Discovering New York’s hidden avenue

What You Need to Know About 6th 1/2 Avenue

• By definition, an “avenue” is a wide urban street—the kind you can’t miss. Yet New York has a hidden avenue: 6th 1/2 Avenue, tucked away from plain sight. It’s one of the city’s most unusual addresses.
• This odd numbering recalls Platform 9 3/4 in Harry Potter at London, or the 7½ floor in the film Being John Malkovich.
• Where exactly is 6th 1/2 Avenue? Simply between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue. But here’s the catch: unlike other avenues in New York, 6th 1/2 Avenue doesn’t run across all of Manhattan. It covers only a few blocks, from 51st Street to 57th Street, in Midtown. This half-avenue is truly hidden.
• Another quirk: it’s extremely narrow and reserved for pedestrians only. It’s actually a series of covered passages—handy when it rains or snows. Now you know a New York secret worth exploring.

Map to 6th 1/2 Avenue