Lincoln Center is synonymous with the Upper West Side, but it’s hardly the neighborhood’s only cultural touchstone. In fact, one could argue that the UWS offers a greater variety of entertainment and cultural options than almost any other neighborhood. For rock, pop, comedy, and more there’s the Beacon Theatre. Even more wide-ranging is the lineup at Symphony Space, which encompasses readings and literary celebrations, indigenous dance performances and sketch comedy. Along with the better-known museums such the American Museum of Natural History, there are unsung treasures such as the Bard Graduate Center, specializing in decorative arts, and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. And how many neighborhoods can boast the own Banksy graffito, like the one on 79th Street off Broadway?
Not just the premier cultural institution of the Upper West Side, Lincoln Center is one of the leading such institutions in the world. It encompasses the Metropolitan Opera House, home of the titular opera company (and to iconic murals by Marc Chagall); David Geffen Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic; the David H. Koch Theater, home of the New York City Ballet; Broadway’s Vivian Beaumont Theater; Julliard School; and numerous other venues for dance, theater, and musical performances. The 16.3-acre campus is spectacular in its own right, with its instantly recognizable Revson Fountain and outdoor sculptures by Henry Moore and Alexander Calder.
American Museum of Natural History
Lions and saber-tooth tigers and dinos, oh my! Those are among the more than 34 million plant and animal remains, fossils, rocks, and cultural artifacts that make up the American Museum of Natural History’s holdings. When you’re not oohing and aahing at the 20-carat Okavango Blue Diamond, the 94-foot-long model of a blue whale suspended from the ceiling of the Hall of Ocean Life, and the 17-ton Willamette Meteor, you can take in a show at the Hayden Planetarium.
Running from 59th Street up to 181th Street, Riverside Park hugs the west side of the neighborhood, just as Central Park borders the east. Along with paths for walking, biking, and running, the UWS portion of the park includes tennis and basketball courts, a skate park, playgrounds, lush lawns, three dog runs, and plenty of benches for watching sunsets over the Hudson River. Scenic highlights include Cherry Walk between 100th and 125th Streets, named after the trees that line it; the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument at 89th Street; and the marble Robert Ray Hamilton Fountain, originally designed as a drinking fountain for horses, at 76th Street.
“Folk art” is not limited to quilting, whittling, and hex signs. As the exhibits at the American Folk Art Museum make clear, it refers to all forms of self-taught art. Many of the paintings, sculptures, photographs, and decorative objects on display would not be out of place in the city’s more “sophisticated” or “mainstream” museums. And in addition to their artistic merit, the works provide insights into everyday life throughout the country’s history.
The city’s very first museum, the New-York Historical Society has been making history accessible to visitors since 1804. Its holdings include one of the world’s largest collections of Tiffany lamps, John James Audubon’s preparatory watercolors for his groundbreaking Birds of America, and a recreation of the Oval Office. Within the museum are the Center for Women’s History and the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, with plenty of hands-on activities.
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