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The Upper East Side vs. Upper West Side: Which of these NYC neighborhoods is best? Here is an inside look at the differences between the areas.
The Upper East Side and Upper West Side are two of New York’s most coveted neighborhoods. They are among the city’s wealthiest and most sought-after areas and contain some of the world’s most iconic real estate. There is often a debate among New Yorkers as to which area is better.
The Upper East Side vs. Upper West Side: Which of these NYC neighborhoods is best? Here is an inside look at the differences between the areas.
The Upper East Side and Upper West Side are two of New York’s most coveted neighborhoods. They are among the city’s wealthiest and most sought-after areas and contain some of the world’s most iconic real estate. There is often a debate among New Yorkers as to which area is better.
Pre covid I liked the UWS better. More places to eat, more places to go. Less divided. Now though, there are a lot of bums in the hotels there. I’m sure post covid it will be the better of the two.
UES is very divided. You have the super wealthy near the park and more students near the river. It’s kind of a boring neighborhood in my opinion. But during covid they have less hotels so less bums housed in hotels.
UES has the old money feel west of Lexington and south of 96th. East of Lexington it's more students, families and healthcare employees from MSK, Weill Cornell, etc. I think it's nice that the UES offers these two distinct experiences.
UWS is more artsy, with Lincoln Center being the equivalent to the Upper East's healthcare complexes. UWS doesn't have the old money feel, it definitely is dirtier and has more homeless/crime in general, especially now. Somehow, it is still pricier than UES east of Lex.
Some variant of this thread comes up every few months. Either Upper Side is fine, since it is not difficult to get from one side to the other, ie, not exactly like choosing between the East Coast and West Coast. Features of a specific building or micro-neighborhood (ie, the few blocks around the building) would matter more to me than which side of the Park.
Some variant of this thread comes up every few months. Either Upper Side is fine, since it is not difficult to get from one side to the other, ie, not exactly like choosing between the East Coast and West Coast. Features of a specific building or micro-neighborhood (ie, the few blocks around the building) would matter more to me than which side of the Park.
I mean, there ARE some noticeable differences, especially in terms of the types of people who tend to live there (e.g. old money rich people and healthcare workers on the UES, artists and students on the UWS. The UES, outside the area bordering midtown east, still arguably has poorer subway access than the UWS. Likewise, the UWS has some projects and blighted areas scattered throughout. The UES, below around 96th, has no public housing or blighted areas at all.
Gets grimmer much faster north of 96th, though. On the UWS it stays pretty stable until maybe 125th St. and I think most people would prefer to live in West Harlem over East.
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