Title : Etiquette expert William Hanson on whether New York's Upper East Side or Upper West Side is best
link : Etiquette expert William Hanson on whether New York's Upper East Side or Upper West Side is best
Etiquette expert William Hanson on whether New York's Upper East Side or Upper West Side is best
Which is best - New York's Upper East Side or Upper West Side? Etiquette expert William Hanson stays in a hotel in both areas and delivers his verdict
- In London the debate revolves around being north or south of the river - in NYC it's about Upper West or East
- Etiquette expert William Hanson enters the fray by staying at The Pierre and the Mandarin Oriental
- The former is on the Upper East Side, the Mandarin is on the slightly edgier Upper West Side
The British north or the British south? North or south of the river? Upper East Side or Upper West Side?
In life there is always conflict and a decision to make, and now I seem to be spending an increased amount of time in New York I too have had to decide where is best to set up camp.
A few years ago I tried basing myself in an Airbnb in Greenwich Village but that didn’t work. Despite many telling me it’s where the buzz of life was, the biggest buzz was the air conditioning unit in the bedsit-cum-borstal I had been conned into renting. It wasn’t long until I did what any of us would have done in the circumstances: I upped sticks and checked into the Waldorf Astoria.
For my most recent trip to New York City I couldn’t stay at that Dowager Duchess of American hotels due to its closure for extensive renovations. Some friends advised me to stay on the Upper East Side, others told me I must take root on the Upper West Side.
The Upper East Side, pictured, is reportedly one of Manhattan's most exclusive and affluent neighbourhoods
The Upper West Side (pictured) is very affluent - but a tad trendier than the area directly opposite. It's now festooned with hipster coffee shops
Being inherently British, and not wanting to offend anyone, I decided I’d compromise and spend 50 per cent of my time one side of the park, and the other half 15 minutes’ walk away on the opposite side.
The sun rises in the east, so I chose to follow suit and start there.
The Upper East Side is reportedly one of Manhattan's most exclusive and affluent neighbourhoods. Most members of New York's ‘upper class’ families have residences there, including the oil-rich Rockefellers, political Roosevelts and the dynastic Kennedys.
The Upper West Side, meanwhile, is also extremely wealthy, but it has a trendy edge to it, with younger, artier residents. And it's now festooned with hipster coffee shops.
My hotel on the Upper East Side was The Pierre on East 61st Street and Fifth Avenue. If the Waldorf Astoria was a duchess then the Pierre is a countess - still grand, still noble but less showy and more homely.
The Pierre opened in 1930, and was most recently revamped to the tune of $100 million in 2009.
The Pierre on East 61st Street and Fifth Avenue. William Hanson describes it as a countess - grand and noble but less showy and more homely than a duchess
The Pierre opened in 1930, and was most recently revamped to the tune of $100 million in 2009. Pictured is one of the hotel's 'classic' rooms
The service style and décor throughout The Pierre is effortless and classic, writes Mr Hanson. Pictured is the hotel's dining room - The Rotunda
The elevators at The Pierre are still manned, around the clock, by white-gloved attendants, who are all beyond adept at mastering conversation to suit all weathers and moods of their guests, writes Mr Hanson
The lifts - sorry, elevators - are still manned, around the clock, by white-gloved attendants, who are all beyond adept at mastering conversation to suit all weathers and moods of their guests. One was particularly skilled at talking to a skinny, poodle-carrying, sun-glasses-clad nonagenarian dame as they were me. Perhaps, on reflection, the conversational range wasn’t so much of a stretch.
The bedroom was larger than many New York hotels offer. The taupe self-stripe wallpaper gave the room height and although the Turkish marble bathroom was a bit on the small side, this was not a ‘dump your stuff and head out’ sort of a room. It had the atmosphere of the master bedroom in a well-loved city townhouse (and this starts from US$585/£440 per night).
The clientele of the 189-roomed property appeared to be slightly older and more stately than many other hotels. The service style and décor throughout is effortless and classic. Only when it comes to the in-room technology do you notice that it’s a little dated, but I doubt that bothers the regular guests, many of whom come from the worlds of fashion and arts.
After my comfortable stay at The Pierre I walked 15 minutes across the park to the Upper West Side and checked in to the Mandarin Oriental within the Time Warner Center’s north building at Columbus Circle.
NYC purists will say Columbus Circle is perhaps more towards midtown Manhattan than the Upper West Side, but it still counts.
The main hotel entrance is ground level but high-speed lifts (unmanned) whisk you up to the 35th floor where the airy and modish central lobby waits, with panoramic views across the city.
Opened in 2003, the 244-roomed Mandarin Oriental NYC is clearly not trying to poach the guests from The Pierre (or the other way round). It’s a much more contemporary offering all round. The guests here seemed to be young, slick suited types (many had their laptops at the breakfast table) and multigenerational travellers. If The Pierre is a Countess, the Mandarin is a self-made leading businesswoman.
Everything’s bigger here, the subtly grand atmosphere of The Pierre is not present but you do not feel like just another guest. There is a feeling of personal service with deliberate anonymity, which is perhaps why so many celebrities are ‘fans’ of the hotel.
The traditional lobby lounge concept was replaced last year with The Aviary NYC, an extension of the Chicago-based ‘bar experience’ from Chef Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas.
Cocktails of all creations come out thick and fast from the bar with no expense or liquid nitrogen spared. It’s not something that would appeal to some - a few of the regular guests at The Pierre wouldn’t have a clue what was going on and would be much more at home in the Upper East Side hotel’s calmer Rotunda.
The Mandarin’s bedrooms, which start at US$745 (£560) per night, are more up to date with design and technology, and there’s space in the bathroom for lotions and potions.
Mr Hanson's stay in the Upper West Side was at the Mandarin Oriental, which is within Time Warner Center’s north building at Columbus Circle
The Mandarin Hotel lobby is on the 35th floor. Mr Hanson describes it as 'airy and modish'
The views from the Mandarin Oriental New York are amazing. Pictured is the hotel's 'bar experience' - The Aviary
The Instagram generation are going to spend more time in their rooms taking snaps of the view, either of the park (slightly obscured by the Trump hotel) or, if they are staying on the other side, sunsets across the Hudson.
The Upper East Side hasn’t changed much in recent years, with its Maddison Avenue shopping and high-end restaurants it is a neighbourhood from which any thrill-seekers must ‘travel’ to seek a livelier vibe. There is a remote serenity to the area, which many (and this includes me) prefer.
The Upper West Side, on the other hand, seems to have evolved and rejuvenated itself into a go-to destination for cafes, restaurants, shopping and nightlife activity.
The Mandarin’s bedrooms, which start at US$745 (£560) per night, are up to date with design and technology
The bathrooms have plenty of space for lotions and potions, writes Mr Hanson. He says that which hotel you choose depends on your visual tastes, whims and aspirations
My most recent trip felt like a tale of two different sides of New York.
It is true America doesn’t quite have the same nuances in class structure as Britain but the differences in mindsets and prospects of the Upper East and the Upper West is perhaps as close as you may get.
Much like those respective sides, not much separates these two hotels.
Ultimately, as to which hotel you choose will depend on your visual tastes, whims and aspirations.
They are very different in style inside and out, but both make you feel like you are the top of the tree. Just as to which species of tree you pick is up to you.
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