The Upper West Side has always had a more unbuttoned vibe than its counterpart across the park. It is now one of the city's most desirable addresses, and tends to attract what might be called New York's cultural elite and new-money types - musicians, writers, journalists, curators and the like - though there is also a small but visible homeless presence.

The Upper West Side is bordered by Central Park to the east, the Hudson River to the west, Columbus Circle at 59th Street to the south, and 110th Street (the northernmost point of Central Park) to the north. The main artery is Broadway and, generally speaking, the further you stray east or west the wealthier things become, until you reach the pinnacle of prosperity, the historic apartment buildings of Central Park West and Riverside Drive . Lincoln Center , New York's most prestigious palace of performing arts, lies in the region's southern streets, and along with the superlative American Museum of Natural History , forms the Upper West Side's greatest draw. North of 110th Street finds you in Morningside Heights , home to the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine and Columbia University .