Central Park West

Central Park West runs 51 blocks from Columbus Circle (at 59th Street, or Central Park South) to Frederick Douglass Circle (at 110th Street, or Cathedral Parkway). The gates into Central Park along its western edge are: Merchants Gate at 59th Street, Women's Gate at 72nd, Naturalists Gate at 77th, Hunters Gate at 81st, Mariners Gate at 86th, Gate of all Saints at 96th, Boys Gate at 100th, and Strangers Gate at 106th. Central Park West's expensive housing rivals that of Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side.

South of Columbus Circle, in Midtown, CPW becomes Eighth Avenue. North of Frederick Douglass Circle, in Harlem, it is alternately known as Eighth Avenue or Frederick Douglass Boulevard. Unlike many Manhattan avenues, CPW has traffic running in two directions. The IND Eighth Avenue Line runs under the avenue, serving local stations. Central Park West is the address of several famous residences, including The Dakota (where John Lennon lived with Yoko Ono, who still resides there, and outside of which he was murdered in 1980), The San Remo (home to U2's Bono, Demi Moore, Diane Keaton, & Steve Martin), The El Dorado, The Beresford (home to Diana Ross & Jerry Seinfeld), The Langham, The Century, 15 Central Park West (home to Sting), 41 Central Park West (home to Madonna), 455 Central Park West, The St. Urban, and The Majestic (which was home to some of the former heads of the Genovese crime family, including Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano and Frank Costello. In 1957, Vincent "The Chin" Gigante shot Frank Costello in the lobby of The Majestic in a failed assassination attempt).

Most of these housing cooperatives were built around 1930, replacing late 19th century hotels with the same names. Some, including The Century, The San Remo, and The Majestic, are twin towers. Other landmarks and institutions along its length include the New-York Historical Society and the American Museum of Natural History. The area from 61st to 97th Streets is included in the Central Park West Historic District. The building located at 55 Central Park West is the infamous "Spook Central" from the movie Ghostbusters. The famed New York City restaurant Tavern on the Green is located off of Central Park West, at 66th Street, within the grounds of Central Park.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

Since 1931, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has been lighting up the holidays each year for New York City residents and visitors. One of the most well known decorated Christmas trees in the United States, this tree has become an iconic symbol of the holiday season in New York City. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is also a major tourist attraction; thousands come to New York each year to see the tree lighting ceremony, or just to view the tree during the several weeks when it is on display.

The first tree displayed in Rockefeller Center in 1931 was a Balsam Fir measuring about 20 feet tall. It was set up by construction workers who were building Rockefeller Center, and during this depression-era, they were proud to have a tree displayed amidst the mud and construction debris of their work area.

Today the Rockefeller tree is usually a giant Norway Spruce measuring btw 75 and 90 feet tall.