By Mia Romanoff
I have always thought of myself as the great defender of the Upper West Side.
As a lifelong resident, I have a built-in soft spot for the brownstone-lined streets and magnificent parks, but my defense has always been of the value of peaceful living — and an abundance of subway lines to get to the neighborhoods where things were happening.
As a neighborhood, the Upper West Side is not exactly built for the overeducated, downwardly mobile offspring who are returning to live with their parents after graduation.
Quiet and expensive, it’s a neighborhood built for families. Yet, after starting work, it no longer made sense to spend 45 minutes commuting one way to the specific yoga class I liked in Chelsea, or schlepping out to Bushwick every time I wanted to go out with friends. I needed to find things to do and places to go that were local.
This raised the ultimate question: as a twenty-two year old, what is there to do on the Upper West Side?
When I posed this question to my fellow Upper West Side returners at the end of August, the consensus was that we’d all been spending a lot of time walking around, doing nothing, and going nowhere.
I had too, yet, through my wanderings, I had found some enticing local destinations.
While most people I talked to seem to favor the Great Lawn or Riverside Park for pondering and staring at the water, I spent a decent chunk of time this summer avoiding the swarms of tourists and hiding out at the 87th Street Community Garden between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West. Aside from the shaded tables and many benches, which are great and quiet places to drink a coffee, read a book, or scroll endlessly on LinkedIn, the space runs amazing programming. I’ve seen an excellently curated pop-up store run by Epilogue Vintage and myriad forms of art-making run by Greg Stevens. It is definitely on my list to stop by during one of their upcoming musical performances or volunteer days. You can find their whole event calendar here.
What I love about the Community Garden is that, whether there is an event or not, the people who go there are incredibly friendly and warm, making it one of my top spots for conversing with strangers in the city.
As fall fast approaches, I’ve turned my sights indoors. With two branches of The Strand, a giant Barnes and Noble, and four New York Public Library locations, there are plenty of places for the loosely employed future intelligentsia to hang out. My favorite place to buy more books than I could possibly read is Westsider Rare and Used Books on Broadway between 80th and 81st. I can and have spent exorbitant amounts of time perusing the shelves of books I’ve never heard of and slightly stained classics I’ve been meaning to read.
If the lack of reading in your post-grad life is something you’re celebrating, Film at Lincoln Center runs programming all year for both new releases and retrospectives.
Or, if you’re looking to keep moving, the yoga classes at New York Loves Yoga are a personal favorite, especially the longer 75-minute Classic Vinyasa class.
When it comes to food on the Upper West Side, the 79th Street Greenmarket that happens every Sunday always has great produce at prices that are considerably less than Whole Foods. With those savings, you can head over to the Grand Bazaar to buy all the knick-knacks and flowy dresses your heart desires, or down to Mast Market for the sea salt chocolate chip that is worth the $6.75 price tag.
For a more substantial meal, I’m partial to the Vietnamese spot Two Wheels. Both the beef pho and chicken summer rolls are phenomenal and won’t break the bank, especially if you get them to go and turn the massive bowl of soup into two days of dinner.
Moving on to Upper West Side nightlife, on a friend’s recommendation, I recently visited The Owl’s Tail on 75th Street between Amsterdam and Broadway. While it’s definitely not cheap, this cozy cocktail bar has a menu full of innovative and delicious drinks (I’d recommend the Salt & Sea Spritz) making it a great spot for a date or to catch up with your friends who managed to snag a job in finance.
The Upper West Side is not lacking in bars. Having spent no shortage of nights bouncing between The Gin Mill, Dive 75, and the soon-to-be-closed Jake’s Dilemma, I’ve remained partial to e’s Bar on 85th Street and Amsterdam. The crowd tends to be young, the drinks are cheap and come quickly, and most importantly, I’ve never once had a bad night there. Despite the perceived superiority of downtown bars among young New Yorkers, I would dare to say that e’s measures up as a solid New York bar.
The Upper West Side and its offerings should not be treated as an afterthought or consolation prize for its young residents even if it sometimes feels like we are an afterthought in the neighborhood. This local-first mentality is one I plan to follow as we head into the winter months, even as my summer gallivanting has to come to an end.
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The Community Garden on 89th between Amsterdam and Columbus is also great. Also. The Atrium on 63rd or so – can hang out there for free OR buy coffee. I miss the free rock climbing wall they had there
Oh. The equinox cafes – nice ambience and there coffee is good and relatively inexpensive If you don’t want coffee, they have the cheapest water I have seen in a coffee shop.
I will say, when I moved back to the UWS after college, there were still all the 24 hour diners and coffee shops. I think they have all closed of now close at 9 or 10 at the latest
I’m just a touch envious of people who can live on the UWS at your age. I wasn’t able to afford to move here until my 40’s!
The whole “overeducated” bit – did they tell you that in college? You paid them for it, right?
And they convinced you that you’re both overeducated AND yet downwardly mobile – while your life is governed by a $1,500 pocket computer on your way to $150 yoga classes, $7 cookies and Lincoln Sq. gallivanting?
I think you’re in for a rude real-world awakening.
Wow… we can always count on a few mean-spirited, hey-you-kids-get-off-my-lawn comments on ANY post that doesn’t just say how the UWS sucks now that Teacher’s and Ernie’s and Shakespeare books are gone, as if a new generation isn’t entitled to re-invent it in their own way. Go back to your rent-controlled and stabilized apartments and stop buzz-killing and making anyone who’s trying to make it work for them in a difficult and challenging job market and economic situation feel unwelcome
Please do report what your parents tell you when you announce to them that you are (also) overeducated but downwardly mobile – on your way out to the bars or the community garden.
She may be in for a rude real-world awakening, but you are just plain rude.
This comes off as mean spirited. This nice young person spends a lot of her time in community gardens, bookstores and libraries.
Why would you assume the yoga class is $150? Most classes are more like $25.
She just graduated and has moved back in with her parents as many young people do. I wish her all the best in finding a job and eventually her own apartment.
Welcome back to the UWS!
You nailed it. Thank you! 😊
This might be one of the most spectacularly condescending comments I’ve ever seen on this site.
A 22-year-old writes a lighthearted guide about figuring out life on the Upper West Side after college, and you respond by sneering at her education, her phone, her yoga classes, the cookies she buys, and the neighborhood she lives in. What exactly happened to you that this is how you choose to interact with a stranger?
The smug “wait until you experience the real world” routine is especially funny. She is experiencing the real world. The fact that her version of it looks different from yours doesn’t make her naïve. It just means the economic and social conditions facing people in their 20s today are different from whatever world you apparently remember.
And “$1,500 pocket computer” is an especially bizarre thing to fixate on, given that a smartphone is now an utterly ordinary piece of technology rather than some decadent luxury. You’ve basically assembled a list of completely mundane aspects of a young person’s life and presented them as evidence that she deserves a comeuppance.
This doesn’t read like wisdom from someone who has figured out the real world. It reads like an unhappy person looking for an opportunity to make someone else feel small.
You’re not exposing her naïveté. You’re just spreading your own malignant misery around the comments section and calling it perspective.
Amen.
Its about culture, you have people who come to Manhattan to build their careers and use the city as a sandbox for bad policy ideas and long time residents bear the brunt of that.
Thank you, UWSYIMBY. You said it all. Let’s give our young neighbors a break. They’re just starting out and deserve our support. They have their own perspectives and have to face their own realities. I hope they enjoy the UWS spots where they feel comfortable and welcome as they find their place in the world. Good luck to them as their success will benefit us all. Plus having them here will bring energy and new knowledge to the neighborhood. Welcome back!
Young people starting out don’t get any support these days. They are expected to go to college, then go to grad school, then when they graduate grad school, in order for them to build their career and grow, they must live in one of a handful of socially acceptable neighborhoods to build themselves career wise and socially. The one thing the Nassau County GOP did back in the day is if you or your family paid 1% of your annual salary to the county party, you got opportunities and a network and support younger people cannot get today. You didn’t have to live in a neighborhood like the UWS to grow your career or have social opportunities, you could join your Republican club, volunteer some time, pay your 1% and you were taken care of, and it was cheaper than an LIRR ticket to Penn Station!
Born and raised on LI and live in UWS for 30 years now. There’s nothing to envy about any of the GOP leadership on LI. Not now, not ever. Just as selfish, whining, and racist now as then.
Yes, by all means, let’s replicate the systemic extortion promulgated by Margiotta and his cohorts in Nassau County.
Why the focus on Long Island… this is an UWS publication
The 1% system was a system that gave people opportunities. Opportunities that you don’t have to pay high housing costs to live on the UWS or a neighborhood like it to get! Opportunities you don’t have to pay high transit costs to come to the UWS or a neighborhood like it to get! What we have now with a system where going to college and grad school isn’t enough for younger people of today to move ahead in life and a system where a few rich men run both Democratic and Republican parties and that are very much polarized, isn’t it.
1% of my salary to the Nassau GOP in exchange for the GOP guaranteeing same or better opportunities than what the UWS and Manhattan at large provides would be much cheaper than the amount of student loan debt I had to take to get into the best schools possible, would be much cheaper than the housing costs I have to pay to live on the UWS in order to access the best opportunities I could.
What happened to me? I read an utterly mundane list (“lighthearted article”) of local bars and restaurants, written for strangers, that started with an utterly unrelated, utterly throwaway, utterly silly , utterly unnecessary… “I’m overeducated.”
And you call me condescending?!
But yeah, you’ve got it so figured out in life that words like “agency,” “humility,” and “personal responsibility” are not the first ones that come to mind. Instead you choose to further baby a grown 22+ yr-old and their “experiences” and reward them for the amazing achievement of this terrible editing choice.
Misery? Naivete? Why don’t you try starting the next lighthearted conversation with a stranger or the next job interview with “I’m overeducated”? The 22-yr-old will look wise vs. you.
What’s she supposed to do, sleep in Riverside Park to prove authentic suffering? Were she my daughter, I would welcome her into the family and home she grew up in, meals and free advice included and no questions asked.
I’m with Peter.
Moving into the parents’ multimillion-dollar apartment and mulling over mundane things, along with the “overeducated” angle, doesn’t add up to a coherent point.
I would say utterly condescending, yes.
I wish this site offered thumbs down as an option.
You keep insisting that she needs a “real-world awakening,” but you’re the one who seems incapable of recognizing the difference between a throwaway line in a personal essay and a declaration of moral philosophy.
Oh, and the irony of accusing others of “babying” her while you appoint yourself the stern father figure of the West Side Rag comments section is almost too good.
If four words in a neighborhood blog can provoke this much indignation, I’m not sure the author is the one who needs help, Peter.
The neighborhood is filled with authors, actors, physicians, attorneys and probably a few Nobel laureates.
A recent college grad who considers themself “overeducated” especially for this neighborhood , just sounds silly and dismissive .
What a mean-spirited reply to a sweet piece about some of lovely spots in our neighborhood.
I know. And these are hardly expensive places.
You could read this piece and find the topic and choice of language amusing, or I guess you could make the decision to be offended and bitter.
The UWS isn’t much of a playground for 20-somethings, but you might like some of the downtown exports that landed here: Pig & Khao, Song e Napuli, La Sirene, Red Farm. Lots of off-duty chefs/bartenders hang out at Tiki Chick, if tiki drinks are your thing. And relatively few people are aware of just how good the cocktails are at Essential. They’re not cheap though. Obviously no shortage of cafés. Good luck.
The LES, Greenwich Village and the West Village even more of a playground and so is northern Brooklyn. It is sad. Big real estate and our policymakers only cater to young transplants and no one else, they end up getting used by them too.
Glad that you’ve thrown your lot in with ours on the UWS, Mia! And thanks for some night-spot tips. So often it seems that most places on the UWS close around 10 these days.
Wow, a sad report. The UWS used to have such a vibrant and exciting nightlife: Ungano’s, Hurrah, Trax, China Club, Columbus, Mikell’s, P&G.
That was the 70s, right? And the subway was 25 cents?
And how old were you when it did? Would you frequent those places at your current age?
Economics and an aging population has changed that nature of businesses that succeed and thrive in 2026. Why is that such a bad thing?
This isnt about demographics or economics. It’s about things that made NYC what it was, the center of art, music and culture and the UWS was an intrinsic part of this. For a transplant this is probably hard to understand. Hanging out with Andy Warhol and The Stones or seeing Bruce at Trax. Sweating with The Specials or the first ever New Order show. at Hurrah. Seeing David Bowie with Iggy Pop at China Club or Whitney Houston at Mikells. People camecfrom all over to go to tgese places. They werent just for locals. The UWS is a hollowed out shell of what it once was but then again so is NYC.
The people you mention weren’t famous then. There are still places today to hear or see someone who people will be talking about decades from now.
All the places you bemoan took the place of something else that a previous generation felt sad to lose.
(And why mention bring a transplant? NYCborn and bred here, and I’m just realistic about change. It happens. It’s not always tragic or magnificent. It just is)
Racoon lodge, Dive Bar…
Remember the Latin Quarter?
Going to LQ!
I wish owls tail was open earlier in the day so that people could enjoy it before it gets very busy and loud at night.
Wish they had a bigger bar…(and wish Barcibo was still on 69th).
The UWS is a great place for affluent empty nesters to migrate to after raising a family in the suburbs.
It’s also a great place to raise a family!
Never a bad stage of life to live here really.
Only for those with lots of money. The neighborhood is too expensive to have bedrooms for the kids. Not to mention education.
Most families nowadays are of double income/no kids category.
There are some great public schools in the neighborhood!
Right…
Have you actually tried getting your child into a decent local public school? There are waiting lists even for zoned elementary schools. It gets much more complicated with middle school, and by high school — forget it. Where else do kids have to compete for a spot in a decent public high school through a lottery?
Like living in most great areas, it is too expensive. Would be great to be building more 2-3 bedroom apartments so there is more supply.
There are plenty of two- and three-bedroom apartments available in the neighborhood. The problem isn’t a shortage of apartments. The problem is that most people can’t afford them.
And no, piling on more luxury skyscrapers isn’t going to make the neighborhood affordable. Build more $3–5 million apartments and you’ll attract more people who can pay $3–5 million, not somehow make existing apartments cheap.
Would be great if ‘hood started voting in politicians that would facilitate more development.
I agree, Gale is a disappointment in this area but our Mayor is exceeding expectations
Congratulation on your degree, Mia. I enjoyed your article and appreciate your openness in viewing and experiencing the UWS in a bit different light than some of your peers. The only thing that troubles (perhaps much too harsh a word) me is your use of “overeducated.” To me, it implies superiority. Could someone who went to a 2-year college and returned home not have a similar experience? Would we label them “undereducated?”
Overeducated is usually a reference to an advanced degree and the employment one is able to obtain which does not require an advanced degree.
It was a self-deprecating, off-the-cuff remark meant to show that she understands her privilege and doesn’t take herself too seriously. Let’s stop reading too much into everything.
Well, we understood this in different ways. Could it be the result of my own advanced degree that I am “reading too much into everything?” (Just a little of my own self-deprecating humor.)
UWS
Master’s degree or higher 44%, National Ranking of 14 percent.
To me it implies she has a monetarily worthless but fun degree. Like, poking fun.
If the vibe of the neighborhood doesn’t seem to suit twentysomethings, why live here? If your social life is downtown or in Brooklyn, move there. I wouldn’t enjoy the lifestyle there so you don’t have to force yourself to feel çomfortable here. NYC has enough of everything for everyone .
Cynical me remembers that you’re probably living here just for the free rent. Rethink that arrangement if you’re not letting yourself have the best postgraduate life you can.
My goodness, why so nasty? She lives here because she likes it here!
I wasn’t being nasty. Why try to justify living in a neighborhood that doesn’t suit your lifestyle and stage?
The reality may be that the free rent is a bigger motivator than living closer to many of your friends and preferred activities. I think it’s a little sad. When you’re just put of college why not try for your first choice neighborhood? There will be so many compromises later in life so I vote for more fun now!
And can’t yet afford a place of her own but is fortunate enough to have welcoming parents.
Who just graduates college and can afford their own place.
Generations of returnees and new to the city young people who have roommates and choose to live in more fun and possibly less expensive parts of the city.
You have a great perspective on places many people probably walk past and overlook on the UWS.
Mia — my 22-year-old is precisely in your club– you should launch a meetup!
A bit north but check out Hex & Company for friendly board game nights and collectible card games!
Also Chaotic Good on 84th.
You spent an exorbitant amount of time at Westsider Rare and Used Books, but did you spend any money there?
Congratulations on completing school! Try a new experience. Volunteer one evening per week with one of the many local groups, perhaps to help kids with homework or English, or anything else people are doing which is helpful. You’ll meet a variety of people of all ages who will really, and truly appreciate you! You can have a good time doing this.
I know quite a few younger people in their 20s/30’s that love living on the UWS and not in the mix as much with the other more trendy places. I lived in Chelsea for 9 years and now in Hell’s Kitchen for another 9, but as I look to start to have a family, I will probably move to the UWS, which I view as a more family-friendly place, and my temple is in the UWS, and my kids would attend.
Film lovers should also try New Plaza Cinema at 35 W. 67th Street.
A recommendation from an old person is cultural events at St Michael’s Church at 99th and Amsterdam. They are making a real effort to bring the arts uptown
I am a bit dismayed at the hostility in the comments here. I’m 46 now, and grew up here here–I moved to Miami for work when I was 29, then moved home with my parents six years later when that didn’t work out… I spent most of my 20’s traveling to Williamsburg for friends and nightlife, which I guess is my way of saying I know how you feel. I laugh now because multiple friends have chosen to move here as we get older.
That said, two suggestions for fun on a budget–Prohibition has live music, they charge a cover on the weekends but it’s free during the week, and usually fun. I have no affiliation with them, but if you like movies, for $30/ month you can join the AMC movie club and see 4 movies/ week at no additional charge (bring your own snacks if you like, they never check.) If you like movies, it’s a great deal.
It’s good to see a young single person appreciate and enjoy the unique pleasures of the UWS. Hope to see you in the 87th St. garden, Mia.
Nice piece. I hope the comments do not discourage you from sharing here in the future.
As someone who retired earlier than expected, I felt a kinship with the author. Trying to harbor resources, looking for local, low cost activities to replace the daily grind you become so used to. To not being in the places your age cohort is expected to be. To me, this piece was about rediscovering what’s been right under your nose the whole time, but you couldn’t take advantage of it and seeing the neighborhood in a different light and finding joy there.
Great article Mia. Where other places do you like to go on the Upper West Side? So much to do.
There are a ton of museums that New York residents, particularly young ones, can get into for free. It hasn’t occurred to the young intelligentsia to check them out? I’m in one pretty much every weekend. And young people can get discounted tickets to a lot of cultural events, not to mention the tons of free performances in the parks and Street performances. And you could spend all day everyday just walking through the streets of New York and never get bored (or at least I can), and it doesn’t cost you a dime. Unless you lack imagination, I don’t think there’s any excuse for not having anything to do in New York.
I lived in the UWS in the 80s in my 20s and we all lived in dingy apartments with multiple roommates, and for the most part, nightlife was downtown. The big clubs were in warehouse spaces near the West Side Highway, or we trawled the East Village (RIP Dojo). The spots I miss most on the UWS for just hanging out is the original P & Gs on 73rd & Amsterdam, and Cafe la Fortuna just off Columbus. Even back then it was populated by older people and families, which I saw as a bit of an oasis, a break from more crowded and noisy parts of town. Shopping was more fun though, the outrageous retail rents aren’t conducive to small business now.
If one thinks about the UWS in terms of street scenes, they are abundant as well as untapped opportunities for young and old alike…food shopping at Zabar’s/Fairway/speciality shops/Trader Joe’s are live theatre and bazaar-like if you walk into them with that thought in mind. In one’s immediate neighborhood, one can easily cultivate conversations with your neighbors simply by being yourself and signaling curiosity about the surroundings right in front of you–think Thoreauvian and the stories will unfold right in front of you according to your mood and attention.
Keep writing articles, Mia. Pay no mind to the arguing in the comments. I found it kind of depressing, but then remembered I have the option to ignore it. You seem like a kind person, and the UWS always appreciates having more of those. What a great suggestion the one person shared about volunteering. It’s a wonderful growth opportunity, a great way to learn something new and meet new people, while giving back to the community.
Well, Mia, I’d say some of these comments offer you an excellent guide for how NOT to be when you get older! Good luck to you!
I’m surprised you find the greenmarket cheaper than WF but other glad you are supporting “geographically desirable” hangouts.