West 69 St, Lincoln Square

The Upper West Side is one of the cleanest parts of NYC. On 69th, there are hotels surrounding this area and is somewhat quiet. Nearby, you can visit the 17 Street Playground, or if you prefer you can walk a few blocks to get to the Loews Movie Theater. Closeby, is the School for Performing Arts, and some wonderful Public Schools. Friendliness is not one of the strong points on this side of town. There is great shopping places along Broadway and Columbusand 66th Street Lincoln Center, again, all within walking distance. And if you want to get away you can walk to Central Park West.

This is another street that has its share of restaurants – the Sheep Meadow Café gets great reviews (though it is only open during warmer months). It’s an outdoor Barbeque place and it offers some pretty great people watching. Not to mention it’s actually affordable – about $15 to $25 per person.

West 69th Street is a great place to live. It’s a very neighborly block and people are very friendly – there is an active block association. 69th is just a short walk to all of the shops and restaurants on Columbus , Amsterdam and Broadway and the street is bookended by Central Park and Riverside Park. Fresh Direct, the best grocery store in the city, is just a short walk, as are Zabar’s and Citarella.

Finding decent Kosher fare is not such an easy feat as you would think in Manhattan. Although there is a plethora of Kosher establishments, when one wants to go out for a meal with a party that keeps Kosher, the options are rather limited. Recently, however, I came across this very cute, quite contemporary Kosher eatery on W69th and Broadway called Levana. The food there is neatly presented, and surprisingly good as well. The area itself is not so bad, it's very close to Lincoln Center, where you can catch a good movie or show, and as for getting around, it's within walking distance of the 66th street local and the 72nd street express stop. It's a cute area, worth a look around.