Fifth Avenue

Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in New York City; it runs along the eastern side of Central Park and is a symbol of ritzy New York.

Fifth Avenue extends from the north end of Washington Square Park through Manhattan and into the Bronx. It is the zero-numbering point of the east-west streets in Manhattan and the Bronx: numbers increase in both directions as one moves away from Fifth Avenue. Fifth Avenue is a one-way street, and carries southbound traffic.

Many landmark buildings are situated on Fifth Avenue, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The stretch of Fifth Avenue from the 60s through the 90s has enough museums to have acquired the nickname "Museum Mile".The same area was known in the early 20th century as Millionaire's Row after the many mansions built there as the richest New Yorkers moved their residences north to face Central Park.Earlier,several opulent Vanderbilt houses and other mansions were built in the 50s and in even earlier times further south.

Fifth Avenue is the traditional route for celebratory parades in New York City; thus, it is closed to traffic on numerous Sundays in warm weather. These are distinct from the ticker-tape parades held on the "Canyon of Heroes" on lower Broadway.

See also: Madison Avenue, Park Avenue