‘Where Trees Actually Survive’
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Michele Kleier is the president of Gumley Haft Kleier, one of Manhattan’s 10 largest residential brokerage firms. Her clients have included Billy Joel, Richard Gere, Katie Couric, John Travolta, Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman, and Al Pacino. She spoke recently with The New York Sun’s Maura Yates about the Upper East Side.
Q: Who typically buys on the Upper East Side?
A: There are a lot of young couples about to start a family, or families with two or three children who already live on the Upper East Side moving to larger apartments. Between Park and Fifth, there are your established people, and on Second and Third are your young professionals who are single. It’s probably the most rigorous as far as the boards go, so unless you’re going into a condo where prices are higher and the condos are smaller, Upper East Side buildings are harder to get into than the West Side or downtown. It’s not just Park Avenue princesses anymore.
What should buyers look for in properties on the Upper East Side?
Most people want a view. Near Park and Fifth there are pre-wars with high ceilings and wood-burning fireplaces. On Second and Third, you have high-rises in a busy area where things are open late and you can get an ice cream cone at midnight. Carnegie Hill is for people who want a residential area with little traffic and good schools. On Second and Third, there are empty-nesters that want to go to movies and be near buses and subway lines. On Park and Fifth, most people take taxis and have drivers.
What are some of the qualities that make the Upper East Side a consistently desirable area?
It’s near the park, restaurants, great private schools, and there is a very residential feel on the Upper East Side. It may not be cutting-edge, but it’s comfortable, luxurious, and very old world. With the 92nd Street Y, there are so many programs for kids. You’re a little bit out of the jungle of Midtown or an area that’s commercial. The trees actually survive on the Upper East Side.
In your opinion, what other areas of the city are great places to live?
TriBeCa is extremely hot. I know of people who are not young but are young at heart moving from the Upper East Side to TriBeCa. You can’t get 6,000 square feet with terraces and views and high ceilings on the Upper East Side.
