There are two things that have made Gramercy Park one of the most beloved Manhattan neighborhoods: its physical beauty and the sense of New York history that pervades not only its streets but its homes and local establishments.  In “Gramercy Park: Steeped in History and Grandeur,” The New York Times  pointed out how the neighborhood’s  “19th-century architecture invites reveries of characters from Edith Wharton novels leaving their cards at imposing mansions.”

The heart of its beauty and elegance begins with the park itself, whose carefully manicured lawns, plantings, and walkways suggest the sweep of a Parisian garden while remaining at its core a place that could not exist anywhere but in New York City. Whether or not you have one of the coveted keys to this famously locked private park, it defines the neighborhood, giving it its character and its bucolic square of greenery and quiet amid the wilds of Manhattan. If you’re lucky enough to live at one of Algin’s nearby no-fee Manhattan apartments at The Liane and The Townsway, proximity to the park becomes a state of mind, and local bars and restaurants all contain that feeling of intimacy that comes from inhabiting a jewel box of a neighborhood. 

Pete’s Tavern, considered to be New York’s oldest bar, still looks much as it did when it was first up and running in 1864. Surviving through the years of Prohibition as a speakeasy-cum-florist, it’s one of the best spots in the city to channel the New York of old without the touristy feel of a Midtown bar. You can order the O. Henry Chicken Wings and enjoy them with a beer in the very booth where the famous writer used to sit and write his New York stories. Gramercy Kitchen brings in everything you love about a New York diner with a gourmet Gramercy twist. Milkshakes and breakfast classics like eggs Benedict and bagels and lox share menu space with impeccably fresh seafood dishes like fish tacos and shrimp parmigiana.

Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern is a legend in and of itself. It’s here you can linger over the Michelin-starred restaurant’s tasting menu, which features Meyer’s culinary love letter to American food made with the freshest, most seasonal ingredients in existence. But it’s also here that you can walk in for a perfect burger on a Wednesday evening and realize that in Gramercy, one of the most celebrated restaurants in the world can also be your favorite local spot, lending a neighborhood quick bite an upgrade worthy of an Edith Wharton heroine.

Contact the Algin team to hear about our portfolio of luxury homes for rent throughout the city.