While celebrity sightings may give the Upper East Side a glitzy veneer, the neighborhood's real appeal comes from its refined character. Home to some of the City's premier museums, restaurants and shops, as well as the stately mansions and townhouses where New York's elite have lived for generations, the Upper East Side exudes elegance on every block.
Photo: Tagger Yancey IV
Fifth Avenue and East 64th Street, 212-439-6500
Central Park Zoo is a pioneer in re-creating natural habitats in an urban environment. The zoo takes visitors to an Arctic habitat to see penguins and polar bears; to a humid rainforest where tropical birds fly freely; and to an island forest where Japanese snow monkeys scale trees while looking across at endangered red pandas. Be sure to stop by the Allison Maher Stern Snow Leopard Exhibit to peep at the cubs born there last year. If you're bringing along little ones, don't forget to check out the adjacent Tisch Children's Zoo, where kids can feed and pet friendly live animals.
Photo: Joe Buglewicz
Fifth Avenue (bet. E. 82nd and E. 105th Sts.)
The Upper East Side is an enchanting place for museum goers, and the institutions on Museum Mile display some of the City's finest collections of art, history, design and culture from around the globe. Anchoring the southern end of the “mile” is the world-renowned
Photo: Tagger Yancey IV
More Museums
Art abounds on the Upper East Side beyond Museum Mile. The
Photo: Seth Smoot
1395 Lexington Ave., 212-415-5500
To call 92nd Street Y an average community center would be like calling Times Square an average intersection. Sure, 92Y serves as a neighborhood hub with affordable gym facilities (including a pool and basketball courts), gracious event spaces and an encyclopedic list of classes. But it sets itself apart with its programming. Lecturers are drawn from a diverse group of luminaries—the likes of Paul Simon, Meryl Streep, Bill Gates, Mos Def and Salman Rushdie. Concert virtuosos like Leon Fleisher, the Tokyo String Quartet and Yo-Yo Ma have performed to rapt audiences, while dance legends Alvin Ailey, Merce Cunningham and Anna Sokolow have all graced the stage. With an illustrious calendar paired with popular neighborhood events like Jewish singles mixers, the 92nd Street Y is in a class of its own.
Photo: Ricky Zehavi
Shopping
From designer flagships to classic department stores, the Upper East Side has long been a shopping mecca. Since the mid-1920s
Photo: Julienne Schaer
East End Avenue and East 88th Street, 311 (212-NEW-YORK outside the City)
Before Gracie Mansion became New York City's official mayoral residence in 1942, Archibald Gracie's once-rural Federal-style retreat had served as an ice cream parlor, an adult-education venue and the first location of the Museum of the City of New York. Tours, conducted most Wednesdays, reveal the building's faux finishes, its impressive collection of decorative arts (such as the gargoyle-crowned chandelier dangling above the breakfast table in the Wagner Wing) and the handiwork of Jamie Drake, the celebrity interior designer who oversaw a 2002 renovation. Reservations should be made well in advance (visit
Photo: Seth Smoot
Sushi City
401 E. 73rd St., 212-249-8583
1143 First Ave., 212-371-0238
402 E. 78th St., 212-517-5340
A sushi renaissance, led in part by Sasabune, Sushi Seki and Sushi of Gari, has secured the Upper East Side's status as a destination for finding authentic Japanese flavors. How authentic? Consider the sign marking the entry of Sasabune: “No Spicy Tuna. No California Roll.” Sushi Seki and Sushi of Gari, on the other hand, are also distinguished by their innovative seasonings, torch searing and other blasphemous-to-purists culinary flourishes. The omakase at all three restaurants (note, that's all Sasabune serves) is consistently excellent, focusing on flavors, textures and, of course, a standout selection of fresh fish.
Fine Dining
Apart from sushi, the Upper East Side is known for its rich reserve of destination restaurants.
Photo: Phil Kline
Something Sweet
225 E. 60th St., 212-838-3531
1011 Third Ave., 646-735-0078
1226 Lexington Ave., 212-288-0057
Willy Wonka himself would be wowed by the confectionary delights at these three neighborhood institutions. The menu at Serendipity 3 is stuffed with toothsome home-style fare (nachos, meatloaf, a famous foot-long hot dog), but that’s just a prelude to the main course: dessert. Try the gooey ice cream sundaes, the chocolate blackout cake or the signature Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, a slushy, chocolaty spectacle served in an enormous goblet.
For sweets that come in a more portable form, visit Dylan’s Candy Bar, which offers over 7,000 confections on three floors, from 1920s-style brittles and chocolate bars to Candy Crush gummies. There’s even a line of sugar-inspired clothes and accessories. Candy-stripe earbuds? Why not.
If you’re in a throwback mood head to the Lexington Candy Shop, which offers a brightly nostalgic soda-fountain experience in a room practically cast in amber since its 1948 renovation. The corner luncheonette is small—there are just a handful of booths along with a counter fronted by spinning stools—but the diner's comfort food looms larger than the space. The brisk service is just as authentic as the sodas, which are handmade with syrup and seltzer—a holdover from the diner’s candy-shop days.
Photo: Seth Smoot
Nightlife
Exceptional cuisine demands an exceptional nightcap, and two of the City's best can be found in the Hotel Carlyle.