West 72 St, Upper West Side

W72nd Street which extends from Central Park West to Riverside Drive has always been a rather well known street in New York for it hosts one of the most famous co-ops in New York City, the Dakota. The Dakota which is located on the corner of Central Park West and 72nd Street is a huge fortress like building which is an architectural marvel what with its balconies, balustrades and other trimmings.This magnificent edifice which was home to John and Yoko Lennon has also hosted other famous New Yorkers like Leonard Bernstein, the composer and conductor, Lauren Bacall, the actress, Judy Garland, the singer, William Inge, the playwright, Jo Mielziner, the stage designer and Rex Reed, the columnist. Aside from Dakota, the street also hosts several other impressive buildings(high rise) like the beaux arts Chatsworth building at Riverside drive and the Corner a glass and tower edifice which now houses the Upper West Side location of NYC’s a favorite food store, Trader Joe’s.
W72nd Street also hosts many restaurants and commercial establishments like the Upper West side outpost of my favorite cupcake store the Buttercup Bake Shop, Seven’s Turkish Grill, the shoe heaven of Tip Top Shoes( where I once dropped $70 on a pair of flip flops) and Dallas BBQ Upper West Side.
This street which is one of the traverse roads of Central Park is served by the M72 Cross town bus and also hosts a rather elegant subway station that receives the #1,2 and 3 trains.
The Verdi Square is yet another landmark of West 72nd Street, this small patch of green which is located on West 72nd Street at the junction of Broadway and 72nd Street is equipped with a few benches that beckon you to take a break and rest while you soak in the buzzing atmosphere of New York City as it rushes around you.

Alice's Tea Cup on 73rd is a must see when you move into this neighborhood. They have a great selection of desserts and teas and trinkets. The restaurant even serves delicious food - rare for a tea shop. You get the best of all of Uptown with Amsterdam and Broadway coming together. There are many shops that sell just about anything you can think of - there's never a shortage of what you need. The schools in this area are also high caliber for public schools. There is the Beacon Theater close by for seeing a show. And finally, Central Park West is not too far away if you want to go for a walk.

Traffic is heavier because this road has a Central Park entrance, so I don’t know if I’d want to live here – but visitors to the Upper West side will probably want to swing by to see the Dakota, scene of several famous movies and also the sidewalk where John Lennon was murdered. Across the street inside Central Park is the Strawberry Fields memorial to Lennon.

This is a pretty residential street, though if you are visiting and staying here there are a lot of tourist attractions close by (like Central Park). If you’re a resident, you can stop in at the World Yoga Center and make sure that you can not only compete with your skinny rich elderly neighbors, but with Madonna as well.

Because 72nd Street is such a big cross-street, it has a lot of shops and restaurants, while there are hardly any standalone apartment buildings - you'll find these mainly between Columbus and Central Park West and between West End Ave and Riverside Drive. In between, you’ll find everything from Tasti D Lite frozen yogurt (my favorite), to Lime Leaf (a wonderfully chic Thai restaurant that’s surprisingly inexpensive), to Urban Outfitters, to small hardware stores and nail salons. The traffic is busy and loud (after all, it’s a two way street and it goes through Central Park AND out to the Henry Hudson Parkway), but because all the apartments are high above the street due to the storefronts underneath, it’s not really a problem for those who live there. 72nd street is also an express stop for the 1/2/3 and the A/C subways, so it’s an easy task to get anywhere else you might like to go in New York.

I stayed in a hostel in this area and I just loved waking up each morning. Strolling along 72nd St and having chocolate chip pancakes in the diners made me want to live here! It's so close to Riverside Drive so you can stroll to the water or stroll in the other direction and hang out in Central Park.