5th Ave Between 12th St and 10th St

With Washington Square Park visible in the distance, these final few blocks of 5th Avenue begin to tone down the retail presence in favor of more classic village staples. This stretch has a higher-than-average concentration of historic churches (two), which if you're not paying attention will give you a real sense of deja-vu as you walk by the second one. The nearly identical entrances both sit on the west side of the street, though they serve different denominations.

The vast majority of the buildings around here have beautiful classical detailing - much of it requiring you to adjust your gaze upward. I've always considered this section of 5th Avenue to be a bit of an oasis. Nearly all the surrounding streets are filled with beautiful trees and buildings, though the parallel avenues they connect to aren't nearly as serene as this one is. Likewise, once you get up around 14th Street, the crowds begin to become evident again as the shopping opportunities pick up. The aforementioned Washington Square Arch, while beautiful and welcoming, represents the beginning of the often-crowded park. It's for these few blocks that you get a perfect mixture of architecture, open space and great views.