Riverside Dr Between 79th St and 81st St

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (of Central Park fame), Riverside Drive follows the meandering edge of green space which separates the streets of Manhattan from the Henry Hudson Parkway and the Hudson River. Not unlike Fifth Avenue when it travels along Central Park, Riverside Drive features row after row of expensive apartments and townhouses which look out onto the park, which in-turn is lined with a stone wall and benches. 

Looking into the park you can see many similarities with Central Park, including meandering paths which follow the contours of the carefully-designed landscape. However, only half of the area is this serene as the cars coming on and off the Parkway honk their way into and out of Manhattan traffic on 79th Street. 

There doesn't seem to be a terrific feeling of neighborhood unity here. With almost no stores or restaurants for nearly two avenue blocks, it's hard to imagine where people meet and talk, and the street itself was comparatively dead.