Holiday like a Millionaire – Guide to the Upper East Side

New York’s famous Upper East Side is known for its opulence and is one of the city’s most affluent neighbourhoods. Located in Manhattan, the Upper East Side can be found nestled between Fifth Avenue, Central Park, the East River, 96^th Street and 59^th Street and everyone from the Kennedy family to the Rockefellers reside here, with the area being famous for having some of the highest priced apartments in New York, and one of the highest costs per square meter in the world. It became a recognizable area thanks to its appearance in numerous films and TV series including recent programmes such as Gossip Girl, which saw wealthy best friends Blake Lively and Leighton Meester regularly frequent the area.

Culture Museums
       

The Upper East Side is home to a multitude of notable buildings and interesting architecture that lend themselves to the well-cultured atmosphere felt in the area’s museums and galleries.

Manhattan is home to some of New York’s most famous museums including the National Design Museum, the Smithsonian and the Copper-Hewitt. For art buffs, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as the Frick Collection can be found here and the Gracie Mansion is also garners a lot of attention as it is the official residence of the Mayor of New York. The Neue Galerie houses early 20^th century pieces of artwork from Germany and Austria but the area’s most famous museum is arguably the Guggenheim, where post-impressionist, impressionist, contemporary and early modern artworks can be seen.

The Whitney Museum of American Art can also be found in the Upper East Side along with one of the world’s largest brokers of fine arts Sotheby’s, to give this part of the city an unrivalled cultured ambience often referred to as the “Museum Mile”. Of course, Central Park is a melting pot of cultures where people from all over the world can be found and this sprawling park that has featured in blockbuster films such as Cloverfield and television programmes like Sex in the City and is also located in the Upper East Side.

Shopping However, there is another popular reason why many people visit New York and if you love shopping, then head to Madison Avenue, where luxury brands can be seen on every street corner including Valentino, Hermés and Ralph Lauren. Shops including Barney’s, Chloé, Michael Kors and La Perla can all be found in Manhattan, as well as other high-end designers such as Proenza Schouler, Derek Lam and La Verite. It is a veritable shopping mecca for the rich, where high quality shops are a plenty and designer names adorn every shop door.

Whether you are visiting New York to experience its culture or you want to head straight to the shops to purchase a designer handbag, the Upper East Side is hive of activity that is a playground for the super-rich and famous that everyone who visits this interesting city should explore.