Luxury vacation rentals: beautifully furnished homes in the Upper East Side

A Frank Lloyd Wright–designed spiral rising over Fifth Avenue, across from Central Park. Inside, you take in modern and contemporary works from Impressionists and early abstract pioneers to today’s headline-making shows, all under a soaring skylight. Visit Guggenheim Museum

A jewel-box museum devoted to early 20th-century German and Austrian art and design—Klimt, Schiele, and the world of Vienna 1900— inside a restored Gilded Age mansion. Wander a few beautifully curated floors, then linger over coffee, schnitzel, or cake at Café Sabarsky, the museum’s Viennese café that feels like it was lifted straight from fin-de-siècle Vienna. Visit Neue Galerie

An indoor “country club meets sports bar” packed with TrackMan simulator bays where you can play PGA Tour courses, practice your swing with high-speed cameras, or just mess around with games if you’re not a serious golfer. Add in lessons, custom club fittings, a full bar, food, and plenty of lounge space. Visit Five Iron Golf

Enjoy a stroll, rent a bike, or book a horse carriage ride to take in Manhattan's urban oasis with scenic landscapes and peaceful lakes. Home to countless festivals, concerts and events, there's always something exciting happening. Visit Central Park

A leafy, locals’ park perched above the East River with walking paths, lawns, and big views of Roosevelt Island and the bridges. Home to the historic Gracie Mansion, it’s an easy place to start the day with coffee and a stroll—or to sneak away with a book and feel like you’re in your own private slice of the city. Visit Carl Schurz Park

Fifth Avenue is best explored on foot—breezy walks past Central Park’s edge, landmark buildings, luxury boutiques, and glittering window displays, with green spaces and city views trading places block by block. Visit Fifth Avenue

Enjoy fresh and flavorful Italian cuisine at this neighborhood gem in Boerum Hill. It serves elevated dishes with ingredients sourced from local producers. Visit Daniel

Old-school Upper East Side glamour in cocktail form. Tucked inside the landmark hotel, it’s a dim, Art Deco piano bar wrapped in whimsical murals by Madeline creator Ludwig Bemelmans, with live jazz, tiny shaded lamps, and perfectly cold martinis that arrive in stemware and sidecars. It’s where you go when you want one quintessential New York night—elegant, a little nostalgic, and very much “if these walls could talk.” Visit Bemelmans Bar

Enjoy a perfectly brewed cup at this popular spot where meticulous preparation and high-quality, sustainably sourced beans are the standard. Visit Blue Bottle Coffee

The Upper East Side in restaurant form—elegant, polished, and quietly indulgent. This Michelin-starred restaurant serves refined French cuisine inspired by classic dishes, seasonal ingredients, vegetable-driven plates, and flavors from the chef's travels. Visit Café Boulud

This store is all about New York edge with British tailoring—perfect jeans, sharp blazers, easy knits, and boots that actually earn their suitcase space. The boutique feels like a refined neighborhood wardrobe hub: styling services, tailoring, and a tight edit of pieces you can mix, match, and live in all trip long. Visit rag & bone

Your one-and-done department store stop—seven floors of designer and contemporary fashion, shoes, beauty, kids, and home, plus restaurants, bars, and all the services (personal stylists, alterations, curbside pickup) under one roof. It’s ideal if you want to refresh a wardrobe, grab a last-minute event outfit, or do a little “just browsing” that somehow turns into a full look Visit Nordstrom

Just minutes from the Upper East Side, Columbus Circle is a polished plaza with fountains, the 1892 Columbus monument, and sweeping park and skyline views. Steps away, chef-driven dining, upscale shops, and Jazz at Lincoln Center, makes it an elegant starting point for a day that moves easily from park stroll to late table. Visit Columbus Circle