Here Are The Upper West Side's Top 10 Secrets

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The Upper West Side is no stranger to publications crafting a top 10 list about its charms. But rarely has such a ranking highlighted the neighborhood's best hidden spots.

Untapped New York recently published a list titled, "Top 10 Secrets Of NYC's Upper West Side."

The list largely features seldom-discussed spots, with a small serving of neighborhood fun facts.

If it didn't make the list, let us know in the comment section your favorite secret Upper West Side spot.

Here's Untapped New York's complete list:

1. The Upper West Side had an apartment building boom around the turn of the 20th century.

"From the late 1800s into the early 1900s, the Upper West Side experienced an apartment boom, thanks to major investments from real estate developers," the authors from Untapped New York wrote.

2. Pomander Walk is a private walkway based on a London Street

"Pomander Walk on 95th Street is one of the Upper West Side’s hidden gems, carved out mid-block between Broadway and West End Avenue. The private street, accessible only to residents, was first designed in 1921, and it has retained its elusive and exclusive charm exactly 100 years later," the authors from Untapped New York wrote.

3. Septuagesimo Uno Park is one of the smallest parks in NYC

"Septuagesimo Uno Park, Latin for “seventy-first,” is one of the smallest parks in New York, measuring just 0.04 acres. Although there are smaller parks across the city, including various triangles throughout the five boroughs, this park features lots of greenery, a central walkway, some benches, and … not much else," the authors from Untapped New York wrote.

It is located at West 71st Street and West End Avenue.

4. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument was originally meant to be in Grand Army Plaza

"At 89th Street and Riverside Drive is the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, a large tower that piques the curiosity of parkgoers. The memorial was built in honor of those who fought in the Civil War," the authors from Untapped New York wrote. "Yet the monument that many pass by daily on their walks through Riverside Park was originally supposed to be further south. Mayor William Lafayette Strong suggested putting the memorial at Grand Army Plaza at 59th Street and 5th Avenue."

5. San Juan Hill was a neighborhood near present-day Lincoln Center

"Perhaps American history buffs know the term “San Juan Hill” from the Spanish-American War battle in Cuba, but perhaps fewer know that the Upper West Side used to have its own San Juan Hill neighborhood," the authors from Untapped New York wrote. "San Juan Hill was a community in what is today Lincoln Square that had one of the largest Black populations in the city prior to World War I. The neighborhood, mostly inhabited by African Americans and Puerto Ricans, was bounded to the south by 59th Street and to the north by 65th Street."

6. Congregation Shearish Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in the U.S.

"Congregation Shearith Israel, often called the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, was established in 1654 in New Amsterdam by Jews who immigrated from Dutch Brazil," the authors from Untapped New York wrote. "It was the only Jewish congregation in New York City until 1825, when German Jews started to arrive. The congregation, now on Central Park West and 70th Street, could not build a synagogue until 1730 on Mill Street, which was located near a spring for mikveh ritual baths."

7. Claremont Riding Academy was the longest-running equestrian stable in NYC

"The Claremont Riding Academy, located at 175 West 89th Street, was the last public stable in Manhattan and the longest-running equestrian stable in New York City," the authors from Untapped New York wrote. "Built in 1892, the stable was designed by Frank A. Rooke, who designed numerous plants for Sheffield Farms."

8. The Nicholas Roerich Museum honors a Russian artist who painted the Himalayas

"The Nicholas Roerich Museum, nestled right next to Riverside Park on West 107th Street, is a museum dedicated to prolific Russian artist Nicholas Roerich. Much of Roerich’s artwork focused on nature scenes from the Himalayas, but in his free time, he was also an archeologist, costume and set designer, writer, philosopher, and public figure," the authors from Untapped New York wrote. "The museum was originally located in the Master Apartments at 103rd Street and Riverside Drive, built for Roerich in 1929."

9. The Upper West Side had its own row of mansions

"While many are familiar with the Gilded Age mansions of Fifth Avenue, which were found for the most part in Midtown, a few mansions extended up to the Upper West Side. Perhaps the most famous was the Charles M. Schwab House, a 75-room mansion between 73rd and 74th Streets," the authors from Untapped New York wrote. "Also on the Upper West Side was the Apthorp mansion, named after Charles Ward Apthorp, a member of the Governor’s Council during the American Revolution. Built just west of 91st Street and Columbus Avenue, the 168-acre home overlooked the Hudson River and was taken over by both American and British soldiers."

10. The Joan of Arc Memorial was the first statue of a non-fictional woman — and by a woman — in NYC

"The Joan of Arc Memorial in Riverside Park was the first statue in New York of a non-fictional woman, as well as the first public sculpture created by a woman," the authors from Untapped New York wrote. "The bronze equestrian sculpture on 93rd Street was designed by Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington, who received the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the French government for her work."

You can read the full blurbs for each of the top 10 secrets on the Upper West Side at UntappedCities.com.