Cracking the Code: 10024

535 WEST END AVENUE
More than a few eyebrows were raised at this new 20-story building’s 21ST CENTURY PRE-WAR RESIDENCES marketing pitch. Was the developer privy to top-secret information regarding any future world wars? A better choice of words might have been “They don’t build ’em like this anymore,” a nod to the 24-unit building’s classic features, such as the limestone-andbrick façade and cavernous floor plans, some numbering seven bedrooms. 535 West End Ave., 212-873-5353; 535wea.com

BOUNDARIES
North: 91st Street East: Central Park West South: 77th Street West: Riverside Drive

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
EIGHTY ONE
This Michelin-starred Modern American restaurant is not afraid to rack up the frequent-flier miles. In the past, the kitchen’s culinary adventures featured ingredients from as far away as Iran, meaning the meals are often more welltraveled than the patrons eating them. 45 W. 81st St., 212-873-8181; 81nyc.com

DOVETAIL
One of the intimate chef-owner creations leading a dining renaissance on the Upper West Side, Dovetail pairs the classic European training (and French Laundry pedigree) of John Fraser with a focus on local ingredients. 103 W. 77th St., 212-362-3800; dovetailnyc.com

KEFI
The combination of rising celebrity chef Michael Psilakis and his partner, Donatella Arpaia, has done more for Greek cuisine than anything since the olive. Psilakis’ rustic Grecian fare became so popular that Kefi recently moved to a new space with 130 additional seats. That’s a whole lotta souvlaki going on. 505 Columbus Ave., 212-873-0200; kefirestaurant.com

NEIGHBORS
Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld, Ben Stiller, Alec Baldwin, Vikram Pandit, Glenn Close, Bob Weinstein, Helen Gurley Brown, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, John McEnroe, Joy Behar, Sidney Lumet, Matt Dillon, Lew Frankfort, John Stossel, Mark Messier, David Remnick

PERKS
PARALLEL PARKS: Not many neighborhoods are hemmed in by two world-class parks separated by just five blocks. Next time an apartment price in the area makes your head spin, blame Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Riverside and Central Parks. (He’s been dead for more than 100 years, so he probably won’t mind.)

LEARNER'S PERMIT: This culture capital is always up for a trip in the time machine, whether it’s a look back (the New York Historical Society, the city’s oldest museum) or a look way back (the American Museum of Natural History). The Children’s Museum of Manhattan has a knack for disguising learning in a fun package, such as with its Amusement Park Science exhibit running through September 10.

OLD-COUNTRY COOKING: Forget McDonald’s and Taco Bell, the Upper West Side is home to fast food the way Bubbe intended. Legendary megadelis Barney Greengrass and Zabar’s have more than 170 years of smoked-fish expertise between them, and to go with it, a carb bomb from neighborhood institution H&H Bagels is a must.

BOOK SMARTS
THE DWIGHT SCHOOL
Prekindergarten through grade 12
Though founded in 1872, this private school isn’t afraid to break from tradition. In 1996 it became the first school in North America to use the International Baccalaureate program, which stresses a global curriculum and can now be found in more than 2,600 schools in 135 countries. 291 Central Park West, 212-724-6360; dwight.edu

TRINITY SCHOOL
Private; kindergarten through grade 12
The institution founded in the Trinity Church on Wall Street is celebrating its 300th anniversary this year. And it hasn’t lost its cachet: The offspring of corporate titans like Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch have made their way through this prep school’s hallowed halls. 139 W. 91st St., 212-873-1650; trinityschoolnyc.org

HOT SPOTS
WEST 79TH STREET BOAT BASIN CAFÉ
While the weather is still warm, don’t count on scoring a table at this first-come, first-served limestone rotunda and patio in Riverside Park, especially during happy hour. Just grab a drink, gaze out at the marina and try to fool your brain into thinking you’re relaxing on Miami’s Biscayne Bay, with no winter in sight. West 79th Street and the Hudson River, 212-496-5542; boatbasincafe.com

SHAKE SHACK
Given the neighborhood’s family-friendly credentials, it makes sense that one of its most popular spots serves liquid refreshment in vanilla, chocolate, caramel and strawberry varieties. Though this Shake Shack is less a tourist destination than the Madison Square Park original, the lines are no less forgiving. 366 Columbus Ave., 646-747-8770; shakeshack.com

BEST ADDRESSES
THE BERESFORD
The old real-estate adage “location, location, location” could have been inspired by the Beresford, which overlooks Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History. Famous neighbors, certainly, but nothing like the star power wandering the halls of this 80-year-old co-op. Residents include Jerry Seinfeld, John McEnroe, Glenn Close and other big names that probably wouldn’t make it past the stuffy co-op boards on the other side of the park. 211 Central Park West

EL DORADO
While not as famous as some of his other creations along Central Park West (such as the Beresford), architect Emery Roth’s twin-towered El Dorado is perhaps his biggest standout. The 28-story building is the northernmost of CPW’s grand old co-ops, giving it plenty of skyline prominence when seen from the park. Alec Baldwin is certainly a fan: the building resident named his production company El Dorado Pictures. 300 Central Park West

THE SAINT URBAN
The rule on Park and Fifth Avenues is: The more understated a building’s outside, the more prestigious it is to get inside. Not so on the Upper West Side’s answer to those millionaires’ rows, and the Saint Urban is a great example. The mansard roof and copper dome (now a library for one lucky penthouse owner) still look vibrant and bold, even after a century. 285 Central Park West