Riverside Dr, Upper West Side

You will be greeted by doormen as you walk along the sidewalk on Riverside Drive. Gawk at the unbelievable lobbies of some of the highest priced co-ops in the city. Imagine yourself living in a penthouse overlooking the river and watching the boats sailing by. Or, walk on the park side and take a picnic lunch to eat on a bench or bring your kids to one of the playgrounds. In the summer, the grassy hill by the water will be covered with young adults tanning and reading the paper.

If your desire is to move onto this road, good luck. That is, some of the most desirable residencies are located here and the competition is steep. You’d better not only have the cash to fork over, but know somebody who can get you in. If you’re just visiting, this street is absolutely gorgeous and you should take a walk down it for sure – just pack a lunch and have yourself a picnic.

Riverside Drive is a serpentine route that runs from W 72 St to W 120 ST. It offers beautiful views of the Hudson Rivers, and delineates the limit of the Riverside Park. The Riverside Park is Manhattan’s most spectacular waterfront park. It is a great park for biking and walking. You can actually bike all the way from the Washington Bridge down to Battery Park along the river.

Getting off the Henry Hudson Parkway onto Riverside Drive is a real treat. The mostly residential area offers a feel of suburbia in a bustling city. It's convenient to the subway and offers stunning views of Riverside Park. Along the wide and curving road delis, cafes and service businesses allow convenience to residents. The park is a haven for fitness buffs who enjoy a good run.

While many people are willing to trade gorgeous natural settings for the hustle of a big city it's not necessary on Riverside Drive. The area is home to some of the most beautiful buildings in the entire cty and it offers residents the feeling of a smaller town within the big city. Running right along Riverside Park the streets offers residents great small businesses and service oriented shops, solid transportation options and a great park to spend the weekends with. The views are not to shabby either with the park and river right at residents fingertips.

Riverside drive stretches from the northern tip of Manhattan southwards on the west side of Manhattan. It runs through Morningside Heights and the Upper West Side and it is one of the most picturesque streets in the city. If you want to live in Manhattan this would be prime real estate. It's a huge avenue and has a great deal of traffic at any given time but Riverside Park offers a nice retreat from city life. Health and fitness enthusiasts will appreciate the area and the park because of it's recreational opportunities. Local shops and eateries are also common along the stretch and offer a nice community feeling. Grants Tomb is located in the park along with a number of other monuments and sculptors which are definite points of interest for visitors and residents alike.

West 88th street, particularly on the block between Central Park and Broadway probably provides some of the most idyllic living space in the city. Surrounded by friendly delis, dry cleaners, pharmacies, supermarkets, and many speciality stores, this street is really fun, quiet, and safe. Living here is akin to living in the suburbs. There is rarely the cacophony that one will find downtown. Along with a parking garage on the corner with Columbus ave, there is also usually plenty of parking as the street is secluded enough from the busy Cafes on Amsterdam and Broadway. Not far from the subway (1 train on 86th street and 2,3 express on 96th street), getting downtown takes 30 minutes maximum if the trains are running well. The only thing is that at night, particularly on weekdays, this area can be almost a bit too quiet.

Aside from the fantastic views of the Hudson River and neighboring New Jersey, Riverside Drive offers some of the most pleasant living in New York City. Running adjacent to Riverside Drive is Riverside Park, home to many a joggers, rollerbladers, and strollers throughout the day and into the evening. Although in its uptown reaches, Riverside Drive offers various groupings of grand apartment buildings, many of them historic, the downtown area of Riverside Drive offers smaller, shop house type apartments, as many of them are still above functioning shops and restaurants. Located along Riverside park between 17th st and 23rd st is Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex, which is a waterfront sports village for anything from running, to sailing, to figure skating. The biggest benefit of living along Riverside Drive, besides the easy highway access, is by far Riverside park. On a beautiful day, you can enter the park at such crosstrees as 14th st, Christopher st, and Canal street and walk all the way down to Battery Park.

Of course, Riverside Drive, for the most part, is never going to have its views taken away by people building high buildings across the street, since across the street is Riverside Park and the Hudson River and a great view of New Jersey. The majority of the street from the 60s to uptown and past has an incredible group of beautiful apartment buildings, some with great histories and with the historic designation, including Marion Davies' House near 103th Street and the beautiful mansion at 106th Street. There is a pleasant walkway that runs along the west side of the park and you can enter the park at various places like 103rd Street and 79th Street and others, just go down a level to the park area. At 103rd Street there is a marvelous dog run, and a small cafe that opened some years ago. Very enjoyable all around.