Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A Day Exploring the
Upper East Side
Morning
Start at the
Guggenheim
(see pp32-3)
and admire
Frank Lloyd Wright's great
architectural achievement
before seeing the fine mo-
dern art collection. “Must
sees” include Chagall's
Paris Through the Window
,
Modigliani's
Nude,
and
Picasso's
Woman Ironing
.
Stop for coffee at the café
on the main floor of the
museum before leaving.
Gracie Mansion
and Carl Schurz Park
The balconied, wooden, country
home built by merchant Archibald
Gracie in 1799 was the original
home of the Museum of the City
of New York and became the
official residence of Mayor under
Fiorello LaGuardia in 1942. It is
located at the northern end of a
park laid out in 1891, with a wide
promenade that stretches along
the East River. The park was
named for a prominent
statesman and newspaper editor
who lived in the neighborhood.
d
East End Avenue at 88th St • Map E5
• 212 570 4751 • Open Apr-mid Nov,
tours at 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm; Wed for
pre-booked tours • Admission charge
Head east along 92nd
Street to see two rare
remaining wooden houses,
No. 120, built in 1859, and
No. 122, in 1871. Continue
east for
Gracie Mansion
and
Henderson Place
and
rest on a bench with a river
view in
Carl Schurz Park
.
One block west on York
Avenue, a 31 bus will take
you to the spectacular
Bridgemarket
(see p133).
Have lunch at
Guastavino's
(see p137), and admire
the great ceilings.
Afternoon
Mount Vernon Hotel
Museum and Gardens
A rare bit of old New York, this
was the stone carriage house of
a 1799 estate. When the house
burned in 1826, the carriage
house was converted into an inn
and became a fashionable resort
for New Yorkers who wanted to
escape to what was then still
countryside. The building and
garden have been restored by
the Colonial Dames of America
and furnished with historic
objects. Guides are on hand
to explain the unique history
of the attraction.
d
421 East 61st
Street
•
Map H5
•
Open 11am-4pm
Tue-Sun, closed August, public holidays
•
Admission charge
•
www.mvhm.org
Take the 57th Street cross-
town bus back to Madison
Avenue and head uptown,
browsing the designer
boutiques. Detour on any
of the side streets in the
upper 60s and 70s to see
the townhouses of affluent
New Yorkers. Pay a quick
visit to the
Frick Collection
(see p41) then stop for
coffee at one of the cafés
on Madison Avenue.
Spend the rest of the after-
noon at the
Metropolitan
Museum of Art
(see pp28-
31)
, a New York “must,”
and see Rembrandt's
Self-
portrait
,
Cypresses by
Van
Gogh, and Michelangelo's
Sistine Chapel studies. End
the day with a candlelit
meal at
Erminia
(see p137).
135
