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New York (city)/Morningside Heights
Morningside Heights is a district of Upper Manhattan in New York and is home to the main campus of New York's Columbia University, a fact that very much defines this area.
Travel to Morningside Heights, visa requirements
By subway: Morningside Heights is serviced by the 1 Train.
By public bus: Morningside Heights is serviced by the M4, M5, M11, M60, and M104 buses.
Morningside Heights attractions and sightseeing
- Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue at 112th St. [1] The world's largest (neo-)Gothic cathedral. A work in progress for over a century! The campus also attracts many songbirds in season.
- Grant's Tomb General Grant National Memorial. General Ulysses S. Grant and his wife are buried there. [2] Riverside Drive and 122nd Street
- Riverside Church, just south of Grant's Tomb at Riverside Av. and 122 St., is a large and historically important Protestant church and center of progressive social activism. [3]
- Columbia University, centered around Broadway and 116 St., is a famous Ivy League college of very long standing in New York.
- Barnard College across Broadway to the west, is one of the Seven Sisters college, and is affiliated with Columbia University.
- Nicholas Roerich Museum [4] 319 West 107th Street (between Broadway and Riverside Drive).
- Shinran Shonin 331-332 Riverside Drive (between 105th and 106th Streets). Staring pensively across Riverside Drive at the children playing in the park is the statue of Shinran Shonin, a 13th century Buddhist reformer. In another life, the statue stood in Hiroshima and witnessed the devastation caused by the bomb. His New York home is between two Riverside Drive buildings right next to the New York Buddhist Center [5].
City tours
- Walk around and look at the buildings! Morningside Heights remained relatively bucolic till the turn of the 20th Century because of its relative inaccessibility and most of the existing apartment buildings were constructed between about 1900 and 1910. The buildings survive because elevators were being introduced then and consequently most of the buildings are ten to twelve story apartment blocks rather than smaller townhouses or single family homes. Juliet balconies, details on the facades, grand lobbies, a great place to building watch.
Shopping, Morningside Heights souvenirs
Books! The neighborhood is home to several bookstores for browsing and buying.
- Bank Street Bookstore Broadway at 112th Street. Associated with the Bank Street College, a leading teacher education school in the country, this is one of the best places to buy books, educational toys, and other educational material in the world. The helpful staff will patiently produce the perfect gift for any kid.
- Labyrinth Books 112th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam. A scholarly bookstore, worth browsing for the books on science and the liberal arts. The sale tables on the second floor are full of bargains that will delight any booklover.
- Morningside Books Broadway at 114th Street. Another independent bookstore with an idiosyncratic tilt toward liberal books. A reasonable collection of fiction of all types.
- Columbia University Bookstore Broadway at 115th Street. Run by Barnes and Noble, this is the best place in the neighborhood to pick up travel guides for anywhere as well as Columbia University branded gifts.
- Teachers College Bookstore Amsterdam at 120th Street. Also run by Barnes and Noble, a good place for books in the liberal arts and education.
Good restaurants and cheap meals
Restaurants
The usual mix of New York restaurants fills the neighborhood. Amongst the many offerings, Pisticci (La Salle street between Claremont and Broadway) is a fine Italian restaurant. A summer cafe (burgers and beer) at the dog run on 104th street in Riverside Park is a good place for a stop if you're walking in the park. Two Starbucks (on 111th/Broadway and 115/Broadway) provide the usual tall, grande, venti stuff but Oren's (east side of Broadway at 113rd street) is the better alternative. Amongst the offerings:
- Ollie's Broadway at 116th. Workday chinese. Great for fast and cheap lunch or dinner.
- The Mill Broadway at 113th. Korean. Started life as a diner many years ago but when the owner started adding a few of his native Korean dishes, they caught on and now it is an excellent Korean restaurant.
- Amir's Falafel Broadway at 114th. Lebanese/Middle Eastern. Good and inexpensive falafel, shwarma, kebabs, and other standard middle eastern fare.
- The Heights Broadway at 111th Street. Tex-Mex. The bar is the best part. A rooftop terrace is open on warm days for al fresco dining.
- The Terrace Butler Hall, 119th Street and Morningside Drive. An upscale restaurant with a terrace with great views of Manhattan. Expensive but the food doesn't get rave reviews.
- Mussawa Amsterdam at 121st Street. One of the oldest Ethopian (Eritrean) restaurants in the city with a no frills decor but good food and service.
- Le Monde Faux French food but a great international beer selection and good burgers.
Street Food
- Halal Cart on 116th and Broadway. Good chicken, veggies, lamb with rice combos for lunch. Coffee and Bagels in the mornings.
- Italian Ice Lady on 110th and Broadway. Late Spring to early Fall only. Cheap ices ($0.75/$1.50).
- Fruit Stands on 116th and Broadway, 110th and Broadway, 112th and Broadway. Spring to Fall only.
Markets
- Westside Supermarket 110th and Broadway. An old neighborhood establishment gone upscale. Amazing choice of prepared foods and good fruits and vegetables. The cheese section is outstanding, as also are the meats and fish.
- Milano Market Broadway between 112 and 113. Italian products with a good deli, reasonable cheeses, and a good selection of international beers.
- Morton Williams Broadway at 116. Generic supermarket.
- Apple Tree Supermarket Amsterdam at 120th. Originally a small bodega like operation, this has grown into a sprawling place with eclectic but still basic and functional fare.
- Morningside Heights Farmers Market Broadway between 114th and 115th on the eastern sidewalk. This outdoor market is year round but is best enjoyed in summer and fall. Delicious New York strawberries and blueberries in mid and late summer, fresh apples (including varieties that never make it to the supermarkets) in Fall. Pumpkins, fresh local tomatoes, melons, watermelons, lots of apple cider, a stand that sells preserves of local fruits, all make this a worthwhile place for browsing if you have your own kitchen.
Morningside Heights nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
- Good places for a cup of Coffee include Max Cafe (Amsterdam between 122 and 123) for a slow cup of coffee on a sofa (free wireless); panino sportivo (Amsterdam between 120 and 121) for the perfect espresso fix; The Hungarian Pastry Shop (Amsterdam between 110 and 111th) for excellent pasteries and decent coffee; Oren's (Broadway between 112 and 113) for the independent cappucino; Sip, a coffee and bar with loud music (Amsterdam between 109 and 110); The Coffee Lounge (Broadway between 106 and 107), another place to sit and sip; and, of course, the ubiquitous Starbucks.
- For a drink, try Havana Central at the West End, an upscale version of the old college watering hole, The West End; Amsterdam Cafe and Tapas Bar, an upscale version of the old Am Caf (yes, there is a trend here!); The Abbey Pub (105th at Broadway), an old style New York pub; and Smoke (Broadway between 105 and 106) a bar and jazz club - go for the late set which sometimes carries on into the wee hours!
Hotels, youth hostels, lodging
For something different, try to reserve a room at the Union Theological Seminary [6]. Well appointed rooms are set around a beautiful cloister and, if available, are under $150, less for visitors with a Columbia University affiliation.
Contact
Pinnacale Pizzeria Broadway at 115th has a few internet terminals. Columbia University has free unsecured wireless service in the neighborhood (best on campus) if you have your own computer with a wireless card. The Morningside Heights branch [7] of the New York Public Library (114th and Broadway) has computer terminals for public use (library membership is not necessary).
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