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The Coveteur's Guide to the Upper East Side

Because there’s more to New York than the LES, Meatpacking and Williamsburg—swearsies

Travel
The Coveteur's Guide to the Upper East Side

As much as we consider the Soho House rooftop our second home and downtown haunts like Kirna Zabete and Miss Lily’s our go-tos, when we think about New York, New York, the classic, old school, mythologized city Woody Allen movies and Truman Capote prose is made of, we think of the Upper East Side. So we got to thinking… there’s got to be more to the neighborhood than stodgy mens’ clubs and Botox bars, right? We mean, if the guys behind our go-to Lower East Side staple The Fat Radish have opened a brand-spanking-new spot at East 65th and Lexington (called The East Pole, and it’s delicious, FYI) that means the UES is certifiably cool, right? 

In the interest of rediscovering the stereotypically socialite-stuffed, gala centric neighborhood (also, and this absolutely cannot be overlooked, the home to quite possibly the best shopping in the world, from Madison and 5th Avenues to Barneys, Bergdorfs and Bendels), we asked two of the coolest UES natives in our Rolodex to explain to us just how the locals do it. Thanks to Brett Heyman and Danielle Prescod, we now know exactly where to have to have a conciliatory cocktail after maxing out our credit cards along 57th Street. Oh yeah, and The Carlyle is still the best. But then, you already knew that, right?


Brett Heyman
…for a classic New York moment: “The Carlyle. Jazz and a generous martini… You can’t beat it.”
…to grab a green juice: “Juice Press on 92nd and Madison—drop the kiddies off, get a juice and walk to work.”
…for a big dinner: “Toloache on 82nd for amazing Mexican food.”
…for brunch: “Amaranth.”
…to pick up a sandwich: “Via Quadronno for their Panini.”
…to grab lunch: “Fred’s at Barneys.”
…to have a cocktail with friends: “One of the great hotel bars—the Hotel Plaza Athenee, The Mark or The Surrey.”
…for a date: “Well, I’m only dating my husband and we like to go to Mezzaluna for pizza and wine.”
…to buy fresh produce: “There is a new health food store [called A Matter of Health] at 72nd and 1st Avenue. It’s amazing.”
…to get a bouquet of flowers: “Ovando. It’s by my office on 65th between Madison and 5th.”
…to stock up on beauty products: “Space NK on Lexington and 71st.”
…to get a blowout: “I visit Chris at Sally Hershberger on 71st and Madison.”
…to get a facial: “Irina at Dr. Turk on 5th Ave and 60th.”
…to get a manicure: “Spa Niobe or Iris Nails.”
…to workout: “Soul Cycle on 83rd or Uptown Pilates.”
…to go vintage shopping: “Rare Vintage on 57th.”
…to go shoe shopping: “I visit David Rosen at Barneys.”
…to find a new outfit: “Bergdorf Goodman.”
…to immerse yourself in art: “The Met or The Whitney. I am mourning the latter’s eventual move.”
…to hang out and do nothing at all: “Central Park.”
…for a classic New York moment: “Central Park, but inside, not near any of the sad horses (which I thought we were getting rid of, de Blasio!).”
…to grab a green juice: “Organic Avenue on Lexington—but I actually don’t like green juice. I prefer pear or apple.”
…for a big dinner: “Le Charlot on 69th Street.”
…for brunch: “The Smith on 2nd Avenue.”
…to have a cocktail with friends: “If they are fancy friends, Bemelmans, and if they are real friends, Dorrian’s.”
…for a date: “This question is so funny to me because I actually have only been on two dates in my whole life, and none of them have been in my neighborhood.”
…for a night out: “Dorrian’s. I love Dorrian’s. I don’t care who knows it.”
…to grab lunch: “Via Quadronno on 73rd Street.”
…to buy fresh groceries: “I have never been to the grocery store for groceries, but I did stop at the Food Emporium for string cheese two weeks ago.”
…to get a bouquet of flowers: “Sunshine Florist on 1st Avenue; but if you go there, please leave all the pussy willow for me.”
…to stock up on beauty products: “My dermatologist Dr. Fran Cook Bolden on 59th Street has an in-house line of products that I have been addicted to for several years.”
…to get a blowout: “I know this is on the west side, but it’s the only place I go: Hair Rules on 9th Avenue.”
…to get a facial: “The Koh Gen Do counter at Barneys New York.”
…to get a manicure: “Apple Blossom Nails on 1st Avenue.”
…to workout: “(Haha!) ChaiseFitness at the 92nd Street Y.”
…to go vintage shopping: “I don’t vintage shop so much anymore. I do occasionally find great things on therealreal.com from the comfort of my bed, which is conveniently located uptown.”
…to get a black tie look: “Fivestory on 69th Street.”
…to go shoe shopping: “Barneys’ new shoe salon which is my personal heaven and hell.”
…to shop: “Madison Avenue between the 60s and 70s; all of the major fine jewelers, plus the best designers, have boutiques here… And hello Céline!”
…to immerse yourself in art: It is a toss up between the MoMa and the Met. The MoMa is closer to me and also close to Manolo Blahnik, but the Met is so brilliantly New York. It’s hard to say.”
…to see a live performance: “The Central Park Summer Stage. The last time I went there was 2007 and I snuck backstage at a Vampire Weekend concert.”
…to do nothing at all: “My couch.”
Part of the series:

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