Morningside Heights

Morningside Heights is, effectively, the neighborhood around Columbia University: its southern border is West 110th Street and northern border - West 123rd street. To the west the neighborhood is bounded by the Hudson River and to the East , by Morningside Park. As any area dominated by a large university, Morningside Heights has all the characteristics of an "academic" neighborhood: book stores, affordable eateries, cafés and laundries are scattered around the place, mostly centered on Broadway, which is also where the main buildings of Columbia University (or, rather, the entrances to the buildings) are located. The area is home to plenty of gorgeous pre-war buildings around Broadway, and low-rise walk-ups on side streets. It is a noteworthy fact that Columbia University owns many of the area's most desirable buildings. In January 2008 the university received approval from the City Council to expand significantly in nearby Manhattanville. 

Newcomers may consider Morningside Heights as an extension of the Upper West Side, though others hold onto the old name. In the last decade, some businesses in the area have started using the name SoHa (or "South of Harlem") to refer to the neighborhood. Several famous neighborhood residents have lived in Morningside Gardens, an experimental co-op project built in 1957 between 123rd and LaSalle Streets, and Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues. Many professional African-Americans moved to Morningside Gardens to maintain roots with the black community of Harlem and to enjoy the benefits of a safe and integrated community. Among those were Thurgood Marshall, first black justice named to the Supreme Court. Arguably the most famous diners in the area is Tom's Restaurant where exterior shots were used on the television sitcom Seinfeld as a stand-in for the daily hangout of the show's principal characters.