Category Archives: Historic New York City neighborhoods

Day One Hundred and One Walking the borders of the Upper East Side from East 84th Street to East 72nd Street from FDR Drive to Fifth Avenue January 26th, 2018 (again on July 14th, 2024, July 21st, 2025 and June 19th, 2026)

February 13, 2018Bakeries for the budget minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring The Upper East Side of Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Walking around Manhattan, Walking on the Upper East Side83 Asian Restaurant, Addthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver, Carl Schurz Park, Cherokee Place Apartments, DiningonaShoeString@Wordpress.com, diningonashoestringinnyc, East 79th Street Mansions, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Upper East Side, Glaser's Bakery, Henderson Historical District, John Jay Park, John Jay Park and Abdell Statue, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, littleshoponmainstreet.com, LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com, MywalkinManhattan.com, Upper East Side, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Manhattan, Walking around Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Walking the Upper East Side, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

It was a surprisingly sunny and warm (41 degrees F) today and it felt warmer than the temperature let on. It was a beautiful, clear sunny day and I decided to continue my walk on the Upper East Side, venturing from East 84th Street to East 72nd Street. Even though I have been visiting this area for years by way of the museums, I had never ventured this far to the East River.

This unusual sculpture is outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art entitled ‘Unidentified Object’

The sign for the work by Artist Isamu Noguchi

Artist Isamu Noguchi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isamu_Noguchi

Artist Isamu Noguchi was an American born artist known for his bold sculptures and work with Interior design. He had attended Columbia University and apprenticed under several famous artists through his early career (Wiki).

My day started with a walking tour of the Asian Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 1000 Fifth Avenue and the new “Chinese Scrolls Exhibition”. The Asian Galleries have been updated over the years and the new exhibition was displaying recent acquisitions of the collection plus newer pieces based on the Master’s in the collection.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art at 1000 Fifth Avenue

https://www.metmuseum.org/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d105125-Reviews-The_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art-New_York_City_New_York.html

It was eye-opening to me the perspective of nature that they had in ancient times versus the growth and building of today. It was interesting to hear the difference between how the artists used ancient art as an inspiration for their perspective on the how the location in nature should look. These tours attract lots of people who are not from the cellphone set.

‘Chinese Scrolls Exhibition’ at the Met

The ‘Scroll Room’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

I started the walk as I exited the museum. It was such a beautiful day that I thought it would be fun to walk around the neighborhood and really explore the Upper East Side. It really has changed over the last ten to fifteen years. It has always been a very expensive area but it looks more expensive now. Not only have the apartment buildings changed but the stores and parks as well.

I have noticed over the duration of this walk that the area keeps getting knocked down for bigger and more glossier buildings. The older brownstone covered streets are giving way to large box-like apartment buildings whose character is not the same and changes the complexity and look of the grid pattern. It’s hard to believe it is getting generic.

Another thing I have noticed on these walks especially as I have gotten below 96th Street is the amount of empty store fronts. I know as I revisit the old neighborhoods, I have already walked that this is happening, it is becoming an epidemic in the expensive areas as well. I noticed that in areas of Fifth and Madison Avenue, there are a lot emptier store fronts and then the expensive stores are being pushed to Lexington and Third Avenues, pushing the moderate restaurants and shops out of the neighborhood. I hate to clue these landlords in on this but not everyone needs $300.00 shoes or a $16.00 hamburger and this is happening in places like Harlem as well.

Where this character has not changed is as you exit the museum and walk down Fifth Avenue, which has not changed too much over the years in on 79th Street just off Fifth Avenue where a line of ‘Gilded Age’ mansions still exists. I bet most people don’t see this row of grand old mansions that are now being used as stores and embassies. I am sure that a few are still private but these homes were expensive to maintain back then and went out of vogue after Income Tax was established.

What’s left from the Gilded Age on East 79th Street

Take time out and stop at the Ukrainian Institute of America right around the corner from the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 2 East 79th Street. This museum is dedicated to art from the Ukraine and artists from both here and abroad. The Institute was founded in 1948 and moved to its new home in the Sinclair-Fletcher home in 1955.

The Ukrainian Institute of America is at 2 East 79th Street and should not be missed.

http://www.ukrainianmuseum.org/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d5953575-Reviews-Ukrainian_Institute_of_America-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum:

Ukrainian Institute of America 2 East 79th Street New York, NY 10021

The art of royalty is interesting by artist Vasyl Diadyniuk

Really take time to walk down 79th Street on the north side between Fifth and Madison Avenues to get a good look at the detail of these stone masterpieces. They don’t build homes like this anymore and I don’t think we have the stone masons around to do them again. It is hard to believe for most of these residents this was one of four homes.

When I got to the corner of East 79th and Madison Avenue, I passed this unusual statue that I had passed dozens of times but never really noticed it. It is called “Dama a Caballo V” by artist Manolo Valdes.

This interesting looking soldier statue is at East 79th and Madison Avenue by artist Manolo Valdes

The plaque of the statue

Artist Manolo Valdes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manolo_Vald%C3%A9s

https://www.operagallery.com/artist/manolo-valdes

Manolo Valdes was born in Valencia in 1942. He attended the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos de Valencia and began his career in the 1960s as one of the founding members of Equipo Cronica, a group of artists who took inspiration from Pop Art to challenge the Spanish dictatorship of Franco and the History of Art itself. Valdés revitalizes these familiar images by taking them out of their original context (Opera Gallery.com)

I took a quick swing into Central Park to see Cleopatra’s Needle, which is located behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art located by East 81st Street. This obelisk was erected February 22nd, 1881. It was secured in May 1877 by Judge Elbert E. Farnam, the then-United State Consul General at Cairo as a gift the Khedive for the United States for remaining friendly neutral as the European powers, France and Britain, maneuvered to secure political control of the Egyptian Government (Wikipedia). The twin was given to the British and resides London.

Cleopatra’s Needle in Central Park

https://www.centralparknyc.org/locations/obelisk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra%27s_Needle_(New_York_City)

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d1959031-Reviews-Cleopatra_s_Needle-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

Cleopatra’s Needle Central Park @ East 81st Street New York, NY 10028

Although this is a genuine ancient Egyptian obelisk, it has no connection to Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt. It was already over a thousand years old in her lifetime. The obelisk, which originally stood in the ancient city of Alexandria were made during the reign of Thutmose III in the 18th Dynasty (Wikipedia). Since their arrival in New York City, there has been a lot of wear and tear on this statue and the elements have worn down a lot of the carving. Still, this is something that you should not miss when visiting the neighborhood.

After I turned the corner onto East 72nd Street, I walked the length of the street until I hit FDR Drive and took a walk around the busy through-way. Walking along FDR Drive is always interesting because there is no clear path down the road. As I have said in previous walks, it is not the most scenic route and cars just love to honk at you.

John Jay Park in the Summer of 2024

As you make the turn around to head north, I discovered John Jay Park, located between East 76th and East 78th Streets. This park is very nicely situated by the East River and offers great views of the ever-changing Queens waterfront. I swear, they must be knocking everything down on that side of the river to build new apartment buildings. They must have great views of the skyline.

John Jay Park at FDR Drive during the Summer of 2024

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/john-jay-park-and-pool

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d6863814-Reviews-John_Jay_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html

John Jay was a prominent statesman and was elected the President of the First Continental Congress in 1778. He served as Minister to Spain, drafted New York’s first constitution in 1777, served as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1789-1795) and lastly served two consecutive terms as the Governor of New York (1795-1801). Imagine in today’s turmoil in the government trying to do all that. A very impressive man with a very impressive park named after him (NYC Parks History).

John Jay, Statesman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jay

Another unique feature to the park is the sculptures installed on the west side of the park in 1979 by artist Douglas Abdell. The artist, who is originally from Boston got his BA in Art from Syracuse University and currently lives in Spain. The artist’s sculptures are created in steel, bronze or stone (Wiki).

These are made of welded steel, painted black and are meant to frame space and define irregular areas. He has been quoted as saying, “that each sculpture as a building block of something potentially more complex as the alphabet is the basis of the written language” and calls the works “The Aebyad Series” (NYC Parks History).

Douglas Abdell with his work

https://www.askart.com/artist/Douglas_Abdell/103789/Douglas_Abdell.aspx

These two structures are located just south of the entrance of the park and are very geometric looking, done in twisted black steel. They are in the pathway between East 75th and 76th Streets. Take time to really look at them. The work is unique.

The Douglas Abdell Statue in John Jay Park

Outside the views of the park and the artwork, they also house much needed public bathrooms so plan your trip accordingly as there are no public bathrooms until you hit Carl Schurz Park up on East 84th Street.

The other Douglas Abdell Statue in John Jay Park

Across the street from the park is a very unusual apartment building, 516 & 517 Cherokee Place, with the most beautiful wrought iron features along all the windows. It looks like something built for New Orleans. The green color of the metal accents the building perfectly and meshes well with the greens of the park. This historic building lines the park and when you look in has a courtyard. It really does add something to the park and P.S. 158 next door. That extra character that makes the neighborhood.

Cherokee Place Apartments by John Jay Park

http://cherokee-nyc.com/

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/lenox-hill/the-cherokee-517-east-77th-street/6434

This interesting building was built between 1909 and 1911 as the Shively Sanitary Tenements and designed by Henry Atterbury Smith with the assistance of Mrs. William Kissam Vanderbilt. The building was designed with a sense of style and space and offer circulation in its approach (City Realty).

The side of the Cherokee Apartments that face John Jay Park

I did the whole walk around John Jay Park along Cherokee Place and watched as some city workers were cleaning and sweeping the outside of the park. God, did they give me a funny look when I watched them. They actually looked guilty (they could have done a better job of cleaning up the leaves and garbage).

I took an unusual path as I walked up the elevated extension of FDR Drive, which offers great views of the river along the waterfront to Carl Schurz Park and then I doubled back and walked up and down East End Avenue, which only goes from East 79th Street to East 90th Street. I swear that most of East End Avenue is being knocked down for newer big apartment buildings. This is what I mean by the character of the neighborhood changing. The whole block felt like it was under scaffolding. I walked up and down both sides of the block to see the work being done.

Carl Schulz Park in the early Spring

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/carl-schurz-park

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d312015-Reviews-Carl_Schurz_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://visitingamuseum.com/tag/carl-schurz-park/

I doubled back and walked up and down York Avenue as well. It is also under the same transition but only on the Avenue sides. There are some nice businesses and restaurants along York Avenue you can stop at along the way. I stopped back at Carl Schurz Park at East 84th Street for a breather and to just look at the view. It really has the most spectacular view of Randalls-Ward Island and Roosevelt Island and the East River and on a sunny warm day, it is a nice place for break.

Roosevelt Island and the view from the Tram.

The Tram

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Island

My video of my ride on the Tram

Tramway Plaza at East 59th Street

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/tramway-plaza

Tramway Park Spring 2026

Tramway Park in full bloom in the Spring

I could hear all the noise and commotion from the kids at P.S. 158 at 78th and York Avenue, who were either playing outside in the cool weather or singing in one of the classes. I swear not much has changed since I went to elementary school. The school is a beautiful old building that was built in the late 1800’s and just went through a full renovation to bring it back to its elegant beauty. This was built at a time when education was truly valued. I could not believe all the parents waiting outside talking amongst themselves in the cold.

I continued walking east across East 84th Street, the border of Yorkville with the Upper East Side and took a lunch break at 83 Asian at 1605 Second Avenue (See review on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com) and a much-needed sit. The food is excellent here and over two trips to it made the cut for my own blog site.

Asian 83 at 1605 Second Avenue

https://menupages.com/asian-83/1605-2nd-ave-new-york

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d13433935-Reviews-Asian_83-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=69573

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

Asian 83 Chinese Cuisine 1605 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10028

The inside of the restaurant

For lunch, I ordered a Beef with String Beans that was freshly cooked in front of me and came out on a timely basis steaming hot. The beef was so tender and was cooked in a combination of what seemed like soy and Hunan sauce with perfectly cooked string beans. The portion size for lunch was large and was my lunch and dinner. Their eggrolls are really good as well full of pork and vegetables. The service is really good as well as the cooks are friendly and very welcoming. Lunch cost only $10.10!

83 Asian’s food is excellent

I walked the rest of East 84th Street until I hit Central Park again and then walked down the opposite side of Fifth Avenue near the museum and started in the other direction. On the north side of East 72nd Street, there is a graceful and elegant building that was once the Henry T. Sloane Mansion that is located at 9 East 72nd Street.

The confectionery of a building was designed Carrere & Hastings in the late French Renaissance style in 1894 and built for Henry T. Sloane, the son of the founders of the carpet firm W & J Sloane. It housed a private school until recently and is now once again a private home. Look up at all the beautiful detail work in the stone and the accents along the roof of the house. The masonry is superb and the house has been so nicely restored.

Henry Sloane Mansion at 9 East 72nd Street

The details of the building at the top.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_T._Sloane_House

The Henderson Historic District sign

About Us

Having walked both sides of FDR Drive (to what you can), East End Avenue and York Avenue, I re-walked York Avenue again to look at the Henderson Place homes by Carl Schurz Park and East 86th Street one more time. These homes are such a special and unique part of the neighborhood and if the builders had known how expensive they would become 100 years later would have probably built more of them.

Henderson Place Historic District by Carl Schulz Park

https://www.brickunderground.com/blog/2015/07/the_most_charming_manhattan_area_youve_probably_never_heard_of

The homes were built by developer John. C. Henderson as small homes for the working class. The developer has architects Lamb and Rich, who had designed Sagamore Hill, the home of President Theodore Roosevelt. There were originally 32 homes but were reduced to 24 for build the luxury Henderson House next store twenty years later. It was also one of the first districts to be landmarked in New York City (Brick Underground).

If you can sneak in, the Henderson District is very interesting to see

Having walked both sides of Fifth Avenue and all of East 84th I took a pit stop at Glaser’s Bakery at 1670 1st Avenue (Now Closed: see my review on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com) for some dessert. I swear that I think I am walking the Upper East Side first just so that I can go there before I take the subway back downtown. I love this place!

Glaser’s Bakery (Closed in 2018)

https://www.glasersbakeshop.com/

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

Glaser’s Bake Shop 1670 First Avenue New York, NY 10128 (Closed July 2018)

The ladies recommended a sugar cake doughnut ($1.25) and the apple turnover ($2.50) and since I could not decide between the two, I bought both and God, were they good. The apple turnover alone had the sweetest and tartest apples and a thick layer of icing that made the twelve block by nine block walk well worth it. I figured I could just walk them off again. I highly recommend the cake doughnuts as well.

I was finished doing the perimeter of the neighborhood just as it was getting dark so I will be doing all the Avenues and Streets for another day.

There is a lot more to see and do on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Places to Visit:

Ukrainian Institute of America

2 East 79th Street

New York, NY 10021

(212) 288-8660

Welcome to the UIA

Open: Sunday 12:00pm-6:00pm/Monday Closed/ Tuesday-Saturday 12:00pm-6:00pm

Fee: Adults $8.00/ Seniors $6.00/ Students with current ID $4.00/Children under 12 Free/ Members Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d5953575-Reviews-Ukrainian_Institute_of_America-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3048

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

1000 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10028

(212) 535-7710

https://www.metmuseum.org/

Open: Sunday-Thursday 10:00am-5:30pm/Friday & Saturday 10:00am-9:00pm

Fee: Adults $25.00/Seniors $17.00/Students $12.00/Children under 12 and Members Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d105125-Reviews-The_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Cleopatra’s Needle

Located behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art @ East 81st Street

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d1959031-Reviews-Cleopatra_s_Needle-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/1855

John Jay Park

Between East 76th and 78th Street off Cherokee Place

New York, NY 10021

(212) 794-6566

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/john-jay-park-and-pool

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-10:00pm

Carl Schurz Park

Between East 84th Street and East 90th Street off East End Avenue

New York, NY 10021

(212) 459-4455

https://www.carlschurzparknyc.org/

Open: 6:00am-12:00am

Henry T. Sloane House

9 East 72nd Street

New York, NY 10021

(Private Home)

Henderson Place

East End Avenue between East 86th and East 88th Streets across from Carl Schurz Park

New York, NY 10021

(Private Homes)

https://www.brickunderground.com/blog/2015/07/the_most_charming_manhattan_area_youve_probably_never_heard_of

The Abdell Statues

Between East 75th and 76th Streets in John Jay Park

New York, NY 10021

https://www.askart.com/artist/Douglas_Abdell/103789/Douglas_Abdell.aspx

Places to Eat:

Glaser’s Bakery (Closed in 2018)

1670 1st Avenue

New York, NY 10128

(212) 289-2562

http://www.glasersbakeshop.com

My Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d930552-Reviews-Glaser_s_Bake_Shop-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/409

83 Asian Chinese Cuisine

1605 2nd Avenue

New York, NY 10028

Phone: (212) 288-0622 & 0633

Fax: (212) 288-0699

Open: Sunday-Saturday 11:00am-10:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d13433935-Reviews-83_Asian_Chinese_Cuisine-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/534

Day Ninety-Seven: Walking the Streets of the Upper Upper West Side from West 96th-West 84th Streets from Riverside to Central Park October 21st-November 25th, 2017 (Again November 9th, 2024, July 26th, 2025 and June 3rd, and July 28th, 2026)

January 8, 2018Bakeries for the budget minded, Chinese Restaurants for the budget minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring Manhattan Valley/Bloomingdale/Upper West Side, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring New York City Parks, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Entire Length of the Island of Manhattan/Broadway Walk, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the New York City Subway System, Exploring the Rim of the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Interesting Bakeries, Little Shop on Main Street in New York City (LittleShoponMainStreet), My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan at the Halloween Holidays, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Walking around Manhattan, Walking on the Upper West SideAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver, BergenCountyCaregiver.com, Books of Wonder, Books of Wonder Bookstore, East Garden Chinese Restaurant, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Upper West Side, Glaser's Bakery, John Koch Antiques, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, Morningside Heights, Morningside Park, MywalkinManhattan.com, Pomander Walk, The Upper West Side, Upper Manhattan, Upper West Side, Walk Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Walking the Upper West Side, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watrel, West Place Chinese Food, West Side Community Gardenjwatrel

It is amazing the changes that happen in just a month! The weather changed but not the way you would think. It went from being in the 80’s in the beginning of October to the 40’s and 50’s in November. Now you might say that is normal for this time of year, but the temperatures have been all over the place.

People were dining outside as late as the day after Thanksgiving. It was 52F on the 25th of November. Nippy yes but eating outside? In the sun, it really was warm. As I walked the streets of the Upper Upper West Side, it was a pleasant and warm day.

The nice part is that it has been so warm outside lately that the leaves did not change as fast as they normally do this time of the year. The leaves did not start to change in the New York City area until about five days before Halloween. Everything was greener than it normally has been in the past. As of my last day on this part of the West Side, the trees still have changing foliage in Riverside Park, so when the sun hit some of the trees, they still cast a glow of golds and reds.

Walking past the Fredrick Douglas Housing complex

The Fredrick Douglass Houses sign

The complex in the Summer of 2026

I have seen a distinct change in the make up in the city as you cross over the 100th Street on the West Side. Once you pass the Douglas Houses, the residential area starts to change along with the stores and restaurants around it. The bodegas and cheaper restaurants start to disappear.

Things keep changing around the Douglas Houses on the Upper West Side

Click to access DouglassI&II.pdf

The Children’s Aid complex across the street from the main complex.

The front of the Children’s Aid complex on Amsterdam Avenue

https://www.childrensaidnyc.org/programs/location/frederick-douglass-community-center

Children’s Aid is a professional powerhouse of solutions for young people. We are teachers and social workers, coaches and health care providers. We know what it takes to ensure children grow up strong and healthy, and ready to thrive in school and life: excellent education and health care, social-emotional support, and strong, stable families (Children’s Aid website).

The mural on the side of the building

The other side of the mural

The mural designed by Ji Yong Kim and artists and volunteers who were involved in the mural plus the volunteers from Morgan Stanley

https://www.jiyongkim.com/children-of-our-city

Artist Ji Yong Kim

https://www.jiyongkim.com

https://www.jiyongkim.com/about

RVCC Art Professor Creates Murals for Historic Bush Terminal

Artist Ji Yong Kim is a Korean born artist who is based in Brooklyn and a graduate of The Rhode Island School of Design with BFA and Montclair State University with MFA. Known for his colorful murals and is interested in an intersection of traditional images/structures of Buddhist art and images/ icons from contemporary popular culture (Ji Yong Kim bio website).

The rents have been going up in this area and there is a lot of empty retail space in the Upper Upper West Side. What there is a lot of restaurants where the price of a burger will run you around $16.00. The Upper West Side is becoming a lot more like the Upper East Side.

What I have also found is many beautiful pocket parks, unusual architecture with creative details and some wonderful restaurants and shops that show that the chain stores do not dominate a city. I never realized that it would take so long to finish the area. A little thing called Halloween came into play and then the weather got colder (See all the activities you can get involved with for the Halloween holidays for next year on this blog).

I started my first day at surprising enough 127th Street. I got on the C subway train by mistake ( I should have gotten on the A Train) but it gave me a chance to see what changes have come about in Morningside Heights. I swear as the new buildings at Columbia University are ready to open soon between 125th-134th Streets, the area is quickly changing around it. All over the area surrounding the 125th subway stop on the A subway line is being ripped apart and being rebuilt.

All the buildings around 125th Street are being sandblasted and gutted back to life or are being knocked down and rebuilt. This will just be an extension of Morningside Heights within the next five years. It will be more college campus than Harlem or the traditional Harlem that people know.

I had lunch that afternoon at West Place Chinese Restaurant at 1288 Amsterdam Avenue, a small hole in the wall Chinese restaurant that I passed several times (See review on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com) and had wanted to try for a long time. The food was wonderful, and the portion sizes were plentiful.

The General Tso’s Chicken is excellent

I had an order of General Tso’s chicken with rice and Wonton Soup with a Coke for $8.00. It could have fed two people easily. The food was as good as anything in Chinatown and the quality was great.

West Place Chinese Food at 1288 Amsterdam Avenue

https://westplace.netwaiter.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d5065901-r1069903587-West_Place-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

West Place Chinese Restaurant 1288 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10027

After lunch, I walked down Broadway to 96th Street, passing through the campus that I had walked months earlier. The Columbia Campus is another part of the city that just keeps changing with new buildings being built on old ones or old buildings being sandblasted back to their original beauty. This area is becoming more desirable to live in again and as Morningside Park keeps improving, everything that surrounds it does as well. Even the parks surrounding the campus keep improving with Morningside Park receiving new plantings and Riverside Park getting a spruce up. I got to my destination, West 96th Street and Central Park West by the early afternoon.

Morningside Park in the early Spring

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/morningside-park

My review on TripAdvisor:

The Morningside Park Pond in the early Spring

I started my day on West 96th Street on the corner of West 96th and Central Park West where some of the trees were still green even this late into the season. I swear Central Park is never not busy. Families were playing in the playgrounds and tourists still walking through the park getting a taste of the real New York. The weather has been so unusually warm this year that it is a pleasure to just walk around.

Riverside Park in the late Fall of 2024

For the most part, the blocks closer to both parks, Central Park and Riverside Park, the streets are lined with beautiful brownstones. Most of the side streets between Central Park West and Amsterdam Avenue are lined with some of the most elegant architecture from the turn of the last century. It is hard to believe that up to twenty years ago, parts of this area had been bombed out.

Halloween at 20 West 96th Street

I was able to see the last of the Halloween decorations give way to fall themes decorating the brownstones. Like their suburban counterparts, people like to decorate their buildings. Pumpkins and haystacks lined the elegant brownstones and occasionally there was a ghost or witch motif decorating the front.

Brownstones decorated for the holiday

West 95th Street decorations

Some of the most beautiful buildings outside of the Central Park district were the homes between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive right next to Riverside Park. Old elegant mansions and gracefully carved apartment buildings line the streets between both Avenues.

The West 95th Street brownstones

The townhouses along West 95th Street are just beautiful

The elegant details of these townhouses

Look up at the craved stone sculptures that line the building. Graceful animals, fierce gargoyles and lattice work line the tops of these buildings. It is time to put down those silly cellphones and really notice how beautifully built these homes were and the care put into them.

Riverside Park at West 94th Street

There is a lot of artworks on the Riverside Drive especially around this section of the Upper West Side. The Joan of Arc statue on 95th Street and Riverside Drive gives a description of her life and who she really was in the time of war. I didn’t realize how threatened they were by her that they had to accuse her of being a witch to get rid of her power of persuasion. The statute which was created in 1915 is in a small park within a park, “Joan of Arc Park”, that stands above Riverside Park above the paths.

Artist Anne Vaughn Hyatt Huntington

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anna-Hyatt-Huntington

Artist and art patron Anne Vaughn Hyatt Huntington created this beautiful piece. She had studied with many known artists of the time and completed her work at the Art Students League of New York and one of the first women artist inducted into the Academy of Arts & Letters (Wiki).If you want to know more about her life, stop here and read the plaques.

Joan of Arc Statue in the small park

The Joan of Arc Statue in Joan of Arc Park in Riverside Park

Joan of Arc Park on the Upper West Side

What stands out between 95th to 94th Streets off West End Avenue is the ‘Pomander Walk’, a small alley behind a large apartment building which contains a series of eight two story Tudor homes with gardens in front. This is hidden behind a gate off 94th Street.

Pomander Walk on West End Avenue

This whimsical little treasure was built between 1920-1922 by nightclub owner, Thomas Healy. He was creating income for a large hotel that he wanted to build on the property. He died in 1927 before he could find funding for the hotel and that’s why it exists today.

Pomander Walk is one of those hidden little Manhattan gems

Pomander Walk sign and entrance to the complex at 260-274 West 95th Street

https://streeteasy.com/building/pomander-walk

I have read that today it is hard to find a home in this little strip and a recent two-bedroom apartment building sold for $700,000. Pretty good for a dolls house.

The outside of the homes can be seen in on 95th Street and look like a Swiss or German Chalet in the Alps. The detail work was under scaffolding when I first passed it and I wondered if it was a restaurant being fixed up. When you discover the gate entrance, it almost looks like a hidden ‘Land of Oz’. I could see the flowers and plants from the street. It reminded me of some of the small developments in Harlem where a small set of row homes creates its own neighborhood. You have to really look for it or you will miss it.

Pomander complex on West 95th Street

I was able to walk Riverside Park and enjoy that late foliage. The view of the Hudson River is just spectacular especially from the buffs of the neighborhood. I don’t think too many tourists appreciate this park with its beautiful vistas of the river and its great parks for kids. The trees were a combination of golds and oranges when the sun hit them. When I did the Great Saunter Walk, the 32 mile perimeter walk around Manhattan, the park looks much different with the lush gardens and everything in bloom.

Riverside Park in the spring is beautiful at West 95th Street in the Summer of 2024

Fall decorations on West 95th Street

The beautiful brownstones that line West 95th Street

The homes in the neighborhood were very detailed and showed the craftsmanship of the people who built them with such elegant details.

The walk down West 94th Street was just as nice in the middle of the Fall of 2024

I came across this interesting mural on West 94th Street

These blocks above West 84th Street were lined with blocks and blocks of beautiful brownstones ladened with interesting carvings and sculpture and wonderful decorations for Halloween and the Fall months in preparation for Thanksgiving.

As I walked down West 93rd Street for the first time in five years, I took the time to really notice the beauty in the buildings and parks. There were all sorts of wonderful carvings I had never noticed and street gardens I had passed by. Maybe some of these things had always been there but I was too in a rush to notice them to finish walking the street.

I came across the murals “4 Seasons in Central Park that was created by the students of PS 84 and the Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School. It thought this was very clever

PS 84:

https://insideschools.org/school/03M084#google_vignette

Mural One

Mural Two

Mural Three

Mural Four

Mural Five

This lion looking humanoid kept looking at me on the way down West 93rd Street

The Upper Upper West is a combination apartment building built in the 1970’s and 80’s with more newer buildings being developed along Broadway but here in there in the commercial district some things do pop out at you. This is true of the former ‘Little Plantation Restaurant’ that recently closed on the corner of 93rd Street and Columbus Avenue. Attached to an apartment building, this space looks like a Southern plantation mansion fitted even with a porch swing. I am not sure how long this will last without being a restaurant but make a special trip to the building just see the detail work.

I walked down West 92nd Street to see another interesting mural that I had not noticed before. This one was closer to Columbus Avenue.

City Arts

City Arts on West 92nd Street

https://www.cityarts.org/

The mural in 2026

City Art Mural

Amsterdam Avenue and West 94th Street

The mural

The fullest part of the mural

Who says you have to go to a museum when there is a whole outside full of art? What I love around this part of the neighborhood are all the public murals and outside art.

Sol Bloom Playground in the Fall of 2024 at West 91st Street

The Sol Bloom Playground sign that welcomes you to the park next to PS 84

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/sol-bloom-playground

As I rounded the corners back to Central Park West, I stopped at the Sol Bloom Playground on 92nd Street near the local school to look for a bathroom. This whimsical park on a nice day attracts kids from all over the place and their parents running all over and playing on the equipment.

The memorial sign

The park was named after Sol Bloom, a self-made millionaire. He had made his money in his music and real estate businesses. He had built several apartment buildings and both the Apollo and Music Box theaters.

Sol Bloom

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Bloom

The mural in Sol Bloom Park on the side of PS 84

The murals on PS 84 next to Sol Bloom Park

I ended the day at the 86th Station totally exhausted having walk the area between 96th Street to 90th Street. The one thing that differs the Upper Upper West Side from Manhattan Valley/Bloomingdale to the north is how much newer it has gotten at the core. So many more newer apartment buildings in this area and more businesses catering to a higher end client. It just seems more like the old Upper West Side above 96th Street.

Riverside Park at West 96th Street

My second day walking the neighborhood I started after a long day at the Soup Kitchen. Working the Bread station all afternoon with the homeless asking you for pastries all morning long can be wearing. I got through it all. I started this part of the walk with lunch in Yorkville, wanting to try East Garden Chinese Restaurant at 1685 First Avenue again to see if it made the cut for my blog, ‘DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com’. It did!

East Garden Chinese Restaurant really blows my mind on how good this place is for lunch. Their lunch specials are reasonable (the restaurant closed June of 2024) and you get a very large entrée with a side of rice. Add in a Coke for an extra dollar and you have lunch and dinner. The place is really clean too.

East Garden Chinese Restaurant is excellent (Closed June 2024)

http://www.eastgardennewyork.com/

I had the Chicken with Broccoli with white rice, and it was a very large portion. Both the chicken and the broccoli were perfectly, and they do give you a nice amount of chicken. The sauce is flavorful and delicious (See review on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC.wordpress.com as well). It was both lunch and dinner for me.

The Chicken and Broccoli here is excellent.

After lunch, it was across the street to Glaser’s Bakery at 1670 First Avenue for dessert (See reviews on both TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC-Closed in 2018). They make a peach Danish that is out of this world! I swear this is one of the best bakeries in the city! So much for the places with the $10.00 cookies, Glaser’s is the real thing. Every bite of that Danish was like heaven!

Glaser’s Bakery at 1670 First Avenue (Closed in 2018)

https://www.glasersbakeshop.com/

I decided to walk across the park this afternoon to get some real exercise and work off that lunch. The park in the late fall is glorious with the gold and yellow leaves and the cool but still warm breezes. I walked along the reservoir and watched the joggers pass me by. I had more than a few tourists ask to take pictures for them, but it is so much fun to see the park so alive with people and happy to be there. The park is so graceful in its own way and the fact that so much of it is being renovated by the Conservatory shows that people believe in it.

The Central Park Reservoir is amazing in the fall

https://www.centralparknyc.org/locations/reservoir

I love the winding paths and the quietness of the park. Even though these paths have been traveled many times, I felt as if I had seen them for the first time. I had never been to this part of the park before and walking these paths felt like a new adventure. It amazes me that I have been in this park a million times since I was a kid, but I still wonder at the parts of it that I have never seen.

I walked along the back paths of the lake by the low 80’s and ended up walking to West 82nd Street and Central Park West in the mid-afternoon. The trees were still brilliant with colorful leaves as November was still gripping. We had had such a warm fall that many of the trees turned late much to the benefit of those who like to walk around the neighborhood.

The new West Side Kids store at 201 West 84th Street (Closed December 2025)

https://www.westsidekidsnyc.com/

I walked up to 84th Street and Central Park West to resume my walk of the neighborhood. I really like the stores in this neighborhood. They have character. I walked into West Side Kids at 498 Amsterdam Avenue and West 84th Street, to look at the toys and games. It is one of the classic stores of the city and still holds on to the tradition that kids are not all glued to their cellphones. It has a nice array of games and stuffed animals and assorted pocket Knick knacks. It is a place I would have liked to shop at when I was a kid.

West Side Kids at 201 West 84th Street is a fun store

https://www.westsidekidsnyc.com/

John Koch Antiques at 201 West 84th Street (It has now moved to Long Island City and West Side Kids has taken this space) has unique window displays and in the short visit I had there had many wonderful pieces to decorate the office or your home. I liked the sailboats in the window. There was a turn of the last century feel about the place.

John Koch Antiques at 201 West 84th Street (Closed November 2022-Now in Long Island City-Now West Side Kids)

https://www.kochantiques.com/

https://www.facebook.com/johnkochantiques/

Books of Wonder at 217 West 84th Street (See review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com-Closed in 2021) was enjoyable except they were going through a floor move when I was there, and I only got to see the front of the store. It has an excellent selection of classic and contemporary children’s books.

Books of Wonder Book Store at 217 West 84th Street (Closed June 2021)

https://booksofwonder.com/

The beauty of the brownstones of West 84th Street

The unusual entrance of 38 West 84th Street

https://streeteasy.com/building/38-west-85-street-new_york

As you turn the corner onto West 85th Street, take time to admire 101 West 85th Street. The building has the most beautiful architecture and beautiful details and built in the 1880’s. The Red House Apartment building at West 85th Street and West End Avenue near Riverside Drive has unique details to it as well. You really have to stop and look up to admire the design of the building.

151-153 West 85th Street

https://streeteasy.com/building/151-west-85-street-new_york

https://www.landmarkwest.org/building/151-west-85th-street/

The buildings 151-153 were built between 1890-91 by architect John G. Prague in the Queen Anne Style with Romanesque details (Landmark West website).

151 West 85th Street

153 West 85th Street

74 West 74th Street

https://streeteasy.com/building/74-west-85-street-new_york

https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/central-park-west/the-clifton-74-west-85th-street/1689

The Clifton at 74 West 85th Street is a pre-war condominium building in the Upper West Side’s Central Park West neighborhood finished in 1910 (CityRealty.com).

The detail work from the building

72 West 85th Street

https://www.landmarkwest.org/building/72-west-85th-street/

https://streeteasy.com/building/72-west-85-street-new_york

This townhouse was built between 1894-95 in the Romanesque Revival style by architect Adam Fischer

The details

The faces staring back

The faces staring back

I rounded West 85th Street around West 86th Street and then to West 87th Street.

The building was built in 1890 and is called the Brockholst Apartment. It was named after Brockholst Livingston, the former Supreme Court Judge who family estate the building was built on. Look close at the checkerboard stonework and iron work details (Daytonian).

101 West 85th Street; look at the details of the building

The beauty of the entrance of the building

https://streeteasy.com/building/101-west-85-street-new_york

http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-1890-brockholst-apartment-no-101.html

331-337 West 87th Street

The doorway at 331 West 88th Street

The elegant details of 331 West 88th Street

The beauty of the Red House Building at 350 West 84th Street

https://streeteasy.com/building/red-house

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_House_(Manhattan)

https://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2011/08/harde-shorts-1904-red-house-no-350-west.html

The Red House, completed in 1904, is located on 85th Street between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive. The work of the architectural firm of Harde and Short, it is a distinctive six story red brick and white terra cotta building with bold multi-paneled black painted windows, adorned with dripping Gothic screens and a terra cotta salamander & crown cartouche. The center is recessed behind a triple arched entryway. The partnership of Herbert Spencer Harde and R. Thomas Short was formed in 1901 (Streeteasy.com).

When walking up the block and turning onto West 87th Street, take time to admire the foliage at Central Park West. The park is truly beautiful on this part of block. The trees are really ablaze with color.

Central Park in the Fall of 2024

128 West 87th Street

I strolled past the West 87th Street Garden which was open for the first time that I ever walked this neighborhood. Every time I passed the gardens, they were closed to the public but the weekend I revisited in 2024, all the Public Gardens seemed to be open for planting.

West 87th Street Park & Park at 55 West 87th Street

https://www.87thstreetgarden.com/

The West 87th Street Garden in the Fall of 2024

The West 88th Street Gardens with Fall foliage

The Babe Ruth Apartment at 355 West 87th Street

https://streeteasy.com/building/345-west-87-street-new_york

The plaque

George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babe_Ruth

The doorway above 155 West 87th Street

https://streeteasy.com/building/155-west-87-street-new_york

West 88th Street

West 88th Street entrance to this beautiful townhouse

The entrance to 61 West 88th Street

https://streeteasy.com/building/155-west-87-street-new_york

The brownstones along West 88th Street

There were so many beautiful brownstones with such interesting carvings and gardens in the high 80’s and 90’s on the West Side that I could not feature them all but here are many of my new favorites that I passed along the way.

25 West 88th Street

https://lesliegarfield.com/properties/new-york/sale/25-west-88th-street

Designed by architects Thom & Wilson in 1889, 25 West 88th Street is one of the finest renovated single-family townhouses on the Upper West Side. This triple mint home is among the first in Manhattan to receive a national designation as a Platinum Certified LEED Home and Passive Energy Certification (Leslie Garfield.org).

25 West 88th Street

25 West 88th Street The embellishments

34 West 88th Street in its full glory

https://streeteasy.com/building/34-west-88-street-new_york

34 West 88th Street

https://streeteasy.com/property/1520870-34-west-88-street-3

179 West 89th Street-The old Claremont Riding Academy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claremont_Riding_Academy

https://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2010/11/claremont-riding-academy-175-west-89th.html

https://www.landmarkwest.org/building/173-177-west-89th-street-claremont-riding-academy-was-claremont-stables/

175 West 89th Street

175 West 89th Street

The old Claremont Riding Academy was built by architect Frank A. Rooke and was built in Romanesque Revival style in 1892. These were the oldest continuously operated equestrian stable in New York City and the last public stable in Manhattan (Wiki).

When I arrived at P.S. 166 on 132 West 89th Street, the Richard Rodgers School, is the Manhattan School of Art & Technology. I read the plaque that was dedicated in 2003 to the famous composer. The school was built in 1897 and is one of the few terra cotta Gothic designs in the New York Public School system. It is such an honor to a famous composer of musicals such as ‘The Flower Drum Song’ and ‘The King and I’.

The Playground 89 next to P.S. 166 adds a little life to the quiet neighborhood. Even on a slightly warm November day, there were loads of kids running around while their parents relaxed and chatted on the benches surrounding the park. It was nice to see so many families out that afternoon.

PS 166

The front of PS 166

The historic plaque

The Richard Rodger’s plaque

P.S. 166 is one of the few Terra Cotta schools in NYC

https://www.greatschools.org/new-york/new-york/2547-Ps-166-The-Richard-Rogers-School-Of-The-Arts-And-S/

As you round the neighborhood on West 89th Street, I walked into the West Side Community Garden at 123 West 89th and Columbus Avenue. This little gem of a park is located behind an office building and is across from P.S. 166.

Westside Community Garden sign at 123 West 89th Street

Though not in the full bloom that I saw from the pictures posted in the park from the Summer Opera Program, the trees still held on to their golden hue and some of the plants had some greenery to them. It looks like the community really backs and maintains the park. In warmer months, there is a lot of special events here.

West Side Community Garden in the Fall of 2024 when the replanting was taking

2023

In the Spring of 2026, I got to see the whole garden in full bloom. The volunteers take amazing care of the gardens and their well landscaped paths.

The historic sign

The gardens in the Spring

The entrance to the park

The pathway in the garden

The pathway in the park

The pathway near the entrance to the park

Down the street from the school and the parks is Ballet Hispanico at the corner of 167 West 89th and Amsterdam Avenue. Some of the holiday shows had been posted and looked rather interesting. The building was closed the day I was there.

The last part of my journey of the streets of the neighborhood was crossing West 90th Street for a second time and exploring the avenues. I stopped at the St. Gregory’s Playground near the corner of West 90th Street and Columbus Avenue. this little pocket park on the other side of the West Side Community Garden is in dire need of a face lift.

St. Gregory’s Playground 130 West 90th Street

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/st-gregorys-playground

I can see this is something the neighborhood needs as a parent yelled out to me if I was from the NYC Parks Department (I have no clue why I look so important to people when walking around the city. Either I look like a policeman or a city official).

Since my trip back then, the park looks like it has been renovated and these interesting purple flowers have shown up in the Fall of 2024. Very Surreal!

St. Gregory’s Park at 130 90th Street

There is another small park behind the Wise Houses, a small public housing project, in this very quickly gentrifying and updated neighborhood. As I had read online and seen by walking though it (more stares from the residents), the small park has some unique fixtures yet is falling apart when you really look at it. The benches and some of the equipment is in need of repair but I could tell is well used by the residents by the kids running around. Like the St. Gregory playground, it could use a facelift.

The new Wise Park right next to the housing complex has been totally renovated and looks amazing!

https://www.landmarkwest.org/public-art-survey/stephen-wise-towers-playground/

The park has been dedicated to Henry J. Browne, who was a resident of the community

Click to access Wise%20Towers.pdf

The last part of the walk took me back to West End Avenue on West 90th Street and the most elegant row of brownstone homes that lined the avenue. I have noticed on my walk of this neighborhood that the individual homes along the streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue and Riverside Drive and West End Avenue have some of the most unique architecture in the neighborhood.

The beauty of West 90th Street

West 90th Street brownstones that line the street

West 90th Street art on the brownstones

Faces staring at you on West 90th Street

Colorful garden along West 90th Street in early November

The one apartment building that always stood out to me when walking West 90th Street was the Concord Building Apartments. The grace and the detail of the carvings makes you stop and stare at the faces staring back at you.

The Cornwall Building at 255 West 90th Street

https://streeteasy.com/building/255-west-90-street-new_york

https://www.corcoran.com/building/upper-west-side/3065

Built by Neville & Bagge, The Cornwall remains one of the architectural gems of the Upper West Side. Completed in 1910, The Cornwall is a 12 story building with a red-brick façade, three-story limestone base, a number of decorative balconies and impressive Art Nouveau style roofline.
The apartments have fine pre-war details exhibited in gracious layouts, high ceilings, pocket French doors, intricate woodwork, onyx fireplace surrounds and glass transoms (Streeteasy.com)

The beautiful details of The Cornwall Building

The stonework is just amazing

It must have been something when the whole neighborhood must have looked like this but that is progress. In the middle of the neighborhood, the area keeps updating, modernizing and changing. It seems that the neighborhood is morphing into something a little more upscale like its southern neighbors and less like Manhattan Valley to the north. For now, not quite the traditional Upper West Side but still homey and welcoming to people moving in. I enjoyed my afternoons here.

Halloween decorations on West 90th Street

Still more decoration in the post Halloween week

Take the A or C or 1 subway trains to the Upper Upper West Side. The A train will be express from 59th Street to 125th Street.

The West 96th Street subway stop was a constant for me when visiting the Upper West Side and the views are spectacular

Read my other Blogs on the Bloomingdale/Upper West Side neighborhoods:

Day Ninety-Three: Walking the Borders of the Upper Upper West Side:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/6760

Day Ninety-Four: Walking the Avenues of the Upper Upper West Side:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/6842

Day Ninety-Seven: Walking the Streets of the Upper Upper West Side:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/7100

Places to eat:

West Place Chinese Restaurant

1288 Amsterdam Avenue

New York, NY 10027

(212) 932-9390/9376

Open: Sunday 12:00pm-11:00pm/Monday-Saturday 11:00am-12:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d5065901-Reviews-West_Place-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

DiningonShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/591

East Garden Chinese Restaurant (Closed June 2024)

1685 First Avenue

New York, NY

(212) 831-5900

http://www.eastgardenchinese.com

Open: Sunday & Saturday 12:00pm-10:30pm/Monday-Friday 11:30am-10:30pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d12860202-Reviews-East_Garden_Chinese_Restaurant-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/489

Glaser’s Bake Shop (Closed in 2018)

1670 1st Avenue

New York, NY 10128

(212) 289-2562

http://www.glasersbakeshop.com

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d930552-Reviews-Glaser_s_Bake_Shop-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/409

Places to Shop:

West Side Kids

201 West 84th Street (new address)

New York, NY 10024

(212) 496-7282

http://www.westsideskidsnyc.com

https://www.facebook.com/WestSideKids/

Open: Sunday 11:00am-6:00pm/Monday-Thursday 11:00am-7:00pm/Friday-Saturday 10:00am-7:00pm

John Koch Antiques (Closed in 2022 and moved to LIC)

201 West 84th Street

New York, NY 10024

(212) 799-2167

http://www.kochantiques.com

Open: Sunday Closed/Monday & Tuesday 11:00am-5:30pm/Wednesday-Saturday 11:00am-7:00pm

My review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/littleshoponmainstreet.wordpress.com/20

Books of Wonder (Closed in 2021)

217 West 84th Street

New York, NY

(800) 207-6968

http://www.booksofwonder.com

Open: Sunday 11:00am-6:00pm/Monday-Saturday 11:00am-7:00pm

My review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/littleshoponmainstreet.wordpress.com/42

Places to Visit:

West Side Community Garden

123 West 89th Street

(212) 316-5490

http://www.westsidecommunitygarden.org

Open: No hours posted

Ballet Hispanico

167 West 89th Street

New York, NY 10024

(212) 362-6710

http://www.ballethispanico.org

Playground 89

West 89th Street

New York, NY 10024

http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/playground/eighty-nine

Open: Varies with the school

Joan of Arc Park

Riverside Drive Between West 96th-West 91st Streets

New York, NY 10025

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-1:00am

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/joan-of-arc-park

https://riversideparknyc.org/places/joan-of-arc-monument/

Morningside Park

Morningside Drive

New York, NY 10026

(212) 639-9675

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/morningside-park

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morningside_Park_(Manhattan)

My review on TripAdvisor:

Day Ninety-Six: This is Halloween! New York & New Jersey Style! October 31, 2017

November 24, 2017Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, exploring Chelsea, Exploring Greenwich Village, Exploring Hasbrouck Heights NJ, Exploring Historic Bergen County NJ, Exploring Historic Graveyards and Cemeteries, Exploring Historic Towns in New Jersey, Exploring Ho Ho Kus, NJ, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New Jersey, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the State of New Jersey, Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department, Historic Cemeteries and Graveyards in New Jersey, Historic New Jersey Towns and Neighborhoods, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Historical Towns of New Jersey, My life as a Fireman Justin Watrel, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan at the Halloween Holidays, MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Smile! Your Visiting New Jersey!, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New Jersey, Walking around Manhattan, Walking Downtown Hasbrouck HeightsAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, At the Halloween Parade, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver.com, diningonashoestringinnyc, Exploring Halloween, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring NYC at Halloween, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Halloween in Manhattan, Halloween in New York City, Halloween in the Park Hasbrouck Heights, Halloween Night, Halloween Parade, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, littleshoponmainstreet.com, Love Triangles, MywalkinManhattan.com, Picture by Joseph Laine, Village Halloween Parade, VisitingaMuseum, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

Halloween again?! I can’t believe how fast this year has gone. Ever since July 4th, it has just accelerated again. I have never seen time fly so fast. Every year the same thing, once the July 4th weekend is over, you blink your eye and there is Christmas again.

I have never been a great fan of Halloween when growing up. I must have been the only kid who hated trick or treating (like begging) and dressing up for elementary school parades (I thought that they were stupid and a waste of time).

It was not until I became an adult and got to celebrate in non-conventional terms that it became fun for me. I always liked the occult side of it and look at it from the way the early Celts did with a ceremonial celebration. This is why I participated in more unusual events.

In researching many of our historical sites and museums in Bergen County, New Jersey where I live, I came across many events that the museums were sponsoring leading up to Halloween. I was impressed by the uniqueness of the events and the response to them. I was lucky to get in because everything sold out so quickly. All of these events lead to the big one, the Halloween parade Halloween night.

Woodland Park in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ at night

Halloween starts for me in Hasbrouck Heights with the town’s Annual Halloween in the Park, an event that takes place each fall in Woodland Park in Hasbrouck Heights. First thing to note that since developers have built new condos on the parks edges, it has taken some of the allure from the park. You can see the lights and people moving around.

We ‘stand by’ with the fire department for lights for the event and emergency calls when we have to leave. Still it is a lot of fun watching everyone get on the hayrides and start screaming in the distance. We watch from the equipment while eating a pizza dinner which we share with our Ambulance Squad who is on hand incase someone gets hurt. The last ride of the night, we get to go on when everyone else has left.

Patrons waiting at the Pavillion

The fireplace roaring at the event

Ghouls waiting for you

The park decorated for Halloween

The DPW takes families around the park in hayride fashion with bales of hay in the trailers and everyone on the trailer is chased and harassed by various ghosts, ghouls and witches. You spend most of the evening being chased with someone with a knife or chainsaw.

The start of the haunted hayride

Video of Halloween in the park

Ghouls and creatures of the night chasing everyone

This popular event is always sold out and residents get such a kick out of it. I of course was working that night and got there in time for the last two rides and people were still screaming at 9:30pm.

Halloween in the Park in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ in Woodland Park

I started the next part of the Halloween celebration at The Schoolhouse Museum (see VisitingaMuseum@wordpress.com for more details and review on TripAdvisor) 650 East Glen Avenue in Ridgewood, New Jersey for the Annual Cemetery Walk on October 20th. Usually I am not keen on walking around cemeteries at night but this was a unique fundraiser for the museum.

In fact, for a small museum there was a sold out attendance with more people wanting to go on the tour. The museum ran the walk around the cemetery for only one night and all the walks were packed with families with a surprising number of small children who seemed to love the idea of walking around tombstones.

My tour was the last one of the evening and it was already getting dark by 6:00pm and I was on the 7:00pm tour. The staff at The Schoolhouse Museum could not have been nicer and the volunteers both there and at the cemetery could have been more engaging with the crowds. We started our tour with a ghostly talk in front of the museum by Ridgewood Historian, Joseph Suplicki, who gave a quick tour on the well-known residents of Ridgewood who were buried in the cemetery.

We proceeded as a group (which had ballooned from 20 people to 36 people as more people showed up then there were places so they came on our tour) walked in the dark across the street to the Valleau Cemetery, which is between East Glen Avenue and Franklin Turnpike, one of the original Colonial roads in Ridgewood. We all thought we would be walking in the Dutch Reformed Church cemetery next to the museum but they later told us that there were insurance problems with doing that.

Off our troop trekked across the street to a lantern flank paths through the cemetery to well-known residents of Ridgewood’s burial sites. It was interesting as many of the local residents who were business people that schools and buildings were named after were pointed out. What the interesting twist was to it was they had students and members portray the person buried there and did a bio on the person and their contribution to the town.

The Cemetery Tour of Valleau Cemetery in Ridgewood, NJ

The cemetery is less scary when it is light out

I have to say that I give many of the actors credit for playing the roles they did because that meant staying by the grave site until the event ended and that meant being along for about twenty to thirty minutes by a tombstone. I would have thought it was creepy. Our group followed the lanterns on the paths deeper into the cemetery to hear all sorts of stories.

We visited the graves of various movers and shakers in the town of Ridgewood over the last hundred or so years including many who had streets and schools named after them. The most interesting actor was the lady who portrayed Mary Elizabeth Rosencrantz, who was the last owner of The Hermitage (The Hermitage Museum that is located up Franklin Turnpike from the cemetery), who was left penniless in the end while the house crumbled around her in the 1970’s.

The actor told the story of her prominent family and the demise of the family fortune. Having visited The Hermitage in the past, it made it more interesting to see where she was buried.

The tour of the cemetery ended in front of The Schoolhouse Museum where we joined the staff for ghost stories and fresh apple cider and apple cider doughnuts that had been donated by Demarest Farms in Hillsdale (See TripAdvisor review). That was the best and people so happy for snack after the tour.

The School House Museum in Ridgewood, NJ

Home Page: 2023-2024 Exhibit

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46772-d10353516-Reviews-Schoolhouse_Museum-Ridgewood_New_Jersey.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

The Schoolhouse Museum-Ridgewood Historical Society 650 Glen Avenue Ridgewood, NJ 07450

This interesting and engaging tour is offered by The Schoolhouse Museum in the middle of October and should not be missed. For the $10.00 donation for the tour, it is well worth the visit. On the weekends, check out their current exhibitors. The museum mounts wonderful shows. The museum is open on Thursdays and Saturdays from 1:00pm to 3:00pm and Sundays from 2:00pm-4:00pm.

Another interesting Halloween event I attended was The Hermitage House Museum’s Annual Midnight Tour and Séance on October 30th. The Hermitage House Museum at 335 North Franklin Turnpike in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ is featured on my blog, ‘VisitingaMuseum@wordpress.com’ and I have visited the museum several times during the year (See review on TripAdvisor). The house was the home of Theodosia Prevost and her second husband, Aaron Burr, when they married in 1782.

The Hermitage Mansion at Halloween (preparing for Christmas)

Events

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46514-d10356697-Reviews-The_Hermitage-Ho_Ho_Kus_New_Jersey.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

The Hermitage Museum 335 North Franklin Avenue Turnpike Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ 07423

The evening featured a 10:00am ‘ghost tour’ of the house and a séance at midnight to start Halloween day. Frankly, I thought the thing was over-hyped. I have toured the house twice and have never seen or felt anything but hospitality in the house.

I arrived at The Hermitage House Museum at 10:00pm on the dot after I gave my Midterm to my class (I am currently teaching business students at Bergen Community College), so I was already tired. Listening to someone including the tour guide, who was a medium, talk about a house being haunted made me a little skeptical since the price for the event was $50.00.

Taking a night tour in a creepy old house was interesting and the Hermitage is steeped in so much history that I seriously suggest taking the tour in daylight and enjoy the grounds. The families that have lived here bring so much to the story of the house. The original owner of the house had invited General George Washington to stay at the house in response to the fact that her husband was fighting on the side of the British and she did not want to loose her home. Marrying Aaron Burr helped as well.

The next family that owned the house expanded it and lived in it for almost a 100 years. It became the modern New Jersey version of ‘Grey Gardens’, when the last owner ran out of money to run the house and the whole place overgrew. She ended up sick and when she died she left the house to the State of New Jersey.

With a history like that, you would think that you really might see something. All I saw was an over-weight bullshit artist who worked everyone up. I admit I would not like to spend a night alone in an old house like this but he got everyone so worked up that I believe that people thought they were seeing things. It got to the point where he kept asking everyone if they felt a cold spot or did they see a shadow. The house was old and drafty, that’s it. I got a kick out of one women saying she saw a rocking chair moving by itself and then another women walk by it and the loose floor board moving it. She looked embarrassed.

The worst was when we entered the parlor where Mary Rosencrantz, the last owner of the house, along with her sister and aunt used to serve tea during the 20’s to raise money to keep the house up. We all sat around the room in a semi-circle trying to communicate with the dead. All he did was rattle off a bunch of names and types of people he felt might be in the room. He was called out when he said someone named “Rose” was trying to reach him and then asked us did anyone know a ‘Rose’. When one guy said he did and it was the name of his 93 year old grandmother, the medium practically swooned and asked when she died. He answered that she was alive and living down the street from him. That almost crushed the medium.

For the price of the event and the time of night it is at my suggestion to anyone wanting to visit The Hermitage Museum is to visit it during the day and take a formal tour with a docent for $7.00 and enjoy the house for its history and beauty.

The highlight of Halloween for me is volunteering for the Halloween Parade in NYC. That is a lot of fun and its a comradery builder working with all the other volunteers. This was fourth year working on the parade and I am assigned working the gate where all the volunteers and performers walk through to check in. I have never seen so many people try to bullshit their way into the parade. They just want to see the parade from our route. I have to turn angry people away every year and do they get nasty. Is it my fault there is a major parade going on and you can’t get to a party three blocks away?

People walking up Sixth Avenue the night of the parade

The Halloween Parade took even a weirder twist when we had a terrorist attack just a few blocks from the parade route. Some guy took a truck and ran down joggers and bikers on the park path a few blocks from the World Trade Center site. I was shocked when one of the guys from the FDNY pulled me aside at 5:30pm to tell me. Even though it had happened a few blocks from the parade nothing beats down a New Yorker. They show resilience and the parade continued as if nothing happened. Like myself, if no one had said anything I would not have known.

The Halloween Parade marching up Sixth Avenue

The parade route was mobbed with people and I have to say that the costumes are getting more creative every year especially this year. There were a lot of ‘Dump Trump’ signs all over the parade route including many people dressed like the President doing all sorts of strange things. (I have to admit I may not agree with all the things he says but he is still our President and should be respected.)

There were all sorts of political undertones to the parade as there always are such as the Gun Lobbying Zombie’s, The ‘Dump Trump’ characters, all the LGBT groups fighting over the problems they are having in the military and comments over the immigration policies. I have not seen this much political rhetoric since the ‘I am peach Bush’ costumes that I saw about nine years ago. People were saying their piece this year.

Looking up Sixth Avenue the night of the Parade

I have also seen a bump in foreign tourists as they kept asking where things were located and did not know where Canal Street was located. Some said they came to New York City just to see the parade. I was floored by how many families brought their children all the way to the U.S. to see the parade. It was an exciting site to see all the bands, unusual costumes and towering puppets. There were skeletons and serpents on the parade route. The puppet makers go above and beyond when it comes time for the parade. The dancing Pumpkin people were new to the parade added that air of creativity to the event.

I usually end up watching the full parade on YouTube but I get to see the parade from the ground up. By working the gate, I get to see all the people in costume coming into the route. Ever since the 20th Anniversary of the ‘Thriller’ album, the ‘Thriller’ dance routine has gotten bigger and I swear they get so into it. We have dancing zombies all over the place. I see so many bands going through the gate and everyone comes in at once. I swear the three of us saw so much that night.

The Thriller Dance:

So here is my Halloween experience this year. Full of ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night. BOO!

Happy Halloween!

(For those of you who are reading this and want to be in the parade next year, please go to Canal Street to line up. Don’t come to the gate and drive us crazy. We are busy enough.) Use the Number 6 subway to get to the parade route.

The Halloween Parade 2017

The Halloween Events:

Halloween in the Park

Every second week of October in Hasbrouck Heights NJ

Check out the Hasbrouck Heights Recreation Department Website

Old Schoolhouse Museum

650 East Glen Avenue

Ridgewood, NJ 07650

RidgewoodHistoricalSociety@verizion.net

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46772-d10353516-Reviews-Schoolhouse_Museum-Ridgewood_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/1528

The Hermitage Museum

335 North Franklin Turnpike

Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ 07423

http://www.thehermitage.org

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46514-d10356697-Reviews-The_Hermitage-Ho_Ho_Kus_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/1566

The Halloween Parade is every October 31st in New York City lining Sixth Avenue

(The picture is of the three of us working the gate. Mark Schuyler and I are twelve cousins once removed by the marriage of Mark’s GGG Grandfather to my GGG Grandmother, who was a member of the Beekman family by my Step-Grandmother. We like to kid around a lot about it.)

The Halloween Parade 2017:

Day Ninety-Five: Exploring Roosevelt Island from one end of the island to the other October 21st, 2017 (revisited August 26th, 2022 and August 2nd, 2023)

October 26, 2017Dedication to Warren Watrel, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring Murray Hill, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring Roosevelt Island NYC, Exploring Sutton Place/Beekman Place, Exploring Sutton Place/Beekman Place in Manhattan, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Rim of the Island of Manhattan, Exploring The Upper East Side of Manhattan, Gourmet restaurants for the budget minded, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan Experiences, The Great Saunter Walk-The Entire Manhattan, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Walking around ManhattanAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver, DiningonaShoeString@Wordpress.com, diningonashoestringinnyc, Dorrian's Restaurant, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring Roosevelt Island, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom Park, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, Lighthouse Park Roosevelt Island, littleshoponmainstreet.com, LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com, MywalkinManhattan.com, Piccolo Trattoria, Roosevelt Island, Roosevelt Island Tram, Tom Otterness artist, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Around Manhattan, Walking around Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Walking on Roosevelt Island, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

I took a walking tour of Roosevelt Island with the American Museum of Natural History today. The island is located right off the Upper East Side and is one of the many islands in the New York County area. Roosevelt Island has had its share of problems living there in the past.

Many articles had been written about the island in the 80’s with lack of good housing, lack of stores, the tram not working and not much to do on the island. This has changed like the rest of the city in the last 40 years. There has been so much development and new housing plus on top of the tram, you do have a subway stop in a renovated station. The nice part about the tram is that you can use your subway card to ride it and what a view!

I took the F Train over that morning to meet the rest of the group. I toured with the same tour guide who led us through Inwood two years ago. Unfortunately, his get up and go is not there much these days and he looked like he packed on about 25 pounds since the last tour. Still, we took a geological tour of the island, so I got to see the island in its developed stages as well as the modern stage.

Roosevelt Island Tram from the Manhattan side

In 2022, it had been five years since I visited Roosevelt Island and there had been changes in construction, businesses being opened and closed since the pandemic and there was now a sense of optimism on the island since visitors were able to return. I did see a lot of tourists on the island which I would have ever thought they would be interested in coming here.

Tramway Park where you pick up the tram to Roosevelt Island at East 59th Street and Second Avenue.

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/tramway-plaza

Tramway Park Spring 2026

Tramway Park in the Spring

I took the tram over to the island in 2022, which was an experience as it began to rain. The clouds opened up a couple of times while I was touring the island but luckily there are a lot of indoor things to do on the island. I have to say it is quite the view at any time of the year. Looking over the Upper East Side and Sutton Place from the air is very interesting and gives you a different perspective of the Manhattan.

Arriving at Roosevelt Island offers great views.

Video of the Ride over to Roosevelt Island form the Upper East Side:

IMG_7152 (2)Download

Walking around Roosevelt Island only takes about an hour (or two if you want to just relax and take your time). We started our tour outside the Roosevelt Island Historical Society Center Kiosk on West Road. Here we met the head of the Historical Society and were invited to visit later on after the tour.

On my tour of the island in 2022, I stopped back at the kiosk to talk to the guides and bought a map of the island ($1.00) which I recommend as it is a good guide and a great souvenir. It shows you the location of everything on the island and things you might miss.

The Roosevelt Island Visitor Center

The history of Roosevelt Island is interesting. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Island was originally called Minnahannock by the Native Americans and Varkins Island by the Dutch settlers. The island was acquired by the Blackwell family in the late 1600’s, who renamed the land Blackwell Island. The Blackwell’s lived on and farmed it before selling it to the City of New York in 1828 for $30,000 (Wiki/Roosevelt Island Historical Society).

Roosevelt Island in the beginning

In the 19th century, the island was used by the City for institutional facilities, including the Workhouse Penitentiary, Lunatic Asylum, City Hospital and City Home and given the name Welfare Island in 1921. The island was for residents that were out of site out of mind. These institutions gradually being relocated to areas more easily accessible to public transportation.

Roosevelt Island in the middle of the East River

https://www.nycgo.com/boroughs-neighborhoods/manhattan/roosevelt-island

In 1969, this two-mile island was lease to the State of New York for 99 years. Under New York State’s Urban Development Corporation, Welfare Island became a beacon for the affordable housing movement within the city. Construction of the island community was completed in 1975 with four housing developments. In 1973, the island was renamed Franklin Delano Roosevelt Island (Wiki).

Today, Roosevelt Island has a small town feel with approximately 20 buildings and 14,000 residents. The island is home to six landmarked structures and proudly houses Four Freedoms Park, one of the original visions for the island (Judith Berdy, President Roosevelt Island Visitor Center).

The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd at 543 Main Street

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapel_of_the_Good_Shepherd_(Roosevelt_Island)

Designed by the prominent architect Frederick Clarke Withers, the chapel was begun in June, 1888 and completed the following year. It was the gift of New York banker George N. Bliss to the New York Protestant Episcopal Mission Society and was intended for use by the inmates of the Almshouse (Roosevelt Island Historical Society). It now serves as a community center and housing.

Our first part of the tour was visiting the new Cornell Tech campus on the southern part of the island. This new complex of four buildings is the wave of our university’s urban campus to soon be joined by a new hotel and another tech building (both opened and operating in 2022). The area has been replanted and a new lawn and gardens has been built on a waste deposit site. It’s hard to believe that it is built on a trash mound.

The entrance to the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island.

The tour guide explained that this is all reclaimed land. The campus is beautifully set on the island and is located right near the tram and subway station. I got to tour the Bloomberg Building and walk through their new restaurant.

Cornell Tech Campus: Go Red!

https://www.tech.cornell.edu/

In 2022, I stopped at the Café at Cornell Tech for a snack. It had been so hot outside that I went in for a cool drink. I ended up buying some of the college’s homemade ice cream from the Agriculture School that is made fresh on campus. The Mango Sorbet ($3.00 for a half pint) really cooled me down and I was ready to go again (See review on TripAdvisor).

Just outside the Cornell campus, I noticed another interesting statue entitled “The Blue Dragon”, a whimsical statue that was designed in an interesting form. It was created by artists Ulla and Gustav Kraitz. The work was meant to be engaged by children to climb on.

The Blue Dragon

https://rooseveltislander.blogspot.com/2016/04/roosevelt-island-blue-dragon-childrens.html

Artists Ulla and Gustav Kraitz (Wiki)

https://www.hostlerburrows.com/collection-all/gustav-and-ulla-kraitz

Ulla and Gustav Kraitz are Swedish born artists. Gustav Kraitz graduated from the State Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest. Ulla Kraitz was educated at the College of Arts in Sweden. The two met when Mr. Kraitz moved to Stockholm in 1960. They are known for their stylized sculptures of animals and fruits in lustrous and vivid colors (Artist bio).

Past the Cornell campus is South Point Park and the Smallpox Hospital, which is currently laying in ruins. The city is now refurbishing the building, but it will never be reopened as a fire did damage to all of the building. It was behind scaffolding and was not much to look at except for the architecture itself.

The Smallpox Hospital is a Gothic Revival structure designed by American architect James Renwich Jr. and opened to the public on December 18, 1856. It was the first hospital in the country dedicated to treating smallpox, a highly contagious and deadly viral disease.

Smallpox Hospital

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox_Hospital

The original footprint of the Smallpox Hospital was the rectangle central bay, which measured roughly 100 feet by 40 feet and was three stories in height. The building was constructed of granite quarried on the island and was built by prison labor. In 1875, the hospital was renamed Riverside Hospital and in 1886, the building was converted to a nursing school called the Home for the Nurses of the Maternity and Charity Hospital Training School. The northern and southern wings were completed in the early 1900’s in order to provide additional space for classrooms, laboratories and dormitories.

In the 1950’s, the nursing school closed, and the building was abandoned. It was stripped of floors, windows and stairwells. The Gothic ruin has been emptied ever since. What exists today is largely its shell (Roosevelt Island Historical Society at http://www.TheRuin.org).

After the picture taking at the hospital, it was on to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park. It is amazing park located at the southern tip of Roosevelt Island with the most fantastic views of the City. On this clear sunny day, I could see all the way downtown. It was nice to just sit on the steps and just look out on this sunny day.

This is where the tour ended with our guide. I swear the guy looked exhausted and we had only walked the southern part of the island. Our group went on their way while I decided to see the rest of the park and walk the entire island. I started with walking the park.

The Hope Memorial sign

I admired the FDR Hope Memorial in which the statue of the President reaches to a young girl with a disability herself. The statue offers encouragement to those with a disability and the power to persevere.

http://www.fdrhopememorial.org/

FDR faces the young girl

the young girl facing FDR

The statue was designed by artist and sculptor Meredith Bergmann, who herself was inspired by the photos and stories of the President (FDR Hope Memorial).

Artist Meredith Bergmann (Cooper Union Alumni Picture)

https://meredithbergmann.com/

Ms. Bergmann is an American born artist with BFA from The Cooper Union School of Art and attended Parsons School of Design and Wesleyan University. Her public works explore history, social justice, human rights and disabilities (Author’s bio).

Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Points Freedom Park is the first memorial dedicated to the president in his home state of New York. Located at the southern tip of Roosevelt Island in New York City. It is the last work of Louis I. Kahn, an iconic architect of the 20th century.

FDR Four Freedoms Park

The memorial, which opened to the public in October 2012, celebrates the four freedoms, as pronounced in President Roosevelt’s famous January 6, 1941, State of the Union address: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park

Homepage

(Park’s Mission: As a steward of this civic space, Four Freedoms Park Conservancy advances President Roosevelt’s legacy and inspires, educates and engages the public in the ideals of the four freedoms.

The bust of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

The Conservancy does this by:

*Safeguarding the memorial as a space for inspired use.

*Fostering community and understanding.

*Igniting conversation about human rights and freedoms today.

The park is built on land filling from on-island demolition and this extended the island on the southern part.

(New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Society).

The sign right in the middle of the park.

From the park, I walked the path around the exterior of the entire island taking in the view of the coast of Queens. The shoreline of Queens is slowly changing too. New apartment buildings are going up in Astoria and Long Island City not to mention the coastline of Brooklyn as well. Much of this is built around parks that line the East River. This is not our parent’s outer borough.

The Long Island City shoreline

The pathway around the island had its twists and turns around the many parks and housing complexes. Some of these you could tell were built back in the 80’s and were the housing developments that were bitched about in New York Magazine so many years ago. Now these apartments have become desirable and have been spruced up. They are surrounded with newer, modern buildings that are attracting new younger residents.

The pathway with its breezy views attracts the island joggers and fisherman. It turned out to be an 81-degree day and everyone was out enjoying the unseasonable warm weather. The leaves were just starting to change colors so there was a new view in the parks on the island and in the parks across the river.

The east part of the pathway on the island took me to Lighthouse Park on the northern tip of the island. This was the park I had seen a few weeks earlier when visiting Carl Schulz Park by Gracie Mansion. The lighthouse was built in 1872 by inmates from the penitentiary with stones from the island and it was designed by the architect who designed the Smallpox Hospital.

Lighthouse Park Roosevelt Island at 910 Main Street

https://rioc.ny.gov/179/The-Lighthouse

https://www.tclf.org/landscapes/lighthouse-park

The lighthouse was built to guide ships through the treacherous waters of the East River and Hellgate. Now decommissioned, the park is a perfect place for picture taking and for picnicking. It has the nicest views of the Upper East Side and Randall’s-Wards Island to the north. It really is a nice place to take pictures or just relax, sit and enjoy the breezes. It was funny to now see the people from across the river. They seemed so much smaller.

Next to the lighthouse is a monument of faces dedicated to Nellie Bly and to women who have faced hardship entitled “The Girl Puzzle”. The sculpture was dedicated to journalist Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, pen name Nellie Bly, who wrote about the abuses in the mental asylum on what was known as Mental Island at the time. She wrote the full report “Ten Days in the Mad House” on the abuses of patients.

“Girl Puzzle” by artist Amanda Matthews (Artist Bio)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Girl_Puzzle

https://www.thegirlpuzzle.com/

Artist Amanda Matthews (Artist Bio)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Matthews

https://www.prometheusart.com/

The piece was created by American born artist Amanda Matthews. Ms. Matthews graduated with a BA in Studio Art from the University of Louisville and had studied abroad in Europe. She is known for her work that honors women and celebrates diversity and inclusion (Wiki).

The history sign on Nellie Bly

Each sculpture is a interpretation on Nellie Bly. It really is an interesting sculpture.

The Girl Puzzle One:

The Girl Puzzle Two:

The Girl Puzzle Three:

The Girl Puzzle Four:

The Girl Puzzle Five:

The northern part of the island is dominated by the Coler Rehabilitation Center and many of the patients were out and about on the pathways with their families enjoying the warm weather. Be careful when walking the western part of the island as you could be nipped by a passing wheelchair.

Passing the hospital is the Octagon Apartments. The front of the building is the original Octagon building that was part of the Lunatic Asylum was built in 1834 and designed by architect Alexander Jackson Davis.

The Octagon Apartments at 888 Main Street

https://octagonnyc.com/

https://streeteasy.com/building/the-octagon

This is where Nellie Bly wrote “Ten Days in a Nuthouse”, a famous piece describing the conditions in the building. Now it is a luxury eco-friendly apartment building. The parks next door to it have the nicest playground and a fantastic view of the Upper East Side.

Author Nellie Bly of “Ten Days in a Nuthouse”

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/nellie-bly

Other newer apartment buildings line this part of the island of which have views anyone would envy. If you are going to live in New York City and want a view, this is the place to go. I passed by the Roosevelt Island Garden Club garden but it was closed that afternoon.

The Roosevelt Island Garden Club at the end of Main Street

https://www.rigarden.org/

As I was leaving the area, I came across a tiny statue of a woman entitled “Sabrina” right behind the Octagon apartment building. This is a bronze recasting of artist William Calder Marshall’s 1845 statue that has been part of the Amherst College tradition of pranking over the last hundred years.

The Statue of Sabrina

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Sabrina

Artist William Calder Marshall

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Calder_Marshall

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/artists/william-calder-marshall

Mr. Marshall was educated at the University of Edinburgh and was known for as a prolific sculpture of poetic subjects and many public commemorative works (National Galleries.org).

The nicest part of the walk was the water sculptures by American and Kansas born artist Tom Otterness entitled “The Management of Money & Real Estate”, which are two cute looking sculptures that depict the combination of money and real estate and how they affect one another. You could see this when each one of the sculptures were dunked in the water. You have to take time out and really look at these. It is really reflective of an island where mixed income seems to work. You also notice the irony when you look to Manhattan with its gleaming towers and then you look towards Queens with the public housing projects next to newer apartment buildings.

Tom Otterness, the Artist

http://www.artnet.com/artists/tom-otterness/

http://www.tomotterness.net/artworks

Mr. Otterness came to New York City in 1970 to study in the Arts Student League and the Whitney Museum. He is considered one of the best public sculptors in the Art world (Artist Bio and Google.com).

Tom Otterness “The Management of Money & Real Estate”

The happy couple

Money lost to Real Estate

Real Estate lost to Money

As I rounded the Promenade in 2017, I had to stop for some lunch. There are not too many restaurants on the island but the ones who are there look pretty good. I ate at Piccolo Trattoria at 455 Main Street (See review on TripAdvisor) for a slice of pizza. This is the only place to get a slice of pizza on the island.

Piccolo Trattoria at 455 Main Street

https://www.menuism.com/restaurants/piccolo-trattoria-new-york-877623

The best part is the restaurant is really good. I had a slice of their Sicilian pizza ($2.50), which had just come out of the oven. It was really good. Their sauce is excellent, and one slice is enough to fill you up. There service is friendly as well. I needed it as I was ready to walk the interior of the island. The second time I came here in 2023, the pizza did not taste the same. I think they have new owners.

The Sicilian pizza here can be hit or miss

In 2022, I was in the mood for something different and had wanted to try the Chinese restaurant on the island, but it only accepted cash. So, I tried the new Zhongzhong Noodles at 568 Main Street. I had the most amazing meal there. The noodles and the Soup Dumpling that I ordered were made fresh on premise for me and you could taste the quality in every bite (See my review on TripAdvisor).

The Za Jiang Noodles were made with a minced pork and fresh vegetables in a sauce that when mixed together had the most complex and delicious taste. The Soup Dumplings were juicy and tasted wonderful in the soy dipping sauce.

Zhongzhong Noodles at 568 Main Street

The Soup Dumplings were excellent

https://www.zhongzhong.us/

The beautiful gardens by the Blackwell House in Downtown Roosevelt Island.

After lunch, I walked in interior of the island and walked both side of the main street. There are some interesting restaurants, historical sites, a brand-new school and the original Blackwell family house that was built in 1796 and sold in 1823.

The Blackwell House at 500 Main Street

https://rioc.ny.gov/176/Blackwell-House

Blackwell House

It was closed in 2017 when I visited the island for much needed renovations but had finally reopened in 2022. The only problem was there was not much to tour once you were inside the house. It had been given a renovation but not a historical restoration, so the interior looked like a modern-day McMansion.

The very modern looking Living Room in the Blackwell Home

The tour guide explained to me that the house had been gutted and renovated and the only thing left of the original home was the stone foundation which he opened the basement door to show me. These had been quarried locally and had historic significance. That and there were some historical pictures around the house including one of Captain Blackwell of Revolutionary War fame who built the house but not much else that looked historic. I think they need a curator to come in and add some historic touches to the home. It looks really nice, but it loses its historic distinction.

The historical pictures of Roosevelt Island

General Blackwell’s portrait is the only historical item in the house

By the Motorgate building, there was a Farmer’s Market going on that afternoon. In 2017, I was able to walk around and see all the different vendors.

It seems to be a great place to raise children. The public-school PS/IS 217 looks like the type of school where the parents really support it. There are some interesting programs going on at the school and an active PTA. There is also an active theater down the road and a new library. There is a lot to do for a small neighborhood.

The Roosevelt Island Main Street

The gardens in the middle of the downtown area.

The tour of the island has a lot to do and see. There is a nice mix of historical buildings and brand-new architecture that blends together. Everything mixes well and has created a very livable and vibrant neighborhood. There is a lot to do and I am not sure if the rest of Manhattan knows what they are missing.

I left the island on the Tram and the nice part is I did not need to use a special ticket. It was part of my subway card and all I needed to do is swipe the card and I was on my way.

Roosevelt Island Tramway views

http://rioc.ny.gov/302/Tram

What a view! I do not care how touristy anything is the view from the Tram on a clear sunny day is the best. You can see all the way up the island and you really see the beauty of the island of Manhattan. To see all the buildings and parks and the river I think of the people who see this view in pictures and never get to experience this and I am right here seeing it. If anything, you have to take the Tram once. Being crowded in is well worth it.

The views from Roosevelt Island are amazing!

The Roosevelt Island Tram from the ground

Dinner in 2017 was at Dorrian’s Red Hand Restaurant on 1616 Second Avenue at 84th Street (See review on TripAdvisor), which I had mentioned before when walking through Yorkville. It is old-fashioned bar founded in 1960 and is a true Upper East Side ‘preppie’ bar. Everyone was pretty dressed up and the games were on.

Dorrian’s Red Hat at 1616 Second Avenue

https://www.dorrians-nyc.com/

Dorrian’s current menu in the Summer of 2024 (the UES Burger is no longer on the menu)

I ended up staying to watch the Michigan State versus Indiana game. I swear I had to calm down because it was a nail biter and I had to deal with rugby players constantly blocking the TV. That last minute touchdown really helped (that and the fact that Cornell beat Brown at Homecoming was nice). Michigan State won our Homecoming Game!

The food here is excellent. You have to try their UES Burger, which was a version of a ‘breakfast’ burger with bacon, artisan cheddar and a fried egg. The combination really worked, and it had a salty savory flavor to it. The French Fries were perfectly cooked with lots of salt. Everything just worked. The place was packed with Syracuse fans watching their game, so I was the only green and white in a sea of orange and blue. These games got close. I ended the win with a piece of warmed apple pie which hit the spot.

The hamburgers here are excellent

Back on the Q subway at 96th Street again to go home but on a warm night it was nice to walk around Second Avenue and look at everyone else eating outside and enjoying the warm evening. It was a great day in New York and my first trip to Roosevelt Island.

Go Green & Go Red!

Transportation to Roosevelt Island:

Take the tram (Cost of a subway ride with pass) between 59th and 60th Streets on Second Avenue in Manhattan or the F subway line.

Tram:

Monday-Friday (Rush Hours): 7:00am-10:00am; 3:00pm-8:00pm

Friday-Saturday: 6:00am-3:30am

Sunday-Thursday: 6:00am-2:00am

Hours do change so please call. The subway runs all day with hours changing depending on the time of day.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d548557-Reviews-The_Roosevelt_Island_Tramway-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Things to do and see on Roosevelt Island:

Artist Tom Otterness sculptures “The Management of Money & Real Estate”

http://www.tomostudio.com/

http://www.tomotterness.net/artworks

Roosevelt Island Historical Society Visitor Center Kiosk

285 Main Street, Tram Park

Roosevelt Island, NY 10044

Open: Sunday 12:00pm-5:00pm/Monday-Wednesday Closed/Thursday-Saturday 12:00pm-5:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d7362339-Reviews-Roosevelt_Island_Historical_Society_Visitor_Center_Kiosk-New_York_City_New_York.html

The Lighthouse in Lighthouse Plaza

910 Main Street

New York, NY 10044

(212) 832-4540

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-9:00pm

https://rioc.ny.gov/179/The-Lighthouse

https://www.nycgo.com/attractions/roosevelt-island-lighthouse-park

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g28953-d18218968-Reviews-Blackwell_Island_Lighthouse-New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/1905

The Octagon (part of a housing complex now) in the middle part of the Island

The Chapel of the Good Shepard in the middle part of the Island

The Strecker Laboratory on the southern part of the island

The Smallpox Hospital on the southern part of the Island

Blackwell House

500 Main Street

New York, NY 10044

(212) 832-4540

https://rioc.ny.gov/176/Blackwell-House

Blackwell House

Open: Sunday 11:00am-2:00pm/3:00pm-5:00pm/Monday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday-Saturday 11:00am-2:00pm/3:00pm-5:00pm

Free: Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d24938743-r856994489-Blackwell_House-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/8693

Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom Park

1 FDR Four Freedoms Park

Roosevelt Island, NY 10044

(212) 204-8831

Open: Sunday-Saturday 9:00am-7:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d3595273-Reviews-Franklin_D_Roosevelt_Four_Freedoms_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/1724

Places to eat:

Piccolo Trattoria

455 Main Street

Roosevelt Island, NY 10044

Phone: (212) 753-2300

Fax: (212) 753-2330

http://www.picollotrattoria.com

Open: Sunday-Saturday 11:00am-10:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d15171396-Reviews-Piccolo_Trattoria-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Zhongzhong Noodles

568 Main Street

Roosevelt Island, NY 10044

(646) 870-0005

https://www.zhongzhong.us/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 11:00am-8:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60763-d24938749-r856995400-Zhongzhong_Noodles-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The Cafe at Cornell Tech

2 West Loop Road

Roosevelt Island, NY 10044

https://thecafe.tech.cornell.edu/

Open: Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm/Monday-Friday 8:00am-7:00pm/Saturday 11:00am-5:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d12950906-Reviews-The_Cafe_at_Cornell_Tech-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

On the Manhattan side:

Dorrian’s Red Hand Restaurant

1616 Second Avenue at 84th Street

New York, NY 10028

Phone: (212) 772-6660

http://www.dorrians-nyc.com

Open: Sunday-Saturday 11:00am-3:30am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d5021112-Reviews-Dorrians_Red_Hand_Restaurant-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Day Ninety-Four: Walking the Avenues of The Upper Upper West Side (the Bloomingdale District) from Columbus Avenue to West End Avenue from 96th Street to 84th Street October 18th, 2017 (Again July 28th, 2026)

October 25, 2017Bakeries for the budget minded, Chinese Restaurants for the budget minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring Manhattan Valley/Bloomingdale/Upper West Side, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring New York City Parks, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Entire Length of the Island of Manhattan/Broadway Walk, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Rim of the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Interesting Pizzerias in Manhattan, Little Shop on Main Street in New York City (LittleShoponMainStreet), My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Pizzeria's and Italian Restaurants for the budget-minded, Uncategorized, Walking around Manhattan645 West End Avenue, Addthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, Cheesy Pizza, diningonashoestringinnyc, Exploring Bloomingdale Manhattan, Exploring Hamilton Heights, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Upper West Side, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, littleshoponmainstreet.com, MywalkinManhattan.com, Silver Moon Bakery, Upper West Side, Urban Assembly Garden, Visiting the Upper West Side, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watrel, West Side Kids, Wild Bird Fundjwatrel

I had another beautiful day in the city. I can’t believe this is fall with the 82-degree days. It is so funny to see so many people in outdoor cafes this late into the season. It reminded me of when I was walking Morningside Heights in February and it was 82 degrees then. The weather has been very wacky this year and everyone says there is no Global Warming. That’s hard to believe.

I finally managed to sneak into the city to walk the Avenues of the Upper Upper West Side. I had spent the morning in the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen again and they put me back to work in the kitchen. By the time I left chopping loads of chicken breasts up for the next day’s lunch, I was exhausted. With Thanksgiving around the corner, it is going to be busy in the prep kitchen. I had been in the prep kitchen during the holidays, and it is a lot of work.

I started my walk this afternoon by relaxing with lunch at Zhong Hua Chinese Restaurant at 23 West 100th Street (See review on TripAdvisor), a tiny hole in the wall Chinese restaurant I passed when walking Manhattanville. This is right on the border at the official end of the Upper West Side meets the Douglas Housing Projects. I could tell most of the customers came from the housing projects by the customer base walking in. They must be very loyal because the staff knew who everyone was and said hello.

Zhong Hua at 23 West 100th Street

https://menupages.com/zhong-hua-new-chinese-restaurant/23-w-100th-st-new-york

There are a couple of tables to sit at in the restaurant and it is not the fanciest place, but the food is not bad. I had a Sweet & Sour Chicken lunch special. It was okay. Typical Chinese American cooking. It tasted like fresh Chicken McNuggets with a standard red sweet sauce and served with white rice. The combination lunch special was $6.00 with a Coke and was not bad. Not the greatest but not bad. It filled me up for my long walk around the neighborhood.

The Sweet & Sour Pork was okay

Columbus Avenue was my first part of the walk. Columbus Avenue was the new trendy avenue when the city started to gentrify in the early 80’s through the crash of ’87 and now has settled into a more upper middle-class street with a combination of upscale stores and chains. There are so many banks on the avenue that I do not understand how they survive.

This was at one shining moment the center of the island with all the new innovative restaurants and shops opening up here starting with Museum Café opening right across the street from the American Museum of Natural History (it now houses a Shake Shack ten restaurants later). As someone noted in New York Magazine, it looks like a suburban mall with the parking (which is true for most of the island now).

In the upper 90’s, Columbus Avenue has turned into a series of large apartment buildings that must have been started in the late 90’s. It has changed the complexity of the neighborhood which was once all low-lining buildings. The border shared with Manhattanville gets even weirder with a Whole Foods and new luxury shopping one block from the Douglas Houses. It is a strange move, but it seems that everyone is using the Whole Foods from all over the neighborhood, so some marketing person was thinking.

The Whole Foods

The Whole Foods at 808 Columbus Avenue and West 96th Street

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/upperwestside

The transition of the Upper West by the Whole Foods and the Douglass Houses

Once you cross over to the 80’s blocks, the architecture turns back into the more traditional low-rise buildings of the turn of the last century which is what gives the neighborhood its charm. Like the rest of the city, there have been a rash of small business closings around the block as the twenty-year leases that were signed in the 90’s when the neighborhood was still transitioning have come up and the complaints that the rents have tripled and quadrupled. The mix is now around the museum bunch of extremely expensive restaurants and realtors. This is not the West Side I remember.

One store that does stand out as being different is the Wild Bird Feed at 565 Columbus Avenue that seems more a hospital than a retail store. It saves pigeons and doves and brings them back to health. The rest is a combination of chain stores and expensive decorating places.

Amsterdam Avenue is pretty much the same as the parts in the areas above 90th Street is new apartment buildings and stores. Most of the chains have moved up to this area with the new buildings. As you move to the lower 90’s, Amsterdam Avenue becomes a series of neighborhood stores and restaurants that are strictly local. There are many great ethnic restaurants as well as all the services from laundry places to shoe repairs and drycleaners. They have really kept Amsterdam Avenue for the neighborhood.

At the corner of 84th and Amsterdam Avenue again is the Urban Assembly Garden that now is producing fall vegetables. It is amazing how everything changes in just two weeks. The kids were out cleaning up the beds when I visited again, and the teachers are eager for you to see what the kids are doing. Try to stop by the stand and at least say ‘hello’ to the kids.

Urban Assembly Garden on West 84th Street and Amsterdam Avenue

http://uagreencareers.org/

Across the street from the garden is West Side Kids at 498 Amsterdam Avenue which was mobbed with families who were shopping after school. There are some small restaurants a few doors down that were loaded with families. I could tell the parents here like their East Side counterparts really look after their kids’ education and welfare.

West Side Kids is now located at 201 West 84th Street (Closed December 2025)

https://www.westsidekidsnyc.com/

The inside of the new West Side Kids (closed December 2025)

Broadway from 96th Street to 84th Street is a series of chain stores and independents. This part of the avenue is quite nice because it has the island in the middle of the road with trees and flowers still holding on from the summer months. It is being lined with brand new apartment buildings that are sprouting up all along the avenue. I have never seen a block so in transition. This is Broadway from 110th Street straight down to Columbus Circle.

When you turn the corner onto West End Avenue, it is a whole other world. This is the land of prewar apartment buildings, old brownstones and single-family homes. The side streets are unique brownstones where it looks like no two houses are the same. It is straight out of an exterior shot of ‘Sex and the City’.

If you are in the city for Halloween, there is a great holiday display outside the brownstone at West End Avenue and 90th Street. All sorts of movable ghouls and ghost are on display with a pumpkin demon flying up the side of the house. Someone is in the theater business here.

Halloween on the Upper West Side, the owner is very creative

There is a beautiful, tutored mansion that is being renovated on the corner at 274 West End Avenue and 95th Street that you have to see. It looks like a traditional German home attached to a prewar apartment building. This is the side of The Pomander Walk complex.

274 West End Avenue-The Pomander Walk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomander_Walk

The entrance to the complex is around the corner

https://www.realtyhop.com/building/274-west-95th-street-new-york-ny-10025

There are pillared twin mansions on the opposite corners of West End Avenue between 91st and 90th Streets with matching brownstones in the middle of the two homes. Both are being fixed up and the owners are very lucky to own such a beautiful, graceful homes. They look well-maintained and a little out of place with all the apartment buildings on the block.

West End Avenue has many architectural treasures

The Swan House at 95th and West End Avenue is a elegant old building with interesting landscaping around it. People do love their potted plants. The fortress like apartment building at 645 West End Avenue has the most interesting light features on the outside. They look like a giant is holding lanterns. It is straight out of the late 1890’s. I have never seen a light feature like this one. The building was designed by architect Gaetan Ajello and was built in 1912 (City Realty).

645 West End Avenue

https://streeteasy.com/building/645-west-end-avenue-new_york

The very unique light fixtures outside the building

These are so beautiful

At West End Avenue and 84th Street, there is a plaque to the famous composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, who lived in the building from 1926 to 1943. He did some of his most famous work when living in this building. Word of advice don’t linger too long reading the plaque. The doorman will give you funny looks.

Sergei Rachmaninoff

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Rachmaninoff

There is another gorgeous mansion on the corner at 272 West End Avenue and 91st Street that has been fixed up and again harks back to the time this was an exclusive neighborhood (more so than then now) and lined with private homes. This beautiful, designed home was built in 1920 (City Realty).

272 West End Avenue

https://streeteasy.com/building/272-west-73-street-new_york

This whole area between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive from 66th Street straight up the west side of the island is lined with interesting apartment buildings. Each one is more unique than the other. It is a real change in these two blocks both in the architecture of the buildings and the feel of the neighborhood. It seems quieter and more reserved and the people walking along the streets seem more serious than their neighbors one block away. I just got that impression on the people living there by walking around at all hours of the day.

Dinner that night was at Cheesy Pizza at 2640 Broadway on the corner of 100th Street (See the review on TripAdvisor & my blog DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com). The pizza is excellent made wonderful by their delicious tomato sauce. I get so disappointed by many of these pizzerias in these neighborhoods that I pass. They look so good and end up having tasteless food that makes it a disappointing meal.

Cheesy Pizza at 2640 Broadway (Closed June 2026)

https://www.cheesypizzamenu.com/

Not at Cheesy Pizza. The pizza is full of flavor and loaded with their delicious sauce and loads of cheese. They have some excellent deals with eight specials available all day long for $5.00, which is a steal in this economy. I had the personal pizza with a Coke, and you got four nice slices of pizza that is freshly made for you. I was not only impressed with the quality but with the friendly service as the guys behind the counter seemed happy to see me. I guess it’s the cop thing again. This place warrants a few more visits.

The Cheese Pizza here is wonderful.

Before I headed downtown, I made a special trip to Silver Moon Bakery at 2740 Broadway and 105th Street for dessert (See review on TripAdvisor & my blog DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com). The pastries here are excellent and rival their counterparts in other parts of the island. The nice part is they are very reasonable. Nothing is over $5.00. The quality is excellent, and the staff is not snotty like some of the bakeries on the East Side where they want to charge you $20.00 for a cake that costs about $3.00 in materials. I know rents are high but come on.

Silver Moon Bakery at 2740 Broadway (Closed March 2025-reopened June 2026 at 2664 Broadway under new owner)

The Silver Moon Buttercup Bakery at 2664 Broadway (opened in 2026)

https://www.silvermoonbakery.com/

Silver Moon Bakery is the home of the Crumuffin, which I have talked about before. I got a little boring and got a Linzer Tart. It was excellent. The cookie itself was so buttery and tasted like it had just come out of the oven. The raspberry jelly was tart and sweet and the cookie broken apart in my mouth when I ate it. Like a piece of heaven.

The selection at Silver Moon Bakery is wonderful.

That is the one thing about Silver Moon Bakery unlike their uptown competition. The product has not been sitting out all day long. The items are obviously bake in small batches throughout the day. Make the trip on the Number One Subway to 103rd Street to visit the bakery. It’s worth the travel time.

The Crumuffin at Silver Moon Bakery is the most amazing pastry!

Overall, I covered a lot of the Upper West Side, revisited a few haunts that I wanted to see again and got to relax and explore Riverside Park. The Upper West Side has so much to offer, and I will see more when I walk the streets in the neighborhood.

Read my other Blogs on the Bloomingdale neighborhood:

Day Ninety-Three: Walking the Borders of the Upper Upper West Side:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/6760

Day Ninety-Four: Walking the Avenues of the Upper Upper West Side:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/6842

Day Ninety-Seven: Walking the Streets of the Upper Upper West Side:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/7100

Places to Eat:

Silver Moon Bakery (Closed March 2025-reopened June 2026 under new owner)

2470 Broadway/2664 Broadway

New York, NY 10025

(212) 866-4717

https://silvermoonbakery.com/

Open: Monday-Friday 7:30am-8:00pm/Saturday & Sunday 8:00am-7:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d1027122-Reviews-Silver_Moon_Bakery-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/433

Cheesy Pizza (closed June 2026)

2640 Broadway

New York, NY 10025

(212) 662-5223/6312/0028

https://www.cheesypizzabroadway.com/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d7079166-Reviews-Cheesy_Pizza-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/521

Zhong Hua Chinese Restaurant

23 West 100th Street

New York, NY 10025

(212) 932-3377

Open: Sunday-Saturday 9:00am-11:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d423760-Reviews-Zhong_Hua_Restaurant-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Places to Visit:

Wild Bird Fund

565 Columbus Avenue

New York, NY 10024

(646) 306-2862

Home

Open: Sunday-Saturday 8:00am-8:00pm

West Side Kids

498 Amsterdam Avenue

New York, NY 10024

(212) 496-7282

https://www.westsidekidsnyc.com/

Open: Sunday 11:00am-6:00pm/Monday-Thursday 11:00am-7:00pm/Friday-Saturday 10:00am-7:00pm

Urban Assembly Garden

145 West 84th Street

New York, NY 10024

(212) 787-1189

Open: Please visit the websites

http://uagreencareers.org/garden

http://uagreencareers.org/

https://urbanassembly.org/

Day Ninety-Three: Walking the Borders of the Upper Upper West Side from 96th Street to 84th Street from Riverside Drive to Fifth Avenue October 11th, 2017 (Again on June 16th and November 14th, 2024 and July 16th, 2026)

October 25, 2017Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring Manhattan Valley/Bloomingdale/Upper West Side, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring New York City Parks, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Entire Length of the Island of Manhattan/Broadway Walk, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Rim of the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Little Shop on Main Street in New York City (LittleShoponMainStreet), My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), MywalkinManhattan Experiences, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Walking around ManhattanAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver, Bettalona, Central Park Conservatory Park, diningonashoestringinnyc, El Museo del Barrio, Exploring Bloomingdale Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Upper East Side, Exploring the Upper West Side, Joy Brown sculpture, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, LittleShoponMainStreet, littleshoponmainstreet.com, Museum of the City of New York, MywalkinManhattan.com, Soldier & Sailor Monument, Upper West Side, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Around Manhattan, Walk Manhattan, Walking around Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Walking the Upper West Side, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

I always try to spend part of my birthday doing some form of community service. So I spent the morning of my birthday cutting vegetables for the next few days meals at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen.

I spent the morning cutting three big bags of potatoes, a crate of sweet potatoes and several heads of lettuce for salads plus cleaning up the kitchen after everyone. We need to prepare prep for several dishes in advance and several cases of fresh vegetables were coming in so the old ones had to be used first. Needless to say, I was exhausted as usual when I left for the afternoon.

My afternoon was spent walking the ring of the neighborhood, the Upper part of the Upper West Side. Since this area runs from 96th Street to 59th Street, I will be breaking it up into two parts. Years ago, one did not dare venture over 86th Street on the West Side. Then it became 96th Street in the 90’s. Today though, the whole Upper West Side from 59th is really nice all the way to the tip of Inwood. There are some patches above 145th Street as I have mentioned in the blog that are still a little on the rough side but every month seem to get better.

Now that I have finished walking around Yorkville/Carnegie Hill and Manhattanville/Bloomingdale neighborhoods, it now time to tackle the Upper West and East Sides. This stretches from 96th to 59th Streets on both sides of Central Park and line both the East and Hudson Rivers. It will be a lot of walking.

My day starting by taking the subway back up to Morningside Heights for lunch. I had passed several restaurants along the way on Broadway on my days walking this neighborhood and there were still a few I had wanted to try. My choice was Bettolona at 3143 Broadway between LaSalle & Tiemann Streets (See review on TripAdvisor). The food is wonderful and very reasonably priced.

The beauty of Bettolona is the exposed walls and the open air windows that face a quiet side of Broadway to cars but noisy once the Number One subway passes. It was one of the warm, sunny October afternoons at 82 degrees so it was nice to sit by the windows and enjoy lunch. What impresses me about the restaurant is the unusual art up on the walls by the local artists, the calm jazz music and the laid back service. Everyone was so nice without knowing it was my birthday.

Bettolona Restaurant at 3143 Broadway (Closed June 2022)

https://www.bettolona.com/

I had the Pasta Bolognese, which was excellent. Fresh pasta with a generous portion of a veal ragu on top. The sauce, the owner explained, was made with fresh tomatoes and spices. It had such a nice rich flavor to it. You could taste the red wine in the sauce.

The food was wonderful that afternoon

For dessert, I had the Crepelle with Nutella and banana, which I highly recommend. The dessert was two freshly made crepes filled with Nutella hazelnut spread and freshly sliced bananas.

Enjoying a crepe for dessert

A sweet light treat and the perfect way to end the lunch. I enjoyed it while watching students and members of the Columbia community walk by. I highly recommend the restaurant if you are in the area.

St. Clair Rose Garden when it is in bloom

After lunch, I wanted to walk off my fullness and turned the corner onto the extension of 125th Street to the St. Clair turn into Riverside Park to the West Harlem Piers Park to look over the Hudson River and enjoy the beautiful sunny day. The West Harlem Piers is a small park inside Riverside Park that faces New Jersey and offers the most spectacular views of the Hudson River and the Cliffs of Englewood Cliffs and Alpine on the New Jersey side. It is a nice place to just sit, relax and think. I do some of my best writing here.

West Harlem Piers Park off West 125th Street

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/west-harlem-piers

West Harlem Piers Park in the summer of 2023

After I rested and digested, it was off to walk the fringe of the Upper Upper West Side. This encompassed 5th Avenue along Central Park to Riverside Drive facing Riverside Park from 96th Street to 84th Street. It was a large area but packed with interesting pre-war apartments, two large popular parks, loads of small local businesses and a few pocket parks along the way.

The Brownstone neighborhood of West 95th Street

This area unlike Manhattanville to the north of 96th, is starting to get a little more upscale as people with money are beginning to move above 86th Street, the traditional border of the Upper West Side. The area like the rest of Manhattan just keeps morphing quickly. You will never know when you turn the corner when another business will close and one replace it.

West 96th Street and Riverside Park in the Fall

It was a lot different in the summer months in 2026 when everything was in bloom and a lot more lush. Gone were the golden golds and bronzes and a lot of greens, purples and yellows in the park in the Summer.

Walking in Riverside Park in the 90’s

Walking up Riverside Drive in the 90’s

Walking along Riverside Drive at West 92nd Street

On the way down Broadway, I passed on the Columbia Campus a memorial plaque dedicated to General Garret Hopper Sticker, who led the New York City defense during the War of 1812. This was the location of the McGowan Pass in Manhattanville, which was a major travel artery on the Post Road to the Northern parts of New York and New England.

The McGowan Pass before the park

Fearing invasion by the British, the city rebuilt old Revolutionary forts and this area was home to the Barrier Wall to protect the travel route. It saw no action during the War of 1812, but this important piece of history is noted on the Columbia campus as the McGowan Pass still sits at the northern end of Central Park.

The McGowan Pass in its later years

https://www.centralparknyc.org/locations/mcgowans-pass

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McGowan%27s_Pass

The one thing that I can note about both Central Park and Riverside Park that day is that all the leaves were still green. The vestiges of the fall had not turned color yet and with the unseasonable warm weather still felt like summer. Central Park was crowded that day with people playing Frisbee and walking their dogs. Many tourists were still in the city wondering around the park. It leads me to ask, are any of us still working full time? I wonder.

I had already walked all of 96th Street already, passing the artist Joy Brown statues on Broadway at the subway stop (which run from West 117th Street to West 72nd Street until February 17, 2018) and the now familiar McDonald’s that has been my haunt for snacks and drinks when walking up here. I proceeded to walk down Riverside Drive through Riverside Park to enjoy the foliage and walk through a park still locked in the summer. It was so nice to pass couples walking their dogs or biking through the park. There is so much life going on here and people just enjoying nature.

Joy Brown’s work “The Kneeler”

Artist Joy Brown

https://www.joybrownstudio.com/

The homes and apartment buildings that line Riverside Park are from sign from the turn of the last century. There are still some mansions that line the park in the lower 90’s that are currently being refurbished. These you really have to look over for the 1880’s architecture. The loop around 84th Street will either take you to 83rd or 85th Street so opt for the lower one. Take your time and really walk-through Riverside Park and see the foliage and the view of the Hudson River.

Between 90th and 89th Streets, take time to explore the Soldier’s & Sailors Monument on Riverside Drive and look over the monument. It was built to honor the Union Army & Navy during the Civil War. The monument was designed by the firm of Stoughton & Stoughton for the City in 1900. It was dedicated on Memorial Day of 1902 with President Theodore Roosevelt overseeing the event. The monument has seen better days and like Grant’s Tomb, could use a refurbishing. Check out the detail work and the statues. It was well-designed and detailed.

Soldiers & Sailor’s Monument at West 89th Street

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldiers%27_and_Sailors%27_Monument_(Manhattan)

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/riverside-park/highlights/12871

The Sailor’s & Soldiers Monument when I visited in the Fall of 2024 and below in the Summer of 2026.

The monument in the Summer of 2026

Rounding 84th Street leads you into the former edge of the Upper West Side. Back in the 90’s, one did not venture higher than 86th Street and then it became 96th Street. Now it is all the way up the west side of the island to the very tip. This whole area is being polished up and new chain stores are being opened along the Broadway corridor.

Broadway between West 105th and West 106th Streets

On the corner of 84th and Amsterdam Avenue this is a patch of green in the way of the Urban Green Space Garden run by The Urban Assembly School for Green Careers. The students run this urban garden where tomatoes, cucumbers and root vegetables are grown next to one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city. The kids take a lot of pride in this stand so try to stop in and look over their produce. They are a welcoming bunch and the teachers are very encouraging as well.

The Urban Assembly School for Green Careers Park

https://www.uagreencareers.org/

I walked the remaining parts of the border of the neighborhood along Fifth Avenue and then crossed over the park to the East Side where I ended up at the 96th Street exit. I ended my walk at the El Museo del Barrio a, a Latino themed museum at the edge of the Museum Mile at 1220 Fifth Avenue to see visit the museum for the first time (See reviews on TripAdvisor & VisitingaMuseum.com).

El Museo del Barrio at 1230 Fifth Avenue

https://www.elmuseo.org

What an interesting museum. I visited all the exhibitions as the museum is rather small and the displays are very intimate. The ‘Nkame’ exhibition was very interesting dealing with a local religion on the island that it pays great respect. It is interesting in the use of black and white used in the art. Another exhibition that really hit the economic attitude of the island was the ‘Debtfair” exhibition that explained how the island got into its financial straits and how it can be worked out. They also have a nice restaurant and gift shop that you should visit.

I took a quick tour around the Central Park Conservatory at 1230 Fifth Avenue (See reviews on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com). The garden was still in bloom with early fall flowers and green trees. Even at this time of night the conservatory was still busy. I really like the formal gardens to the south of the garden and the fountain.

Central Park Conservatory at 120 Fifth Avenue

https://www.centralparknyc.org/

The lawn of the Central Park Conservatory in the Fall of 2024

The gardens in the summer months

I love walking around the Central Park Conservatory at any time of the year especially in the Summer when all the flowers are in bloom. It is a wonderful experience to go in the early morning when it is quiet and you have the park to yourself (which is very rare). The whole garden just went through a major restoration and it has really changed. The whole Conservatory is refreshed and in bloom. It is quite a site!

The sign at the entrance of the Gardens

The entrance to the gardens

This time of the year (Spring) the Central Park Conservatory is in full bloom and its magnificence is at its finest in the Spring and Summer months. In May, the tulips and daffodils are just finishing their flowering and the lilacs are just finishing their blooming and still fragrant the garden. The lawns are all a deep green and the dogwood trees are just starting to bloom around the rings of the gardens.

The newly renovated pathways

Don’t miss walking around the Gardens off to the side closest to the Harlem Meir as they are open through the renovation. You will see beds of flowers along the fountain’s edge and can admire all the sculpture. What is most impressive is that in-between the Gardens is a vast green lawn surrounded by trees. The lawn of the Conservatory is nice to just admire with the trees lining it on all sides.

Central Park Conservatory Garden Spring 2025

The best time to come to the Conservatory Gardens is in early to late Spring and the early Summer when everything is in full bloom. This is when Mother Nature shows us her great magic.

The beauty of the Central Park Conservatory is that it blooms all year around except the winter and even then, there is a quiet elegance to the garden.

My evening ended with a lecture on ‘Rising Waters around NYC’, a discussion of how the rising sea levels affected the city during Hurricane Sandy and in the future. This discussion was at the Museum of the City of New York at Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street across the street from the Central Park Conservatory at 1220 Fifth Avenue & 103rd Street (See review on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com).

Don’t miss their ongoing exhibition on ‘Core New York’ on the history of the city through the ages. It is really interesting and needs several trips to really see the exhibition in full.

The Museum of the City of New York at 1220 Fifth Avenue

https://www.mcny.org/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48236-d15855802-Reviews-Museum_of_the_City_of_New_York-New_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The Time Line of the City exhibition

The I went to the ‘Foods of New York’ exhibition

https://www.mcny.org/exhibition/food-new-york

Ice Cart “Pimp My Piragua” by artist Miguel Luciano

Artist Miguel Luciano

“Twilight” by artist Suzanne Anker

The effects of pollination of crops and the loss of bees shown here.

Artist Suzanne Anker

Overall, a very nice day and a great way to spend my 52nd Birthday.

Happy Birthday to me!!

Please read my blogs on walking the Upper Upper West Side:

Day Ninety-Three: Walking the Streets of the Upper Upper West Side:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/6760

Day Ninety-Four: Walking the Avenues of the Upper Upper West Side:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/6842

Places to Eat:

Bettolona (Closed June 2022)

3143 Broadway

New York, NY 10027

(212) 749-1125

http://www.bettolonanyc.com

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d3140758-Reviews-Bettolona-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Places to Visit:

Sailors & Soldiers Monument

Riverside Park@ 90th Street

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/riversidepark/highlights/12871

Joy Brown Statues (now closed)

From West 117th to 72nd Streets

Until February 17th, 2018

All Along Broadway

http://joybrownstudio.com/

Central Park Conservatory

402 5th Avenue

New York, NY 10029

(212) 310-6600

http://www.centralpark.com

Open: Visit the website for hours seasonal

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d272517-Reviews-Conservatory_Garden-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/831

El Museo del Barrio

1230 5th Avenue

New York, NY 10029

(212) 831-7272

http://www.elmuseo.org

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d116228-Reviews-El_Museo_del_Barrio-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/1600

Museum of the City of New York

5th Avenue & 103rd Street

New York, NY 10029

(212) 534-1672

http://www.mcny.org

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d116229-Reviews-Museum_of_the_City_of_New_York-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48236-d15855802-Reviews-Museum_of_the_City_of_New_York-New_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Urban Green Space Gardens

All over the neighborhood

West Harlem Piers Park

Marginal Street at West 132nd Street

New York, NY 10027

(212) 639-9675

http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/west-harlem-piers

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/west-harlem-piers/events

Open: 6:00am-9:00pm

Day Ninety: Walking the Streets in the Yorkville/Carnegie Hill neighborhood from 95th Street to 84th Street between Fifth Avenue and East End Avenue September 13th-28th, 2017 (again on July 8th, 2024 and July 21st, 2025)

October 7, 2017Bakeries for the budget minded, Chinese Restaurants for the budget minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring East Harlem in Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring The Upper East Side of Manhattan, Exploring Yorkville/Carnegie Hill/Upper East Side, Historic New York City neighborhoods, Interesting Bakeries, Interesting Toy and Play Shops, Little Shop on Main Street in New York City (LittleShoponMainStreet), My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Pizzeria's and Italian Restaurants for the budget-minded, Sandwich and Deli's for the budget minded, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Walking around ManhattanAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver, Carl Schurz Park, Children's General Store, DiningonaShoeString@Wordpress.com, diningonashoestringinnyc, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Upper East Side, Exploring Yorkville/Carnegie Hill, Glaser's Bakery, Henderson Historical District, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, La Libraire des Enfants, littleshoponmainstreet.com, LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com, MywalkinManhattan.com, Ruppert's Park, Timmy's, Upper East Side, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Manhattan, Walking around Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watrel, Yorkvillejwatrel

I finally finished the Avenues of the neighborhood and started walking the streets. It can be a tiring process since it is a nine-block walk in the lower parts of the neighborhood. My first day in the Yorkville/Carnegie Hill section I covered everything from 96th Street to 90th Street. It also rained part of the afternoon which is no fun.

As much as it was a gloomy day, watching the kids let out of school that day boosted my energy. I forgot what it is like when a long day of school is over. These kids come out of the building with so much pent-up energy. All the laughing and yelling brought back a lot of good memories.

I took the Q back up to 96th Street and made a roundabout down FDR Drive to 92nd Street to start the walk. I knew I would not have time to do the whole neighborhood and wanted to break it up into two parts doing the neighborhood above 90th Street first.

As I turned the corner, I could feel the energy from the students who were leaving MS114 on 92nd Street for the afternoon. There was so much noise and excitement after a long day at school. It seems that this neighborhood is loaded with excellent schools both for high school and the lower grades as well.

Yorkville is home to many public and private schools. While walking around between 90th and 92nd Streets, the neighborhood is home to some of the best schools in the city. Hunter High School, The Dalton School, Nightingale-Bramford, Spence School and Chapin School are all located closer to Central Park. All of these schools have had excellent reputations since I was in high school in the eighties. Even the public schools in the neighborhood such as MS-114 have some of the best reputations in the New York City.

The famous Dalton School at 108 East 89th Street

https://www.dalton.org/

No matter the kids, they are still excited and noisy when they leave school and all have their cliques. They fill the smaller neighborhood restaurants and bodegas after school and yell at each other when crossing the street. It is a very lively neighborhood after 2:00pm in the afternoon between the students and the parents picking some of them up. It is nice to see parents who still give that independence to their kids to walk alone in the neighborhood with their friends. They travel in packs anyway. Ten to one these kids know how to handle themselves.

There is a nice pocket park at 92nd Street and Second Avenue to sit and relax. Located between the buildings on 92nd Street, it still has traces of the summer left with flowers blooming and the trees are still green. It’s a nice place to take a breather and watch the neighborhood go by.

This is a neighborhood with a real family feel to it. Something I did not experience in the neighborhood before school started, when the streets were quiet as people were still on vacation but now that school is back in session, it has really changed.

I can see by the number of parents, both men and women, talking time out to pick up their children from school and talk with them on the way home that they are very involved in their children’s lives. Some of the conversations I overheard were a little mature for kids that age, but I have always found the city kids to be a little more ‘hip’ to things than their suburban counterparts.

There are some great children’s stores in the area and loads of family friendly restaurants in the neighborhood. One store that I stopped at was La Librairie des Enfants at 163 East 92nd Street. This quirky little bookstore sells the most unique French language children’s picture books with a small selection of American books. It reminded me of ‘Shop Around the Corner’ in the movie, “You got Mail”.

La Librairie des Enfants at 163 East 92nd Street (closed in April of 2024)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Bookstore/La-Librairie-des-Enfants-205099576621700/

https://lalibrairiedesenfants.nyc/

My review on LIttleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com:

La Librairie des Enfants 163 East 92nd Street New York, NY 10128 (Closed January 2024)

Beautifully decorated with pretty displays and set up for the avid reader. The French salesman was very talkative to me and knows his merchandise. This is the perfect spot for local children and tourists looking for that unusual gift.

La Librairie des Enfants inside play area

Watch this interesting video on this store

Another store that is a neighborhood staple is Children’s General Store at 168 East 91st Street near Second Avenue (Closed as of 2019). This whimsical store is a hark back to when kids actually had an imagination and did not look at a cell phone all day. This is for the creative child who likes board games and arts & crafts, make believe castles and all the great little items that we as adults would call ‘stocking stuffers’. If I was a kid again, this is the first place I would visit. It has a great selection of toys for the young at heart.

As you walk the side streets of the neighborhood, you can see that on the Avenues of the neighborhood, brownstones are giving way to large newer apartment buildings but on the streets in between them are still elegant, graceful brownstones lining the streets of the upper 90’s some of the most beautiful between Lexington and Park Avenues.

There are some beautiful wooden homes lining the streets between Lexington and Park Avenue on 92nd and 91st Streets from a day long ago. To see these buildings still standing and in perfect shape is a testament of the care they receive and how well they were built in the early 1800’s. All four of these homes have special plaques on them and you should take the time to admire the work on them. Their owners have kept them in excellent shape.

As I walked around the high 90’s by 1st, 2nd and FDR Drive around the Isaacs Housing, the area is being knocked down and rebuilt with more luxurious apartment buildings and stores to match. Here and there, there is still a sprinkling of stores and restaurants that cater to people in the housing projects but this area around the housing projects just keeps changing and getting more expensive. Like the rest of uptown that I walked, many people don’t seem to have a problem living across the street from the projects.

The new plan for the Isaacs Houses with luxury buildings

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaacs_Houses

Click to access Isaacs.pdf

What the neighborhood has that caters to everyone is the number of parks in the neighborhood. You have Central Park to the west, Carl Schurz Park to the East, Asphalt Green playground by York Avenue past 92nd Street as well as the Isaacs and the Seaburg playgrounds on 96th Street as well as a few pocket parks in the 90’s.

Walking on York Avenue in the summer of 2025

There is plenty of places for kids to play sports or just hang out and enjoy the playgrounds. The public bathrooms do still need to be worked on in these parks.

Isaacs Houses at 419 East 93rd Street

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaacs_Houses

Click to access Isaacs.pdf

Stanley Myer Isaacs was one of New York City’s great lawyer’s and civic leaders and was Borough President of Manhattan. He helped Robert Moses; the great Parks Director build East River Drive (now FDR Drive). Judge Seabury was descended from one of the original settlers of New York and the first Bishop of New York, Dr. Samuel Seabury III. As a public servant to the City, he helped fight corruption within Tammany Hall and lead many reforms in New York City (NYCParks.org).

Stanley M. Isaacs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_M._Isaacs

In the 90’s, there are also a few important museums that you should check out. On the corner of Fifth Avenue at East 92nd Street is the Jewish Museum at 1109 Fifth Avenue.

The Jewish Museum at 1109 Fifth Avenue

https://thejewishmuseum.org/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d106187-Reviews-The_Jewish_Museum-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

Jewish Museum 1109 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10128

The museum was originally started in 1904 as a gift from Judge Mayer Sulzberger to the Jewish Theological Society and has since moved to the Warburg Mansion in 1944 and the museum was opened in 1947 as The Jewish Museum. I went back into the neighborhood for a visit later in the year to visit the Leonard Cohen exhibition (See reviews on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com).

The Leonard Cohen exhibition at The Jewish Museum

On the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 91st Street is the Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum at 2 East 91st Street. This is housed in the old Andrew Carnegie Mansion, one of the few surviving Fifth Avenue mansions from the Gilded Age. The museum was founded in 1896 by granddaughters of Peter Cooper for the college and it fell under the Smithsonian in 1968.

The Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum at 2 East 91st Street

https://www.si.edu/museums/cooper-hewitt-smithsonian-design-museum

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d106188-Reviews-Cooper_Hewitt_Smithsonian_Design_Museum-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum 2 East 91st Street New York, NY 10128

I went in recent to see the ‘Nature-Cooper-Hewitt Triennial’ exhibition and to walk around the grounds. The exhibition was excellent but the house itself is fun to walk around in. Take your time to visit all the floors (See review on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com).

The Triennial was nice, but the house is amazing!

Walking down York Avenue in the summer

The evening of the first night walking the streets of Yorkville, I ate at Timmy’s Restaurant on 91st and York (See review on TripAdvisor-Closed in 2018). It is a wonderful little neighborhood restaurant with outdoor seating and an extensive American menu across the street from Asphalt Green playground. I could hear the kids across the street playing soccer and screaming as they played.

Timmy’s Restaurant in Yorkville (Closed in 2018-Now Cafe Nick)

Cafe Nick in the summer of 2025

https://www.cheznicknyc.com/

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d476854-Reviews-Nick_s-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=69573

The outside of Cafe Nick at 1737 York Avenue

The weather had finally cleared and it was a nice warm night out, perfect for sitting outside and enjoying the breeze. What had caught my eye on the menu was the fresh soft-shell sandwich that the restaurant was running as a special. It was excellent. A lightly breaded and fried soft-shell crab on a soft brioche roll with lettuce and tomato and fresh French fries and onion rings on the side made the perfect meal.

The crab was sweet with the crunchiness of the perfect sauté. The service is friendly and very welcoming, and I highly recommend the restaurant while it is still warm out. It is nice to just sit outside and watch the world go by.

I started my second day in the neighborhood by walking the streets between 90th and 84th Streets. The weather during these two weeks really changed. One day it was boiling hot at 90 degrees and the last day in the neighborhood, it went down into the 60’s as September moved into October. I have never seen such a drastic change in a week and a half.

After another day of working the Bread station at the Soup Kitchen, it was off to the lower section of Yorkville/Carnegie Hill. I walked the top part of 84th Street between Fifth Avenue and East End Avenue, admiring the brownstones and small parks along the way. It got to be that time of the day and school let out. I have never seen such a swarm of children before.

Walking this part of the neighborhood, I noticed more that there is a large concentration not just of private, public and religious schools but all of the seem to be the best of their categories. These are not just the best in their categories in the city but in the state and country as well. The neighborhood that stretches from 96th to 84th Streets has such a great variety of schools that would make the rest of the country envious.

As I have said on previous walks, the conversations between parents and kids are always interesting to hear. These school kids sound so much more mature than their age. These kids talk politics, sports and current events just as good as any adult.

Between East 89th and 88th Streets is the Guggenheim Museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue. This Frank Lloyd Wright designed building is a treasure trove of contemporary art. The museum has been closed for renovations.

The Solomon Guggenheim Museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue

https://www.guggenheim.org/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d108687-Reviews-Solomon_R_Guggenheim_Museum-New_York_City_New_York.html

The lower parts of the streets from about 85th to 87th Streets really show old New York at its best with rows and rows of majestic brownstones and old apartment houses. Some of these are starting to get decorated for the Fall holidays noting the change in weather and October approaching. Pumpkins and haystacks are starting to replace the summer wreaths and pots of flowers.

Brownstoners really decorate their homes nicely at the holidays

Who says decorating is just for the suburbs

I started my tour of the neighborhood with a nice lunch at Arturo’s Pizza on the corner of York Avenue and 85th Street, 1610 York Avenue (See Review on TripAdvisor) for their lunch special. They have three really reasonable lunch specials until 3:30pm, one a meatball sub, another a sausage sub and the last being two slices with a Coke for $5.00. It was quite a deal.

Arturo’s Pizza at 1619 York Street is good for great lunch specials

https://arturosny.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d526624-Reviews-Arturo_s_York_Ave-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=69573

The food is good but could be better. Yet they give you a nice size sub for $5.00. The meatball sub was loaded with fresh cut meatballs which were a nice size with tomato sauce on excellent fresh chewy bread. As big as it was it just did not have enough flavor. The sauce needed more spice and the meatballs more salt and cheese. It just did not taste like anything. It was the same two days later when finishing the walk of the neighborhood after a disastrous Chinese meal.

The meatball sub at Arturo’s was okay.

I had the two-slice special and found the pizza to have no flavor because there was no zing to the sauce. It was also oily and should have been heated up more. The food here should be better since they seem to take pride in it. It warrants a third trip as the portion is worth the money when you are hungry. They do need to concentrate on their tomato sauce though and add some spice to it.

The Cheese pizza did not have that much flavor in the sauce.

There are more great stores for kids in the lower part of the neighborhood as well. I passed Baby Bubble at 240 88th Street, which specializes in cleaning anything kid from strollers to clothes. I was impressed by the one stop shopping. Another great little store for young women is Let’s Dress Up at 345 East 85th Street #1. This is a place where you can princess for day and be treated like royalty at your own catered birthday party. Another clear idea for the creative child within.

Walking down East 84th Street in the summer of 2025

When walking through the side streets between 84th to 87th Streets between York and Third Avenue, you really see ‘old New York’. Rows and rows of beautiful, graceful brownstones line the street with their small outside gardens and potted plants. It is a step back in time to another era until you hit the Avenues and see the large modern apartment building.

East 84th Street in the Summer of 2024

Their are some apartments on East 84th Street have unique details to them. You really have to look behind the trees and around the tops of the buildings to notice the curves, spirals and faces that look out at you. This set of brick apartments stretches from 312-318 East 84th Street and were built in 1910 (StreetEasy.com).

312-314 East 84th Street

https://streeteasy.com/building/318-east-84-street-new_york

https://www.apartments.com/318-east-84th-street-new-york-ny/qk4g64z/

316-318 East 84th Street

The embellishments on 316 East 84th Street

I passed several fire stations along the way in the neighborhood. Engine 22; Ladder 13, Battalion 10 is located on 159 East 85th Street. The plaque on their fire station said that they had lost nine members on 9/11. These brave men sacrificed so much for us and still do every day making their neighborhood safe. Another old-fashioned non-functioning firehouse is Hook & Ladder 13 at 159 East 87th Street.

Founded in 1865 as a ‘suburban’ firehouse, this is no longer the firehouse for the company which has been moved. The company’s fame comes from being involved in the deadly explosion on Park Place in 1891. Kudos to these brave members of the FDNY.

Hook & Ladder 13 in Yorkville at 159 East 87th Street

http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-1868-hook-ladder-13-no-159-e-87th.html

As you continue down 87th Street, there is a creepy set of brownstones between 337-339 East 87th Street. The motifs on the outside of the building look like devils or ghouls and do give you the chills. It looks like a place where ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ lived when it grew up. I would love to pass these building on Friday the 13th or Halloween night.

337-339 East 87th Street-The “Rosemary’s Baby House”

This creepy looking brownstone was built between 1886-1887 by architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh for the Rhinelander estate and what is interesting about the story is that the 329-335 were knocked down for the apartment building next store and the motif of this devil looking motif is carved out of 337 East 87th Street (Starts and Fits). Very interesting.

337-339 East 87th Street-The Rosemary’s Baby House

https://streeteasy.com/building/337-east-87-street-new_york

The creepy entrance way to 339 East 87th Street

The creepy demons carved into the stair banister

Don’t miss the ghoul like carving at 439 East 87th Street. I don’t think that one is as old. This menacing face adorns that archway of the brownstone of this two-unit home that was built in 1901.

The street art on the wall of East 87th Street and First Avenue

The street art of East 87th Street

I had to stop at Milano Market at 1582 Third Avenue on the corner of 87th Street and 3rd Avenue to cool down. The place is so beautifully set up and the prepared food section is picturesque. It is a nice place to just stand and take a breath. The place is heavily air conditioned and on a humid day, it is a great place to just walk around. The online reviews are not too pleasant for as good as their food is most of the reviews talk about rude service. I will have to go back and try it out to be fair on them.

Milano Market at 1582 Third Avenue

https://www.milanomarketnyc.com/visit-us

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d5084566-Reviews-Milano_Market-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=69573

Another place to chill out and relax on a hot day is the Church of the Holy Trinity Garden at 316 East 88th Street near Second Avenue. This beautifully landscaped garden surrounded by shade trees is the perfect place to relax on a long day. It really does offer solitude from the city and is an escape from the rest of the landscape. It was still warm, so the flowers were out and the trees offered a lot of shade.

Ruppert Park is the same located at Second Avenue between 90th and 91st Street. Named after the famous German Brewer Jacob Ruppert, the park is part of the tower complex that surrounds it. Mr. Ruppert was one of the first co-owners of the Yankees and co-owned Yankee Stadium.

Ruppert Park at 1741 Second Avenue

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/ruppert-park

This is a wonderful park to watch the dog walkers pass by and converse with one another. This is a true neighborhood park where neighbors talk and swap stories and debate politic, seniors come to relax and watch the neighbors go by and the dogs engage with one another. It is a great park for the dog walking set. I have never seen so many small, pampered dogs walking around one neighborhood.

Another great place to visit is Henderson Place at East End Avenue across from Carl Schurz Park and between 86th and 87th Streets. This is part of the Henderson Place Historical District located facing the park is what is left of the original 32 houses (24 survive today) that were built between 1881-82. They were built for people of ‘moderate means’ meanwhile now these rare little townhouses with their arched hallways and small gardens and rare parking lots are now worth about $4.6 million when one went on sale recently. They were built in the Queen Ann style of architecture and look so elegant at night when walking on the park side of the street.

Henderson Place Historic District at 535 East 86th Street

The Henderson Place Historic District

The Henderson Place Historic District

The Henderson Place Historic District

Henderson Place Historic District

I stopped at Glaser’s Bakery at 1670 First Avenue (see review on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC-Closed in 2018) and all I have to say is YUM! I love discovering new bakeries around the city especially one that has been around since 1902. Everything here is delicious and very reasonable. In this hyper-gentrifying City, it is nice to see a piece of ‘old New York’ alive and well. Both afternoons I came here the place was mobbed.

Glaser’s Bake Shop at 1670 First Avenue (Closed in 2018)

https://www.glasersbakeshop.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

My review on DIningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

Glaser’s Bake Shop 1670 First Avenue New York, NY 10128 (Closed July 2018)

The pastries are mind blowingly good! The first time I went I had to get one of their black and white cookies ($2.25) are the rage of the internet. Everyone was not kidding. They are excellent. Not the usual fondant icing but more of a butter cream frosting they literally melt in your mouth. They have this Danish called a Crumb Cookie ($3.25) that is loaded on top with sweet cinnamon crumbs and lots of icing on top. It is so big I had to bring the rest home.

Their doughnuts ($1.50) are worth the trip alone. The jelly doughnuts are filled with a sweet currant type jelly and their sugar doughnuts are loaded with a layer of cinnamon sugar. Do not miss this bakery when visiting New York City.

On the opposite note, I ate dinner that day at Five Luck Chinese restaurant on 1834 Second Avenue (see review on TripAdvisor-Now Closed) right near the new Q subway line (Closed in January 2020). It was the worst Chinese meal I had ever eaten! I had no idea that food cooked by Chinese could be this bad. First the place is old and depressing to eat in and I have eaten at loads of these little hole in the wall restaurants all over the city. If anyone from China ate here, they would laugh and then cry it is that bad.

I ordered a Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce with fried rice with a pork Egg Roll. Now when I think of Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce, I think of sliced pork loin sautéed with brown Hunan Sauce with garlic and ginger. I got this gloppy roast pork with a pile of uncooked vegetables with a side of yellow rice with a ton of bean sprouts in them. I had no clue what I was eating. I ate the egg roll, and it was barely passable as a frozen egg roll.

The dish was worse than any middle school cafeteria version of Chinese food. I ate three bites on it and handed it back to them and said to the owner that it was inedible. Rather than fight over a dish that cost $4.85 or ask for anything else, I walked out and never looked back. Avoid this place like the plague. I went back to Arturo’s for their pizza.

Rounding the corner at Fifth Avenue and East 86th Street is the Neue Museum at 1048 Fifth Avenue. Neue Galerie New York is a museum devoted to early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design. Located in a landmark mansion built in 1914 by the architectural firm of Carrere & Hastings, the museum offers a diverse program of exhibitions, lectures, films, concerts and other events.

The Neue Galerie Museum at 1048 Fifth Avenue

https://www.neuegalerie.org/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d258699-Reviews-Neue_Galerie-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

Neue Galerie New York 1048 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10028

It was that afternoon I finally got to see the famous painting, “The Woman in Gold” made famous by the movie. The museum specializes in German and Austrian art (See reviews on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com).

The famous “Woman in Gold” by Gustav Klimt

As I walked down East 84th Street, I noticed the beauty of each block while getting closer to the river. The streets were so beautiful while in bloom.

Walking down East 84th Street by East End Avenue

This was Walter Cronkite’s home until 1999

The plaque at 519 East 84th Street

Walter Cronkite

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Cronkite

Sitting quietly in the middle of East 84th Street is the tiny NYU Institute of Study of Ancient Art at 15 East 84th Street. This branch of the New York University Art Department specializes in Ancient Art and offers a scholarly approach to the ancient arts of European and Middle Eastern Art.

Don’t miss the NYU Institute of Study of Ancient Art at 15 East 84th Street near the Met

https://isaw.nyu.edu/exhibitions

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d1572637-Reviews-Institute_for_the_Study_of_the_Ancient_World-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum:

Institute for the Study of the Ancient World/ New York University 15 East 84th Street New York, NY 10028

When I last visited, they were showing the “A Wonder to Behold: Craftsmanship and Creation of Babylon’s Ishtar Gate” exhibition on Ancient Mesopotamian art.

They were showing Ancient Middle Eastern art when I visited

I finished my last day of my three-day trip relaxing in Carl Schurz Park. Carl Schurz was a very interesting man who did a lot for his country. Born in Prussia, he fought during the Revolution and escaped the country to immigrate to Paris when he was on the losing side.

He and his wife immigrated to the United States in 1852. Here he served as a Brigadier General in the Civil War, after the War he served as a U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Interior under President Hayes working to fight corruption in the Office of Indian Affairs and after his stint in the government, went back to his newspaper work (Wiki).

Carl Schurz

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Schurz

Mayor de Blasio must have been having a party because everyone in the park could hear the band. On this warm night every dog walker and child with a parent must have been in the park. Even at twilight, the place was mobbed as well as the river walk with people admiring the river views. It is still summer and I got a nice taste of it today. The park is beautiful anytime of the year (See review on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com).

Carl Schurz Park at East 86th Street

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/carl-schurz-park

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d312015-Reviews-Carl_Schurz_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://visitingamuseum.com/tag/carl-schurz-park/

The park in the Spring of 2024

What a beautiful neighborhood to live in. The park is particularly colorful in the Spring when the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom. This is a family’s dream. Access to the neighborhood: The 6 & Q subways. Stop at 96th Street.

The park in the Summer of 2024

The park’s gardens in the Summer of 2024

The park in the middle of the Summer of 2025

The park in the summer months

I had the opportunity before my tour of Gracie Mansion to walk along the esplanade and see the views of the Hudson River. It was such a beautiful day to walk along the river side.

The riverfront and Hellgate in the summer

The gardens in Carl Schulz Park

The beautiful walkway

The view of the Queens skyline

The view of the river walkway in the middle of the summer

Check out my blogs on walking the Yorkville/Upper East Side neighborhood:

Day Eighty-Nine: Walking the Avenues of Yorkville/Carnegie Hill/Upper East Side:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/6460

Day Eighty-Eight: Walking the Borders of Yorkville/Carnegie Hill/Upper East Side:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/6377

Places to Visit:

La Librairie des Enfants

163 92nd Street

New York, NY 10128

(646) 590-2797

https://lalibrairiedesenfants.nyc/

https://www.lalibrairiedesenfantsbookstore.com/about

Open: Sunday 10:00am-5:00pm/Monday-Friday 10:00am-6:00pm/Saturday 10:00am-7:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

My review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com:

La Librairie des Enfants 163 East 92nd Street New York, NY 10128 (Closed January 2024)

Children’s General Store (Now Closed)

168 East 91st Street (between Lexington and Third Avenues)

New York, NY 10128

(212) 426-4479

https://www.facebook.com/tcgstoys/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d210163-Reviews-The_Children_s_General_Store-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Carl Schurz Park

East 84th Street to East 90th Street

East End Avenue to the East River

New York City, NY 10128

https://www.carlschurzparknyc.org/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-12:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d312015-Reviews-Carl_Schurz_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/2714

Ruppert’s Park

1741 Second Avenue

New York, NY 10128

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-9:00pm

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/ruppert-park

Issacs Playground

East 95th Street to East 97th Street

New York, NY 10128

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/stanley-isaacs-playground

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-9:00pm

Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum

2 East 91st Street

New York, NY 10128

(212) 849-8400

https://www.si.edu/museums/cooper-hewitt-smithsonian-design-museum

Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm

Fee: Adults $18.00/People with Disabilities & Seniors $10.00/Children Under 18 Free/Students $9.00. Check the prices online as they change.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d106188-Reviews-Cooper_Hewitt_Smithsonian_Design_Museum-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3246

Jewish Museum

1109 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10128

(212) 423-3200

https://thejewishmuseum.org/

Open: Monday-Tuesday 11:00am-5:45pm/Wednesday Closed/Thursday 11:00am-8:00pm/Saturday & Sunday 10:00am-5:45pm

Fee: Adults $18.00/Seniors (over 65) $12.00/Students $8.00/Children under 18 Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d106187-Reviews-The_Jewish_Museum-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3252

Neue Galerie New York

1048 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10028

(212) 628-6200

neuegalerie.org

@neugalerieny

Open: Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm/Monday 11:00am-6:00pm/ Tuesday and Wednesday Closed/Thursday-Saturday 11:00am-6:00pm

Café and Shops have various hours. Please check the website for these.

Fee: General $22.00/Seniors (65 and Older) $16.00/Students and Educators $12.00/Children under 12 are not admitted and Children under 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult. The museum is open on First Fridays from 6:00pm-9:00pm. Please visit the website for more information.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d258699-Reviews-Neue_Galerie-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3063

Institute for the Study of the Ancient World/New York University

15 East 84th Street

New York, NY 10028

(212) 992-7800/Fax (212) 992-7809

http://www.isaw.nyc.edu

Fee: Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d1572637-Reviews-Institute_for_the_Study_of_the_Ancient_World-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3747

Places to Eat:

Timmy’s Restaurant (Closed in 2018)

1737 York Avenue

New York, NY 10128

(212) 860-9191

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d1160556-Reviews-Timmy_s-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Arturo’s Pizza

1610 York Avenue Front #2

New York, NY 10028

(212) 288-2430

https://arturosny.com/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 12:00pm-10:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d479377-Reviews-Arturo_s_Pizza-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Milano Market

1582 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10128

(212) 996-6681

https://www.milanomarketnyc.com/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-10:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d5084566-Reviews-Milano_Market-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Glaser’s Bakery (Closed in 2018)

1670 First Avenue

New York, NY 10128

(212) 289-2562

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d930552-Reviews-Glaser_s_Bake_Shop-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/409

Day Ninety One: New Blog Sites: VisitingaMuseum.com and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@WordPress.com by Blogger Justin Watrel.

To all of my readers and fellow bloggers following my blog, ‘MywalkinManhattan.com’. I created two more blog sites to accompany the main site.

I created ‘VisitingaMuseum.com’ and ‘DiningonaShoeStringinNYC.Wordpress.com’ to take what I have discovered on the walk around the city and put it into more detail.

I created ‘VisitingaMuseum.com’ to feature all the small and medium museums, pocket parks, community gardens and historical sites that I have found along the way in my walking the streets of the island and in the outlining areas of Manhattan. There are loads of sites you can easily miss either by not visiting the neighborhoods by foot or not consulting a guidebook. Most of the these places are not visited by most residents of the City and should not be missed.

I never realized how many small museums exist in New York City, let alone the outer boroughs and in New Jersey. I have discovered so many wonderful and interesting artifacts in these museums that not only have so much historical value but they also deal with local history.

Gallery Bergen at Bergen Community College

There are so many pocket parks, community gardens and historical sites that you would miss if you did not walk the neighborhoods. What has also been fascinating about it is the people you meet along the way that volunteer in these facilities. There is so much pride to be had by these local residents dedicating their time to make these places successful.

‘DiningonaShoeStringinNYC.Wordpress.com’ is my latest site:

https://diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/

I am featuring and promoting wonderful local restaurants that I have found along the way when doing the walk as well as places I have recently visited outside the city for $10.00 and below. I am not just featuring them for their price but for the quality of the food, the selection and the portion size.

Delicious Dumplings at ‘Dumplings’ on Henry Street

These little ‘hole in the wall’ dining establishments offer a good meal at a fair price as well as supporting the local economy. I have a very limited budget for meals and thought this blog site would help all of you economize when touring New York City and the outlying regions. I cross reference my reviews on TripAdvisor.com.

For anyone thinking of doing a similar project like ‘MywalkinManhattan.com’, I want to let you know how expensive it is to do. I have to pay not just for bus tickets, subway passes, meals, donations to museums and historical sites but the general wear and tear on my clothes. I am on my third pair of sneakers due to this walk. This is why you need to set a budget for it:

https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/

Beekman Place

So I hope you enjoy ‘VisitingaMuseum.com’ and ‘DiningonaShoeStringinNYC.Wordpress.com when coming to Manhattan. Please check all of this places out online for a change of hours and exhibits and menus.

Check out the newest site, “LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com” for small boutiques and specialty shops that are unique and quirky.

Little Shop on Main Street:

https://littleshoponmainstreet.wordpress.com/

Please check out my fire fighting blog sites, ‘The Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association’, ‘tbcfma.Wordpress.com’, where I am blogging about the activities of the association that I am volunteering for at the home on a quarterly basis and the support that the organization gives to The New Jersey Firemen’s Home in Boonton, New Jersey. Firemen for all over Bergen County, where I live, volunteer their time up at the nursing home with activities to engage and cheer up our fellow fire fighters.

The New Jersey Firemen’s Home in Boonton, NJ

https://tbcfha.wordpress.com/

The second site about fire fighting I blog about is ‘The Brothers of Engine One Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department”, ‘EngineOneHasbrouckHeightsFireDepartmentNJ.Wordpress.com’, where I blog about the activities of Engine Company One, in which I am a member, as part of the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department. We do a lot of volunteer work for the department and many of our members are very active and hold a lot of positions on the department.

The Brothers of Engine One HHFD (site now closed-Blogs moved to section of MywalkinManhattan.com called “My life as a Fireman”):

https://engineonehasbrouckheightsfiredepartmentnj.wordpress.com/tag/engine-one-hhfd/

The most frequented of my blogs is “BergenCountyCaregiver.com’, a caregivers blog site to help adult caregivers take care of their loved ones. This helps caregivers navigate a very broken system and put all sorts of programs that might help them all in one place to read and chose what might help them. This deals with county, state and federal programs that most social workers miss because there are so many of them that don’t get a lot of attention. It is by far the most popular site.

The Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association

I wanted to share these with my readers and thank you for following my main blog, ‘MywalkinManhattan.com’. Please also share this with your friends who are visiting New York City to really tour the city by foot and see it for its own beauty and uniqueness.

Happy Reading!

My Blogs:

MywalkinManhattan.com

https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/

BergenCountyCaregiver.com

https://wwwbergencountycaregiver.com/

VisitingaMuseum.com

https://visitingamuseum.com/

DiningonaShoeStringinNYC.Wordpress.com

https://diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/

TheBrothersofEngineOneHasbrouckHeightsFireDepartment@Wordpress.com

https://engineonehasbrouckheightsfiredepartmentnj.wordpress.com/

TBCFMA@Wordpress.com

https://tbcfha.wordpress.com/

Also visit my past blog on Patch.com: The Merchant Series

https://patch.com/users/justin-watrel

https://patch.com/new-jersey/hasbrouckheights/friends-merchant-series-young-fashions

I did this for the Friends of the Hasbrouck Heights Library from 2009-2014.

Day Eighty-Nine: Walking the Avenues of Yorkville/Carnegie Hill from Madison Avenue to East End Avenue 96th-84th Streets August 28th-September 5th, 2017 (Again on June 8th, 2024 and July 21st, 2025)

September 6, 2017Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Rim of the Island of Manhattan, Exploring The Upper East Side of Manhattan, Exploring Yorkville/Carnegie Hill/Upper East Side, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Sandwich and Deli's for the budget minded, Uncategorized, Walking around Manhattan, Walking on the Upper East SideAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver.com, Carl Schurz Park, DiningonaShoeString@Wordpress.com, diningonashoestringinnyc, East Garden Chinese Restaurant, East Garden Restaurant, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Upper East Side, Exploring Yorkville/Carnegie Hill, Gouvenour Lewis Mansion, Gracie Mansion, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, LittleShoponMainStreet, LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com, MywalkinManhattan.com, New York City, NY, shorty's, The Upper East Side, VisitingaMuseum, VisitingaMuseum.com, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

After a long day in the Soup Kitchen prepping vegetables for future meals, I started my day uptown at the Samuel Seabury Park on 96th Street off the 6 subway line. It is a good place for a bathroom break in the area with the other being the Samuel Isaacs Park on 96th Street and 1st Avenue. There are not too many public bathrooms in this area.

Stanley Isaacs Playground

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/stanley-isaacs-playground

The park sign

The one thing I might want to mention that I am beginning to notice and it is not just in the poorer areas is that number of empty store fronts as well as the closing of many older businesses that I had seen in the area from the 80’s and 90’s. I guess the 20 year leases are coming up and they are jacking the rents up sky-high in some areas. When Ottomanelli’s Restaurant, which had been in this neighborhood since 1902 closes, you know there is a problem ( I think they may be camping further uptown now).

The businesses again change closer to the housing complexes with smaller more reasonable restaurants around 2nd and 1st Avenues. This is not a section with lots of upscale shops and restaurants though I think some of the prices at the restaurants are due to the ongoing raise in the rents in the area.

The neighborhood is very diverse in its housing stock depending on the block and in its businesses. Being so close to Central Park gives you a sense of green though there are many nice smaller parks in the neighborhood. Though it is an expensive neighborhood I am sure it is not as expensive as its southern neighbors on this side of the park.

The number 6 subway will take you directly to Samuel Seabury Park at 96th Street, the start of many bathroom breaks. When you are walking the Avenues on the East Side, you need to know where the public bathrooms are located. This is a very active park during the school year. I would think that the city would have these bathrooms in better condition though.

The park is named after the late Judge Samuel Seabury who roots laid in Colonial Manhattan and had fought the corruption of Tammany Hall. Who knew a late Judge could still be so helpful many years later.

Judge Samuel Seabury

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Seabury_(judge)

Madison Avenue has its unique boutique-ness to it especially further downtown. Above 85th Street, it is more localized shops and restaurants. I had discovered that many businesses from the early 90’s like Sarabeth’s Kitchen were still operating (at much higher prices than I remembered). This location closed with the closing of the Hotel Wales in July 2020.

Sarabeth’s Kitchen at 1286 Madison Avenue (Closed in July 2020)

https://sarabethsrestaurants.com/locations/upper-east-side/menus/brunch-lunch/

One of the most beautiful and unique buildings on Madison Avenue is the Hunter College building at East 94th Street, which looks like a castle. The building is now used for the Hunter College High School and Elementary School, considered one of the best public schools in the city and you need a special test to get into it.

The Squadron A Armory is now part of the Hunter Campus 1345-1355 Madison Avenue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squadron_A_Armory

The building itself, built as the Squadron A Armory in 1896 by New York contractor, John F. Johnson, previously called the Madison Avenue Armory building, resembles a castle. It is constructed out of red bricks and was partially demolished in the 1960’s but bought by Hunter College for the expanding school (Wiki). Take a good look around the grounds, there is a real beauty in this enchanted castle housing some of the brightest kids in New York City.

Madison Avenue from 96th Street to 84th Street houses lots of local boutiques and restaurants and a few smaller hotels tucked here and there. The buildings are mostly prewar apartment buildings with some new construction thrown in here and there. Its the Upper East Side without the pretension.

Park Avenue is what Park Avenue does best below 98th Street, is an elegant enclave of prewar and turn of the last century apartment buildings with very little business or retail outside of the doctors offices. The Avenue is lined with elegant, old-world buildings with the well-manicured gardens of the street ‘mall’ going from the top of the railroad tracks on 98th Street down to the border of the neighborhood on 84th Street. The mall was ablaze with red and white flowers for the late summer blooms. I don’t think this area has changed much since the 1920’s.

The Park Avenue Mall

The Avenue was quiet that afternoon less the preppie teenagers walking with their sports gear and mom’s and nannies wheeling kids around. There is always a certain feel to this part of Park Avenue, quiet, elegant and sedate. I am sure its not that way in real life but that is the way it appears to the average person walking down the sidewalk.

One standout building on Park Avenue amongst all the elegant apartment buildings is the Lewis Gouverneur House at 85th Street. The house was named for its owner, a failed investment banker who was related to a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The house was designed by architect Ernest Flagg and designed in red brick neo-Federalist building that was completed in 1914 and it stands out amongst all the apartment buildings in the area (Wiki/Daytonian).

The latest article I read is that the house is up for sale for $8 million dollars, but I swear that I saw a cook and maid looking me over when I looked over the house, so I am sure it has been sold by this point. Someone was even hanging over the windows cleaning them as I passed.

Lewis Gouverneur House on Park Avenue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_G._Morris_House

http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2012/05/1914-lewis-gouveneur-morris-house-no.html

The side of the house

I had not noticed on a recent trip all the beautiful historic churches along Park Avenue. I walked past Loyola Church at 980 Park Avenue and Park Avenue Christian Church at 1010 Park Avenue. The churches were closed for the day but I was able to admire the architecture from the outside

Park Avenue Christian Church 1010 Park Avenue

Home

The historic plaque for the church

Loyola Church at 980 Park Avenue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St.Ignatius_Loyola(New_York_City)

The historic plaque

The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola was built in 1900 by the architectural firm of Schickel & Ditmars in the German Baroque and Classical Revival style. Park Avenue Christian Church was designed by the architectural firm of Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson and was designed in the Gothic Revival design. The church was built in 1911 (Wiki).

After turning the corner at 84th Street, I walked over to Lexington Avenue, and it is night and day to the enclaves of 5th and Park Avenues. Talk about a busy commercial street. This is where you are seeing changes in the feel of the neighborhood. Many of the retail spaces that I have remembered that were there for years when I moved back to the area in 2001 are long gone.

A lot of the neighborhood has been knocked down and many new residential and office buildings have replaced them. Some of my favorite bakeries and pizzerias are also long gone. Still my favorite Panera on 86th Street is still there for the Asiago and Cinnamon Crunch bagels that I love to snack on while on my way to the Met (Closed in 2018).

Here and Third Avenue is where you start to see the ‘For Rent’ signs. It is sad that so many businesses that have been here for twenty years, the leases are coming up and the rise in rents is just sky high for the new owners. I have read more articles on the prices that they want in rent and there is no way the average business can handle this. Even some of the chain restaurants have left the area. If you do not own the building, forget it. This shopping area is transforming again.

Third Avenue above 90th Street, you will start to see a lot of new construction, as a lot more buildings are going up on both sides of the street. The Upper East Side is slowly crawling into this area and a lot of the older smaller buildings are starting to disappear. The store fronts between 90th and 93rd are starting to empty as all the older restaurants have closed their doors.

Second Avenue is changing as well in the area of 90th Street and above. This has a totally different feel then the neighborhood above in East Harlem. Slowly though, these neighborhoods are starting to merge as new construction on Second and First Avenue below 96th Street changes from housing projects to private apartment buildings. Even the brownstones are giving way to larger apartment buildings, which is starting to change the character of the neighborhood. It’s a lot of sameness.

I ended the second day in the neighborhood having a late lunch at East Garden Chinese Restaurant at 1685 First Avenue & 88th Street (See review on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com). This little hole in the wall Chinese restaurant has lunch specials for $5.95 and a very nice variety of dishes.

Don’t miss East Garden Chinese Restaurant at 1685 First Avenue (Closed May 2024)

http://www.eastgardennewyork.com/

I had the General Tso’s chicken combination plate with fried rice and a Coke that cost $7.00 with tax and I just about finished it. The chicken was excellent. It was well cooked and the sauce had some pinch to it. The fried rice was less to be desired but overall the meal was very good for the end of this first long walk of the neighborhood.

Their General Tso’s Chicken is excellent

On the second day of the walk, I revisited Second and First Avenues and covered the rest of the neighborhood that include York, Henderson and East End Avenues as well as walking around Carl Schurz Park for a second time.

Carl Schurz Park on the Upper East Side is a real treat

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/carl-schurz-park

I finished up Second Avenue for a second time, looking over the businesses and parks. Slowly I noticed as I looked at menu’s of restaurants and the types of stores opening up that a lot of the mom and pop stores are giving way to more chains and the restaurants are getting awfully expensive even this high up.

The Upper East Side in the summer of 2025

There are a few hold outs in way of Chinese restaurants especially closer to the Samuel Isaacs Complex on 96th and First Avenue but even around the projects there soon won’t be too many affordable places to eat. I mean come on, $16.00 for a hamburger? Its a hamburger at the end of the day. For a reasonable meal, you will have to walk up above 100th Street.

There are several little surprises as you walk around the neighborhood. Behind the Ruppert Apartment Buildings on Third Avenue is the Ruppert Park between 90th and 91st Streets, which offered a place of rest after walking around. This block long park must have been a negotiation between the city and the developer to build these huge apartment buildings and the neighborhood really benefited from it. The park was named for Colonel Jacob Ruppert, the first co-owner of the New York Yankees and a brewer and public official.

Colonel Jacob Ruppert, the first co-owner of the Yankees

https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/ruppert-jacob

The Colonel with baseball player, Babe Ruth

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Ruppert

It is a nice meeting place for residents to talk and walk their dogs. Many of the neighborhood seniors seem to like to sit on the benches and talk to their friends. The playground is nice for the kids as they were out in full force before the first day of school started a few days later.

Ruppert Park at 1741 Second Avenue

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/ruppert-park

Tucked away on a side street on 91st Street across from the park, this is a plaque dedicated to James Cagney, the actor and singer, who later played tough guys in the movies. He must have lived in this area growing up.

The James Cagney Plaque at East 91st Street

https://patch.com/new-york/upper-east-side-nyc/upper-east-side-street-officially-designated-public-plaza

Actor & Song & Dance man, James Cagney

https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Cagney

First Avenue is starting to give way from brownstones to apartment buildings in the 90’s and up. On the lower part, the chain stores are starting to dominate while the mom and pop stores still are holding on. There still are a few German restaurants in the neighborhood but they seem few and far between on the Avenues. Its mostly small businesses and a few small shops.

York Avenue and East End Avenue are both tucked below the Asphalt Green playground and recreational area below FDR Drive and 92nd Street. The three days that I walked around the neighborhood, Asphalt Green was crowded with kids playing all sorts of sports, basketball, soccer or even playing Frisbee. The shocking part was getting an ice from the lady selling Spanish ices. Below 96th Street, they start charging $2.00 instead of $1.00 like above 100th Street. I guess they see us coming.

The Asphalt Green playing fields on the Upper East Side

https://www.asphaltgreen.org/ues

The Asphalt Green in the summer

York Avenue shopping district in the summer

York Avenue is one of those places that looks like New York City with the combination of apartment buildings that look like they are out of the 70’s, elegant but not pretentious and the area looked lived in like the residents have lived there for 40 years. There is a mix of building types that gives the Avenue some character and tucked here and there are small apartment buildings and brownstones.

The brownstones around East 84th Street

East End Avenue is dominated by Carl Schurz Park where Gracie Mansion is located. Around the park, there are several beautiful brownstones especially between 86th and 87th Street that give the park that extra graciousness. These brick buildings are carefully maintained and beautifully landscaped and mirror the park across the street.

Carl Schulz Park in the summer

Carl Schulz Park in the summer

The small side streets south of the park such as the extension of 84th Street (Gracie Place) house old apartment buildings with excellent views of the park and very nosy doorman, who watched me watching them. Sometimes I wonder what impression I give these people that they stare so much at me or maybe after a year in Harlem, I am getting used to the inquisitive looks.

The neighborhood near Carl Schurz Park is very elegant

As I finished up the Avenues in Yorkville/Carnegie Hill, I just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon in Carl Schurz Park, looking at Randalls-Ward Island and Astoria Queens in the distance and admiring the breathtaking view of the river. This section of the park along the river walkway is so picturesque and relaxing. Labor Day had such wonderful weather and it was such a clear sunny day, that is was nice to just sit on a bench and watch the world go by.

Carl Schurz Park at East 86th Street

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/carl-schurz-park

The pathways in the park

All along the river, jet skis zoomed by and an occasional sailboat passed by as well. It was one of those afternoons you see in movies about New York City but sometimes never experience. All I could think about as I was watching the world go by is that this is what people think New York is and they are right.

The inside of the park

The bend in the river at the esplande

This location on the bend of the river on a nice day you have to experience for yourself to understand how great it is. What was a nice touch was that two people playing the cello and the violin came into the park to perform and collect money. That’s the real New York.

Carl Schurz Park with Roosevelt Island in the back

The view of Roosevelt Island

I ended the day eating a late lunch/dinner at a restaurant on Second Avenue named Shorty’s at 1678 First Avenue (See review on TripAdvisor), which is known for their Philly Cheesesteaks. It was pretty good for New York City, where you have to hop the Acela down to Center City for a Cheesesteak at Carmine’s in the Reading Market. Here the bartender told me that they import the hoagie rolls from Philly and cook it on the flat grill and top with Cheese Wiz (God, do I love that on a sandwich).

Shorty’s is at 1678 First Avenue for the best cheesesteaks in NYC (Closed in 2020)

http://www.shortysnyc.com/

For the $10.00 price and a side of Bay Seasoning fries, it was well-worth the money. It saved the $200.00 trip to Philly I would soon have to make, and that chewy cheesy sandwich was a great way to end my trip of the Avenues of the neighborhood. Now the streets await.

Shorty’s has the best cheesesteaks outside of Philly

The cheesesteaks are delicious and very close to the good ones I had in Philly.

Please read my other blogs on the Upper East Side/Yorkville/Carnegie Hill walks:

Day Eighty-Eight: Walking the Border of the Upper East Side/Yorkville/Carnegie Hill:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/6377

Day Ninety: Walking the Streets of the Upper East Side/Yorkville/Carnegie Hill:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/6562

Places to Visit:

Samuel Seabury Playground

Lexington Avenue & East 96th Street

New York, NY 10128

(212) 639-9675

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/samuel-seabury-playground

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/samuel-seabury-playground/facilities/playgrounds

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-9:00pm

Carl Schurz Park

East 84th to East 87 Streets and the East River

New York, NY 10128

https://www.carlschurzparknyc.org/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-12:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d312015-Reviews-Carl_Schurz_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/2714

Ruppert’s Park

1741 Second Avenue

New York, NY 10128

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/ruppert-park

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-9:00pm

Gracie Mansion

East 88th Street

New York, NY 10028

(212) 676-3060

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/gracie/visit/visit.page

Open: Monday 10:00am-12:00pm/5:00pm-6:00pm/Wednesday 10:30am-12:30pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d136688-Reviews-Gracie_Mansion-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/2182

Asphalt Green Upper East Side Campus

555 East 90th Street

New York, NY 10128

(212) 369-8890

https://www.asphaltgreen.org/

Open: Sunday & Saturday 8:00am-8:00pm/Monday-Friday 5:30am-10:00pm

Places to Eat:

Shorty’s (Closed in 2020)

1678 First Avenue

New York, NY 10128

http://www.shortysnyc.com/

(212) 348-2300

Open: Sunday-Saturday 4:00pm-12:00am

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d10701466-Reviews-Shorty_s-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

East Garden Chinese Restaurant

1685 First Avenue

New York, NY 10128

(212) 831-5900

http://www.eastgardenon1st.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d12860202-Reviews-East_Garden_Chinese_Restaurant-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/489

Day Eighty-Eight: Walking the Border of Yorkville/Carnegie Hill: East 96th Street to East 84th Street and from Fifth Avenue to FDR Drive August 25th, 2017 (again on June 8th, 2024 and July 21st, 2025)

August 28, 2017Cheap Spanish Restaurant for Budget Minded, Dedication to Warren Watrel, Dining on a Shoe String Restaurants in New York City, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring NYC Parks, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Rim of the Island of Manhattan, Exploring The Upper East Side of Manhattan, Exploring Yorkville/Carnegie Hill/Upper East Side, Historic New York City neighborhoods, My walk in Manhattan (MywalkinManhattan.com), Sandwich and Deli's for the budget minded, Spanish Restaurants for the budget minded, Uncategorized, Visiting a Museum in New York City, Walking around Manhattan, Walking on the Upper East SideAddthistoyourgrocerylist@Wordpress.com, Author Justin Watral, Author Justin Watrel, BergenCountyCaregiver, Carl Schurz Park, Central Park Conservatory Park, Central Park Reservior, diningonashoestringinnyc, Dorrain's Restaurant, Exploring Manhattan, Exploring Manhattan Block by Block, Exploring New York City by foot, Exploring the Island of Manhattan, Exploring the Upper East Side, Exploring Yorkville/Carnegie Hill, Gracie Mansion, Justin Watral, Justin Watrel, LittleShoponMainStreet, littleshoponmainstreet.com, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Moe's Grocery, MywalkinManhattan.com, The Upper East Side, Upper East Side, VisitingaMuseum.com, Walk Manhattan, Walking in Manhattan, Walking Manhattan, Warren George Watrel, Warren Watreljwatrel

I finally got out of Harlem and into the Upper East Side. This area is the border neighborhood between East Harlem and the Upper East Side (or as people used to say before gentrification of the Island of Manhattan, the Upper Upper East Side). Most people consider anything below 98th Street on the East Side of Manhattan and East of Central Park as the Upper East Side. However, you call it, you are now out of Harlem.

Walking along York Avenue

The mood of the area is even different. It was like when I was crossing 155th Street from Washington Heights to Harlem months before. The mood of the area and its residents starts to change. It becomes the Woody Allen Upper East Side. Again just like Manhattan Valley on the West Side, there is still a very 70’s and 80’s feel to the neighborhood. It’s got a more a middle-class vibe to it and watching the kids at play you can still see that independent streak in them.

The Isaacs and Haynes Houses on the border of the Upper East Side

John Haynes Houses at 1780 First Avenue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_Towers

Click to access Holmes%20Towers.pdf

The John Haynes Holmes Towers sign

There are none of the expensive restaurants and boutiques that you see below 80th Street. The feel of the businesses is more local. Even the Isaacs Housing complex looks more upscale then the projects a few blocks up and their residents have their own security watch (the guy asked me what I was doing there and no one ever asked me anything when I walked through the projects before).

The Isaacs Houses just south of East 96th Street

The sign for the Isaacs houses

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaacs_Houses

The walk along FDR Drive esplanade has some view. The shore line of Queens is really changing. There is a lot of development around the East River and what a beautiful view of the river and the rising skyline in the background. The esplanade stops around 90th Street for renovation and then continues once you pass Gracie Mansion.

The Queens shore line in the summer of 2025

The new luxury housing that dwarfs the public housing

Carl Schurz Park (See review on TripAdvisor and VisitingaMuseum.com), where Gracie Mansion is located is a nice place to just relax and watch the boats pass by. You get the nicest views of Ward-Randall Island and of Lighthouse Park on Roosevelt Island (I never knew there was a lighthouse over here). The developers are creating a new ‘Gold Coast’ along the Queens-Brooklyn riverfront.

Carl Schurz Park in the Spring

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/carl-schurz-park

Carl Schurz, a statesman during the Civil War

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carl-Schurz

It was nice to just relax and watch the water. The kids are in full force at this park like many parks around the city and it looks like they are trying to enjoy their last days of freedom before the school years starts in two weeks. Kids were playing basketball, Frisbee, roller skating and just chasing one another. It was nice to see kids not using cellphones.

Carl Schulz Park near the border of East 84th Street

Even the entrance to the park is fancy

The views from the river esplanade

The view of the gardens on the esplanade

The homes along this part of Manhattan were a combination of brownstones and prewar apartments but all along the Avenues, you are seeing more and more new construction. All sorts of new apartment and office buildings are being built along First, Second and Third Avenues. The businesses are more local than chains, giving you a peak at time before the late 90’s exploded with the chain stores all over Manhattan. It is funny that I remember a time everyone in the city complained that the chains would not even come to the city now in 2017 they complain that they are taking over the city.

The border of Yorkville, 84th Street, is lined with many brownstone type buildings and private homes along with a series of small restaurants and shops worth exploring. Many are businesses that have been open for years such as Dorrian’s Red Hand Restaurant at 1616 Second Avenue since 1960. It harks back to when the Upper East Side was the land of preppies.

Dorrian’s Red Hand Restaurant at 1616 Second Avenue

https://www.dorrians-nyc.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d5021112-Reviews-Dorrians_Red_Hand_Restaurant-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The burgers here are fantastic

When you reach Fifth Avenue, the area between 84th Street and 96th Street is lined with museums giving name to ‘Museum Row’ starting with the Metropolitan Museum of Art at the corner of 84th Street passing the Jewish Museum, Guggenheim Museum, The Ukraine Institute of America and the Neue Museum, which will be fun to explore. Many of the smaller museums of the city line this area as well so I passed names I had never heard of before considering my many trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (I discuss all these museums in later blogs and in VisitingaMuseum.com).

The ‘Museum Mile’ Museums in Yorkville/Upper East Side

The Cooper-Hewitt Museum at 2 East 91st Street

The Jewish Museum at 1109 Fifth Avenue

The Guggenheim Museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue

The Neue Gallery of Art at 1048 Fifth Avenue

The Ukraine Institute of America at 2 East 79th Street

At 91st and 5th Avenue along the wall of Central Park is a memorial to W.T. Stead, a journalist who died in the Titanic. He was a English journalist best known for being an investigative journalist, better known as a gossip columnist. The funny part of his going down in the Titanic is that he had written that he might die in a drowning and wrote two fictional articles before the tragedy about ships colliding at sea and another about a ship that sinks without enough life boats to save everyone. Maybe he just saw his fate. He was into spiritualism, which was fashionable at the time and maybe someone hinted to him.

W.T. Stead Memorial

William Thomas Stead

https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Thomas-Stead

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._T._Stead

Mr. Stead’s memorial is one of many that line Central Park that most people don’t even notice. The park is loaded with statues and memorials that most New Yorkers just pass by without a moment’s notice. It makes one wonder why they would put this here. The memorial was designed by artist George William Frampton with the marble sculpture designed by architects Carrere & Hastings, a firm known for their Beaux Arts style.

George William Frampton is a British artist who came from a family of stone carvings who studied at the Lambeth School of Art and the Royal Academy of School. He believed in dynamism and physical realism in sculpture. His most famous work was “Peter Pan” in Picadilly Square in London (Royal Academy of Art/Wiki).

https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-James-Frampton

There are glorious views of the reservoir at 90th Street and 5th Avenue that you should not miss. Just walking in the park to see the gardens is worth the trip inside Central Park. Most of the gardens are still in bloom and the park is loaded with tourists milling around the waterfront.

The entrance to the Central Park Reservoir

The Memorial Dedicated to Mayor John Purroy Mitchel in the front of the entrance to the reservoir

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park/monuments/1045

The Mitchel Memorial Committee retained architects Thomas Hastings and Don Barber to design the expansive granite stele and commissioned German-born sculptor Adolph Alexander Weinman to design the gilded bronze portrait bust of Mitchel (NYCParks.org).

Artist Adolph Alexander Weinman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolph_Alexander_Weinman

Artist Adolph Alexander Weinman was a German born American artist who studied at Copper Union and the Arts Student League of New York. He was known for his famous sculptures around the United States (Wiki)

Mayor John Purroy Mitchel, the 95th Mayor of New York City (1914-1917)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Purroy_Mitchel

The views of the reservoir are breathtaking and it is hard to believe this is right off Fifth Avenue.

Central Park Reservoir at Fifth Avenue and East 90th Street

https://www.centralparknyc.org/locations/reservoir

Walking up 5th Avenue along the park at 96th and 5th Avenue, there is a statue of Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen in a small enclosure on the edge of the park before you enter it. This bronze, life-sized sculpture is a self-portrait of the esteemed Danish sculptor and was dedicated in Central Park in 1894. It is the only statue of an artist displayed in the parks of New York City and honors a titan in his field who had broad influence in sustaining the classical tradition in art. This statute is a bronze version of the original that’s located in Copenhagen (NYC Parks Department-Central Park/Wiki).

Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen statue

Artist Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park/monuments/1543

https://biography.yourdictionary.com/bertel-thorvaldsen

As I was walking across 96th Street to finish the upper part of the neighborhood, I had a sudden craving for a sandwich and walked up to Moe’s Grocery Inc. at 1968 Third Avenue, which I had eaten in before (See review on TripAdvisor & my blog, ‘DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com’). They have the best special, a chopped cheese on a hoagie roll and a Coke for $3.00. Ever on the budget, their chopped cheese rivals Haiji’s (Blue Sky Deli) up on 110th Street.

Moe’s Grocery (now called Third Avenue Deli/Grocery) at 1968 Third Avenue in East Harlem, the best lunch specials

Moe’s Grocery Inc. (1968 Grocery Inc./Third Ave. Deli) 1968 Third Avenue New York, NY 10029

I thought I had asked for lettuce and tomato on the sandwich so add another $1.50 to it but when I sat down to eat it at the park at 96th Street, they were not on it. I was a little pissed at paying for something I did not get but the sandwich was so good, I did not mind. It is worth the walk up a few extra blocks to 108th Street for the sandwich. You will also see the distinction of the neighborhoods just by crossing 98th Street (See the previous walk in East Harlem). The sandwich is so loaded with beef and gooey cheese that it makes the nicest meal during this long walk and nothing is better than a Coke on a hot day.

The Third Avenue Deli’s Chopped Cheese is excellent.

I ended this part of the walk by rounding East End Avenue and relaxing at Carl Schurz Park, which is a true delight. What a beautifully landscaped park with paths of picturesque gardens and statues and active playgrounds with screaming children.

The gardens in bloom in the park

The nice part is the bathrooms here are decent and you have a working water fountain, with lots of cold water. It was fun to explore the paths going up and down the landscaped paths.

Carl Schulz Park at East 86th Street and East End Avenue

https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/carl-schurz-park

The front of the mansion in Carl Schulz Park

Security is heavy at the northern part of the park where Gracie Mansion is located, the mayor’s residence. There are NYPD cars all over the place so try not to dwell too long in this area not to get the attention of the police officers. You can’t even see the mansion anymore because of the fencing around the house. This was the former summer residence of Archibald Gracie, a well-known Scottish born, American merchant, who was partners with Alexander Hamilton.

Gracie Mansion in Carl Schulz Park in the summer of 2025

https://www.facebook.com/graciemansionconservancy/

https://www.graciemansion.org/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d136688-Reviews-Gracie_Mansion-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://visitingamuseum.com/tag/gracie-mansion/

Gracie Mansion from the front porch

He built the house in 1798 as a summer home and entertained the elite at that time in Manhattan, including John Quincy Adams. Gracie’s daughter Eliza Gracie-King was one of the great social leaders at the time until Mrs. Astor took the throne during the ‘Gilded Age’. The house was sold in 1823 to pay off debts owed by Mr. Gracie and it was bought by New York City in 1896 due to back taxes by the then owners.

The Gracie Mansion Gardens

It has been used as a concession stand for the park as well as the first home of the Museum of the City of New York. In 1942, the house was renovated and became the residence of Florio LaGuardia, the Mayor of New York and thus became the residence of future New York City mayors NYC Parks Department).

Archibald Gracie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Gracie

I had taken a tour of the mansion years earlier with the Cornell and Harvard Clubs when we had a historical tea at the house. Mayor Bloomberg did not live in the house at the time, so it was used primarily for entertaining. We had a wonderful afternoon tea at the at the house and then a formal tour of the public rooms and gardens. It has the most amazing views of ‘Hell Gate’, a bend in the river along the esplanade, that has some of the roughest waters in the East River. The house does get a nice breeze.

The inside of the Susan Wagner Ballroom

The Bayard Mantle in the Susan Wagner Ballroom

After a long rest on the benches outside the park, I walked over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to spend the rest of the evening. The Met, as it’s called, is open until 9:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays, so you get to listen to the music in ‘The Balcony’ restaurant or just tour the galleries.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art at 1000 Fifth Avenue

https://www.metmuseum.org/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d105125-Reviews-The_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art-New_York_City_New_York.html

The fountain outside the Met is pretty amazing

It gave me a chance to see the Greek Galleries again and walk around the Central American exhibitions. It is so nice to walk in the galleries when it is not busy. It was a nice way to end the evening.

The Greek Galleries at the Met

https://www.metmuseum.org/departments/greek-and-roman-art

The Cycladic Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the first floor.

The Met’s Greek Galleries are amazing and have so many beautiful items on display.

There is a lot to see and do in Yorkville/Upper East Side

Please check out my other blogs on Yorkville and the Upper East Side:

Day Ninety: Walking the Streets of Yorkville/Carnegie Hill/Upper East Side:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/6562

Day Eighty-Nine: Walking the Avenues of Yorkville/Carnegie Hill/Upper East Side:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/6460

Places to Visit:

Gracie Mansion

East 88th and East End Avenue

New York, NY 10028

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/gracie/about/about.page

(212) 570-4773

Open: Mondays only: 10:00am, 11:00am and 5:00pm for tours

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d136688-Reviews-Gracie_Mansion-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/2182

Carl Schulz Park

East 84th to East 90th Avenues & East End Avenue

New York, NY 10028

https://www.carlschurzparknyc.org/

Open: 6:00am-12:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d312015-Reviews-Carl_Schurz_Park-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/2714

Metropolitan Museum of Art

1000 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10028

1-800-622-3397

https://www.metmuseum.org/

Open: Sunday-Thursday 10:00am-5:30pm/Friday & Saturday 10:00am-9:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d105125-Reviews-The_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Central Park Reservoir

86th- 96th Streets in Central Park

Open: When the park is open

http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-do/attractions/reservoir.html

Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum

2 East 91st Street

New York, NY 10128

(212) 849-8400

Home

Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm

Fee: Adults $18.00/People with Disabilities & Seniors $10.00/Children Under 18 Free/Students $9.00. Check the prices online as they change.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d106188-Reviews-Cooper_Hewitt_Smithsonian_Design_Museum-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3246

Jewish Museum

1109 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10128

(212) 423-3200

https://thejewishmuseum.org/

Open: Monday-Tuesday 11:00am-5:45pm/Wednesday Closed/Thursday 11:00am-8:00pm/Saturday & Sunday 10:00am-5:45pm

Fee: Adults $18.00/Seniors (over 65) $12.00/Students $8.00/Children under 18 Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d106187-Reviews-The_Jewish_Museum-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3252

The Guggenheim Museum

1071 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10128

(212) 423-3500

https://www.guggenheim.org/

Open: Sunday-Monday 10:00am-5:30pm/Tuesday 10:00am-8:00pm/Wednesday-Friday 10:00am-5:30pm/Saturday 10:00am-5:30pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d108687-Reviews-Solomon_R_Guggenheim_Museum-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

Neue Galerie New York

1048 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10028

(212) 628-6200

neuegalerie.org

@neugalerieny

Open: Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm/Monday 11:00am-6:00pm/ Tuesday and Wednesday Closed/Thursday-Saturday 11:00am-6:00pm

Café and Shops have various hours. Please check the website for these.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d258699-Reviews-Neue_Galerie-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3063

Ukrainian Institute of America

2 East 79th Street

New York, NY 10021

(212) 288-8660

Welcome to the UIA

Open: Sunday 12:00pm-6:00pm/Monday Closed/ Tuesday-Saturday 12:00pm-6:00pm

Fee: Adults $8.00/ Seniors $6.00/ Students with current ID $4.00/Children under 12 Free/ Members Free

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d5953575-Reviews-Ukrainian_Institute_of_America-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3048

Places to Eat:

Moe’s Grocery

1968 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10029

(212) 289-0999

Open: 12:00pm-11:59pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d12845802-Reviews-Moe_s_Grocery_Inc-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/324

Dorrian’s Red Hat

1616 Second Avenue

New York, NY 10028

(212) 772-6660

Open: Sunday-Saturday 11:00am-3:45am

https://www.dorrians-nyc.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d5021112-Reviews-Dorrians_Red_Hand_Restaurant-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

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