The Ultimate Guide to Luxury Living in Midtown East NYC
NYC Luxury Living in Midtown East
With easy access to every corner of the city that never sleeps, and all the bright lights, culture and mystique that make Manhattan famous, Midtown East is the ideal location for families and high-powered professionals alike.
This classic, diverse New York City neighborhood is home to notable landmarks like the Chrysler Building and United Nations headquarters, transportation hub Grand Central Terminal and world-famous high-end shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue and the flagship Tiffany’s store. Centrally located, it also borders Bryant Park and Rockefeller Center.
While most famous for its shopping and dining, Midtown East is a sophisticated, global community, home to most of the embassies, consulates and missions in New York City, along with luxury high rises on quiet, tree-lined cross streets in Sutton Place and Turtle Bay.
Midtown East NYC’s Main Attractions
Hudson Yards
Hudson Yards is home to 14 acres of public plazas, gardens, groves and outdoor art installations, more than 100 diverse shops and culinary experiences, the first Equinox Hotel, and modern office space and residences, as well as cultural
Shopping in Midtown East
When it comes to world-class shopping, few places on earth rival Midtown East Manhattan, most well-known for Madison and Fifth Avenues, where you can find the flagship stores of Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co., and so many other iconic brands.
Eating in Midtown East
If Midtown East isn’t the shopping capital of the world, it’s certainly home to some of New York City’s best restaurants, including nearly all of the most highly rated steakhouses like Bobby Van’s, Sparks Steakhouse, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse, Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse, Morton’s The Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Smith & Wollensky, and The Grill in the Seagram building. Or, if you’re in the mood for burgers, Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien is another hidden gem that shouldn’t be missed.
The United Nations Headquarters
The United Nations has been headquartered in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Midtown East Manhattan since 1951. While the Secretariat building is most commonly featured in Hollywood films and other depictions, the UN Headquarters also features the domed General Assembly building, the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, and the newly renovated Conference and Visitors Center. One-hour guided tours provide visitors “a behind-the-scenes view of the UN at work,” with stops at the redesigned General Assembly Hall, the Security Council Chamber, the Trusteeship Council Chamber, and the Economic and Social Council Chamber in the Conference Building.
Chrysler Building
Construction on the Chrysler Building began in 1929 and was completed in one year, extending to an elevation of 1,048 feet to overtake the Woolworth Building and 40 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan as the world’s tallest in the “Race to the Sky.” While the Chrysler Building only held this title for one year, it remains one of the world’s most famous skyscrapers, appearing regularly in feature films and groundbreaking television shows like Godzilla, Spider-Man and Sex and the City. Home to large, open workspaces and traditional office suites from the low-rise floors to the upper tower levels, the lobby was designed for the community by famed architect David Rockwell, with a cafe, bar, diner, sushi bar and “all-new tourist experience.”
The Summit at One Vanderbilt
Atop the 73rd floor of One Vanderilt — a skyscraper extending to 1,401 feet above ground at the corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue — is The Summit, offering “New York’s most thrilling view” at a discount to New York City residents. Designed inside by Snøhetta, The Summit includes Ascent, with glass-floored elevators that take you to an observation deck at 1,200 feet; Levitation, composed of enclosed glass balconies protruding from the building’s facade; Summit, with a glass parapet and Danny Meyer-operated bar; an “infinity room” with 40-foot ceilings; an interactive art exhibit from Kenzo Digital; and a green space, advertised as the highest urban “alpine meadow” in the world.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the largest Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral in North America, designed by James Renwick Jr., and dedicated in 1879. Occupying an entire city block directly across from Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s welcomes more than five million devotees and tourists each year who visit to light candles or experience the magnificent, iconic architecture. The National Historic Landmark is clad in marble, with dozens of stained-glass windows, 19 bells, two pipe organs, and bronze doors that form the cathedral’s main entrance, flanked by towers with spires rising nearly 330 feet.
St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church
Designated a National Historic Landmark for its early 20th-century ecclesiastical architecture, the Bertram Goodhue-designed St. Bartholomew’s Church has been serving the Episcopal community on the east side of Park Avenue since 1835. Parishioners and visitors alike visit St. Bart’s for its Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, the largest in New York and one of the 10 largest worldwide, as well as the Church’s renowned choir that has appeared on The Today Show and Good Morning America.
Central Synagogue
Designed by Henry Fernbach as an homage to the Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest, the Moorish Revival-style Central Synagogue opened in 1872 on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 55th Street in the Midtown East neighborhood of New York City. Today, the National Historic Landmark is among the oldest existing synagogues in the United States and has been in continuous use longer than all but one synagogue in the state of New York. Dedicated to the interests and needs of the Reform Judaism community, Central Synagogue uses traditional and alternative modes of prayer, and offers a daily morning minyan, weekly Shabbat and annual holiday services, community and family celebrations, “Tot Shabbat” for children, and healing and other services.
Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice
Home to the Ford Foundation and three other organizations dedicated to social good, the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice features 81,000 square feet of meeting space, as well as an atrium garden and social justice art gallery open to the public. The atrium garden highlighted by Architect Magazine includes 39 species of trees, vines and shrubs, a reflecting pool, a reverberating fountain and a “sensory garden” with braille signage and audio descriptions. The Ford Foundation Gallery offers incredible exhibitions, like For Which It Stands and Radical Love.
Japan Society
For more than 100 years Japan Society has supported international exchanges in arts and culture, business, policy and education between Japan and the United States. Designed by famed Japanese architect Junzo Yoshimura, the organization’s landmark New York headquarters opened near the UN building on 47th Street and 1st Avenue in 1971. Today, art exhibitions, dance, theater, film, language classes, sake tastings and much more are offered against “a stunning backdrop” of indoor gardens, with a reflecting pool and waterfall. Facilities include a 260-seat theater, art gallery, language center and library.
The Morgan Library & Museum
In 1902, American financier Pierpont Morgan hired architect Charles Follen McKim to design a library for his expanding collection of rare books and manuscripts. Adjacent to Morgan’s home on the corner of Madison Avenue and 36th Street, McKim built a grand structure of pink marble inspired by the villas of the Italian Renaissance era. With its recessed portico flanked by stone lionesses, the National Historic Landmark remains the heart of The Morgan Library & Museum complex that today covers half a city block in the heart of Midtown East Manhattan. Over the years, The Morgan has continued to acquire rare materials and important music manuscripts, early children’s books and pieces of Americana, while expanding its physical footprint. In 2006, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano added 75,000 square feet to the campus, including a new performance hall, cafe, restaurant, shop and reading room, as well as an Italian piazza-style central court that connects three historical buildings with three new steel-and-glass pavilions. In addition to touring The Morgan’s exhibitions, visitors here enjoy a variety of musical performances, lectures, readings, films and family programs.
Waldorf-Astoria
Waldorf-Astoria New York may be the most famous hotel on earth. Immortalized in film and iconic for its luxury and glamour, the 47-story Art Deco landmark building was completed in 1931 and has hosted the rich and powerful ever since. Frank Sinatra kept a suite from 1979 to 1988; Herbert Hoover lived here for more than 30 years after his retirement. Today, there are more than 1,000 luxury rooms, along with three main restaurants — Peacock Alley, The Bull and Bear Steak House, and La Chine — and Sir Harry’s Bar, all open to guests and visitors alike.
Roosevelt Island
Historically closed to the public, Roosevelt Island is now home to a residential community and a number of parks and landmarks, including the Louis Kahn-designed Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, offering public programming and family-friendly events; Renwick Ruin, a former smallpox hospital; the Octagon tower, the remnants of an insane asylum; and a 19th-century lighthouse and park famous for its wide-angle views of NYC. To visit, take the Roosevelt Island Tramway over the East River from Midtown East.
The Schools
Midtown East has a variety of educational options for families with children, including:
Public Schools
P.S. 59 – Beekman Hill International
P.S. 267 – East Side Elementary School
P.S. 116 – Mary Lindley School
M630 – Art and Design High School
District 2 Pre-K Center at 252 East 57th Street
Private Schools
Montessori School of New York International
Lyceum Kennedy French American School
The Transportation
Midtown East is home or adjacent to a number of public transit hubs, and offers a plethora of transportation options, including subway, bus, train, tram, boat, and bike.
Transportation Hubs
Grand Central
Grand Central Terminal sprawls across 48 acres in Midtown East, connected to Midtown West by the Grand Central/Times Square Shuttle. Known for its iconic architecture and interior design, the National Historic Landmark features numerous works of art, as well as stores, upscale restaurants and bars, a grocery marketplace and two food halls. Its primary purpose, though, is as the southern terminus of the Metro-North Railroad’s Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Lines.
Port Authority
The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the largest bus terminal in the Western Hemisphere and the busiest in the world, serving more than 65-million passengers per year. It is easily accessible from Midtown East via bus or subway.
Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station serves as the center of the Northeast Corridor, connecting New York City to Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Intercity trains are operated by Amtrak, which owns the station, with additional commuter rail services operated by the Long Island Railroad and NJ Transit. There are also multiple connections to the New York City Subway and buses. It is easily accessible from Midtown East via bus or taxi.
Traveling by Subway
4, 5, 6, 7, S from Grand Central/42nd Street
4, 6, E, M from 51st Street
E, M, 4, 6 from Lexington Avenue/53rd Street
4, 5, 6, N, R, W from 59th Street/Lexington Avenue
F, N, Q, R from Lexington Avenue/63rd Street
7 from 5th Avenue/Bryant Park
B, D, F, M from 42nd Street/Bryant Park
Traveling by Bus
North/South (Uptown/Downtown)
M1, M2, M3, M4, M31, M15, M57, M101, M102, M103, Bx99, BxM1, BxM3, BxM4, BxM6, BxM7, BxM8, BxM9, BxM10, BxM11, BxM18, BM2, QM21, QM31, QM32, QM34, QM35, QM36, QM42, QM44, SIM6, SIM11, SIM22, SIM26, ERS, 0028, 48th Street, X63, X64, X68
East/West (Crosstown)
M31, M34-SBS, M34A-SBS, M57, M42, BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4, BM5, SIM8, SIM8X, SIM22, SIM25, SIM26, SIM30, SIM31, Bx99, X27, X28, X37, X38, X63, X64, X68, QM1, QM4, QM5, QM6, QM10, QM12, QM15, QM16, QM17, QM18, QM21, QM24, ERS
Traveling by Boat
The East 34th Street Ferry Landing provides slips to ferries and excursion boats in the Port of New York and New Jersey. It is located on the East River, north of East 34th Street in Midtown East.
Other Methods of Transport
If you want some exercise while you travel, Midtown East is entirely walkable and also offers more than 30 Citi Bike stations throughout the neighborhood. If you have your own car, you can use SpotHero to locate hourly or long-term parking. There are also trams to Roosevelt Island from Tramway Plaza.
The Rental Market
Midtown East is predominantly residential, with luxury high rises on quiet, tree-lined cross streets in Sutton Place and Turtle Bay serving as serene oases surrounded by the bright lights that make New York City famous.
Home to Grand Central Station and the UN, easily accessible by public transit from all corners of the city, and bordering Bryant Park and Rockefeller Center, Midtown East Manhattan is ideal for families and corporate executives alike.
Glenwood Management has four luxury apartment buildings in Midtown East.
The Bamford
East 56th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues
Located in Midtown East Manhattan’s desirable Sutton Place neighborhood, The Bamford offers easy access to exclusive shopping, restaurants and cultural attractions, as well as some of the finest amenities, including a rooftop spa with enclosed swimming pool and outdoor sundeck, fully equipped fitness center, landscaped private garden, and residents’ lounge. The building’s studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom luxury apartments have plenty of space and generous closets, and many feature granite kitchens, marble bathrooms, and balconies.
The Belmont
320 East 46th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues
In close proximity to everywhere, The Belmont has an international appeal and a reputation for luxurious privacy in Midtown East Manhattan’s vibrant, historic Turtle Bay neighborhood. The stylish one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments feature designer kitchens, marble bathrooms, and custom closets. Amenities include a complimentary fully equipped fitness center with trainer, children’s playroom, professionally landscaped private park, and rooftop sun terrace.
The Bristol
300 East 56th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues
The Bristol boasts a prestigious New York City address in the sophisticated Sutton Place neighborhood of Midtown East Manhattan. The one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments offer abundant living space, and renovated contemporary kitchens and bathrooms. Amenities include a complimentary fitness center, children’s playroom, and landscaped rooftop sundeck.
Paramount Tower
240 East 39th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
Everything about the 52-story Paramount Tower reaches out to embrace you — from the rosy brick and limestone facade with surrounding gardens, cascading fountains and circular driveway to the attended grand entry and elegant lobby with in-laid marble floors, lush carpets and finely crafted wood paneling. The luxury one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments feature nine-foot ceilings and custom bay and corner windows. Amenities include an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, lounge, and children’s playroom.
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