East Side, West Side, All Around the Park

50 Central Park South, at Sixth Avenue. Info: 800-241-3333, http://www.ritzcarlton.com.

151 W. 54th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues. Info: 866-690-2029, http://www.thelondonnyc.com.

Seven More Hotels

* Rosewood's Carlyle is where presidents and world leaders have stayed since 1930, as well as big stars who want to hide - as they blend in with those who live in the 181 rooms and suites. Louis XVI style furnishings coexist with iPod docking stations throughout. Seven rooms have partial park views and one has a full view; they cost $905 to $1,050 per night. By September, six Tower Suites with views will be available, ranging from $1,800 to $3,500 per night; they'll have separate cook's entrances, bars, antique books, plasma-screen TVs and Steinway pianos. In this building, music is synonymous with living: For years the Baldwin grand piano has been played starting about 10:30 p.m., luring passersby into Cafe Carlyle. Monday nights, when theaters are dark, Woody Allen jams on his clarinet. And Bemelmans Bar has been a gathering spot for politicians, socialites and moguls for five decades.

35 E. 76th St., at Madison Avenue. Info: 888-767-3966, www.thecarlyle@rosewoodhotels.com.

* The 46-story Helmsley Park Lane has 595 rooms in old-European style and a bonus: the Room With a View restaurant. Even if you don't stay at the hotel, you can see Central Park from the elegant dining room; lunch salad starts at $12, and a turkey club is $16. Standard rooms cost $250 to $600, but park-view rooms are $300 to $660. Park-view suites are $550-$1,300, but an elegant park-view Presidential Suite is $1,500 to $2,200.

36 Central Park South, between Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. Info: 800-221-4982, www.helmsleyparklane.com.

* At the 40-story Jumeirah Essex House, every room has a view of Central Park . . . sort of. TVs in the 515 rooms broadcast a real-time view. The Essex, which is undergoing a $90 million refurbishment, was one of the first hotels to offer Sunday brunch for Central Park walkers back in the 1930s. Through at least next April, its elegant lobby features "The Heart of Central Park," a photo exhibit depicting the park since the 1850s. Non-guests can pick up a brochure at the front desk for a self-tour. Rooms start at $329; suites with a park view start at $599.

160 Central Park South, between Sixth and Seventh avenues. Info: 888-645-5697, www.jumeirahessexhouse.com.

* Le Parker Meridien (118 W.57th St.) is furnished in a contemporary, minimalist style. Norma's restaurant is a place to people-watch over breakfast or lunch with cherry French toast with applewood smoked bacon *$17) or a "Mr. Croque" sandwich *$18, with apologies to French bistros worldwide). David Letterman is among its famous guests. Park-view rooms range from $510 to $880; suites, $685 to $1,210.

118 W. 57th St. at Sixth Avenue. Info: 888-627-8121, www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien.

* The 248 rooms and suites at the Mandarin Oriental have floor-to-ceiling windows and Asian-inspired decor. Rates for the Mandarin, on floors 35 to 54 in the Time Warner Center, start at $745 a night, but rooms with park views range from $1,065 to $1,095. Park-view suites are $2,300 to $14,000 per night. For $14,000, you get the 2,640-square-foot Presidential Suite on the 54th floor - 450 feet above ground - with Mozambique woodwork, a Steinway baby grand and a home theater. The hotel's spa has been awarded a Mobil five-star rating, one of only two in North America.

80 Columbus Circle, at West 60th Street. Info: 866-801-8880, www.mandarinoriental.com.

* The Pierre is a 41-floor luxury hotel with 26 park-view rooms and 39 park-view suites (and a total of 252 rooms and 52 suites). Sales manager David Corke says nine "boudoir" rooms - bedrooms with a dressing area - are $1,500 a night and offer some of the best park views. Even if you can't afford a room, visit the elegant Rotunda restaurant for English afternoon tea to see Edward Melcarth's trompe l'oeil murals (no reservations are taken). Standard rooms on upper floors start at about $920 per night; 28th-floor park-view suites are $4,000 per night.

5 Fifth Ave., at 61st Street. Info: 212-838-8000, tajhotels.com/pierre.

* At the 515-room, 85-suite Wellington, a double room costs $189 to $489, but a park view is $339 to $439. The good news: Rooms can cost less - as little as $149 in mid-July for a non-view room. The lobby-level Molyvos Mediterranean restaurant prepares three grilled-fish dishes daily, and the Park Cafe is open early and late. Holiday specials include three nights during Thanksgiving week in a four-person kitchenette suite for $1,199 (with Macy's discounts and breakfasts). The Wellington is at the northern edge of the Theater District; Central Park is a three-minute walk away.

871 Seventh Ave., at 55th Street. Info: 800-652-1212 or 212-247-3900, www.wellington.com.

Sue Kovach Shuman last wrote for Travel oncruise trends and new ships.