Places / Street / Upper West Side

8.1 / 10

Riverside Drive at 96th

The best walk on the Upper West Side, in either direction from 96th.

MUSEENYC · August 18, 2026

Where
Riverside Dr at W 96th St, Upper West SideOpen in Google Maps ↗
Cost
Free
Go when
Late afternoon, walking north

Start around 96th and go either way. The Drive curves with the land instead of holding the grid, the pre-war buildings on the east side are among the best in the city, and Riverside Park drops away to the Hudson on the west.

What to know

Free. North takes you toward Grant’s Tomb and the 116th Street viewpoints; south runs down toward 72nd. The park is right there the whole way, so you can drop down to the water and come back up whenever you like.

Riverside Dr at W 96th St, Upper West Side. Directions in Google Maps ↗