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Introduction

After the Civil War, the Upper East Side became a summer vacation spot for members of New York City's high society who had permanent residencies downtown. However, the building of elevated trains and the creation of Central Park in the 1870s led to the real development of the neighborhood. The wealthy built mansions on Fifth and Park Avenues near the salubrious setting of the park, while working class Europeans created ethnic enclaves on First, Second and Third Avenues.

Along Fifth Avenue's former Millionaire's Row, some of the old mansions have been converted into museums and galleries, and the area is now referred to as the Museum Mile. The Frick Collection and the Cooper-Hewitt were once the homes of the 19th-century entrepreneurs Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Carnegie, respectively. The Frick Collection maintains the feeling of a private residence while displaying works by artists such as Rembrandt and Renoir.

Guggenheim Museum is an architectural anomaly on this row of classically-designed structures. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the museum's modern exterior mirrors the works within it, including major pieces by Picasso and Matisse.

It would literally take weeks to view all the treasures displayed in the imposing structures along this stretch of Fifth Avenue. Indeed, you could easily spend a couple of days at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest museum in the western hemisphere, and only begin to scratch the surface. Although it is unlikely that anyone would spend their entire time in Manhattan visiting museums, Museum Mile is a must-see, even if just for an afternoon.

Today, the Upper East Side, particularly the area close to Central Park and along Park Avenue, is still synonymous with old wealth. Posh apartment houses subject applications to rigorous screening processes that have occasionally been a subject of controversy. Even wealthy celebrities have been known to be barred from living in some of these buildings.

On quiet streets in the East 60's, many of New York's exclusive clubs can be found. Catering to members only, many of these have survived almost unchanged from the end of the 19th century.

The Whitney Museum of American Art, on Madison Avenue, resembles an upside-down pyramid and exhibits modern works by prominent American artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Jasper Johns, and Frank Stella.

Madison Avenue was once the mane generally applied to the scores of advertising agencies that made their home here. Since most of them have relocated, Madison Avenue and its exclusive shops have come to symbolize the wealth and extravagance of the Upper East Side. A short walk from here, you will find Christie's one of the best-known auction houses in the world.

Roosevelt Island is situated in the East River between Manhattan and Queens. Strectching the equivalent of 30 city blocks, it runs parallel to Manhattan from the United Nations in Midtown to Carl Schultz Park on the Upper East Side. The island is a good place to view the river and the city, but the best part is getting there. Although the subway stops on Roosevelt Island, the aerial tram provides a unique mode of transportation which is much more fun.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Founded in 1870, by a group of American businessman, artists and scholars, the museum's original collection consisted of 174 paintings from three private European collections. More than a century later The Metropolitan Museum of Art, known simply as "The Met", has grown to include more than two million works of art, spanning 5,000 years of culture, from prehistoric times to modern day.

From the first glimpse of the museum's Fifth Avenue entrance with its Neo-classical facade, you know you are about to embark upon an unforgettable journey in the world of art. Inside, there are over two million square-feet of space exhibiting one of the world's largest and most impressive collections of paintings, sculptures, photographs, decorative arts, costumes, drawings, musical instruments and much more.

The Met has three enormous floors and is ever-changing in both size and configuration. The Greek and Roman galleries have recently been renovated with the addition of the Robert A. and Renee E. Belfer Court.

The galleries are arranged as 20 different collections which range in content from Egyptian art to 20th-century art (including works by Kandinsky, Pollock & Warhol). Some of the world's finest and most recognizable pieces of French impressionist, Post-impressionist, Romantic and Barbizon works can be found in the European Paintings Collection, located on the second floor.

The Met has one of the most comprehensive collections of Egyptian Art and archaeological findings in the world. Of the nearly 35,000 pieces in the collection, the most impressive are the Tomb of Perneb and the Temple of Dendur, which are housed in a spectacular glass-enclosed gallery overlooking Central Park.

Other impressive collections are the Arms and Armorgallery, the Arts of Africa, Oceania & the Americasgalleries and the Medieval Arts gallery, all located on the first floor. The second floor houses a wide range of art from Asia, including a Chinese art collection and a suite of galleries displaying the arts of South & Southeast Asia. Also situated on the second floor is an exhibit focusing on the Islamic-influenced art of Morocco, Central Asia and India. The Islamic galleries are introduced by the Nur ad-Din Room from Syria. Complete with a marble fountain, wood panelled reception area and stained-glass windows, the room is a representation of Ottoman wealth.

Seeing everything that the Met has to offer would literally tak weeks. Therefore, the best thing to do is to visit one of the information desks located in the Great Hall, on the first floor. There you can pick up maps and brochures and sign up for one of the free multi-lingual tours provided by members of the staff. Museum policy stipulates that photographs can be taken for non-commercial use only (without a flash or tripod) and video cameras are prohibited.

To view more of the museum's medieval collection, visit The Cloisters in northern Manhattan.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Founded by the wealthy Solomon R. Guggenheim in 1937, his eponymous museum has now expanded far beyond his initial collection of European abstract art.

Dedicated to collecting, preserving and exhibiting modern and contemporary art. Some of the better known pieces in its permanent collection are by Picasso, Kandinsky, Klee, Van Gogh & Cezanne.

Unlike most of the world's museums, Solomon R. Guggenheim's vision of a "temple of non-objective painting" is perhaps as well-known for its physical structure as it is for the works of art that are housed within it.

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the building was completed in 1959, after both his and Guggenheim deaths. Its most notable feature is the six-story rotunda, which represents Wright's interpretation of ancient Mesopotamian ziggurats and provides the main gallery space.

Guggenheim was a wealthy industrialist who made his life money in copper and silver mining. He began by collecting Old Masters more as an investment than a personal passion. However, in 1929 meeting with artist Vasily Kandinsky, at which he purchased several of his paintings. Guggenheim began taking an interest in modern art that soon became a full-time passion.

Since the museum's opening, both its physical structure and its original collection of European abstract art have expanded. A major renovation that took place in the early 1990s left the exterior refurbished and the interior with much-needed additional space. More recently still, new Guggenheim's have opened in Soho and, as the first step of an international expansion program, in Spain.

Other Attractions

Museum Mile includes many other museums outside of the Guggenheim and the Met. The Frick Collection, opened to the public in 1935 and is housed in the former residence of steel tycoon Henry Clay Frick

The Frick Collection houses New Yorks, and possibly the world's most impressive collection of western art, dating from the early Renaissance to the late 19th century. Particularly notable are its Old Master paintings, Renaissance bronzes and French sculpture from the 18th century.

The museum is exceptional because the works are displayed in an untraditional, whimsical manner which combines historical periods in an intimate setting of a private home without typical museum features like ropes and descriptive placards. The furniture, decorative art works and porcelain are as remarkable as the paintings and sculptures.
Location: 1 East 70th Street, at Fifth Avenue - Museum Mile.

In the early 1900s, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney requested to have some of her prized collections placed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the museum refused. As years past, she collected a substantial studio collection of art, and eventually the Whitney Museum of American Art was founded.

The Whitney is dedicated to the gathering, and exhibiting of 20th-century-American art, with a particular emphasis on the work of living artists. The permanent collection on includes 11,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings and photographs representing over 1,700 American artists like Georgia O'Keeffe, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, and the complete artistic estate of Edward Hopper - comprising appoximately 2,000 pieces.
Location:945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street.

America's first city museum was founded in 1923 as a place to assemble and permanently display material associated with the fascinating history of New York City and its people.

The Museum of the City of New York possesses one of America's most renowned photographic archives with more than half a million images documenting New York City since the advent of photography itself.

An impressive display of period rooms taken from actual homes represents life in New York from the colonial period through the 20th century. A collection of toys, dollhouses and miniatures dating from 1769, meticulous in detail, provides its own commentary on New York social life. The museum also has a fascinating exhibition of various artifacts relating to the history and culture of New York City; including a section of the B-52 bomber that crashed into the Empire State Building in 1945.
Location: 1220 Fifth Avenue, at 104th Street - Museum Mile.

The National Academy of Design was founded by a group of successful artists in 1825 "to sustain an association of artists for the purpose of instruction and exhibition." The academy is located in a handsome 19th-century Beaux Arts townhouse on 5th Avenue, donated in 1940 by art patron Archer Huntington.

The National Academy of Design is an artist-run organization that consists of the museum, the School of Fine Arts and an honorary association of artists. Many of America's finest architects., painters, sculptors and printmakers were among its founding members. The Academy has acquired an impressive collection of 19th- & 20th-century American art, that includes more than 8,000 paintings, drawings, architectural models, engravings, and sculptures.
Location: 1083 Fifth Avenue, next to Guggenheim - Museum Mile.

Founded in 1974, the International Center of Photography (ICP) is the only museum in New York City (and one of the few museums world-wide) devoted solely to photography.

Housed in a landmark Federal-style mansion, its mission it to collect, preserve and present all aspects of photography. ICP has a second exhibition gallery in Midtown, which opened in 1989 and is located on Avenue of Americas at 43rd Street.

Over 20 exhibitions are mounted at the ICP each year. Subjects include everything from photojournalism to experimental cutting-edge photography. Many of the exhibitions feature film or video presentations which are shown in the ICP screening room.

In addition, ICP maintains the largest full-time photography education program in the world. Courses, lectures and workshops are given by reputable photographers and cover a full range of photography related topics. Interactive guided tours are available from Tuesday to Friday, 10am - 2pm.
Location: 1130 Fifth Avenue, six blocks north of the Guggenheim - Museum Mile.

In 1904, Judge Mayer Sulzberger contributed his library and art collection to the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and the organization opened the Jewish Museum, on Fifth Avenue in 1908.

The scope and diversity of Jewish culture over the last 4,000 years is illustrated through a permanent collection of more than 27,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs, archeological artifacts and ceremonial items.

The focal point of the museum is the permanent exhibit Culture and Continuity: The Jewish Journey, which conveys Jewish ideas, values, and culture as they have developed from ancient to modern times. Situated on two floors, this 11,000-square-foot exhibition contains 17 galleries with four main themes:Forging and Identity, Interpreting a Tradition, Confronting Modernity, & Realizing a Future. Each section features a range of Jewish-related art and artifacts, including a space devoted to the Holocaust.

The Cooper-Hewitt Museum is located in a 64-room Georgian mansion, dating from 1901, which was once the home of industrialist Andrew Carnegie. More than 250,000 items make it one of the largest design collections in the world. Started in 1897 at the Cooper Union School for the Advancement of Science and Art, the collection was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1967 when it was moved to its current location. Its holdings include drawings, prints, textiles and ceramic art.
Location:2 East 91st Street - at Fifth Avenue - Museum Mile.

Gracie Mansion was built by Archibald Gracie, an affluent merchant, in 1799 and has been the home of New York's mayor since 1942. The mansion's Federal-style architecture is one of the best-preserved in the city. Guided tours are available on Wednesdays only and must be reserved ahead.
Location: East End Avenue at 88th Street.

Roosevelt Island is located in the East River between the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Queens. Originally inhabited by the Canarsie Indians, it was later sold to the Dutch. Known as Welfare Island, it was the site of a prison and a number of hospitals and asylums during the 19th century. In 1969, it was transformed into a residential community and in 1986, its name was oficially changed to Roosevelt Island in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Today, it is a prosperous suburb filled with beautiful parks and stunning views, only minutes from the busy streets of Manhattan. To get there, take either the Q or B subway trains or the Q102 bus. Better still, the Roosevelt Island tram car takes vistors on a scenic journey to and from the island.

Open Space & Parks

Designed in 1891, Carl Schultz Park is named after the German immigrant who became a Civil War general, U.S. Senator, editor of the New York Evening Post and Harpers Weekly and, eventually, President Rutherford B. Hayes' Secretary of the Interior from 1869-1875.

The highlight of this grassy park is a long, wide sidewalk, named John Finley Walk, after the former editor of the New York Times, who was an avid hiker. The promenade provides great views of the East River and Queens, a path for rollerbladers and joggers and a pleasant place to relax and watch the boats on the river. Within the park, Gracie Mansion, the mayor's residence, dates back to 1799. The park also features a children's playground and fenced-in playgrounds for pets - one for the big dogs, and the other for the small.

Roosevelt Island's Octagon Park contains a promenade which provides magnificent views of the Manhattan skyline and the East River. The park also contains recreational areas with tennis courts and picnic grounds. The island is encircled by a path which makes an excellent route for walking, jogging or rollerblading.