Upper Easy Breezy Side

would recommend going with "east side." lenox hill way too pretentious (unless you're a hospital). upper is redundant.

When my grandmother said "The East Side", she assumed you knew that she was talking about the Lower East Side.

When Wheezy Jefferson sang "well, we're moving on up to the East Side, to a De-Luze apartment in the skyyyyy" She was singing about the Upper East Side. For the few that don't know, the apartment building that is shown the Jefferson's moving into is on 85th and Third. In any case I would recommend saying the Upper East Side".

Alan..Your grandmother was a hipster? Cool.

I'm with Wheezy, but I beg to differ on "Upper East Side", which goes from 5th Avenue to not-quite-Lexington. I call everything east of there "Yorkville".

I think the hill of Lenox Hill was flattened long ago, but maybe it's just too subtle for me.

how about upper east then?

I hate when craigslisters post that they are looking for a room for rent "anywhere on the lower east side or the lower west side." It's just so wrong.

But other Friends of Craig write "evil les" ... and many of the are.

Liz, she was cool and hep in her way (all grandmothers are, per their grandchildren, right?), but decidedly unhipsteresque ... stylish, in a cool, composed, made-it-to-mainstream, see-my-abstract-sculpture-on-the-baby-grand sort of way.

Do kids these days really say "east side" for that tenement quarter they infest?

My grandmothers weren't at all cool, they didn't speak English very well and hadn't a clue who Mickey Mantle was (they did have an idea about Sandy Koufax but that was another battle).

I think the kids say "lower east side" or just name the street because the truly cool know where "Hester Street" (not just a bad movie with Carol Kane), "Ludlow Street", "Rivington Street" et al are located without having to put them in a hood.

Btw, with the exception of visiting museums on 5th Avenue, I think I was a senior in HS before I ever went to the upper east side--and that was to go to a bar.

And we called our neighborhood, Lower West Side, there was no "West Village" and "Greenwich Village" referred more to the 5th avenue corridor where richer people resided. (Today's Gold Coast).

oh, I'm just happy to be in the city at last, so I like to call it "the city" ;)
I have never heard anyone call it Lenox Hill, but I am curious as to why I see it in the real estate listings and such...is it merely to differentiate a particular part of the Upper East Side? or?
Much like people don't actually say they live in Lincoln Center, but I see that listed too..
and I never knew there was actually a Hill, and so there must really be a Bay in Kips? and a hill named after Murray? where does Chelsea come from?

If you don't know there is an actual Hill in Murray try walking up Park Avenue to 34th Street or any of the adjacent side streets (36th, etc) to Lexington Avenue. Trust me its still there. (The best example is in the 33rd street 6 station. The 32rd street entrance is "normal" in terms of its depth but the 33rd side requires the endurance of a marathon runner (or at least someone who lives in a walk up) to get to the top with ease.

Chelsea was named after that Clinton daughter ;-) Liz, I seem to recall that I enjoyed the film, 'Hester Street'. Welcome to the city, noD.

Seriously really you guys said "Lower West Side"? I'm in my forties or fifties, and had never heard that before this year.

noDig, yes, Kips Bay was filled in ... Chelsea the Manhattan neighborhood comes from Chelsea the big country house in that area, which was named after the London neighborhood/manor ... Murray Hill was named for Robert Murray.

For more information on Murray Hill, see http://tinyurl.com/ydq6qg8

AH- I think that Yorkville actually refers to locations at 86th Street and above,(originally where many German immigrants settled) east of Lexington (where the EL train was). If the address is below 86th, just is regular Upper East Side

i think the cut off is 79th.

Interesting overviews:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenox_hill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkville,_Manhattan

I'm surprised the Wikipedia doesn't reference "Little Europe", which I heard as a child referred to the fact that little enclaves (1-3 blocks each, but distinctly separated) existed for each tiny ethnicity ... only Hungarians really maintained a continuing presence, probably because of the Soviet Invasion of 1956.

AR - I think you're right - that's where all the fabulous German meat/ sausage stores used to be (haven't been up that way recently, so don't know if they're still there).

shaller & weber is actually at 86th and second. i just can't imagine 81st and EEA not being in yorkville. but according to the wiki entry, most put the southern boundary at 79th, but some believe it is 86th.

I'm glad they noted that some consider 59th the southern boundary. I'd buy that, but in fact I think I'd bump the midtown/Sutton-adjacent boundary up to Sixtysomething Street.

AH - midtown, Sutton does stop at 59th (basically that's were Sutton Place ends).

And we wouldn't want all those people at Trump Plaza, and the Savoy, who bought UES, thinking they now live in midtown. (that would be like post office all of a sudden changing some people from the cherished 10021 zip - caused so many so much prestige.

Good question - what do they call Beacon Court's area?

I thought Trump Plaza is in glamorous Atlantic City.

Beacon Court's area? <--- Alexander's

Hey, it snipped my lame-o snarky remark. Beacon Court's area is called "Alexander's".

AH - You don't remember when the Savoy went up on East 61st - architect of Trump Plaza, across the street, was very upset cause he said it was a rip-off of his design. So the Savoy people came back with a good one - they were building a "gateway" to the UES

No, I missed that one. I assume Trump Plaza is on the midtown side of that gateway?

Anyway, I like any building called "X Court", especially when its design doesn't include a courtyard. Near my last Harlem apartment is a new rental building with the most unfortunate name "Manhattan Court".

So what would you call the area around 1st Ave / 2nd Ave north of 59th St in the low 60's?

Technically, Sutton Pl has ended at 59th. It's way too far south for Yorkville. I'd say generically UES, but even then - most consider UES to start higher. And Sutton/UES border is a mouthful :)

Animal Medical Center?

You can't fool me -- Sutton Place is really just Avenue A.

"When Wheezy Jefferson sang "well, we're moving on up to the East Side, to a De-Luze apartment in the skyyyyy" She was singing about the Upper East Side."

That wasn't Louise Jefferson singing. It was Ja'net DuBois, who starred on another popular sitcom at the time, "Good Times".

What I like about the UES is the continual dysfunctional freak show that walks the streets. The crazies of the universe with the necessary gray matter to hold a life together have all convined on this tiny spot. The reason they come to the UES is b/c anywhere else in the world they stand out like a sore thumb. On the UES...they blend together. Here, take the test...ever been out of the country on a little R&R and over here some bullshit nonsence going on and you know right away that the 'noise maker' is from the UES?
I rest my case.

Falco - I beg to disagree. For many years people stuck to the UES because there were so many crazies/ homeless all over the UWS (not to mention druggies)

BLACKstreet - holla.

that would make east end avenue b

the freak show is getting more interesting daily. this morning encountered a man yelling loudly to the unseen operative in his head about a strike mission that was imminent in rockefeller center. was hilarious, except that it wasn't really.

you're scaring me falcogold1...

I'm talking about the residents of the UES not the vagrants.

I count myself amoung the crazies.

That's what I mean...you're scaring me.
I'll be one of the crazies.
Geez... Will I start dressing like them?
Embarass fellow Americans outside the country?
Start chanting "I'm a lucky girl"?

Please tell me downtown girls survive the UES...
Or...
Maybe I'm afraid cuz I like it.
Hmmmm....

noDiggitynoDoubt,
No Worries...
I married a Village girl and, when she gets a little down b/c we live in the most boring part of town this is what I sing to her............

When you're alone and life is making you lonely
You can always go - downtown
When you've got worries, all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know - downtown
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares
So go downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown - no finer place, for sure
Downtown - everything's waiting for you

Don't hang around and let your problems surround you
There are movie shows - downtown
Maybe you know some little places to go to
Where they never close - downtown
Just listen to the rhythm of a gentle bossa nova
You'll be dancing with him too before the night is over
Happy again

The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares
So go downtown, where all the lights are bright
Downtown - waiting for you tonight
Downtown - you're gonna be all right now

And you may find somebody kind to help and understand you
Someone who is just like you and needs a gentle hand to
Guide them along

So maybe I'll see you there
We can forget all our troubles, forget all our cares
So go downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown - don't wait a minute for
Downtown - everything's waiting for you

Downtown, downtown, downtown, downtown ...

ah falco, who says some vagrants aren't residents?

be still my heart.

ah, golden one, who says some kind ones aren't UES residents?
let's all sing it...

"And you may find somebody kind to help and understand you
Someone who is just like you and needs a gentle hand to
Guide them along"

I and the majority of my neighbors I talk to on the UES give the crosses.

"79th and lex". "87th and first"

If they're tourists who don't know what that means, who cares?