425 East 86th Street

For many, the words “Upper East Side” evoke New York City’s old-money world, the so-called Silk Stocking District with its luxury doorman buildings, handsome rowhouses, and boutiques and galleries along Madison Avenue. While that image of the neighborhood is based in fact — the Upper East Side is home to some of New York’s most affluent ZIP codes — it is only one aspect of the area. Alongside enclaves like Carnegie Hill and Sutton Place, the eastern and northern parts of the Upper East Side also attract recent graduates and young families. Yorkville, along the river, has buildings in a wider array of prices, and Second and Third avenues are more budget-friendly alternatives to Madison. The cultural highlights of Museum Mile as well as Central Park, running along the neighborhood’s western edge, bring visitors from all over the city, and the world, to this part of Manhattan.