I'm currently putting together an itinery for 7 days in NYC and would like to include a walk of 5th Ave . I will be starting on the upper east side and finishing downtown. Can someone please suggest what they would consider ideal cross streets to start and end at(possibly end near a subway); and any sights/shops worth a look at along the way which wouldn't normally be listed in tourism guides.

Thanks in advance

The Upper East Side is defined as the area above 59th Street and east of Central Park. This portion of 5th Avenue is all residential (no shopping) and part of it is named "Museum Mile" because the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of the City of New York, the Guggenheim, and other museums can be found there. Museum Mile runs from the 70's to about 92nd Street.

Below 59th Street, 5th Avenue is full of fancy department stores, like Tiffany's and Neiman Marcus. FAO Schwarz toy store and St. Pat's Cathedral are also popular destinations. The segment of 5th Avenue from 59th down to about 50th (maybe lower) is overrun with tourists.

5th Avenue in the 40's...I can't remember much what's there, except for the NY public library.

In the 30's there's the Empire State building and small icky souvenir shops. Not a nice area.

In the low 20's and teens, there's the Flatiron Bldg (very cool...on 23rd St) and lots of shopping. The stores are all chains...Express, Club Monaco, Victoria's Secret, J. Crew, etc. At 15th and 5th there's a fabulous Southwestern restaurant called Mesa Grill.

The southern end of 5th Avenue is residential and kind of pretty. It ends at 6th Street, at Washington Square Park, which in itself is a "must-see", with good people-watching and street performers.

As for shops not listed in tourist guides...you won't find any on 5th. 5th is either very touristy or very residential. All the stores you see will be ones you've seen before in your local mall, or heard of (like Tifany's).

As for subways, there are no subway stops on 5th avenue north of 59th. Which is too bad, because it's one of the best parts! The residential buildings are grand and beautiful...and the park is right there. You would have to take the 4/5/6 train to the Upper East side (say 86th Street) and walk 3 long blocks west.

There is a subway stop at 59th/60th and 5th (N/R train). The same train also stops at 23rd and 5th. Outside of those two, I don't believe there are any other subway stops on 5th...but you could walk over a block to 6th where the F/V train stops on W 4th, 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd, 47th/50th.

I couldn't give you "ideal" cross streets to start and end b/c I don't know what you're looking to see or do or how much you can walk. If you start from the Guggenheim at 88th Street and walk down to Wash. Sq. Park, it's 4 miles. The part that most tourists seem to want to see runs from 59th to 49th Streets, or 1/2 mile.

Allan, I would start at 105th Street & 5th Ave and see the Harlem Meer and the Conservatory Garden. Check this website for further info:
http://www.theinsider.com/nyc/attractions/2conserv.htm

After that, start walking downtown on 5th Ave. and stop at any museum along the way. The Met is on 82nd St & 5th and you can rest or go inside the Met. Although the Met asks for a $8 or so admission fee, it's strictly whatever you wish to pay.

You can also walk through the park which is pretty and exit anywhere on 5th. IMO, 5th Ave. gets boring in the 30s after the Empire State Bldg. so you might want to hop a 5th Ave. bus (get a Metro card or have $1.50 in change handy) down to about 14th St. and then walk the rest of the way to Washington Square Park where 5th ends.

Here a tip.. I'm not sure where your from, but all I can say is that New Yaokers walk fast, so you may find yourself blazzing down the Ave and missing some spots..

orgy-I love your spelling

Don't forget Saks Fifth Avenue, it has a perfect view from their restaurant of Rockefeller Center and St Patricks Cathedral.
Shop/lunch/buy some Neufschatel (sp) chocolates.

Thanks for the replies. Suzanne, you mentioned the residential apartments above 59th street are grand and beautiful; which sections above 59th are we talking about? I won't be visiting any museums on this day so should I skip this section (or is this the area you are talking about with the residential buildings?).
Flynn , I'm staying on the Upper West Side so if I intend starting at the Harlem Meer, I would probably catch the subway to Cathedral Parkway(110th st) and walk along to 5th avenue. May I ask if this area is considered safe for tourists to walk around? Photography is a hobby of mine so would probably be walking around with a camera in hand.
Thanks for the tip about the section between the 30's and 14th street being a bit boring. I am trying to limit myself to using the subway so if I would like to see the Flatiron building (as Suzanne mentioned), should I 1)just walk from 33rd street to 23rd street or 2)walk from 5th ave to park ave along 33rd st to the subway and hop off at 23rd st?

Thanks again

Allan, the area is fairly safe but if you're toting an expensive camera with lenses, just use common sense if you're walking through the park. Another way to get from the West Side to the East Side is with a crosstown bus and it goes through the park. Get yourself an unlimited metro card $4 (day) or $17 (week) and you can hop on/off as much as you want. I still recommend you also use the bus system. I much prefer a bus when I want to see a city although the subway is faster.

Fifth Ave. blocks are short so just walk down to the Flatiron Bldg as it's one of the most photographed buildings; then continue walking or hop a bus. If you really insist on the subway, you can walk over to 6th Ave.

Flynn thanks again. This is my second visit to NYC and the first time I walked through Central Park from about 72nd street to the lower end with a tour group. I would like to see some areas of the park above 72nd street this time(the castle etc). Would it be fair to say the upper end of the park is not considered as safe as the bottom end? The only reason I was not intending on using the bus was because it is just another thing for me to learn to use while on holidays; although after your comments I may give it a go.

Thanks

Allan,

THe New York Public Library is a delightful place, inside and out. Feel free to check out the park behind the library.

At 26th and 5th you hit Madsison Square Park, recently renovated, with great statues (check out Farragut) and great design. On the Park side of 5th and 23rd find the statue of William Seward (NY Governor, Lincoln's Secty or State, and buyer of Alaska) holding the Emancipation Proclamation. Story is the Seward backers ran out of money and ended up buying a statue of Lincoln on the cheap, and substituting Sewards head. If you don't believe me (I heard it from a Prof who wrote a Seward biography) know that Seward was a short guy and Lincoln was over 6 feet. The guy up there is tall. If it's a weekday, check out the great hidden gem of the Appelate Courthouse at 25th and Madison. Be sure to ask to see the courtroom, and if you are lucky enough to have the court is session you are in for a treat. Great restaurants on Madison between 25th and 24th. Also Mesa Grill on 5th b/w 15th and 16th.

5th Avenue between 23rd to 17th is the westerly end of Ladies Mile, was the most fashionable shopping district in the mid 1800's. Check out the old Saks Fifth Avenue building at 20th and Bway (SW corner) and Lord & Taylor nearby. Teddy Roosevelt's birthplace is on 20th
b/w Bway and Park.

5th Avenue ends one block south of 8th Street (Waverly Place). Walk down the Mews, that small street to the east between 8th and Waverly. Check out the mansions on Waverly.

Allan -
Walk from 33rd to 23rd. The route you mentioned (walking to subway on Park, then back to 5th) would require just as much walking because avenues are much further apart than streets! Definitely check out that Seward statue in Madison Square Park - very funny!

The beautiful residences above 59th cover the whole street, from the 60s to the 90s. The greatest concentration may be in the 80s, but I'm not sure.

As for Harlem Meer, personally I wouldn't walk around up there. I've biked in the park all the way up there, and a few times I encountered shady characters and did not feel safe, but at least I was on a bike and could move fast if I had to! Supposedly the area is not as bad as it used to be...just be careful.

Allan, I can appreciate your not wanting to take the time to learn the bus routes. I'm still dazed from trying to figure out the strippencarts (sp) in Amsterdam. But as you probably know, Fifth Avenue runs downtown, and several busses go straight down. So if you start uptown and have a one of those $4 one-day Metrocards, you can get off whenever something looks interesting. Once you get to the arch at Washington Square Park, there are any number of subway lines close by which could get you back to your hotel. Or you could walk through the park and stop for coffee at Cafe Reggio, one of the earliest and darkes coffee shops in the city.

One option is to get a bus pass and take the bus down Fifth Ave, getting off and walking whenever you feel like it, so you can skip areas you feel are not worthwhile. Around 12th St and 5th Ave is the Forbes Museum--free to the public and has some interesting items.

Hi
Walked Fifth Ave today. Gorgeous fall day in NYC. The Book Fair was going on so Fifth Avenue was closed and millions of people were out. They had huge tv screens on the walls of FAO Schwartz so fans could watch the football games.
I, of course, had other things on my mind, Bergdorf Goodman and Henri Bendels was open
Enjoy your trip, Allan!

Allan, you shouldn't have a problem walking near Belvedere Castle - there's always lots of people around, especially on the weekends.

The garden on 105th Street is very beautiful. It's right across the street from the Museum of the City of NY. It's very safe and I've even seen couples having their wedding pictures taken there. Head downtown from there and stop and go but "take the bus, Gus!"

Thanks to all for the responses. The additional information provided by posters on this forum as opposed to that found in travel guides really helps clear things up when planning your trip,particularly for a second time visitor wanting get to know the place a bit better. I am intending on purchasing a 7 day unlimited metrocard, so a few trips here and there on the bus could be on the cards.

Thanks again Allan