everything you need to know about the best museums, sculpture gardens, parks, marketplaces, and hidden gems in the area is right here.
When it comes to ballet companies, the New York City Ballet is a global powerhouse. Over 90 dancers participate in the UWS-based program, which features a repertoire of over 150 pieces. It was co-founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein in 1948, and its modern, athletic style immediately gained popularity. The New York City Ballet was founded on the premise that classical dance might be rethought in a way that would appeal to a wider audience.