Living in the East 80s
There are so many reasons to call the East 80s home. The area offers a true neighborhood feel, historic provenance, diversity, varied housing stock and perhaps most of all- convenience.
Picture yourself living in the East 80s. The commute to work is easy. You can use the 4/5 express trains at Lexington Avenue to rush to Wall Street, or take the local 6 train all the way down Manhattan’s East Side. You could take the gleaming and Immaculate Second Avenue Subway, which services points further East to Times Square in 12 minutes, or Union Square in 15. Or even take the train the whole length through Brooklyn to Coney Island in an hour. There is virtually no part of the 5 boroughs that is not easily accessed by mass transit.
The East 80s are unique. Once the home of Carnegie, Frick, Duke, and Astor, the neighborhood is the cultural center of the world and the home to Museum Mile along Fifth Avenue. You have The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Frick Collection, The Jewish Museum, The Cooper Hewitt, and the Guggenheim to name a few. The opportunities are endless. With so much of the Upper East Side built during the 19th and early 20th Centuries, just a walk around the neighborhood offers endless architectural wonders. During the same time, further East, waves of immigrants brought their respective cultures to the East 80’s, most significantly, German immigrants, for which the eastern side of the neighborhood is coined “Yorkville.” Some remnants, like Heidelberg Restaurant, and Schaller & Weber (a butcher), still remain. While East 86th Street will make your holiday shopping a breeze with stores like H&M, Sephora, Best Buy, and Barnes and Noble to name a few, the East 80s have a thriving small business community which makes it unique. You can endlessly explore small shops on streets large and small while sampling the most splendidly diverse eateries representing culinary specialties from all over the world. Want to cook at home? The East 86th Street area is stocked with options like Whole Foods, Fairway, Eli Zabar’s, along with numerous other bakeries, butchers, and specialty food shops. You can truly have it all.
Raising a family? The Upper East Side is world renown for the very best in public and private education. City Schools are routinely among the highest ranked, and even with over 50 private schools, the seats are widely coveted. You can get the kids outdoors plenty too. East 86th Street is bookended by parks. Central Park on the west side of the street is a 1600 acre oasis designed by masters Olmstead and Vaux with over 20 playgrounds to choose from. On the East Side is Carl Schurz Park, while smaller, it has a playground, basketball courts, and a fabulous boardwalk from which to enjoy a gentle breeze from the East River on a hot summer day.
Health care access is another highlight. The neighborhood offers the country’s greatest concentration of world-class medical institutions. The presence of Weill Cornell Medical Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Lenox Hill Hospital, and the Hospital for Special Surgery means quick access to the best medical care.
Finally, the housing options in the neighborhood serve a broad range of tastes and budgets. From pre-war to ultra-modern, doorman, non-doorman, townhouse or walk-up, the options are endless.
If you have any questions about living in the East 80s, feel free to reach out to the East 86th Street Association, we are always happy to lend a helping hand to our current and future neighbors.
Dogwoods in bloom, Carl Shurz Park
The Neighborhood with Everything
From Central Park and 5th Ave to East End Ave and Carl Shurz, the East 80s offer a variety of culture and recreation.
Guggenheim Museum. 5th Ave and 88th St
Museum Mile
These are the museums along Museum Mile :
- El Museo del Barrio at 104th Street
- Museum of the City of New York at 103rd Street
- Jewish Museum at 92nd Street
- Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design at 91st Street
- National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts at 89th Street
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum at 88th Street
- Metropolitan Museum of Art from 82nd to 86th Streets
- Goethe House German Cultural Center at 82nd Street
Carl Shurz Park, East End Ave and 85th St
Carl Shurz Park and the East River
Central Park is our world famous backyard, but less know about is Carl Shurz Park which spans 15 acres hugging the East River from 84th Street to East 90th Street. The park was completed in 1902 and designed by Samuel Parsons and Calbert Vaux (of Central Park fame). There are 2 dog parks, a playground, basketball courts, and a breezy promenade overlooking Hell Gate and East River Islands. The promenade connects with the East River Greenway which spans most of the river and is a great place for biking, a run, or just a pleasant stroll. The park is also home to Gracie Mansion, the historic and official home of New York City's Mayor.
The Park is rich in history as it served as a Revolutionary War installation, was once occupied by the British who built a fort, and was home to Archibald Gracie and John Jacob Astor. The current beauty of the park can be attrributed to another wonderful civic non-profit, The Carl Shurz Park Conservancy, founded in 1974 and still active today.