Amsterdam Ave, Morningside Heights

This is one of the main drags in the upper reaches of Manhattan, and it’s peppered with restaurants that are mostly populated by the Upper West Side’s rich elderly residents. It doesn’t seem like too many tourists venture up to this street, so if you’re looking for a New York neighborhood that is all your own (and you also have plenty of money to spend), then this is it.

Amsterdam Avenue offers a little bit of everything but it stays true to it's name with a real flare for the nightlife and maybe a bit of the seedy underground. Columbia and Yeshiva both have campuses on the block bringing the street even more alive and Bourbon Street is a great stop as well.

Below 96th Street, Amsterdam is a great avenue that embodies the eclectic artistic nature of the Upper West Side. On weekends, you'll find crowds lining the sidewalks (even in the winter) for the best Sunday brunches in New York City; on weekdays, the streets are populated with shoppers visiting the many cute stores and restaurants in the area. At the south end of Amsterdam where it intersects with Broadway, it's a bit more upscale, but the northern parts are still great. They're just very down-to-earth and homey - a very different vibe from their classy/chic southern counterparts. There is plenty of nightlife on Amsterdam, particularly in the 80s where cheap college bars abound. If I had to compare Amsterdam to something on the east side, I'd say it most resembles Second Ave: a nice mix of residences, stores, bars, and restaurants, without being too pretentious.

Amsterdam Avenue is a pretty long street so the location on the avenue really affects what you will find. Around the 80s and 90s residents enjoy a quiet area sprinkled with interesting shops and spots to eat. Lincoln Center is commonly though of as the big draw to the area and even if you don't enjoy the cultural scene it's a nice area to just walk around. Once you hear further north into the 120s things get a bit dicier and the appearance becomes a bit more run down. Columbia University is nestled into the area and is a point of interest and hard to miss as it's expanded to encompass a pretty large plot in the area.

If you're ever up around w 125th and Amsterdam, stop by Golden Krust. The jerk chicken is pretty good, but the coconut bread is to die for. Hooray for Harlem. Just the name of the place and the history associated with it (and the name's reputation) makes it seem more exciting, but it really isn't all that big of a deal.

Amsterdam Avenue is a great place to go to eat at a nice restaurant and feel relaxed while doing it. There is a stretch of great breakfast places including good enough to Eat. It’s a quite and peaceful place, this place is very crowded because every body needs relaxing. Its is friendly environment too. It’s a crowded place and very noisy too

Amsterdam Avenue is a place where people love to come again and again, to get relief from their tension and work load, it the only place where they really feel relaxed. Amsterdam Avenue is also famous for good food and excellent service to the patrons. It’s a quite and peaceful place, this place is very crowded because every body needs relaxing. Its is friendly environment too.

Speaking as a resident of the Upper West Side, Amsterdam Avenue is a great place to go to eat at a nice restaurant and feel relaxed while doing it. There is a stretch of great breakfast places including Good Enough to Eat, Sarabeth's, Popover Cafe, and Barney Greengrass. If it's lunch you're looking for, consider Fred's, Harriet's Kitchen, or Roppongi. And for a fancier dinner, Celeste, The Neptune Room, or Haru are all good bets. Stop at the New York Public Library along the way if you're eating alone and pick up a good book to read while you sit outside and relax.

Affordable public housing abounds on Amsterdam Ave. and a vibrant crack-cocaine trade makes the atmosphere feel like a bustling old European marketplace, a touch of the old world in the heart of NYC, highly recommended