Neighborhood in Manhattan, bounded to the north by 96th Street, to the east by the East River, to the south by 59th Street, and to the west by 5th Avenue.
This neighborhood encompasses some of the highest income per capita zip codes in the nation. Most of the mansions built at the turn of the 20th century along Fifth Avenue (except those now largely used by museums) were demolished in two waves of luxury high-rise development, the first in the Roaring Twenties, the second following Word War II. In response to the first building boom, Madison Avenue's brownstones were altered to provide neighborhood shops and services for an expanding number of affluent apartment dwellers. The post World War II boom has extended to present day. It transformed practically every Upper East Side development site into gold and turned Madison Avenue into the ultrachic shopping street for wealthy Americans - and internationals as well. The neighborhood features two of the most exclusive residential thoroughfares in the city, the aforementioned Fifth Avenue on Central Park and Park Avenue. The neighborhood also encompasses three Historic Districts: the Upper East Side Historic District, the Metropolitan Museum Historic District, and the Carnegie Hill Historic District. The neighborhood hosts museum mile, which boasts the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Frick Collection, The Guggenheim Museum, The Jewish Museum, Museo del Barrio, and The Museum of the City of New York.
Carnegie Hill - Carnegie Hill is a neighborhood within the Upper East Side, in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Roughly speaking, it is bounded by 86th Street on the south, Third Avenue on the east, 98th Street on the north, and Fifth Avenue on the west. The neighborhood is named for the mansion that Andrew Carnegie built at Fifth Avenue and 91st Street in 1901. The mansion is today the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution. One of New York's most prestigious and expensive neighborhoods, most of the neighborhood's opulent townhouses, built in the early twentieth century, are protected as part of the Carnegie Hill Historic District. Many of the townhouses are single family residences, although some have been converted to apartments. Known for its "suburban" family-friendly atmosphere, Carnegie Hill boasts many fine restaurants, upscale boutiques, and gourmet food stores. Following New York City's tradition of similar stores residing next to one another, the stretch of Madison Avenue that runs through Carnegie Hill is known for its numerous children's clothing boutiques. The neighborhood also includes several schools, including Dalton, St. David's, Nightengale, and Sacred Heart. Also within Carnegie Hill along Fifth Avenue is the National Academy Museum in the former Huntington mansion, the Neue Gallerie in the former Vanderbilt mansion, and the Jewish Museum in the former Warburg mansion. The El Museo del Barrio and the Museum of the City of New York are both just north of Carnegie Hill also along Fifth Avenue; together these museums partly comprise the famed "Museum Mile." The 92nd Street Y is a cultural institution located on Lexington Avenue.
Fifth Avenue - Fifth Avenue runs along the eastern side of Central Park, and because of the expensive park-view real estate and historical mansions along its course, it is a symbol of wealthy New York. Fifth Avenue extends from the Upper East Side downtown, through Midtown, to the the north side of Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. Many landmarks and famous buildings are situated along Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side. The stretch of Fifth Avenue from the 80s through the 90s (i.e., from 82nd Street to 105th Street) has enough museums to have acquired the nickname Museum Mile and includes such institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. That area was known in the early 20th century as Millionaire's Row after the many mansions built there as the richest New Yorkers moved their residences north to face Central Park.
Lenox Hill - Neighborhood on east side of Manhattan, bounded to the north by East 77th Street, to the east by Lexington Avenue, to the south by East 60th Street, and to the west by Fifth Avenue. Lenox Hill is a neighborhood of streets lined with stately townhouses and grand apartment buildings lining Park Avenue and Fifth Avenue. It is served by Lexington Avenue, a thoroughfare of shops and restaurants, and Madison Avenue, known for its boutiques, art galleries and luxury hotels. The Whitney Museum of Art, the Asia Society and the Frick Collection are major cultural attractions.
Park Avenue - Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries traffic north and south in Manhattan. The thoroughfare is noted for its perennially high real estate prices and affluent reputation, especially as it runs through the Upper East Side. The flowers and greenery in the median of Park Avenue are maintained by the Fund for Park Avenue. From Grand Central to 97th Street, Metro-North Railroad tracks run in a tunnel underneath Park Avenue (the Park Avenue Tunnel). At 97th, the tracks come above ground, rising onto the other Manhattan structure known as the Park Avenue Viaduct.
Roosevelt Island - Although not technically a part of the Upper East Side, Roosevelt Island is an island in the East River, equidistant between the Upper East Side of Manhattan (51st to 86th Street) and Long Island City in Queens. The Queensboro Bridge crosses overhead, carrying an aerial tramway that connects the island to Manhattan. In 1971 the Urban Development Corporation of New York undertook to transform the island into a densely residential community. The master plan called for a neighborhood free of automobiles with apartment building and stores connected by central streets, restored historic buildings, river views and a park at each end of the island. During the 1980s and 1990s, the island was developed as a residential community with a number of high-rise apartment buildings. Two long-term medical care facilities (Coler Hospital in the north and Goldwater Hospital in the south) are located at opposite ends of the island. Many foreign diplomats live on Roosevelt Island because of its close proximity to United Nations headquarters on the East Side of Manhattan. Roosevelt Island has become sought after as a quiet neighborhood offering fine views of Manhattan. Automobiles can reach the island only from Queens. The tramway was the only means of access from Manhattan until a subway station was opened on the island in 1989. The island continues to see new residential developments added.
Yorkville - Yorkville is a neighborhood within the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Roughly speaking, it is bound by 79th Street on the south, the East River on the east, 96th Street on the north, and Third Avenue on the west. The neighborhood's main artery is East 86th Street. For much of the twentieth century, Yorkville was a middle to working-class neighborhood, inhabited by many people of German and Hungarian descent, with many German and Hungarian restaurants and bakeries. Today there are rare remnants of Yorkville's German origins (Schaller & Weber grocery shop, Hungarian Meat Market and Delicatessen, Orwasher's bakery), but it has largely become an upper middle class residential neighborhood. The Von Steuben Day Parade still wends its way through the neighborhood, however. Yorkville is often seen by New Yorkers as a nice but unhip residential area. There are very few chic clubs in the area, as might be found in Chelsea, the East Village, or other areas. However, the population and wealth supports a wide variety of fine restaurants and bars. There is a bit of a student presence due to the Fordham Graduate Housing buildings on 81st Street between York and East End. Although the Fordham Graduate Schools are located on the West Side, the University purchased the buildings on 81st Street to provide a safe area for graduate students.Yorkville includes Gracie Mansion, the official home of the mayor of New York City, and Carl Schurz Park.
The area is host to some of the most famous museums in the world. The string of museums along Fifth Avenue has been dubbed "Museum Mile." Among the cultural institutions on the Upper East Side:
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Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
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Whitney Museum of American Art
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Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
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National Academy of Design
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Neue Galerie
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The Asia Society
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Frick Collection
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Museum of the City of New York (north of 96th Street)
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The Jewish Museum
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The 92nd Street Y
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Museum of American Illustration
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Goethe-Institut New York
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El Museo del Barrio
Stations at 59th Street (Lexington Avenue), 86th Street (Lexington Avenue), 125th Street (Lexington Avenue)
Stations at 59th Street (Lexington Avenue), 68th Street-Hunter College (Lexington Avenue), 77th Street (Lexington Avenue), 86th Street (Lexington Avenue), 96th Street (Lexington Avenue), 103rd Street (Lexington Avenue), 110th Street (Lexington Avenue)
Station at Lexington Avenue (63rd Street)
Stations at 5th Avenue (59th Street), Lexington Avenue (59th Street)
Crosstown: M30, M31, M57, M66, M72, M79, M86, M96, M106, Q32
Uptown/Downtown: M1, M2 M3, M4, M15, M30, M31, M98, M101, M102, M103, M106