The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, situated between Central Park and the Hudson River.
The Upper West Side is very expensive, even more so than the Upper East Side in some parts. It is great for shopping and eating out. Many of the worlds richest people live here, and there are also many fancy private schools there. But the private school gossip girl was based off of is in the Upper East Side, called Nightingale Bamford, an elite school.
Whereas the Upper East represents "old money," the Upper West Side is seen as "new money" in Manhattan society.
Novel Series[]
The neighborhood is where Dan Humphrey and his sister Jenny live in the Gossip Girl novels. Throughout the novel series, the two are teased by their peers for having to travel by subway and for not living in the world of the wealthy Upper East Siders. The Humphrey family reside in a loft, a large four-bedroom apartment in New York City at the top of an old building. It is stated that their apartment is not cleaned often, except by the cat.
Television Series[]
Chuck's hotel The Empire is located on the Upper West Side. Columbia University, where Nate and Blair attend, is also located in the neighborhood.
In the 2021 revival series, Zoya's grandmother apartment is located on the Upper West Side.