East End Avenue is not the kind of community that casual visitors to New York are likely to stumble across while searching for clubs, restaurants or theaters. You would have to be searching for it. Hugging the edge of the Upper East Side, the area spans only 13 blocks or so. Most of the streets run east-west and end in cul-de-sacs, giving the neighborhood an almost gated feel to it. As such, cars are not likely to pass through on their way to somewhere else. But this is what makes East End so appealing.
By walking five blocks from the Lexington Avenue subway on East 86th, you’ll be rewarded: the street leads into plush Carl Schurz Park, merging into its bluestone-lined path. From there, a climb of only a few steps delivers a spectacular front-seat view of the boat, barge and tug parade that is the East River. In recent years, families have surged into the community, which is home to numerous schools and is considered “the suburbia of the Upper East Side” to many.
There is also a quaint historic district in East End, located on Henderson Place. It’s an enclave within an enclave, with an assortment of Queen Anne-style apartments, with slate roofs, brownstone stoops and delicate metalwork.
What You’ll Pay
In mid-June there were approximately 105 condominiums and co-ops for sale, at an average of $1.86 million. At the high end was a five-bedroom duplex penthouse located at 10 Gracie Square, an Art Deco co-op, going for $23 million. At the lower end of the spectrum, a studio with hardwood floors at an East 88th Street co-op was listed at $235,000. Even though the real estate industry has struggled to rebound since the recession, local realtors say that the market is slowly but surely gaining in strength.
Activities in the Area
One of two retail strips run from 81st to 82nd, offering a Gristedes market and a new deli — an offshoot of Yura, a Madison Avenue mainstay — that opened this spring. There is also a large indoor pool at Asphalt Green that offers swim lessons for infants as well as training sessions for adult triathletes. The Carl Schurz Park is also home to Gracie Mansion, which hosts official city events but can also be rented for parties.
The Commute
The 4, 5 and 6 trains stop at East 86th Street, which is about a 20-minute walk. Mario’s Transportation is also available, a private service that runs vans every 15 minutes during rush hour from York Avenue and 85th Street to various locales in the financial district. One-way fares are $6. Buses include the M31 and M86, which go as far east as York, and the M79, which loops down East End.
