Manhattan Upper West Side walking tour

This scavenger hunt has a difficulty level of NORMAL.

Your group’s size should be between 2 and 6 persons. In fact, children are welcome and will enjoy most of the challenges.

After purchase, to begin your Upper West Side scavenger hunt, direct yourself to the Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023. This is the start location.

Once there, stand outside and log in to this website and begin your hunt.

Alternatively, you can access “My Account” and follow the instructions there.

Never hesitate to contact us if you experience any difficulties.

Ancient History

The natives who inhabited what is now the big city of New York were Lenape who spoke Algonquin.

This neighborhood developed around Bloomingdale Street (renamed The Boulevard in 1868) where the first mansions were established, followed by smaller homes in the early 19th century. The name Bloomingdale comes from the Dutch village of Bloemendaal, in the Tulip region of the Netherlands.

The Dutch originally settled the island of Manhattan in 1626, before the British conquered them in 1664. They had compared the current Upper West Side to this area they know well.

In the second half of the 19th century, most of the water’s edge, along the Hudson River, was occupied by wharves for shipping as well as manufacturers. In 1830 a railroad was authorized between New York and Albany, which passed on the waterfront.

Central Park’s construction began in the 1850s and continued through the 1870s. Many who previously squatted in this area of the island were forced to move into the Upper West Side.

Recent History of the Upper West Side

A construction boom began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This encouraged the expansion of subway lines as early as 1904. Around that time, The Boulevard (previously Bloomingdale Street), sees its name change again. It became Broadway St. It is the natural extension of this road which originates in Lower Manhattan.

Many of the large apartment buildings lining Central Park’s west side saw the light of day at the beginning of the last century. In fact, construction on most began before the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Today, the Upper West Side represents the cultural and intellectual core of the city with Columbia University and Barnard College to the north and the Lincoln Center to the south.

The Upper West Side is a residential area, especially wealthy, on the Isle of Manhattan. It is located west of Central Park and has a population of nearly 210,000.