the east side
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Mad-61Madison Ave has seen a resurgence of late. Start out at the new Barneys at 61st Street - the construction costs of this store bankrupted the chain, but you’d never know from the chic and trendy clothes on sale. Across the street is Deb’s fave Ann Taylor, as well as the ascetic Calvin Klein store and Armani. Continue up Madison to 72nd Street and the Ralph Lauren mansion-like store. Get up the courage and press the buzzer at fancy boutiques like Versace, Valentino, or Ungaro, or just window shop like the rest of us mere mortals. Head over to Bloomingdales on Lexington Ave and run the perfume gauntlet - I dare you to get through un-spritzed.
Museum MileStart out at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum at 89th and 5th Ave. Take the elevator up and work your way down the circular ramp. Next the mammoth Metropolitan Museum - remember its pay what you wish - I usually only pony up $1 to get in. Sitting on its front steps is an integral part of the Met experience as is the Temple of Dendur installed in a glassed in wing of its very own, and don’t forget their new roof garden for a fantastic view high above Central Park’s treetops. Go a block east at 75th St for the Whitney Museum for early 20th C American Art. Go back to 5th Ave and 64th St for the Frick Museum, its old masters, and what it was really like to live like a robber barron.
QueensThe most populated borough, and definitely the most diverse. Interesting sites to see include the old World’s Fair site in Flushing (take the #7 train). Here you’ll find the New York Panorama, a huge scale model of the city, as well as Shea Stadium and the US Open. Off the N train is Astoria, home of Deb’s sis Sharon, the largest Greek community in the city. We’re allergic to seafood, but we’re told Elias Corner at the Astoria Blvd station is the best place for seafood in the city. Just down the block, the Neptune Diner is the premiere Greek diner in New York. Bring your appetite and peruse the menu as thick as a small novel. Another way to Queens is by the Roosevelt Island Tram from 59th St and 2nd Ave. It grazes periously close to buildings and ends at one of the most unsung views of the city from the East River. Take the Q102 bus from here over to a little known retreat, the Isamu Noguchi Museum, where you can buy one of the artist’s great Japanese paper lanterns. Across the street is the Socrates Sculpture Park - a great place to picnic by the river.
Also check out:
Restrooms:
East Side Restaurants
Hotel Carlyle
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back to the guideback to fountain comments to fanfon@interport.net december 1999