What it actually is
Inwood sits at the northernmost tip of Manhattan, above Washington Heights, separated from the Bronx by the Harlem River. It's a predominantly Dominican-American neighbourhood with a long Irish-American history, a genuinely diverse working-class character, and housing prices significantly below the rest of Manhattan — which is increasingly drawing younger residents priced out of further south.
Inwood Hill Park
The real reason to make the trip from the tourist core: Inwood Hill Park contains the last remaining old-growth forest on Manhattan island, growing over exposed Manhattan schist bedrock that was carved and polished by the glaciers that retreated roughly 10,000 years ago. Walking through it feels nothing like walking through a city park — it feels like walking through a forest, because it essentially is one. Free, well-maintained, and almost entirely devoid of the crowds that pack Central Park on a weekend.
The Lenape history
The cave shelters in Inwood Hill Park were used by the Lenape people for thousands of years before European contact — one of the most direct physical connections to pre-colonial New York left in the city. A marker in the park notes that this is believed to be the location where Peter Minuit purchased Manhattan from the Lenape in 1626.
Getting there
The A train runs express from Midtown to Inwood-207th Street — one of the fastest borough-edge-to-centre trips in the subway system, typically around 25 minutes. The 1 train reaches Dyckman St on the neighbourhood's eastern edge.