Can you name the three non-numerical avenues of New York City between 3rd and 5th avenue? LEXINGTON, PARK, MADISON from east to west

While Manhattan's famous grid system is known for its numbered streets and avenues, a few key exceptions break the pattern. Tucked between the long stretches of Third Avenue and the iconic Fifth Avenue, you'll find three major thoroughfares with proper names. Traveling from east to west, or crosstown from the East River towards Central Park, you would first cross Lexington Avenue, then Park Avenue, and finally Madison Avenue before reaching Fifth.

The history behind these avenues reveals a lot about the city's development. Park Avenue, for instance, wasn't always so glamorous. It was originally known as Fourth Avenue and carried the tracks of the New York and Harlem Railroad down a large, open trench. In the late 19th century, the tracks were covered over and the median was landscaped with greenery, creating a "park" that gave the avenue its new, more prestigious name and led to its rise as a premier residential address.

Lexington and Madison Avenues were both later additions, carved out to ease traffic on the surrounding avenues as the city grew. Lexington Avenue was named in honor of the Battle of Lexington, Massachusetts. Madison Avenue was developed in the 1830s and named after Madison Square, the park at its southern end, which itself was named for President James Madison. These historical additions are why this particular section of Midtown Manhattan is so dense with major north-south arteries.