Rex Reed's New York: A Guide to Hollywood in the Upper West Side

Film critic, journalist, and author Rex Reed called Manhattan’s Upper West Side home for most of his life. On this walking tour, we’ll scout out the homes and haunts of Rex Reed and the Hollywood insiders and notable figures that he knew and wrote about, while exploring their connections to specific passages from his writing. You’ll get a sense of the neighborhood where Reed lived and worked for over half a century.

The tour starts on West 67th Street near Central Park, in front of the Hotel des Artistes, and then moves along the Broadway corridor, guiding listeners past storied architectural landmarks like the Ansonia, the Apthorp, the Beresford, and the San Remo—stunning exemplars of prewar apartment buildings. Along the way, we’ll chart the neighborhood’s deep ties to Hollywood (Old and New) and to particular movies, film locations, and historic celebrity residences.

Drawing from Reed’s movie reviews showcasing his astute and at times acerbic voice and inimitable style—influenced by his Southern gothic roots as well as the New Journalism—this tour captures a bygone era when going to the movies and then talking about them was of paramount social and cultural importance. As you walk in Reed’s footsteps, you’ll learn about his friends and literary contemporaries Nora Ephron and Joan Didion, among others in the vibrant cultural milieu of the neighborhood. The tour concludes at the Dakota, where Reed resided from 1969 until his death in 2026.

Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:

• Learn about what brought Rex Reed—born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised in towns across the deep South—and many other young artists from far away to New York City in the mid-20th century
• Walk along what once was the Wickquasgeck Trail—a dirt path carved by the Munsee Lenape Native American peoples—and now is one of the busiest commercial thoroughfares in the world
• Grab coffee and a bagel at one of the best and oldest Jewish markets
• Hear some gossip about Nora Ephron’s apartment
• Let Reed’s writing about actors and writers in this neighborhood fill your ears as we walk by their former homes and haunts

Whether it's your first time in New York City, or you're a long-time resident (as I am) who wants to learn about its more recent, perhaps lesser-known history, let me introduce you to this historic neighborhood. All the while, we'll explore the life and work of one of its more prominent former residents, the American writer Rex Reed, whose cultural criticism deserves to be remembered.

Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour for this walk. There are plenty of markets and cafes (including some enjoyed by Reed himself) along the route for a quick (or lengthy!) stop.