6 p.m. An earlier dinner

To make the most of the UWS, you’re looking at a full night ahead of you, and we recommend getting in an earlier dinner to kick off. In case you skipped Italian for lunch, head to Bosino on 103rd. Located in a charming alcove with al fresco dining in the warmer months, the restaurant pairs its authentic Sicilian pasta dishes with almost familial service. Menu highlights include the classic lasagna, mushroom cream tortellini, and margherita pizza, though you’d be remiss to not ask to hear the night’s specials, which in prior nights have included show stoppers like a braised short rib ravioli. Should you find yourself in the mood for a different type of noodle, Jin Ramen on 82nd and Amsterdam serves a great bowl of tonkotsu. For a blend of East and West, Flor de Mayo combines Chinese and Peruvian cuisines. A sublime dinner bounces between the two, with yucca, squid fried rice, and lomo saltado all finding a place at the table. Georgian food at Chama Mama is another great option—first timers will do well to order the Taste of Georgia platter for a smattering of dips, veggies, housemade bread, and Georgian smoked cheese. The Adjaruli Khachapuri is another crowd favorite with made-to-be-captured cheese pulls. Our last option (though really, the neighborhood is teeming with great restaurants): Sushi W, where you can enjoy reasonably-priced omakase and an optional sake pairing in a cozy, romantic setting.

7 p.m. Sneaking in a sweet treat

If you held off on seeing a dessert menu at dinner, that actually might’ve been for the best as locals know you’re not without—perhaps even better—options elsewhere. The newly opened Softside counter delivers delightful summery bites in the form of soft serve sugar cones. They have four basic flavors: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and pistachio, but we recommend mixing it up with one of their sundaes like the Riff made with honey, olive oil, and sea salt, or their brûléed banana split. Rather sink your teeth in something warm and gooey? Enter one of the city’s most famous bakeries: Levain. Their cookies resemble little mountains stratified with layers of buttery dough and melty chocolate chips. They’re big cookies for the Big Apple. Janie’s is another tasty option—order at least one pie crust cookie!—tucked away downstairs on 80th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam.

You’re nearly drowning in ice cream options around here, but one of our favorites is Salt & Straw, the West Coast gem that finally made its way to NYC last year, opening a location in the Upper West Side and another in the West Village. Flavors often riff on the classics in unexpected ways—in the fall, for example, order Apple and Cheddar Cinnamon Rolls or Pear and Blue Cheese (the less adventurous might opt for the Salted, Malted, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough).

8 p.m. Evening entertainment

While the white glove scene at Lincoln Center adds some extravagance to a night out (dress up for a night at the opera, ballet, or New York Philharmonic), crawling the neighborhood’s jazz bars is a fantastic way to see live performances in a way that’s a little more low-key. Steps off of Lincoln Center, Dizzy’s Club serenades its crowds over views of the Manhattan skyline and a rotating menu of seasonal bites. Farther up between 105th and 106th, Smoke Jazz & Supper Club is just the place to stop by for dinner and show. It’s all exposed brick, moody red curtains, and a baby grand on stage here. Regular programming includes jazz, blues, and Latin music, and soft lighting makes friends out of the shadows. Or, look ahead to see who’s playing at the Beacon—it’s a popular tour spot for comedians and musicians.

10 p.m. Sips and tipples

Some may hold the misconception that the Upper West Side is one of the rare New York neighborhoods that does indeed head to bed after sundown, and there’s no better way to bust the myth than visiting our storied bars. Dive Bar down on 96th purports to have “beer as cold as your ex’s heart,” a steal with some brews going as low as $5 a pint. As its, well, everything suggests, Dive Bar welcomes all those looking to let their hair down and go in on some buffalo wings or nachos. Fret not if you’re hoping to grab a few more photos in your night out best, Nobody Told Me serves sophisticated light bites like oysters on the half shell and buttoned-up cocktails like the vodka and elderflower-forward Morningside—a nightcap worth dressing up for. (It’s an especially great option if you’ve just dined at Sushi W given the proximity.) Stop in at Tiki Chick for a frozen drink (and if you get hungry, one of the best cheap eats you’ll find in the $5 fried chicken sandwich), then head next door to E’s for a beer, spicy margarita, and board games.

Where to stay

The Upper West Side is largely residential, so we recommend staying nearby instead—check out our list of the best Midtown Manhattan hotels, or head just across the park to the iconic Carlyle, The Mark, or The Surrey.

If you’ve ever daydreamed about the best places to retire in the US, you’re in good company. If you’re like most people, career demands dictate where you plant your roots for most of your life—then, once retirement rolls around and you no longer have to worry about a daily commute or company requirements, the possibilities are suddenly endless. Now it’s time to choose your next address, but where to start?

The decision comes with a mix of excitement and questions: Do you want endless sunshine or snowy winters? Small-town charm or big city amenities? Stick close to family or retire abroad? And beyond lifestyle preferences, there’s a slew of practical considerations that play a major role in narrowing down your options—think healthcare, cost of living, and taxes.

To help folks strike the perfect balance for their personal needs, WalletHub has released its annual Best & Worst Places to Retire list—a ranking of 182 cities across the US (including the 150 most populated US cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state) based on affordability, activities, quality of life, and healthcare.

Each of the four metrics takes several factors into consideration. “Affordability” looks at adjusted cost of living and taxpayer-friendliness (among others); “activities” looks at museums, theaters, book clubs, and art galleries per capita; “quality of life” looks at weather and strength of elder abuse protections; and “healthcare” looks at quality of public hospitals and life expectancy.

Unsurprisingly, Florida continues to prove itself as a retiree hot spot, occupying 5 slots in the top 15, just like last year. The Sunshine State’s consistent presence at the top of the ranking is understandable, given its favorable tax policies and wealth of recreational activities—not to mention that year-round sunny weather.

Despite Florida’s strong showing, the list really runs the gamut of both geography and demographics. (In case you’re wondering, WalletHub ranked San Bernardino, California, as the “worst” city for retirees, followed by three other California cities: Stockton, Rancho Cucamonga, and Bakersfield.)

Read on for the 15 best places to retire in the US, according to this year’s WalletHub study—with supporting data we’ve pulled from the US Census Bureau, Zillow, city governments, and the demographic data firm Best Places. Use it all to help decide where you’d like to hang your hat in your golden years… or, more accurately, park your vintage convertible. (Hey, you deserve it.)

This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publication date.

There are plenty of clear reasons to book a Paris Airbnb instead of a hotel—enough space to avoid going stir-crazy, a kitchen and fridge to stock with pastries and butter daily, and common areas for your group to stretch out and enjoy—but perhaps the best reason is far less practical, and it’s that you can get the most iconic Parisienne experience possible, from the balcony views to the morning café runs. And it was those small pleasures that made my lodging option on a recent trip to the City of Lights an unforgettable one loaded with quality family time and the feeling of being caught in time in the Montmartre of Dalí and Picasso’s heyday.

Visiting this past spring with sisters and cousin on a girls trip, I uncovered a gem of a building near Montmartre that would allow us all of these luxuries, plus some incredible touches that made sure the flat we were hanging out in daily between sightseeing was part of the Paris experience itself: From the mosaic-laden lobby and red-velvet central staircase splashed with colors from the building’s stained-glass windows, to the unit’s flowery crown molding that stretched across uber-high ceilings, it felt like we were staying in a fabulous, artsy aunt’s sprawling estate—one just a stone’s throw from the Metro-accessible neighborhood’s adorable bakeries and bistros, of course.

Two equal-size bedrooms (with their own adjacent bathrooms, no less), comfy beds, and marble fireplaces meant the apartment was as plushly comfortable as it was stylish—plenty of midcentury-modern furniture and art contrasted all the quaint touches and creaky wooden floors. But perhaps the best aspect of this lodging option was the sprawling living room and dining area’s double balconies, which reflect the sheer size of the place. I was fresh out of my first trimester of a twin pregnancy on this trip, so I wanted a space I could relax and share meals in (hello, take-out Doner and grocery-store gouter) with my loved ones as much as we would enjoy the splashy sights and decadent dining beyond our neighborhood.

A sizable, comfy couch is perhaps one of the most vastly underrated elements of a good group Airbnb, and this one has a sprawling, deep-cushioned one that’s the centerpiece of the seating area. In the same room and adjacent dining area are two small balconies with bistro tables and views of the treetops in a leafy park across the street popular with families and small children.

Perhaps most importantly, the neighborhood around the park was pin-drop quiet in the evenings and at night—but a quick walk around the corner to the Metro meant a grand avenue of bustling late-night cafés, doner shops, and a stone staircase of many, many steps leading to Montmartre—the hilltop neighborhood famed. We opted instead for the cable car to the top of the hill, which is located a (flat) 20-minute walk away near the raucous clubs and dining of Quartier Pigalle (where you’ll find the iconic Moulin Rouge). We opted for a show at Crazy Horse instead, which was still as easy to reach as all of Paris’s other gems thanks to the Metro being located two minute walk from our elaborately decorated doorstep.

It was hard for me to believe that a rental that could balance both local-approved lodging with access to the city’s best food and sites could exist in plain sight, but I was convinced as soon as we arrived and have been sharing the listing with friends who are Paris-bound later this year—and anyone else considering a trip to Paris; when you find a perch this fabulous in such an evergreen destination city, you share the wealth.