The coolest streets in New York City aren’t on the tourist maps, let’s let them congregate on Broadway and Times Square, we New Yorkers in the know get to enjoy the real hidden gems of the city.
These secret streets are frozen in time, with amazing heritage and architecture, for that reason many of them are historic landmarks. We may not get to live on them like some lucky souls, but that doesn’t mean we can’t go and soak up the atmosphere of the infinitely instagrammable secret streets of New York City.
?Pomander Walk, Upper West Side
You’d be forgiven for thinking you were transported to London if you ever stumbled upon Pomander Walk, and that’s no accident. The 20’s London style architecture in this 16-building European-style gated community is by design. The micro-neighborhood borrows its name from a fictional London street in a play of the same name.
Pomander Walk is one of the Upper West Sides hidden gems and has been a National Historic Landmark since the early 80s. The British Tudor style street went through extensive exterior renovations to lovingly restore the original details of the homes. This is definitely worth trip to the Upper West Side.
? Gay Street, Greenwich Village
This short, crooked, charming street’s name does not refer to the LGBT community in Greenwich Village, but more than likely an early landowner. It was thought that the street name came from the editor of the National Anti-Slavery Standard, Sidney Howard Gay, but it’s unlikely given that he was only 19 years of age when the street was christened in 1833. So, it could be in celebration of the LGBT community if you want it to be, the tourists would never know.
The beautiful street features two distinctive architectural areas. At the west end, you can see Federal Style houses, an architectural style that evolved from Georgian style and the main design language from the colonial era. At the other end of Gay Street, you can see Greek revival homes, a later architectural style from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
S T O P procrastinating.. Get up, get out and go be great! #DanielleACooper #TuesdayMotivation
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? Sixth ½ Avenue, Midtown
No, this isn’t another way to get to Hogwarts, and though you’ve been to Midtown about a thousand times, you may just have missed Sixth ½ Avenue.
6½ Avenue is a north-south pedestrian-only passageway running from West 51st to West 57th Streets between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. Originally designed to ease pedestrian foot traffic, this quarter-mile canopied corridor is an excellent space to snap a ‘gram or even escape the bustle of the city’s cars.
Secret Avenue ? #6andahalfave #newyorkcity #newyork
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? Washington Mews, Greenwich Village
Washington Mews is a private gated street in between Fifth Avenue and University Place just north of Washington Square Park.
Lovely place. 해가 지는 시간에… #architecture #nyc #instagood #instadaily
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This beautiful street looks somewhat out of place in the context of it’s surrounded, if you keep your eyes at ground level you would be forgiven if you thought you were in a Mediterranean village, with its cobbled roads, creeping plants, and variation between brick and smooth facades. Sadly you only have to cast your eyes skywards to see that you’re in Manhattan.
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