St Nicholas Ave, Harlem

Located way up in Hamilton heights, West 150th Street isn't exactly an area that comes to mind when considering the variety of options available in New York City. For all too many New Yorkers, the city ends at 125th street, and the over one hundred blocks to the north are easily dismissed as "slums" or "out of the way". This is less true now than ever, as housing costs are skyrocketing and new northbound neighbors are ever more gentrified. While West 150th Street is far from charming - a conglomeration of modern tenement-style houses and gas stations - it's not blighted, either, and in fact represents a reasonably safe, if slightly unfashionable, family neighborhood for would-be Manhattanites lacking the funds to move closer to Central Park. Restaurants and nightlife scenes here are relatively basic - a few "locals" combined with plenty of fast-food chains - but there are worse places to live in Manhattan.

If you ever come to the west side of the Bronx, especially near the Hamilton Heights, and you are driving, come up to W. 140th Street. You will find it something else.

Much of the street has a ton of apartment buildings. In fact, they line the street for a few blocks. But you will also discover something else as well. There are a lot of schools on the street. nearly every block contains a school.

And there are some commercial establishments as well.

But a big part of the street, well not exactly a big part because it isn't on the street itself, but connects to it, is the Hamilton Grange National Memorial. It is breath-taking.

I would definitely recommend it to others, especially to families with children.