
The Ladies of Madison Avenue. Photo courtesy of Joshua Kamei, creator of @LadiesofMadisonAve Instagram account.
If you stand at the intersection of Park Avenue and 63rd Street on a sunny afternoon, you would be remiss not to take in the scenery—glancing first up, then down the leafy boulevard at one of the most picturesque views of Manhattan there is.
Indeed, the Upper East Side has a reputation for viewing the rest of the city from on high, bristling as it is with legendary fine art institutions and elite private schools. But the magic of its quiet streets is hard to deny—and a trickle of fresh talent is migrating uptown to bask in it. “There’s something special about crossing Park Avenue,” says artist Margaret Lee, who lives on the neighborhood’s southernmost fringe and co-founded the tastemaking downtown gallery with her partner Oliver Newton (she no longer works there as of last year). “I’m not sure we can put words to the feeling, but crossing the double-wide avenue does something to you.”
Over on Madison Avenue, bastions of prep and waspiness (Michael’s, Sermoneta, Barbour) have earned a crop of neighbors with a little less patrimony: downtown-cool standard-bearers like Khaite, Toteme, and Kallmeyer, not to mention White Cube’s latest gallery outpost, which opened in 2023. And scattered between this sartorial nerve center and Central Park are no small number of new eateries—a martini and jazz at Bemelmans Bar never fails, but for those craving fresh haunts, Chez Fifi, Maxime’s, and a revamped Le Veau d’Or await.
Are the institutions and old-timers at risk of being aged out? While turnover is synonymous with New York life, the UES has for now struck a balance between continuity and reinvention. Playwright and UES denizen Matthew Gasda admits to having witnessed an influx of young people in recent years, but asserts that “you actually interact with people of all ages here, unlike other neighborhoods, which can feel like playgrounds for 28-year-old marketing directors.”
The neighborhood isn’t transforming completely—it’s more of a face lift, if you will. But amid the fur coats and herds of silent baby carriages, an undeniable shift is brewing. Here, a cast of nine Upper East Siders—designers, gallerists, Instagram documentarians, and more—report their findings from the ground.

Leandra Medine Cohen, tastemaker and author of The Cereal Aisle Substack
How has the Upper East Side evolved in recent years?
More of my peers are moving Uptown, mostly because more of them are having kids, and I think that is changing the area’s demographics—both aging down the neighborhood and growing us up.
What is your favorite local coffee shop?
My big Uptown upset is that the coffee isn’t great! So most mornings, I make my own. I live close to the reservoir in Central Park, and there is a Bluestone Lane right across the street from the entrance. When the weather is nice, I go there for a coffee and take it to the park with my new baby (a tradition that started last summer when I was pregnant). It’s a nice moment of respite. There’s a good place near my kids’ school called Dear Coffee. I go there some mornings after drop-off before starting the day. If I’m lucky, sometimes I run into [fellow contributor] Becky Malinsky there.
What are your favorite UES hidden gems?
No New York neighborhood does a European undergarment store like the Upper East Side. Presumably, few patrons style those undergarments like I do—as overgarments. There was an amazing lingerie store, Peress, a few blocks from where I live. It was open for decades, but it closed last summer. I used to buy slip dresses and camisoles there that I styled with unbuttoned silk shirts and lace-up sandals. When I’m looking for cotton dresses (summer, beach), jersey robes (also beach), or woolly undershirts (winter tank tops), there’s a place on 82nd Street and Lexington Avenue that I frequent. I usually visit on Fridays when I have to go next door to the kosher market to pick up something last-minute for Shabbat.
The other place I love is Ouri’s—a Middle Eastern kosher market from Brooklyn that just opened an outpost on the Upper East Side on 68th Street and Third Avenue. Highlights are the produce, the kosher mezze (lemon truffle hummus and fava bean mash with schug), and the selection of sweets prepared by a group of amazing Jewish women who mostly live in Brooklyn. They make and sell them as a side hustle.
What’s one guilty pleasure that can only happen on the UES?
Observing the fur coats on the elderly residents.

Alyssa Kapito, interior designer and founder of Galerie Alyssa Kapito
How does the Upper East Side inspire your work?
While it has the air of being very traditional, it has become very fresh and current. I love the juxtaposition. I channel it a lot in my work—mixing classic with contemporary. There’s the old guard (historic homes and museums), and now there is the modern. The Row and Kappo Masa set the bar when they opened in the neighborhood about a decade ago. It happened again when the Mark was redone by Jacques Grange, and when Ralph Lauren opened its women’s store at 888 Madison Avenue in 2010. After that, a variety of galleries like White Cube, restaurants, and emerging brands popped up. In the past few years, we’ve seen the opening of a new Officine Générale location, Salon 94, and Caviar Kaspia, amongst many others. The contrast is very appealing to me.
How has the area evolved in recent years?
A lot of people who used to live in the West Village, Soho, and Tribeca started moving to the Upper East Side in the last decade, because it became so touristy down there. They brought that very specific New York cool with them, and a chic combo of old and new was born. I love that everyone who hangs out on the Upper East Side actually lives here. That’s always attractive to New Yorkers.
What are your favorite UES hidden gems?
I’m not alone in this, but there is something magical about Zitomer. It’s technically a pharmacy, but it’s also an Upper East Side staple where you can just walk the aisles. They have those demure nightgowns your mom used to wear, and Carolyn Bessette-style tortoiseshell headbands in every color and size. It’s a total pick-me-up. You have to smile when you’re in there. It feels like a time capsule.
What is the biggest downside to Upper East Side living?
That you’ll never want to live anywhere else.

Ana Khouri, artist and jewelry designer
How does the Upper East Side inspire your work?
What I love about the Upper East Side is its calming energy. Calm doesn’t mean dull—quite the opposite. That atmosphere allows me to absorb more of what’s around me—the art, the jewelry, the culture. There’s a real thread of traditional New York embedded here, a formality that I find very inspiring. The combination of tradition and craftsmanship, with my background and perspective, has pushed my work even further; I’m designing in a way that respects and draws from history while continuing to evolve.
How has the area evolved in recent years?
It’s more than just the neighborhood; the world around us has changed dramatically. We have to allow for change to make way for what’s to come, so I try not to get stuck on what used to be.
Where do you spend the most time in the neighborhood outside of your home?
I go for a walk in Central Park every single day. It’s life-changing in the smallest of ways. What a gift.
What’s your favorite Upper East Side tourist trap?
It’s always the Met. I get very inspired there. Sometimes I’ll duck in, even just for 30 minutes, on my way home from somewhere.
What does an Upper East Side weekend look like for you?
I’m not in New York very often on the weekends. I try to get into nature to recharge.

Isabel Wilkinson Schor, founder and creative director of Attersee
How does the Upper East Side inspire your work?
I’m not sure that the neighborhood itself directly inspires my work as much as the general act of walking in New York. There’s nothing quite like wrapping your face in a scarf and walking countless blocks alone with your thoughts. Any people-watching along the way is a bonus.
How has the area evolved in recent years?
I grew up downtown and went to school on the Upper East Side. However, the neighborhood didn’t feel like home until my family and I moved uptown in 2020, days before the pandemic hit. Now, the blocks around my house and my kids’ schools feel like little neighborhoods unto themselves. The Upper East Side has so many micro-communities within it. Nothing makes you feel more at home in an enormous city than running into friendly faces every few blocks. The Attersee Studio, which opened a little over a year ago on 64th Street and Madison Avenue, began as a by-appointment space and has since morphed into an open-door space; walk-ins are always welcome. To me, this underscores the community-oriented feel of the neighborhood. There’s nothing lovelier than someone dropping by for tea.
What are your favorite UES hidden gems?
Lexington Avenue in the 60s has a variety of hole-in-the-wall drug stores packed with special beauty products. I also did a lot of Christmas shopping at the Corner Bookstore on Upper Madison Avenue, as well as the Albertine bookstore tucked in the French Embassy—one of the loveliest spaces in New York.
Where do you spend the most time in the neighborhood outside of your home?
I’m in the park at least twice a day, usually for a 6:00 a.m. run around the reservoir, a playground pitstop, or a dog walk.

Becky Malinsky Shiah, stylist and author of 5 Things You Should Buy on Substack.
How has the Upper East Side evolved in recent years?
The only constant is change, especially in New York. It has been fun to see Khaite and Toteme open across the street from each other and all the other little ateliers popping up for appointment-only shopping: One Of, Old Stone Trade, Attersee. It’s a great time to be a shopper on the Upper East Side!
What’s your favorite local coffee shop?
It’s Sant Ambroeus, though I’m desperate for someone to give them a little competition. We need more options for an actually good cappuccino.
Where do you spend the most time in the neighborhood outside of your home?
My tailor! Mak’s Hong Kong Custom Tailors on 83rd Street and Lexington Avenue.
What does an Upper East Side weekend look like for you?
I have a young son who dictates the weekend schedule. We’re often in Central Park’s Ancient Playground with friends. We will make our way to Via Quadronno for lunch, his favorite restaurant (because I told him it’s the only place that serves Coca-Cola to kids, to get him to stop asking for it every day). Then, we’ll go to the Met to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright living room. Not sure how he got on that kick, but I’m here for it. For dinner, I’m at Table d’Hote with girlfriends, Tacombi with the kids, or Sushi of Gari for date night.
[INSERT_GALLERY_1588]
Joshua Kamei, Creator of @LadiesofMadisonAve Instagram account
Describe the Upper East Side in three words.
Classic, aspirational, elegant.
What makes the neighborhood distinct from others?
The ladies of Madison Ave.
How does the neighborhood inspire your work?
It’s about the people and how they approach life with pizzazz and elegance. I am also inspired by the causes that these women support: the New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey, American Ballet Theatre, the Metropolitan Opera, Central Park Conservancy, and Lenox Hill Neighborhood House.
What are your favorite UES hidden gems?
Majorelle, JG Melon, Chez Fifi, Bemelmans Bar, and Bergdorf Goodman. Also, I use the M86 bus to go crosstown quickly, even if I’m in a tuxedo.
What’s one guilty pleasure that can only happen on the UES?
The burger and a martini at JG Melon. Remember to bring cash. If you forget, there’s a Bank of America nearby.

Margaret Lee & Oliver Newton, artist and gallerist, respectively
Describe the Upper East Side in three words.
Resistant to change.
What makes the neighborhood distinct?
Outside of the tourist attractions, the energy on the street feels like it’s generated by the people who live there.
What are your favorite UES hidden gems?
Getting away from the major tourist thoroughfares and exploring the East side. [We] love dead-end streets that are adjacent to parks with views of the river, like Carl Schurz Park or John Jay Pool, which is next to one of our favorite buildings, the Cherokee. These places are reminders that the city was built with its residents in mind, and that we don’t need to leave to enjoy life.
What’s your favorite intersection? Why?
Park Avenue and 63rd Street. There is something special about crossing Park Avenue, looking north and south. I’m not sure we can put words to the feeling, but crossing the double-wide avenue does something to you.
Describe the Upper East Side uniform.
Timeless.

Matthew Gasda, playwright
Describe the Upper East Side in three words.
Well-dressed old people.
What makes the neighborhood distinct?
It changes slowly. It has no pretense about being anything other than what it is. It has a reputation for being an elitist enclave, but its provincialism is charming. It’s way more family-centric, and you actually interact with people of all ages here, unlike other neighborhoods, which can feel like playgrounds for 28-year-old marketing directors.
How has the area evolved in recent years?
There are more young people. Some new buildings with gyms and pools are going up. It’s definitely going to get the West Village treatment, but I think—or hope—it will be slightly resistant to the transformations that would land it on the cover of New York Magazine.
What are your favorite UES hidden gems?
Nothing surprising: JG Melon, the Carlyle. I like Melody’s Piano Bar, which is a weird place! Café Budapest. Orsay. The new Frick is fantastic. I like that Morton Williams is open until midnight.
What’s your favorite intersection? Why?
73rd Street and Third Avenue, where I (and also Carrie Bradshaw) live.

Melissa Martin, stylist and founder of Old Stone Trade
How has the Upper East Side evolved in recent years?
I’m new to the Upper East Side as a resident, but because I’ve evolved—or aged!—I appreciate it in a way that I didn’t in my 20s. It feels like a real family neighborhood. In the past year, there’s been a bit of a renaissance with a lot of independent brands moving uptown. Kallmeyer just opened a shop, One/Of is in the same building as Old Stone Trade, and Attersee is around the corner.
What are your favorite UES hidden gems?
It’s not a secret, but I love getting sandwiches, chips, and dip at William Poll—especially for our clients. I’m here by myself during the week a lot, so I also I like their individual frozen entrees, which is so old-lady of me. Lastly, I buy my flowers at the deli on Lexington Avenue between 74th and 73rd streets.
What does an Upper East Side weekend look like for you?
My husband and our daughters come down [from Upstate] on Friday evenings, so we’ll typically have a relaxed dinner at our apartment. On Saturday morning, my husband and I grab a coffee and go for a morning walk in Central Park, or go to members’ hours at the Met. By the time we get home, the girls are up and we usually drag them back to the park with our dogs.
For a late lunch, we like Match 65 Brasserie or Le Charlot by the apartment. If we go to dinner, it’s Elio’s or Antonucci’s. My husband and I might slip out for a drink in the evening while the girls watch a movie. On Sundays, I take them to EJ’s Luncheonette for chocolate chip pancakes after my run (my husband is very anti-brunch).
What’s one guilty pleasure that can only happen on the UES?
It has to be an apple strudel with whipped cream at Café Sabarsky.