Register today! | Already registered? Sign in

traveldk.com

from Eyewitness Travel Guides: the world's bestselling travel guides
  • Personal guide
  • Open
Member image

Upper East Side : Overview & Top 10

Submit an attraction

Make sure your favorite shops, restaurants, hotels and more are listed.

Submit an attraction illustration
WIN WIN WIN

Win an Apple MacBook!

Apple MacBook laptop
Download a podcast

Free podcasts Find free podcasts for Boston, New York & more.

Join our free monthly newsletter

Advertisement

When New York’s upper crust moved uptown a century ago, their destination was the Upper East Side, and it is still the address of choice for many wealthy families. Most of the older Beaux Arts mansions around 5th Avenue are now occupied by embassies or museums; today’s elite live in the solid apartment buildings that went up on 5th and Park Avenues, convenient for patronizing the boutiques on Madison, the city’s most exclusive shopping street. Only churches and a few restaurants remain of German Yorkville or the Hungarian and Czech neighborhoods that used to fill the blocks east of Lexington. Young families now occupy the newer buildings in this area. For visitors, the Upper East Side is home to many of the city’s best museums.

For New York’s Top 10 museums
  • Morning

    Start at the Guggenheim (see Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum) and admire Frank Lloyd Wright’s great architectural achievement before seeing the fine modern art collection. “Must sees” include Chagall’s Paris Through the Window , Modigliani’s Nude , and Picasso’s Woman Ironing. Stop for coffee at the café on the main floor of the museum before leaving.

    Head east along 92nd Street to see two rare remaining wooden houses, No. 120, built in 1859, and No. 122, in 1871. Continue east for Gracie Mansion and Henderson Place and rest on a bench with a river view in Carl Schurz Park. One block west on York Avenue, a 31 bus will take you to the spectacular Bridgemarket . Have lunch at Guastavino’s , and admire the great ceilings.

    Afternoon

    Take the 57th Street crosstown bus back to Madison Avenue and head uptown, browsing the designer boutiques. Detour on any of the side streets in the upper 60s and 70s to see the townhouses of affluent New Yorkers. Pay a quick visit to the Frick Collection then stop for coffee at one of the cafés on Madison Avenue.

    Spend the rest of the afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art , a New York “must,” and see Rembrandt’s Self-portrait , Cypresses by Van Gogh, and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel studies. End the day with a candlelit meal at Erminia .

  • Bon chic, bon genre ,” (good style, good attitude), is the motto of this hot designer. Fans of his sexy fashions include many young Hollywood stars.

  • The first in the uptown Madison Avenue boutique line-up, known for luxury leather goods, shoes, and fashion.

  • Bridgemarket

    Britain’s Sir Terence Conran was a major player in the development of this cathedral- like space beneath the 59th Street bridge. The vaults are among the most dramatic works by Rafael Guastavino, a Spanish architect noted for his use of Catalan-style tiling. Beneath the grand ceilings are Guastavino’s restaurant and a Food Emporium market. The complex, which is responsible for the rapid revitalization of the neighborhood, also includes the Conran Shop for high-end home decor, and a public plaza.

  • Since Daniel opened, Boulud’s first restaurant has become more casual, but the French menu and tab are serious. In summer, the terrace tables are a fine dining spot convenient for Museum Mile.

  • The 843-acre swathe of green that provides recreation and beauty for more than two million visitors each year.

  • A flower-filled dining room provides the setting for Daniel Boulud’s superb seasonal menus.

  • Creative New American cuisine served in a stunning space – a series of rooms filled with high-rolling clientele.

  • Donna Karan designs wearable fashions for every lifestyle and occasion.

  • Spot the celebrities at this chic Italian outpost – one of the hot labels of the moment.

Advertisement

 Latest guides
What’s on now in New York
  • Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting
    The spectacular annual Rockefeller Center Tree lighting ceremony in Manhattan signals the start of the Christmas season in New York City. The Christmas tree glitters with more than 25,000... Read more
  • Vienna Boys' Choir in Concert
    One of the oldest and most renowned musical institutions in the world, the Vienna Boys' Choir plays an annual Christmas concert at New York's Carnegie Hall. Read more
  • Santaland at Macy's
    Macy's New York department store at Herald Square hosts its annual Christmas extravaganza. A huge area of the eighth floor is bedecked in twinkling lights, sparkling stars and outsized lollipops to... Read more
  • Radio City Christmas Spectacular
    A spectacular show at the dazzling 1930s art deco landmark Radio City Music Hall, this music and dance revue has been going strong since 1933, making it staple Christmas fodder along with The... Read more