Upper East Side

Get to know the Upper East Side

For many, the words “Upper East Side” evoke an image of elegant pre-war buildings, handsome rowhouses, and boutiques, and galleries along Madison Avenue. Indeed, the Upper East Side is home to some of New York’s most rarefied ZIP codes. The cultural highlights of Museum Mile as well as Central Park, running along the neighborhood’s western edge, bring visitors from all over the city, and the world, to this part of Manhattan.

NEARBY NEIGHBORHOODS:

Sutton Area

Midtown

Carnegie Hill

Roosevelt Island

Harlem
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History & Culture

The initial impetus for the development of the Upper East Side was the opening of Central Park in 1858, followed soon after, in the 1860s and 1870s, by the extension of streetcar lines northward. For much of the 19th Century, open railroad tracks along Park Avenue noisily bisected the neighborhood, but in the 1870s, the city began moving the railway underground, creating the Upper East Side we know today. For residents interested in art, few neighborhoods in the world can compete with the Upper East Side. Its Museum Mile (Fifth Avenue along the park) is home to the Met, the Frick Collection, and the Guggenheim, along with a number of smaller institutions.
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Schools & Transportation

• Ramaz Lower School 125 E 85TH STREET
• Ramaz School 114 EAST 85TH STREET
• Ps 290 Manhattan New School 311 EAST 82ND STREET
• Ps 169 Robert F Kennedy 110 EAST 88TH STREET
• St Ignatius Loyola School 48 EAST 84TH STREET
• Dalton School 108 EAST 89TH STREET
• Children's Academy 350 EAST 82ND STREET
• Ps 6 Lillie D Blake 45 EAST 81ST STREET
• St. Stephen of Hungary School 408 E 82ND STREET
• St. Joseph's School-Yorkville 420 E 87TH STREET
• The Allen-Stevenson School 132 EAST 78TH STREET
• Marymount School Of New York 1026 5TH AVENUE
• Marymount School of NY 1026 5TH AVE
• Birch Wathen Lenox School 210 EAST 77TH STREET
• Our Lady of Good Counsel 323 E 91ST STREET
• Yorkville Community School 421 EAST 88TH STREET
• The Caedmon School 416 EAST 80TH STREET
• Rudolf Steiner School 15 E 79TH STREET
• P.S. 527 East Side School-Social Actio 323 EAST 91ST STREET
• St. Davids School 12 E 89TH STREET

Dine & Shop

Given the notoriety of the Upper East Side, it is perhaps not surprising that the area includes restaurants that are regularly included among New York’s very best (Daniel, Café Boulud) and stores that are destinations in themselves. The neighborhood includes two parallel and different commercial hearts. Madison Avenue is the place to shop for fine watches; jewelry; and fashions from international and domestic designers and brands. Second and Third avenues are where you’ll find businesses providing the necessities of daily life, from wine stores to pharmacies. While the Yorkville section has some white-tablecloth options, it caters to a broad array of diners. You’ll also find casual pizzerias and diners along with restaurants serving various international cuisines.