Central Park South may run only from Fifth to Eighth avenues, but it offers perhaps the most famous views of Central Park; trees framed by the skyline of Central Park West on one side and Fifth Avenue on the other. Venerable hotels such as the Plaza and the Ritz-Carlton are now offering residences; neighboring Columbus Circle buildings like the Time Warner Center offer similar stunning properties, so bring your telescope!

The lifestyle is ridiculously convenient, with Time Warner Center offering exquisite dining (Thomas Keller's Per Se) shopping (Hugo Boss) and entertainment (Frederick P. Rose Hall Jazz Center). If you want an echo of old New York, you'll hear it in the clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages making their way through the Park.

In addition to the quiet of the Park itself, one of Manhattan's top urban sanctuaries is the plaza of Columbus Circle, where a monument to the Italian explorer is nestled inside a 99-jet fountain. It's also just blocks to the corporate headquarters of Midtown, the artistic offerings of Lincoln Center, and the newly-redone Museum of Modern Art - why not stroll?

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