Central Park South is short, but it packs a punch: for three blocks there are co-ops and condos offering 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. Whether you’re looking for a full-time pad or a doorman pied-à-terre, venerable hotels such as the Plaza and the Ritz-Carlton are now offering condominium residences for sale; neighboring Columbus Circle buildings like the Time Warner Center have similar stunning luxury properties for sale and for rent, so bring your telescope!

More The lifestyle in the Central Park South area is ridiculously convenient, with Time Warner Center offering tree-top views, exquisite dining (Thomas Keller’s Per Se), shopping (Hugo Boss), and entertainment (the Frederick P. Rose Hall Jazz Center). If you want an echo of old townhouse-y 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 Central Park itself, one of Manhattan’s top urban sanctuaries is near Central Park South in the plaza of Columbus Circle, where a monument to the Italian explorer is nestled inside a 99-jet fountain. While many of the historical buildings offer modern amenities such as parking, 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? Less