Residents of the Upper West Side will proudly tell you that they live in one of the last real neighborhoods in the city. That's arguable (as is most everything in NYC), but people actually do know their neighbors in this primarily residential section of Manhattan, and some small owner-operated businesses still flourish. On weekends, stroller-pushing parents cram the sidewalks and shoppers jam the gourmet food emporiums and interesting stores that line Broadway and Columbus Avenue. Those who aren't shopping are likely to be found in Riverside Park, the neighborhood's communal backyard. Lively avenues, quiet tree-lined side streets and terrific restaurants and museums, all in a relatively compact area, make this the perfect neighborhood to experience life the way the locals do.

Most people think the area north of 106th Street and south of 125th Street on the west side is just part of the Upper West Side. It's actually Morningside Heights, and is largely dominated by Columbia University, along with the cluster of academic and religious institutions -- Barnard College, St. Luke's Hospital, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, to name a few. Within the gates of the Columbia or Barnard campuses or inside the hushed St. John the Divine or Riverside Church, New York City takes on a different character. This is an uptown student neighborhood -- less hip than the Village, but friendly, fun, and intellectual.