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American Museum of Natural History
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200 Central Park West
The American Museum of Natural History is a New York icon. Packed with exhibitions representing people and animals throughout the ages, the museum also has a planetarium and a digital 3D and 2D theater, as well as special visiting exhibitions and plenty of places to eat and shop. The dinosaur wing is a must-see, and if you have time, lie down under the life-size model of a blue whale in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life.
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Central Park Conservancy—Official Central Park Tours
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14 E. 60th St.
Aside from presiding over one of the world’s most famous parks, the Central Park Conservancy also coordinates numerous events including official walking tours, games and chess lectures at the Chess & Checkers House, an annual summer film festival at Sheep Meadow, a performance festival on the Harlem Meer, and a live jazz concert on the Great Hill. The Conservancy operates five park visitor centers (The Dairy Visitor Center and Gift Shop, Chess & Checkers House, Belvedere Castle, Charles A. Dana Discovery Center and the Columbus Circle Information Kiosk) where you can find out what's happening in the Central Park.
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Good Enough To Eat
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520 Columbus Ave.
A homey slice of the New England countryside on the Upper West Side, Good Enough to Eat serves up comfort food like bacon waffles, strawberry-butter pancakes, buttermilk biscuits and a smoked salmon sandwich with goat cheese. New Yorker-by-way-of-Belgium chef Carrie Levin opened the spot in the early 1980s, and it has been a beloved neighborhood brunch destination ever since.
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Alice's Tea Cup
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102 W 73rd St
Little girls flock to this fantasy-come-true tea shop with three locations in the City. Go down the rabbit hole at this whimsical dreamland, and you’ll find kids wearing borrowed fairy wings (also available for purchase) as they indulge in breakfast, brunch or a lunch menu featuring soups, salads, sandwiches and scones. There’s also full tea service as well as “Alice’s menu for the small,” boasting Granny Smith apple slices, cookies and milk, and carrot sticks. Two other locations are on East 64th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues, and East 81st Street between Second and Third Avenues.
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Levain Bakery
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167 W. 74th St.
Founded in 1994 by two friends on a quest to create the world’s greatest chocolate chip cookie, the cozy Levain is packed wall to wall with inspired baked goods, including brioches, sticky buns, crusty loaves of semolina bread and, yes, chocolate chip cookies—which have now evolved to include flavors like dark chocolate peanut butter and walnut chocolate chip.
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Tavern on the Green
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1 Tavern on the Green
Restaurateurs Jim Caiola and David Salama have created a Tavern on the Green for this generation of diners. Jim and David's aim to re-establish Tavern on the Green as a restaurant for all, New Yorkers and visitors alike, restores this renowned dining hub to its Upper West Side neighborhood. Tavern on the Green celebrates New York and Central Park in all its glory, embracing the limitless, delicious foods for which this diverse culinary city is known. The menu by Executive Chef Tomas Surowka is celebratory and accessible with a nod to Tavern's storied history.