<UPPER WEST SIDE

THE BASICS: The Upper West Side may not be as tweedy and artsy as it was in the era of the Trillings and Podhoretzes (some argue that it has turned into the Upper East Side), but the neighborhood is still home to artists, actors, and writers, and not just in Jerry Seinfeld’s income bracket. “It’s more diverse than people think. It’s not just mothers pushing carriages at Zabar’s,” says Ken Scheff, sales manager at Bellmarc.

WHAT'S NEW: Besides the AOL Time Warner behemoth? The loft condominiums at 43 West 64th Street, where the old Liberty Warehouse stood opposite Lincoln Center, are set to open in the early fall. Donald Trump has already sold 415 of the 440 condos in his new high-rise at 70th Street and Riverside Boulevard.

BARGAIN HUNTING: The northern edge of the area, on the fringes of Morningside Heights, is “the last frontier,” says Scheff. “There are charming townhouses on Manhattan Avenue in the $1.5 million range,” adds Corcoran’s Deanna Kory. Other deals pop up in the high Nineties along Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, Kory says.

HOT SPOTS: Ouest, Tom Valenti’s French-American bistro at 84th and Broadway, finally made the neighborhood safe for top-flight cooking. Aix, at 88th and Broadway, and Compass, on 70th near Amsterdam, will soon be joined by Valenti’s new 75th Street southern-Italian eatery, ’Cesca.

PREDICTION: Even after the increases of the past few years, classic sixes and sevens should continue to fare well in this family-friendly area, says Halstead’s Michael Goldenberg. Central Park West and Riverside Drive, especially, should also hold their gains—as crazy as the prices are, they’re still lower than on Park Avenue.