North of 34th Street and south of 59th, Midtown is one of Manhattan’s most iconic neighborhoods. Fifth Avenue is the commercial heart of not just the neighborhood but arguably Manhattan as a whole. Park Avenue, after it emerges north of Grand Central Terminal, is largely a row of office buildings, some of them Modernist masterpieces, along with a few older survivors like St. Bartholomew’s Church and the Racquet and Tennis Club. The southeast corner of Midtown is dominated by the campus of United Nations buildings and diplomatic offices. Finally, the rest of the eastern half of the neighborhood is largely residential and can feel in some ways like an extension of its neighbors (Murray Hill to the south, the Upper East Side to the north).
Midtown West is where you’ll find Times Square, Broadway theaters, and Bryant Park. Beyond the energy of those landmarks, simply strolling here is a walk through the New York that many people picture when they think of the city: Soaring skyscrapers looming above broad avenues, with yellow cabs looking for fares and sidewalks crowded with office workers and tourists. The most bustling portion of 42nd Street, between Times Square and Eighth Avenue, is in Midtown West, too. If you want to make your home in the heart of the city, you’ll generally find residential buildings along the western edge of Midtown West, beginning around 8th Avenue, while hotels and office buildings dominate the eastern half of the neighborhood.
NEARBY NEIGHBORHOODS:​​​​​​​
Murray Hill
Kips Bay
Flatiron District
NoMad
Central Park South
Clinton
The opening of Grand Central in 1913 was a pivotal moment in the development of Midtown, though as important as the station itself was the fact that the train tracks leading to it were buried underground. The result was that Manhattan had a new grand boulevard with wide sidewalks and a leafy median, Park Avenue, to develop. Among the first generation of buildings that followed, St. Bartholomew’s (completed in 1917), the Racquet and Tennis Club (1918), and the Waldorf-Astoria hotel (1931) still stand, later joined by a number of post-war office buildings. Those booms extended beyond Park to Lexington and Madison, though the closer one gets to the East River, the higher the ratio of residential to office buildings. In 1952, the opening of the UN headquarters was another key event, and its employees, and those of the many consulates here, continue to shape the character of the area.
Among world cities, it is somewhat rare to have two distinct commercial centers, but New York has both the Financial District and Midtown. A number of factors explain the emergence of Midtown: First, as the population grew uptown, businesses followed them. Second, when New York’s economy expanded, it simply outgrew the warren of streets at the tip of the island. And the instant success of the current Grand Central Terminal in 1913 shifted commercial life to the north. Skyscrapers began to rise after it opened during the 1920s, an especially busy period of construction. Although that boom included the opening of a number of theaters, the beginning of the Theater District dates back even earlier, to the first years of the 20th century. The crossroads of the neighborhood, and the city, Times Square received its current name in 1904 when the New York Times moved its headquarters to what was previously known as Longacre Square.
In the heart of Midtown. Fifth Avenue is the home of Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co., Zara, and COS — as well as one of New York City’s most famous landmarks, St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The neighborhood has a number of hotels (mostly on Lexington), from luxury ones to more budget-friendly options, with restaurants and bars that cater to city residents as much as visitors. When you need a hardware store or a supermarket, as a rule, the best strategy is to head east. While Third Avenue has a few stores providing the basic necessities of urban life, that number increases on Second and First.
One of Manhattan’s most famous shopping streets, Fifth Avenue forms the border between Midtown East and Midtown West. The prime shopping area of the avenue runs between 42nd and 59th streets. The stores are mostly flagships of international brands. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, when Rockefeller Center’s tree is a decorated and illuminated beacon for shoppers, the atmosphere is especially bustling and festive. Times Square and the adjacent portion of 42nd Street have more stores, though many are focused on selling souvenirs to tourists. Dining in the neighborhood includes restaurants catering to office workers looking for lunch; both expense-account and budget options abound. The restaurants and bars of Midtown’s hotels are not just for visitors, as a number of them are popular with locals too. From roughly Eighth Avenue to the Hudson, you’ll find more neighborhood bars and casual spots.
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The Family School 323 EAST 47TH STREET
Saint Albans 317 EAST 50TH STREET
Lyceum Kennedy French American School 225 EAST 43RD STREET
Aaron School 309 EAST 45TH STREET REAR 1
Ps 59 Beekman Hill International 231 EAST 56TH STREET
The Montessori School of New York - Manhattan 347 EAST 55TH STREET
The Browning School 52 EAST 62ND STREET
East Side Elementary School, Ps 267 213 EAST 63RD STREET
Ps 200 The James Mccune Smith School 2589 7TH AVENUE
River School (The) 425 EAST 35TH STREET
Ps 116 Mary Lindley Murray 210 EAST 33RD STREET
St Thomas Choir School 202 WEST 58TH STREET
Ps 183 Robert L. Stevenson 419 EAST 66TH STREET
Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School 164 EAST 68TH STREET
Ella Baker School 317 EAST 67TH STREET
Ps 35 317 EAST 52ND
Ps 212 Midtown West 328 WEST 48TH STREET
Rebecca School 40 EAST 30TH STREET
Holy Cross School 332 WEST 43RD STREET
Success Academy Hell's Kitchen 439 WEST 49TH STREET
Sacred Heart School 456 WEST 52ND STREET
Ps 111 Adolph S Ochs 440 WEST 53RD STREET
St Thomas Choir School 202 WEST 58TH STREET
P.S. 51 Elias Howe 525 WEST 44TH STREET
Success Academy Charter School - Nyc 1 500 WEST 41ST STREET
The Speyer Legacy School 925 NINTH AVENUE
Ethical Culture - Feldston School 33 CENTRAL PARK WEST
Ps 191 Amsterdam 300 WEST 61ST STREET
Ps 452 210 WEST 61ST STREET
The Gateway School 211 WEST 61ST STREET
J G B Education Services 15 WEST 65TH STREET
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