With an influx of new luxury addresses and must-try restaurants, and updates to some of our favorite hotels, the UES is the place to be. A leafy haven known for its venerable museums, high-end boutiques, and close proximity to Central Park, the Upper East Side has a reputation for being one of Manhattan’s most charming –and, admittedly, staid-neighborhoods. Recently, however, the entire city seems to be heading uptown. With the opening of the first phase of the long-awaited Second Avenue subway line earlier this year, an influx of new establishments with a downtown sensibility is turning this sleepy enclave into the city’s hottest place to be. Here’s a look at the restaurants, hotels, and museums that are defining the new Upper East Side.
The Surrey
The elegant 76th Street building that houses Surrey hotel was built in 1926 as a residential apartment complex, and over the years has served as the home of notable names like Bette Davis and John F. Kennedy. Today, as New York’s only Relais & Chateaux hotel, the boutique property still boasts that intimate, residential feel, thanks to its quiet location and plush, oversize rooms. At street level, you’ll find plenty of neighborhood residents at Daniel Boulud’s chic Café Boulud and Bar Pleides.
On select evenings, a jazz trio helps set the scene both in the bar and up at the 17th-floor seasonal Private Garden, where hotel guests mingle with members of the Patron’s Club—an invitation- and referral-only private club for local residents—over light bites and signature cocktails. Also open to outside guests: the Cornelia Spa, where every treatment starts with a glass of bubbly.
The Lowell
Built in the 1920s as an “apartment hotel,” the Lowell has long been a favorite bolthole for Upper East Siders, thanks in large part to its oversize rooms that feature perks like appliance-stocked kitchens and working fireplaces. Add to that personalized service and long-time staffers who know guests (and their dogs) by name, and it’s clear why the family-owned hotel attracts such a regular clientele.
There’s also plenty to enjoy without checking in. The ground floor—which was redesigned earlier this year under the direction of owner Dina De Luca Chartouni, London-based architect Mark Pinney (who has envisioned stores for Armani and Harrods), and interior designer Michael S. Smith (who worked on the Obama White House)—now features an elegant Club Lounge, the cozy Jacques Bar, and the gourmet Majorelle restaurant from restaurateur Charles Masson and Chef Christian Delouvrier. All have been instant hits with area residents, some of whom dine here several times a week. Another insider’s secret is the tucked-away Pembroke Room—great for brunch, afternoon tea, and pre-theater bites.
The Met Breuer
Art lovers know well the Upper East Side’s Museum Mile, spanning from 70th Street’s Frick Collection to the Museum of the City of New York on 103rd Street, and featuring world-renowned institutions like the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in between. In 2014, the district’s iconic Brutalist landmark, the Breuer, which was designed by the architect Marcel Breuer in 1966 and home for nearly 50 years to the Whitney Museum of American Art, shuttered. But the iconic structure was not empty for long; last year, the Metropolitan Musem of Art moved in, opening the Met Breur, a contemporary offshoot that explores 20th- and 21st-century art. The opening marked a vital addition of modern art to the diverse cultural offerings of Museum Mile.
Dining Developments
An influx of downtown-transplant eateries has recently arrived, planting roots alongside the Upper East Side’s elegant bistros, gourmet cafes, and cozy neighborhood joints. The culinary migration started in 2014 when the West Village fixture August moved its brand of re-imagined comfort food up to Lexington and 62nd Street, where it’s already become a fast favorite. Since then, Soho hotspot La Esquina—a pioneer of the “no signage” restaurant trend—has opened a new location on Second Avenue and 73rd Street; the team behind Brooklyn’s El Atoradero has brought their casual, Cal-Mex-style Ziggy’s to Second Avenue and 77th Street; and, a block away, a new outpost of Culinary Institute of America–trained chef Daniel Holzman and restauranteur Michael Chernow’s the Meatball Stop has arrived. Upping the ante further are restauranteur Thomas Carter and Chef Ignacio Mattos—the duo behind the much-lauded Estela on Houston Street—who brought their brand of downtown cool to the Met Breuer with the opening of Flora Bar and Flora Coffee, an airy spot for caviar snacks, lobster and crab dumpling dinners, and drinks at the long bar.
The Mark
With its Jean-Georges Vongerichten–helmed restaurant, chic bar, and understatedly elegant rooms, the Mark has long been a preferred choice for boldfaced guests looking to fly under the radar (except during high-profile events like the Met Gala, when it’s VIP central.) As of this summer, film and fashion types have two new Terrace Suites to fight over. Designed by Jacques Grange, the airy suites—one with three bedrooms, the other with five—feature living and dining areas, kitchenettes, and furnished terraces with views of Central Park and Madison Avenue. Guests also enjoy signature Mark amenities like 24-hour access to Bergdorf Goodman and shoe shines by John Lobb.
Cocktail Hotspots
The land of classic hotel lounges, quiet wine bars, and sports-themed beerhalls is suddenly in the mood for a stiff drink. One of the first cocktail bars to settle on the UES was Infirmary, which opened in 2013 with a long list of craft cocktails to complement its Southern-accented dishes. Since then, a steady stream of hip new watering holes like Seamstress—a speakeasy-style venture from former Dead Rabbit bartender Pam Wiznitzer—and Sugar East have only added to the hype. The latter, which opened on First Avenue last spring melds Mad Men–like mid-century style with nods to Old Havana. The bar caused quite the scandal among locals when it made use of its grandfathered-in tobacco license, making it one of the city’s only venues—downtown or uptown—where drinkers can smoke inside.
The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel
Enjoying a prime perch just off Central Park on 76th Street, the venerable Carlyle has hosted generations of discerning travelers, including a long list of royalty, celebrities, and devoted regulars who come for the apartment-style suites (some with pianos or kitchenettes) and fine dining at the gracious Carlyle Restaurant.
Guests new and returning will have a lot to look forward to in 2018, when the hotel will undergo a partial renovation. Mum’s the word on details of the redo, but, until then, there’s still plenty of reasons to check in. Grab a drink at the famed Bemelmans Bar, where you’re sure to spot at least a few tuxedoed guests, or catch a show at the Café Carlyle, where everyone from Eartha Kitt to Woody Allen has taken the stage. This fall’s schedule includes performances by Grammy- and Tony-winning singer/composer Duncan Sheik, singer/actress Rita Wilson, and Grammy-winner Steve Tyrell, who will be bringing a new show to the Café’s coveted holiday season slot for the 13th year in a row.
Source: The Robb Report
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