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A Lovely Day · 7 stops · about 7.9 km on foot

A Lovely Day on the Upper West Side & Central Park

Eggs scrambled with nova at the Sturgeon King, the best mid-park lookout, a Lincoln Center bistro lunch, Zabar's housewares mezzanine, Bow Bridge with the San Remo in the Lake at sunset, oysters on Columbus Avenue, and a nightcap under the Madeline murals.

Best days Avoid Monday, when Barney Greengrass is closed. Weekdays are calmer at Barney's and Zabar's. If you may need the rain swap, avoid Wednesday, when the Met is closed.

  1. 18:30 AM
    Illustration of an American table: a burger, fries and a pickleIllustration

    UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN

    Barney Greengrass

    The Sturgeon King has held its Amsterdam Avenue corner since 1929 and is still family-run; order the eggs scrambled with nova and onions and a bialy, and take sturgeon home from the counter.

  2. about 17 min on foot

    210:00 AM
    Belvedere Castle on Vista Rock above Turtle Pond, the San Remo towers behind

    UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN

    Belvedere Castle

    Calvert Vaux's 1869 Victorian folly on Vista Rock was built only as a lookout, over Turtle Pond and the Great Lawn; climb up through the Shakespeare Garden from the southwest.

  3. about 19 min on foot

    312:30 PM
    Illustration of a French bistro table: steak frites and wineIllustration

    UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN

    Café Luxembourg

    The neighborhood's house bistro since 1983 serves French standards like steak frites and omelets under globe lights, beside a zinc bar.

  4. about 13 min on foot

    42:30 PM
    Zabar's storefront with its orange signage and awnings on Broadway at West 80th Street

    UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN

    Zabar's

    On the corner of Broadway and 80th since 1934, with lox sliced by hand and coffee roasted on site; go upstairs to the housewares mezzanine, which stays calm when the fish counter is three deep.

  5. about 17 min on foot

    5About an hour before sunset
    Bow Bridge across the Lake in Central Park, framed by autumn foliage

    UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN

    Bow Bridge

    A cast-iron arc over the Lake, built in 1862 to Vaux and Mould's design; from mid-span the San Remo's towers rise to the west, and in late October the foliage doubles in the water.

  6. about 11 min on foot

    67:00 PM
    Illustration of oysters on ice with lemon and mignonetteIllustration

    UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN

    The Mermaid Inn

    The neighborhood oyster bar reopened on Columbus Avenue at 76th Street in 2024 with its chalkboard of the day's oysters, and every meal still ends with a free cup of chocolate pudding.

  7. about 20 min on foot

    79:15 PM
    The interior of Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle, with a black grand piano, small lamp-lit tables, a patterned carpet, a gold-leaf ceiling and Ludwig Bemelmans' painted murals on the walls.

    UPPER EAST SIDE, MANHATTAN

    Bemelmans Bar (The Carlyle)

    The Carlyle's bar is wrapped in murals Ludwig Bemelmans painted in 1947, under a gold-leaf ceiling, with piano most evenings; it is across the park, so take a cab or the crosstown bus at night.

More lovely days

A Lovely Day in the West Village7 stops →A Lovely Day in Williamsburg7 stops →A Lovely Day on the Lower East Side & Chinatown7 stops →