The next time you find yourself with extra time on your hands aim for that most ignored stretch of Manhattan: that length of Broadway past Columbia University, beyond Morningside Heights and east of Harlem that appears as unmarked territory on even the most detailed tourist maps of New York City.
Take the #1 IRT Subway to 125th Street and Broadway. The old station is a historic landmark built in 1904. Once you cross under the station’s graceful steel arch and red canopied platforms begin walking north. It won’t be pretty at first but you will begin to see a side of the Big Apple that never makes the guidebooks.
Every ten city blocks or so, Uptown reveals something unexpected.
At 135th Street it's the start of Manhattan's "open sky country" where most buildings are less than six-stories high and Hudson River breezes sweep across Broadway. Salsa and reggeton pour out of mom-and-pop shops. Neighbors gather for coffee and news at Dominican bakeries.
At 155th Street, the tallest hill in Manhattan rises past Riverside Drive to meet historic Trinity Church Cemetery. An elegant sculpture garden invites you into the Hispanic Society of America where Goya masterpieces line the museum’s hushed galleries.
Ornate architecture, historic landmarks, bustling streetlife and a complete panorama of a city's diverse culture is what you discover as you make your way toward 175th Street and beyond. Details, photos and helpful links to help you plan your own walking tour of the Other Upper West Side are what you'll find here.
Say goodbye to that Upper West Side you know so very well, at least for an afternoon. Hamilton Heights and Washington Heights await!
