Upper East Side – Museums and Sites
The eastern part of Uptown Manhattan, the Upper East Side, is a mixture of luxurious residential homes and important New York institutions. The impressive museum boulevard of the Upper East Side is one of New York's must-see sites. Along Fifth Avenue and Central Park lies a vast array of some of the city's and the world's most important museums, led by the Metropolitan, one of the world's foremost museums.
- Just a bit north of the Met, you'll also find the famous Guggenheim Museum. The museum is housed in Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic building.
- The collection also includes the particularly high-quality Frick Collection
- Among the museums are some of the most expensive houses in New York, historic mansions, and private homes where descendants of New York’s aristocracy and historical tycoons still reside
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How do you get to the Upper East Side of Manhattan?
The Green Line of the subway (4, 5, and 6) runs from south to north along Lexington Avenue. This line provides access throughout the Upper East Side and connects the district with the eastern part of Midtown and continues to Battery Park in Downtown. The Yellow Q line travels along the eastern part of the district up to 96th Street.
8 Must-See and Do Things in the Upper East Side
- “August” by Bruegel the Elder (and plenty more art and archaeology) at The Met
- Jan Vermeer in the Frick Collection
- Modern art in the iconic modern design of Frank Lloyd Wright at the Guggenheim
- Exquisite Asian art at the Asia Society and Museum
- Exquisite design at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum
- Reconnect with roots at the Emanu-El Synagogue
- Return to the Federal period at the Vernon Hotel and Museum
- Mayor's residence at Gracie Mansion
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Map of the Upper East Side, Manhattan
Museum Mile of the Upper East Side
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The number 1 museum in New York and among the top three important museums in the world, the Metropolitan or the Met for short, is a must-visit for any art and archaeology enthusiast. The collection and size of the museum position it as one of the world's leading institutions, second perhaps only to the Louvre in Paris and holds the same cultural weight as the National Gallery in London.
- The museum was opened in 1880 with the aim of establishing America on the world art map and expressing the power of the new empire as a leader of Western culture
- The core of the collection focuses on classic European art, from the Middle Ages to the Baroque period
- The collection includes some of the most famous and important paintings in human history
- The museum is built in a neo-classical style and includes hundreds of rooms on several different floors
- From the museum's rooms, there are stunning views of the park and exits to the open part of New York
The museum is technically located within Central Park and is the only large structure within the park. It's situated west of Fifth Avenue, the avenue that runs along the entire park from the east, and the entrance is opposite East 82nd Street, on Fifth Avenue.
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The Metropolitan's Art Collection
- The Metropolitan's art collection is among the largest and most comprehensive in the world
- The collection includes an immense amount of Flemish Renaissance masterpieces, some of the most important works of the fascinating movement that introduced oil paintings to the world and profoundly influenced the Italian Renaissance
- In the Flemish collection, “Merode Altarpiece Triptych” by Robert Campin, “Nativity Polyptych” by Rogier van der Weyden, the exquisite “August” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, “The Goldsmith” by Petrus Christus, “Crucifixion and Last Judgment Diptych” by Jan van Eyck, and more.
- In the Baroque paintings, an impressive amount of renowned masterpieces including “The Musicians” by Caravaggio, “The Fortune Teller” by Georges de La Tour, “Woman with a Lute” by Jan Vermeer, “Opening of the Fifth Seal” by El Greco, and others.
- The Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and modern art collection also boasts an enormous number of masterpieces. Among them are “The Houses of Parliament, Effect of Fog” by Claude Monet, “The Siesta” by Paul Gauguin, “Self-portrait with Straw Hat” by Vincent van Gogh, “Jeanne Hébuterne” by Amedeo Modigliani, “Young Sailor” by Henri Matisse, and more.
- In a collection of works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Édouard Manet, Pablo Picasso, Paolo Uccello, Renoir, Degas, Turner, and an abundance of American artists
- The print collection includes Albrecht Dürer's famous engraving ‘Melencolia,' one of the most important and well-known works by the German Renaissance giant
- The collection also features a wealth of significant sculptures ranging from the Renaissance to modern sculptures by top artists
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The Metropolitan's Additional Collections
Besides the truly vast collection of art at the Met, the museum also boasts an impressive archaeological and historical collection. It includes important Greek sculptures from the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods, and, of course, plenty of Roman sculpture. Besides the Western art collection, you’ll find artifacts, sculptures, and figurines from the Egyptian era, African sculpture, Native American sculpture, and a wealth of objects from East Asia and India. The collection also includes medieval manuscripts, Christian sculptures, and religious figurines from the Byzantine period, along with a multitude of decorative items and art pieces that cover nearly every part of the world and all cultures.
Address: 5th Ave. 1000, New York
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Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
In the very impressive lineup of museums in New York, the Guggenheim is considered number 2, second only to its southern neighbor, the Met. Besides the impressive art collection of the Guggenheim, the museum building is considered one of the city's most unique and an important landmark. The structure is probably the most famous and most identified with the groundbreaking American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The museum structure includes spirals built one on top of another, and the display of paintings occurs along those paths on curved walls inside the museum. The Guggenheim collection includes some of the most important works in Western art, with an emphasis on modern art from Impressionism to the 1950s. The museum was inaugurated in 1959 and has since been considered one of the city's must-see sites.
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The Guggenheim Art Collection
- The Guggenheim is not an endless, massive institution like the Metropolitan and offers a much more precise collection. A significant part of the enjoyment of visiting the museum is, of course, related to its flowing architectural structure and the pleasant accessibility of the space to the viewer.
- The collection includes important paintings by Wassily Kandinsky, the father of abstract painting (and also of the competitor for the title, Piet Mondrian), Fernand Léger, Georges Braque, the father of Cubism (and also of the competitor for the title, Pablo Picasso)
- The collection includes paintings by Juan Gris, Franz Marc from the Blue Rider expressionist movement, Marc Chagall, Amedeo Modigliani, and more.
Address: 1071 5th Ave., New York
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The Frick Collection
The third most important museum on the impressive Museum Mile along Fifth Avenue, according to art enthusiasts, is The Frick Collection, ranking just after the Metropolitan and ahead of the Guggenheim. The museum is located slightly south of the Met in a beautiful building on Fifth Avenue between 70th and 71st streets. This small and precisely curated museum offers an art experience of the highest quality within an intimate space. Its qualities are reminiscent of the rare Mauritshuis in The Hague (featuring similar Dutch artists).
The museum displays the permanent exhibit of Henry Clay Frick's rare private collection, known for its exceptional quality. It opened in Frick's magnificent mansion as a part of his plan to create a memorial museum in his honor. Besides the rare art collection, the museum showcases the lifestyle of New York's wealthy elite (the top one percent) at the beginning of the 20th century, complete with luxury porcelain from Faience, Delft, and Limoges, rare artifacts, and everything that epitomizes opulence.
The Frick Collection of Art
The Frick Art Collection includes some of the most important works in the art world. The collection spans all the classic periods of the art world, from the Italian and Flemish Renaissance to Impressionism. It offers a sampling of the best artists from each period.
The important works in the collection are:
- “The Ecstasy of Saint Francis” by Giovanni Bellini, a Venetian who brought oil paints to the Italian Renaissance
- “Portrait of Thomas More” and “Portrait of Thomas Cromwell” by Hans Holbein the Younger
- “Saint Jerome” by El Greco
- The series of four seasons paintings by François Boucher
- “Mistress and Maid” and the masterpiece “Officer and Laughing Woman” by Jan Vermeer
- The rare in quality “The White Horse” by John Constable
- “The Polish Rider” by Rembrandt
- The collection includes several important landscape paintings by Turner, paintings by Renoir, Goya, Fragonard, Tiepolo, Whistler, and more
Address: E 70th St.1, New York
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Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
One block north of the Guggenheim lies another grand New York institution. The Cooper Hewitt Design Museum is considered one of the best and most famous in its field. The museum is housed in the magnificent home of American industrialist Andrew Carnegie. It was initiated by the Hewitt sisters and is based on their private collection. They opened the museum at Cooper Union, in the building of the free college located in the East Village.
The Smithsonian Institution's national museum acquired the collection in 1967. In collaboration with Carnegie's heirs, they moved the museum to its current location on Fifth Avenue. The museum isn't large, but it features a multitude of exhibits related to fashion design, object design, and artworks.
Address: E 91st St. 2, New York
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The Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum of New York is located one block north of the Cooper Hewitt on Fifth Avenue and East 92nd Street. The museum is entirely dedicated to Jewish culture and includes a vast collection of Judaica, original literature, and historical artifacts. It was built in the home of Felix Warburg, one of the wealthiest community members who made his fortune in banking. The museum opened in 1908 and serves as the Jewish representative on the Museum Mile, boasting a fascinating collection with items that can be described as archaeological artifacts of the Jewish people.
Address: 5th Ave & E 92nd St. 1109, New York
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Museum of the City of New York
This magnificent museum, entirely dedicated to the history of the city, is located at the northern part of the park, on Fifth Avenue between 103rd and 104th Streets East. It's housed in one of the most elegant houses on Fifth Avenue along Central Park. The museum opened in 1932 and has since undergone several expansions and the addition of new wings.
The museum features a permanent exhibition that explores the various facets of New York and its cultural and artistic significance. It is divided into thematic sections such as fashion, theater, architecture, and urban development. The museum boasts a very impressive collection of toys and miniatures.
Address: 5th Ave. 1220, New York
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Asia Society and Museum
The Asia Society House was founded by John D. Rockefeller III to foster dialogue and understanding between American culture and the important Asian cultures. Aside from its almost diplomatic function, its main importance lies in its wonderful museum, showcasing Rockefeller's collection of Asian art. The place is very popular among East Asian art enthusiasts, boasting a very impressive collection of Japanese paintings and prints.
Address: Park Ave. 725, New York
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Sites in the Upper East Side
Temple Emanu-El Synagogue
The Central Synagogue of the Upper East Side was built in 1929 and has since been considered one of the must-see sites for Jews in the largest Jewish city in the world. It commands the prestigious location on Fifth Avenue at East 65th Street, opposite Central Park. The synagogue's impressive facade is constructed as a giant cube in Romanesque style with a massive gate topped by a huge rose window. The synagogue is active and serves the Reform community of the Upper East Side with a most impressive interior space.
Address: E 65th St. 1, New York
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden
The charming period museum of Mount Vernon is located in the eastern part of the Upper East Side, not far from the Queensboro Bridge. The former hotel was a country resort built in 1799 and was a meeting place for the city's wealthy. In 1924, the Colonial Dames of America purchased the hotel and transformed it into a period museum reflecting the spirit of the organization. The museum is a restoration of a Federal-style house and includes not only displays but also a full production of guides/actors dressed in period costumes.
Address: E 61st St. 421, New York
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Carl Schurz Park and Gracie Mansion Conservancy
The favorite New York park along the East River is the most popular green lung for the residents of the eastern part of the Upper East Side (the wealthy in the west have Central Park). The park surrounds the magnificent Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor. This mansion was built in 1799 and in 1887 it was purchased by the City of New York to house the collection of the Museum of New York. In 1942, the mansion became the official residence of the mayor.
