Central Park in fall… school groups walking up the steps at The Met… a doorman standing beneath a crimson awning… steam billowing off a cart selling honey-roasted nuts… These images are pure Manhattan, and they create a living portrait of the Upper East Side. Fortunately for starry-eyed apartment seekers, the neighborhood famous for the finest art and food is also home to some of the city’s best no-fee rentals. Come along as we highlight some of the Upper East Side’s best attractions, as well as a selection of homes from the UES experts at Algin Management:

An Iconic Aesthetic

The first thing any visitor notices when arriving on the Upper East Side is the unique collection of architecture that gives the neighborhood its identity. Mansions like the French Gothic masterpiece built by Isaac D. Fletcher and the Italian Renaissance-style Henry Cook house give the area an old-world charm. And, to accompany the splendor of great buildings, there is the magnificent stretch of Fifth Avenue that borders Central Park — one of the world’s great urban walking paths.

New construction finds ways to blend in with classic architecture. The neighborhood is full of residential properties like The Pearl on 66th Street, a modern limestone-and-glass doorman building on a tree-lined street that offers some of the finest no-fee rentals in NYC.

Culture – Old and New

From Museum Mile to a host of contemporary art galleries, the Upper East Side is the epicenter of fine art in Manhattan. The Mile begins on the edge of Central Park with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where beautiful objects from the near and distant past live side by side with contemporary masterpieces. Just a short walk up Fifth Avenue from there rests the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed spiral building which is currently home to an exhibit of colorful abstract paintings by Swedish painter Hilma af Klint. Further north on Fifth Avenue are the Jewish Museum and the Cooper Hewitt, lesser-known but equally impressive museums that focus, respectively, on Jewish art and the history and future of design. For those in the market for fine art, the Upper East Side is home to a vibrant gallery scene, including the Anton Kern Gallery, the Craig F. Starr Gallery, and Francis M. Naumann Fine Art, which routinely host shows featuring work by masters from the last 50 years.

If you’re an art lover and being near these cultural institutions sounds like a dream come true, look for a home at The Parkview, a collection of no-fee rentals on 96th Street with spectacular park and city views and easy access to Museum Mile and Central Park itself.

Finest Dining

Complementing the wealth of arts and architecture is the Upper East Side’s culinary scene, which boasts some of the city’s finest dining as well as some quirkier fare that gives the neighborhood some spice. If Michelin-star restaurants are your calling, Café Boulud, home of creations by world-renowned chef Daniel Boulud, offers seasonal menus that combine classic French cooking with local ingredients and dishes from around the world. If you’re in the mood for something more comforting on a cold winter day, visit the local italian spot, Uva, for a cozy country house feel, with warm lighting, well-worn wood tables, and exposed brick. Looking for something sweet? Head to Two Little Red Hens for cakes, cupcakes, pies, and a full café with a laid back, take-your-time kind of feel. When the sun sets and it’s time for a cocktail, check out Maya, a classic tequileria where exotically-flavored margaritas share the table with delicious small-plate style Mexican dishes. And you can never go wrong with rolls or a chirashi bowl from Poke, the local sushi spot (but don’t forget to BYOB!).

Upper East Siders who like to do their own cooking will love the stainless steel appliances and custom wooden cabinetry in the contemporary kitchens at 330 East 85th Street, a newly renovated white-brick apartment building on a leafy street with convenient access to the brand-new Second Avenue subway at 86th Street.

Explore our availabilities throughout our Upper East Side buildings and find your next home in classic New York.