Park Ave, East Harlem

Park Avenue above 59th street may not have much in the way of neighborhood hangouts - the cafes and restaurants that dot so much of the city are on nearby Madison Avenue - but it's still one of the most pleasant places to stroll in New York City. With its green mall that flowers in summer and is gorgeously lit up in winter (the Park Avenue Tree-Lighting, with Christmas Carols, is a great annual tradition), Park Avenue is a proper promenading-street. Walk up and down the Avenue (tiny dog in tow) and enjoy checking out the latest fashions alongside some truly stunning New York City architecture.

For those seeking to live on Park Avenue, the co-op boards can be tough to get past, but ultimately Park Avenue is a great, family-friendly community. The presence of doormen in many buildings helps to keep the area safe and patrolled, and much of the area seems like a city within a city - a smaller, more manageable area to bring up kids than the city as a whole. And best of all, this great neighborhood feel is within walking distance of plenty of the city's greatest attractions, from the shops of Madison Avenue to the Museums of Fifth to the greenery of Central Park. Life here may come with a hefty price tag, but it's arguably worth every penny!

Stretching for 100 block, Park Avenue has a little of everything to offer to visitors. You have a wonderful residential section, big business offices, historical hotels and more. Traffic is really good here, you don't sit and wait long. If you are trying to get somewhere besides Park Ave., it's still one of the better streets to take. If you are lucky, you'll spot a few celebs who now call Park Avenue home. But if you are familiar with some of New York's "old money" families, then you would be sure to spot them.

Park Avenue is one of Manhattan’s best known streets, which has featured in several Hollywood movies (79, Park Avenue). This two way thoroughfare which extends from 32nd street all the way until 132nd Street is one of the best streets to drive on if you want to get from uptown to downtown quickly as traffic constantly moves on this wide avenue and is rarely gridlocked.
Park Avenue in the 30’s is known as Park Avenue South and this section of the avenue has a distinct commercial feel as it is home several offices and banks like the investment bank Morgan Stanley. This commercial character of Park Avenue continues well into the fifties as the avenue hosts several iconic buildings of New York City like the Metlife building (the former PanAm building), the Hemsley Building, the gorgeous Grand Central Terminal which is one of the major transport hubs in the city and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Also located along Park Avenue are the headquarters of several of the giants of corporate America like J.P.Morgan Chase (housed in a gargantuan glass fronted building at 270 Park Avenue), Blackstone, and Colgate Palmolive.
Towards the 60’s, Park Avenue becomes more residential as it is lined with grand co-op building on either side. Most of these buildings don’t have names and are identified simply by a number like 635 Park. These understated edifices house some of the largest, most luxurious and needless to add most expensive apartments in New York City which are occupied by some of New York City’s oldest and wealthiest families. Accordingly the upkeep of Park Avenue is quite impeccable and its central divider is punctuated with well maintained flower beds whose blooms change with the seasons.

Park Avenue which is considered to be one of the most prestigious addresses in Manhattan also plays host to the Asia Society and Museum which is located on 70th Street, the Seventh Regiment Armory which is located on 66th street and is used as a popular event space as well as car dealerships of luxurious and expensive cars, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari and Maserati.

Park Avenue in Uptown Manhattan is really great for strolling. On a pleasant day, you can walk along for hours perusing upscale boutiques and specialty stores. You'll also come across many small cute cafes and charming restaurants. It's a great part of Manhattan too because it's not too far from a very lovely part of Central Park. It's a very quiet and safe family-oriented area.

This location has pretty much everything except nightlife. It's within walking distance to pretty much everything...Grand Central, Port Authority and Penn. It's close to several great restaurants--check out the charming Barking Dog's on 34th (and ask for outdoor seating by the waterfall outside!), Lemongrass for some yummy pad thai, Hong Kong II. The souvlaki platter at the Euro Diner is delish! There is a large movie theater if you walk further east. Next door is a Borders so you have somewhere to hang out while waiting for the movie to start. On the other side of the theater is a drug store (to buy and smuggle candy into the theater!). The street itself is very clean. In the warm weather, the doormen wash the sidewalks every morning so as to avoid that stinky city smell. There are several grocery stores in the area. Just walk east and you will run into Del Monico's and Gristedes. If you are really into walking, Trader Joe's is in Union Square and will have you eating gourmet foods for practically nothing. Shopping--head onto 34th St. and go west. You will hit almost every major clothing store including Gap, Victoria Secret, Old Navy, Daffys (!), Macys, Aerosoles, Payless, and Lane Bryant.