East 96 St, Upper East Side

Note - this review refers specifically to 96th Street and Madison Avenue and the surrounding area.

Tucked neatly in the border between Old World family district Carnegie Hill and the young-skewing medical crowd at Mount Sinai, the stretch of sidewalk on Madison Avenue between 96th and 97th street is a welcome fusion of upscale eateries and quick "bite to eat" places for the scrubs crowd. This block may be a tad more crowded than elsewhere in the area, but it has one of the Upper East Side's highest concentrations of cafes and take-outs. Highlights include the tasty, if somewhat pricey, Salata, with a charming roofed back garden, the neighborhood standby diner Three Guys (with excellent food and prices that rival Carnegie Hill's posher restaurants), and sandwichery Champignon. Other chain options in the area include a Dunkin' Donuts and a Subways.

The area is nicely located with proximity to all these shops and eateries, as well as Central Park. However, families seeking to relocate to a Carnegie Hill apartment proper should be warned that this stretch of city is not the most scenic compared to the idyllic brownstones and wood-paneled shopfronts of a few blocks further downtown. While locals have complained about, for example, the enormous plastic coffee cup on the Dunkin' Donuts logo - citing a concern for preserving the area's distinctive architecture - such complaints have had as of yet no effect. That said, cosmetics is a small price to pay for convenience!