The Neighborhood

Public Transport
565 WEA is located practically at the crossroads of every kind of public transportation.  The subway entrance for the No. 1 downtown train is one short block away on 87th Street and Broadway.  In minutes, it can transport you directly to Lincoln Center (66th Street stop) for Concerts, Opera or Ballet, or to 42nd Street Times Square with its numerous Broadway Theatres.  The M86 cross town bus on 86th Street and Broadway goes through Central Park and on to the East Side.  On its way back from the East Side, its last stop is right opposite 565 and all one needs to do to get home is to cross the street.  The M104 bus line snakes its way down Broadway, through Lincoln Center and Columbus Circle, passing Times Square and ending up at the United Nations Building on 42nd Street and 1st Ave. or northwards in the other direction to Columbia University and beyond.  Other buses on Riverside Drive assure further destinations such as north towards Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters.  For those who drive and need a regular parking space for their cars, there are two parking garages a few steps away on 87th Street, and the West Side Highway can be accessed on 79th and 97th Streets. 

Points of Interest
A number of important and interesting institutions are within walking distance; to name just a few, there is Columbia University/Barnard College with its beautiful campus (Broadway and 116th St); the Museum of Natural History-Hayden Planetarium (Columbus Ave. and 79th St.) and nearby the New-York Historical Society Building and Museum at 170 CPW; the landmarked Beacon Theatre (interior) on Broadway and 75th St.; reputable schools such as the Abraham Joshua Heschel School, PS 166 Richard Rodgers School on West 89th Street, the Anderson School on West 84th Street, the Mickey Mantle Public School on West End, and the Mannes School (for free or low-cost concerts) and the Calhoun School, all close by. We also have Riverside Park one block to the west, with the famous Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Riverside and 89st Street and further north on 122nd Street General Ulysses S. Grant’s Tomb. And let’s not forget Symphony Space and the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater on 95th Street and Broadway, where one can enjoy concerts, musical theater, films, as well as a great variety of other cultural activities. The neighborhood is rich in architecturally interesting buildings, such as the Ansonia Hotel and various apartment buildings: Apthorp, Belnord, Dakota, Normandy, etc.

Many houses of worship representing various denominations are located in the neighborhood, some with interesting architectural details or history, such as the Moresque-Romanesque architecture of B’nai Jeshurun on 88th Street, built in 1918 by the city’s oldest Ashkenazi congregation (founded on the lower East Side in 1825). The St. Paul & St. Andrews Church with its eclectic architecture is located just one block away at WEA and 86th; it is also used for Jewish services by B’nai Jeshurun, and also houses a theater. Notable too is the West End Collegiate Church and Collegiate School at WEA and 77th Street originally dating back to the Dutch period with its distinctive decor; other interesting houses of worship include a Greek Orthodox Church on WEA and 91st Street, the First Baptist Church on Broadway and 79th Street and the Carlebach Synagogue, also on 79th Street, the Jewish Center (Orthodox) and The Society for the Advancement of Judaism (Conservative/Reconstructionist), both on West 86th Street, Rodeph Sholom (Reform) on West 83rd, and the famous Riverside Church, on 124th Street, as well as the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Amsterdam and 114th Street. For Catholic services, there is the Holy Trinity Church (Basilica) on 84th Street off Broadway. The list is endless.

Lastly, some practical information: the nearest Post Office is located on 83rd Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenue; the 24th Precinct Police Station is located at 151 W100th Street (tel.: 1-212-678-1811). There are a number of reputable hospitals on the West Side, such as Columbia University Hospital and its affiliated hospitals such as St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital on Amsterdam Ave.

The above represents only an overview of our interesting neighborhood.