SoHo is South of Houston. Nolita is North of Little Italy. Tribeca is the Triangle below Canal Street. SpaHa is Spanish Harlem. And they’re now calling North of Madison Square Park NoMad.
So what about our neighborhood, between 96th Street & 86th Street from Lexington Avenue to the East River? We’re too far north to really be the Upper East Side. Yorkville seems more appropriate to the area along 86th Street and below. And Carnegie Hill is really west of Lexington, or at least Third. But our little enclave has its own feel.
I thought about Carnegie Flats, because we are at the foot of Carnegie Hill. Some have referred to it as Gracie Point, particularly around the north end of Carl Schurz Park. This is due to the fact that Gracie Mansion resides their, atop a bluff marking the bend in the East River – which also signals the start of the Harlem River. That point was originally known as Horn’s Hook, named by a Dutchman from Hoorn, a city that also gave its name to Cape Horn.
Of course I wanted to go with an acronym name. Because, let’s face it, every New York neighborhood with an acronym name is on the rise. And it would hopefully bring a little hipness to an area presumed as stale as the rest of the Upper East Side. But CaFla or GraPo wouldn’t quite do.
So I came up with UpYor, as in Upper Yorkville. It’s got an undeniable edge to it. And a sense of humor. Which is good, because the Marx Brothers grew up right here on 93rd Street, a block and a half from where I reside. But this neighborhood is rich with history. Lou Gehrig was born on my block. James Cagney grew up right around the corner. And Barrack Obama lived on the next block over, 94th between Second & First, during his days at Columbia. Of course, Lee Harvey Oswald also graced our neighborhood, briefly residing one block over on 92nd between Second & First in 1952.
When I moved to the area in 1999, I was relatively unfamiliar with it. I purchased my apartment on the recommendation of my brother, who lived with his family 10 blocks to the south (in the heart of Yorkville). At the time, people said not to go above 86th Street. But my brother has proven to be a wise realtor, as the value of my apartment has already tripled – and will increase further once the Second Avenue Subway is running.
These days, people have already started buying north of 96th Street, and my neighborhood – UpYor – is enjoying a bit of a renaissance. We are starting to see cool bars and restaurants replacing what used to be a mix of bars catering to kids right out of college and restaurants catering to their parents. Now I no longer have to head Downtown for a good place to drink. And there are even some restaurants in the hood that have lines – and I’m not just talking about the new Shake Shack.
So this page is dedicated to news and commentary on my neighborhood, UpYor. From me to you, UpYor:
San Matteo Pizza Espresso Bar
The Seventh Starbucks
On Target
