Saturday, May 14th, 2011

Two weeks ago I had a post about Landmark West’s free Upper West Side walking tour app for the iPhone. As I’m an Android guy, I haven’t been able to test it out. Fortunately, MyUpperWest reader Susan was kind enough to send in a brief review:

I moved to NYC and the UWS about 8 months ago and one of my hobbies, in addition to job hunting, has been to
walk the neighborhood to try to get to know the buildings and all that the UWS has to offer. I’ve had a steady stream of guests who generally have a number of questions about the many iconic buildings and particularly those nearby and I haven’t always had many answers for them. I’ve seen a couple of books with various walking tours of the city but for whatever reason just didn’t purchase them.  Perhaps walking the streets, clutching a guide book seemed too “touristy” for my new style?

So, imagine my delight when MyUpperWest, my go-to website for all things on the UWS, featured a new application from Landmark West and available for the iPhone.  The application, which provides a plethora of information about the landmark buildings between W 72nd and W 81st, is simple to use and with just enough information to be informative, but not overly pedantic. Each entry starts with a stunning photo of the building along with the name and address, the name of the architect, the year(s) of construction, style and type of building, facade material, and its landmark designation.  The application then features about a screen’s worth of information – just enough to tide you over until you walk along to the next building.

I particularly loved the entry for the Central Savings Bank (now Apple Bank) building because I recently had brunch across the street and finally noticed the arched windows but wanted to know more about the architectural style. I actually resorted to Googling the building to learn more about it while we ate.  Landmark West’s application puts the streets of the UWS right in your hand, all in one place for easy reference and it gives a couple of “fun facts” about each building.  The buildings are pinpointed on an overlay map of the streets which makes it easy enough for even the most directionally-challenged!  After my regular Central Park run this past weekend, I grabbed a coffee and walked along W 72nd Street and “clicked off” a couple more buildings, something I plan to do after every run until I’ve read about all of these landmark buildings on the Upper West Side!

Seems like a pretty nifty app (and yes, her kind words about MyUpperWest were unsolicited!). If and when Landmark West comes out with an Android version I’ll definitely check it out. In the meantime, this free app definitely seems like something worth considering if you’re an iPhone person and have even a passing interest in the architecture around the neighborhood — click here to download it.

Thanks for writing in Susan!

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Tags: Architecture, free app, History, iPhone App, Landmark West!, New York, NYC, Upper West Side, Upper West Side walking tour, UWS