Living in Midtown West: A Complete Neighborhood Guide

Midtown West is where Manhattan goes out. More than 40 Broadway theaters are concentrated around Times Square, and Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall and the Museum of Modern Art are an easy walk east. Carnegie Hall, Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center sit to the north. West of Eighth Avenue, Hell’s Kitchen adds a more local feel, with small restaurants and bars along Ninth Avenue. Residential towers are mixed in with the offices and theaters, so the neighborhood is busy by day and by night.

The N/R/W stop at 49th Street, the 1 at 50th Street and the C/E at 50th Street on Eighth Avenue. Times Square-42nd Street connects the 1/2/3, 7, N/Q/R/W and S, and the B/D/F/M run along Sixth Avenue at 47th-50th Streets-Rockefeller Center. The 1/2/3 also reach Penn Station and Lincoln Center, and Columbus Circle links the A/B/C/D and 1. The M50 crosstown bus runs along 49th and 50th Streets, the Port Authority Bus Terminal is at Eighth Avenue and 42nd Street, and Penn Station and Moynihan Train Hall are roughly a 15-minute walk south. The Hudson River Greenway runs along the waterfront for cyclists and runners.

Restaurant Row, on West 46th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, has long served pre-theater diners. Ninth Avenue is lined with international restaurants, from Thai and Italian to Mediterranean spots and classic delis, plus bars and small markets. For shopping, department stores and flagship retailers cluster along Fifth Avenue and around Rockefeller Center, with more shops at Columbus Circle. Grocery stores and everyday services are spread throughout the neighborhood.

Central Park’s Merchants’ Gate entrance sits at Columbus Circle, and Central Park South runs along the park’s southern edge. West of Ninth Avenue, Hudson River Park runs along the riverfront with piers, lawns and the Hudson River Greenway bike path. DeWitt Clinton Park, at 52nd to 54th Streets near Eleventh Avenue, has ballfields, courts and a dog run. Bryant Park, with its lawn and the New York Public Library, is about a 12-minute walk south.

Midtown West draws professionals who work in Midtown, people in the theater and hospitality industries, and renters who want to be at the center of the city. The blocks west of Eighth Avenue are quieter and more residential than Times Square. Visit at different times of day, including a weekend evening, before choosing a building.