The Mall

Upper West Side & Central Park


This Parisian-style promenade – allegedly the only straight line in Central Park – lined with rare North American elms, is flanked by statues of literati on the southern end (known as 'Literary Walk'), including Robert Burns and Shakespeare.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Upper West Side & Central Park attractions

1. Central Park Zoo

0.17 MILES

This small zoo, which gained fame for its part in the animated movie Madagascar, is home to penguins, snow leopards and lemurs. Feeding times in the sea…

2. Temple Emanu-El

0.2 MILES

Founded in 1845 as the first Reform synagogue in New York, this temple, completed in 1929, is now one of the largest Jewish houses of worship in the world…

3. Arsenal

0.2 MILES

Built between 1847 and 1851 (one of two buildings whose construction predates Central Park) as a munitions supply depot for the New York State National…

4. Bethesda Terrace

0.25 MILES

The arched and frescoed walkways of Bethesda Terrace, crowned by the magnificent Bethesda Fountain, have long been a gathering area for New Yorkers of all…

5. Frick Collection

0.25 MILES

This spectacular art collection sits in a mansion built by steel magnate Henry Clay Frick, one of the many such residences lining the section of Fifth Ave…

6. Bethesda Fountain

0.27 MILES

This neoclassical fountain is one of New York’s largest. It’s capped by the Angel of the Waters, who is supported by four cherubim. The fountain, created…

7. Strawberry Fields

0.42 MILES

Standing inside the park across from the famous Dakota Building, where John Lennon was fatally shot in 1980, is this poignant, tear-shaped garden – a…

8. Asia Society & Museum

0.42 MILES

Founded in 1956 by John D Rockefeller III (an avid collector of Asian art), this cultural center hosts fascinating exhibits (Buddhist art of Myanmar,…