The Upper West Sidebracketed by Central Park and Riverside Park, and distinguished by regal, two-towered apartment buildings along Central Park Westis a place where you can frequently see families pushing strollers, walking dogs and, on weekends, settling in for brunch at mainstays like Sarabeth's. City Diner on 90th Street and Broadway is a good old fashioned diner and is open almost 24 hours a day.

Of course, it's not all residential. There's culture, in the form of the American Museum of Natural History, the Beacon Theatre and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. And plenty of shopping, eating and nightlife as well.