Midtown East

Midtown East represents the kind of New York people are the world imagine, featuring many of the most iconic landmarks New York has to offer: the Chrysler Building skyscraper, Rockefeller Center, United Nations Headquarters, Grand Central Station, etc. It is the commercial heart of New York, from both a business and commerce perspective, with Mad Men advertisers, major media companies and more headquartered there as well as some of the best shopping Manhattan has to offer on Fifth Avenue and on Lexington.

Midtown East features a diverse mix of longtime residents, particularly in the east side, and newcomers eager to experience the city at its densest. Midtown East includes the tony Sutton Place section along on the far east side between 51 & 59 Sts that includes some of New York’s richest residents.

Midtown East offers premier cultural experiences, such as The Modern Museum of Art (MOMA), Fifth Avenue shopping and Bloomingdale’s on Lexington, Rockefeller Center and the main branch of the New York Public Library. There are an endless number of fine dining establishments, and it’s conveniently located to many of New York’s most popular locations, with subways running through it and Grand Central train terminal, making it easy to get out of the city without a car. There are also some surprisingly good values to find in both the housing market, particularly with walk-ups.

Midtown is not trendy like the downtown neighborhoods, nor does it feature the younger post-college set that Murray Hill is known for. Also, while there are many restaurants, it doesn’t boast the active night life of Hell’s Kitchen or downtown and some parts get quite quiet on weekdays after work. There are also no parks, so greenseekers should look elsewhere.

Midtown East is a busy neighborhood of skyscrapers and business toward the west and walk-up and co-op apartments to the east, with new condos popping up all over. There are no proper parks but many streets are treelined, with open spaces between buildings with gathering and finding some peace from the bustle and noise.

There are no parks in Midtown East, but it borders the southern edge of Central Park and the northern edge of Bryant Park, which is sufficient close enough for most people.

Midtown on both sides is where the vast majority of New York’s hotels are located and there are plenty of options from budget level to the five stars. There are too many to count, but some top picks include the famed Waldorf Astoria, the Four Seasons, the Roosevelt and the Grand Hyatt.

A long-term source of conflict in Midtown East has been the amount of public transportation available. Currently, on the 4/5/6 train line service the neighborhood north to south and the E/M across town, with B/D/F/M running the area’s western border. However, the long-planned Second Ave Subway is set up to open later this decade, providing train service for the first time to the neighborhood’s east side. As a result, buses are used far more heavily here than other parts of Manhattan.

Transportation options: 4 5 6 7 E B D F Bus service

There is no non-commercial street parking in Midtown East during the week, so car owners must garage their vehicles or find somewhere else to park them.

Yellow cabs for passenger pickup are also readily available just about anywhere.

Distance from main airports by car:
LaGuardia: 25-40 minutes
JFK: 45-60 minutes
Newark: 50-75 minutes