Hidden in plain sight on the Upper West Side of Woody Allen movies and Seinfeld, a private mini-neighborhood of jewel-sized Tudor-style homes known as Pomander Walk looks very much the way it did in the early 20th century.

The odd, adorable private co-op community lies along a gated mews that stretches from 94th to 95th Street between Broadway and West End Avenue, near shopping on Broadway and one of the city’s best waterfront recreation areas, Riverside Park, with its bike and running trails, dog run, and playgrounds. Surrounded by tall buildings like the Lyric apartments (above arts center Symphony Space) and modern condo towers like the Columbia at 275 West 96th Street, the first thing visitors always note is the feeling of having completely left the city behind.

Residents Treasure This UWS Micro-neighborhood
Built in 1921 by developer Thomas Healy to resemble the set of a popular English play by the same name, the 27 diminutive homes that make up the Pomander Walk co-operative were meant to be a source of rental income while a hotel was considered for the spot. The hotel was never built, and in subsequent decades the tiny enclave remained a haven for celebrities like Rosalind Russell, Lillian Gish and Humphrey Bogart as well as ordinary folk who relished the rare opportunity to experience low-key community life in the heart of New York City. Pomander Walk received landmark status in 1982, and by 2009, a four-year facade renovation had restored many of the original architectural details to the almost-unbelievably quaint Tudor homes. The micro-neighborhood’s residents regularly get stopped by passersby who express amazement that, “people actually live in there?” Apartments rarely change hands, as lucky residents treasure their unique life of neighborhood gatherings and front stoop chats.

Read more about Pomander Walk at AMNewYork.