Riverside Park

Situated along the Hudson River in the Upper West Side, Riverside Park is often considered Manhattan’s most scenic waterfront park and I can’t say I disagree. I currently live on the Upper West Side and start most mornings with a walk. I tend to split my time between Central Park and Riverside Park, opting for Riverside Park when tourist season is in full swing and Central Park feels crowded.

Stretching from west 59th Street to 181st Street, the park spans 400 acres. It’s full of healthy trees that offer ample shade, plenty of park benches, and even has some charming gardens to explore (like the famous garden shot at the end of You’ve Got Mail).

Situated along the Hudson River on the Upper West Side, Riverside Park is often considered Manhattan’s most scenic waterfront park. Stretching from West 59th Street to 181st Street, the park spans 400 acres!

It’s full of healthy trees that offer ample shade and there’s even has some charming gardens to explore (like the famous garden in You’ve Got Mail). This also one of the best spots to see cherry blossoms in New York City, particularly a 4-mile stretch from 100th to 125th Street (referred to as “Cherry Walk”).

Fun fact. The cherry trees at Riverside Park were planted from the same group of trees as those at the Tidal Basin D.C.

Situated along the Hudson River in the Upper West Side, Riverside Park is often considered Manhattan’s most scenic waterfront park and I can’t say I disagree. As a current resident of the Upper West Side, I tend to split my time between Central Park and Riverside Park.

I usually opt for Riverside Park when tourist season is in full swing and Central Park feels crowded. Stretching from west 59th Street to 181st Street, the park spans 400 acres. It’s full of healthy trees that offer ample shade, plenty of park benches, and even has some charming gardens to explore. (Like the famous garden shot at the end of You’ve Got Mail).

Situated along the Hudson River in the Upper West Side, Riverside Park is often regarded Manhattan’s most scenic waterfront park and I can’t say I disagree. Stretching from west 59th Street to 181st Street, the park spans 400 acres. It’s full of healthy trees, plenty of park benches, and even has some charming gardens to explore. You can easily spend a morning basking in the beautiful NYC fall foliage here.

Fun fact. During your tour of Riverside Park you might notice a unique Japanese lantern in the northern tip of the park. The lantern is a gift to NYC by the City of Tokyo to celebrate the Tokyo-New York city sister affiliation.