The Upper East Side is a New York district located east of Central Park, in Manhattan. This very posh neighbourhood is one of the best places to shop in New York, but it is also a place that benefits from a very strong cultural and artistic activity. Here's a quick rundown of all the things you can do on a visit to the Upper East Side during your stay in New York.
NEW YORK'S MOST EXCLUSIVE NEIGHBOURHOOD
The Upper East Side is located between Central Park and the East River. Thanks to its privileged location in the heart of Manhattan and close to some of the city's greatest landmarks, it is one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in New York. Of all the areas in Manhattan, the Upper East Side is undoubtedly where you can best experience New York's elegance and luxury. The east side of Central Park is world-renowned for its museums, restaurants and luxury shops.
It is one of the most expensive places in the United States for real estate, and the Upper East Side's wealthy residents include many stars such as Woody Allen, Spike Lee and Madonna.
The neighbourhood is also home to some of the world's most famous hotels, such as the Carlyle Hotel and the Plaza Hotel.
On the streets of the Upper East Side, you'll find many beautiful Victorian homes, grand Beaux-Arts mansions, and large, upscale buildings with chic lofts.
Museum on the Upper East Side
If you love museums, the Upper East Side is the place to go while in New York. More than just an upscale neighbourhood, the Upper East Side is also where you can make great cultural discoveries, and visit some of the world's most famous museums.
Museum Mile is a long stretch of the Upper East Side along 5th Avenue.
It is home to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum, among other interesting museums. During the month of June – usually on the second Tuesday of the month – you can even take advantage of the Museum Mile Festival to visit all the museums in the area for free. Many museums even prepare special outdoor activities for children just for this festival.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met)
This is the city's largest museum, which is to New York what the Louvre is to Paris. The tens of thousands of historical objects and works of art that make up the MET's collections pay tribute to the creativity of people across civilizations for more than 5 millennia.
I recommend spending at least half a day visiting this gigantic museum if you want to fully enjoy the experience. And to get your tickets as soon as you can! As mentioned above, the largest museum in the city is very popular and therefore always crowded. It would be a pity if you could not visit it because there are too many people waiting, or because the maximum capacity of visitors is reached...
The Met houses a total of more than 250,000 works of art, and its hundreds of galleries are divided into 17 different sections. There are galleries devoted to Egyptian art, Greek and Roman art, mediaeval art, contemporary art and many other periods of history. Every year, about 7 million visitors come to see all the wonders housed in the Met's galleries.
The Guggenheim Museum
The Guggenheim Museum is the 4th most visited museum in New York, after the Met, the American Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Modern Art. This contemporary art museum is almost as famous for its building (designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright) as for the collections it houses.
In the museum, which takes the form of a long spiral corridor, you can admire a wide variety of 20th century works, including paintings by masters such as Van Gogh, Manet, Picasso, Cézanne and Renoir. Temporary exhibitions are also held on a regular basis to showcase the work of contemporary artists.
The Frick Collection
In this gallery, located right next to the Met, you can admire more than a thousand works of art, paintings and sculptures from all over the world. In the museum's collection, which includes works from the 14th to the 19th centuries, you'll find world-renowned masterpieces such as Giovanni Bellini's The Ecstasy of St. Francis and Botticini's Resurrection.
The Jewish Museum
This is one of the smallest museums in Manhattan, but certainly not the least interesting. The 28,000 exhibits in this museum trace the history of Jewish art through several temporary and permanent exhibitions. You can see works by famous artists such as Andy Warhol and Marc Chagall, paintings, sculptures and archeological finds.
For more information about the museum, follow this link.
Shopping on the upper East Side
The Upper East Side is one of New York's shopping paradises . On the major shopping streets of Madison Avenue, Lexington Avenue, and 59th, 72nd and 86th Streets, you'll find an impressive array of high end shops and designer boutiques.
Madison Avenue is arguably the second best avenue in New York for shopping, second only to 5th Avenue. It is on this avenue, nicknamed the "Gold Coast", that you can find the most luxury shops, with shops from Hermès, Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana and many other famous brands and designers.
On Lexington Avenue, in addition to small boutiques, you will find several large stores such as the famous Bloomingdales and Barneys, true symbols of shopping in New York. These very large shops will delight fashion lovers, and you will be able to make very good deals during the sales periods – during the last week of July for example, or for Black Friday.
Visit Central Park
With its 4 km length and 800 m width, Central Park is the largest park in the city, and of course the most famous. During a stay in New York and a visit to the Upper East Side, you will have the opportunity to discover a little more about this place so emblematic of the Big Apple.
You can simply visit it at your own pace during a short stroll, and relax on its lawns. Or you can rent a bike to discover the park and its surroundings. This will allow you to see more things, without necessarily tiring you more 🙂 A good compromise, especially if the weather is good!
In the summer, you can even take the opportunity to have a picnic and sunbathe.
No matter what time of year you travel, seeing Central Park will always be a memorable experience. In autumn, you can admire the changing colour of the trees and take some photos, while in winter, you can enjoy the beauty of the park under the snow, and even take a trip to the Central Park Ice Rink.
If you walk through Central Park, you'll arrive on the Upper West Side, located just across from the Upper East Side.
eating in the Upper East Side
On the streets of the Upper East Side, you'll have no trouble finding good places to eat. Even if some of the places in this chic neighbourhood offer expensive gourmet cuisine, you can still easily find places to eat well without breaking the bank.
If you want to eat a delicious and very affordable burger, I recommend J. G. Melon. Their burgers are often considered to be among the best in the city. It's a very famous place and you'll probably have to wait a while before you can sit down to eat, but you won't regret it.
For a typical New York pizza, you can go to PQR Pizzeria. In this small restaurant with a friendly welcome and a very warm atmosphere, you will find a large choice of pizzas to eat on the spot or to take away.
If you want to have a more traditional meal, don't hesitate to go to the Galaxy Diner, one of the favourite establishments of locals and tourists both. You'll find hearty, American-style dishes made with good produce and offered at very affordable prices.
If you're looking for a memorable meal during your stay, Daniel's is one of the most renowned establishments in the area, and indeed in the entire city. This two-star restaurant is truly one of New York's top dining destinations. You can enjoy classic French cuisine, with refined and perfectly mastered dishes. In this prestigious restaurant, the bill will of course be higher, but your taste buds should not forget this moment any time soon! 😋
For breakfast, or whenever the munchies strike, I recommend the Two Little Red Hens. In this small bakery, which has a few tables for eating in, you will find excellent cheesecakes and cupcakes. There is a very large array of choices, and you will probably want to come back to the Little Red Hens just to try other flavours.
You've reached the end of this article on the Upper East Side in New-york. I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful ! 😊
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