NYC’s Upper East Side Explored & Explained | Walking Tour | Architectural Digest

Today Architectural Digest returns to New York City for an insightful walking tour of the Upper East Side with architect Nicholas Potts. From Central Park and The Metropolitan Museum of Art to Duke Mansion and the Art Deco Carlyle Hotel, come along with Nick as he explores the wealth of history and architectural details waiting to be rediscovered.
Check out Nicholas Potts here:
Website: nicholasgpotts.com/
Instagram: / nicholasgpotts
Director: Hiatt Woods
Director of Photography: Eric Brouse
Editors: Lika Kumoi
Talent: Nick Potts
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Producer: Vara Reese, Skylar Economy
Associate Producer: Brandon Fuhr
Production Manager: Melissa Heber
Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila
Audio: Sean Paulson
Production Assistant: Carlo Betia
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Assistant Editor: Diego Rentsch
Graphics Supervisor: Ryan Powell
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[@DavidLopez-rk6em]

This series made me appreciate New York a lot recently. Its so densely packed with so much great architecture. I think in general most american cities are overrated compared to european cities (from an urban planning perspective), but New York is overall a world class city

[@hanu6158]

USA in 4 every single time

[@ThreeRunHomer]

The Upper East Side is the highest population density neighborhood in the USA, so it truly exemplifies what you said.

[@colors6692]

"most American cities are overrated compared to European cities" Who in the world is rating American cities over European cities?? 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@dennisgichohi5392]

@@colors6692 their is plenty of us

[@garlandstrife]

Only proper city in the US. The rest look like strip malls.

[@eeefeefeffasdf]

These videos are just utterly brilliantly high quality. Nick Potts does a great job of taking potentially dry information and making it so approachable and fun to learn. Thank you for putting these on

[@NL2500]

Adding the black and white photos from that time gives an extra dimension to these buildings

[@WitchKing-Of-Angmar]

Yes, I loved the soft but crisp contrast of the photographs with no doubt a more lit up sky on that day.

[@oresamateru]

This is the kind of content i wish i had when i was still in architecture school. This series really refreshed my knowledge with history of architecture. I hope AD would also do a Walking tour to other locations, like Chicago , Barcelona, Singapore, etc.

[@felix725]

Yes!

[@jocelyncarpenter5063]

i would like to see 43rd street where tony randall use to live eastside manhatten

[@patrickanderson3104]

Very, very, very informative. And to get a real architect, that's historically knowledgeable about the buildings is super dope👌🏾🙏🏾

[@WitchKing-Of-Angmar]

Exactly, he explained everything greatly and with poise too. The other architects are all by like "the demarque walling is really neet.........are next building is-"

[@luis_zuniga]

I love this series, hope you do one for the Upper West Side.

[@c.aresty]

same!! there are so many great buildings here. as a lifelong uws resident, that would be a dream come true 😌

[@wanderer4285]

These walking tours are terrific. I appreciate the historical context and architectural details that Nick Potts presents in a way that is interesting to non architects. Please do more!

[@barbarawillis5187]

I am enjoying this AD series. There is artistic detail on seemingly insignificant buildings in NYC, also. The city is magic when you look up.

[@gottalovetheinternet]

This is such a fun idea! Loved this video.

[@c.aresty]

Would love to see you do the UWS! Lincoln Center, the Paterno, the San Remo, the Belnord, the Ansonia/Dorilton, brownstones in the West 70s. There are so many great places to choose from!

[@galaxy_mosaic3587]

thank you. really enjoy this content and getting to learn more about NYC architecture. also I really liked hearing about the history of the former Whitney museum as I'd always wanted to visit there

[@jamalrana8504]

Loved this video. Rockefeller centre is arguably the most beautiful part of New York. Classic 30s architecture 🤌🏽

[@gemstonesparkle7915]

I really hope this series to be extended into multiple cities when finished NYC.

[@seizieme]

Paris next please

[@Dr.BitchCraftt]

Babe wake up a new Architect Daddy video just dropped

[@namanchoudhary633]

post videos like this more often. Loved the idea🤘🏻

[@lissaallan]

I've walked to the Met hundreds of times and you can always see something new on the way just like inside. NY will always be my city

[@davidrice6724]

Architecturally, New York City is head and shoulders above every other city in the U.S. (including Chicago and S.F.)..... It's just that the city is so densely packed and there is so much going on that much is overlooked.... People just walk by and fail to notice. It's great that A.D. is able to really point out what there is to see....at a walker's pace. I've always felt that the Upper East Side is architecturally stunning.

[@LUIS-ox1bv]

New York has an incredible wealth of great architecture which is indeed overlooked by many due to the city's density of structures. The buildings are not neatly arrayed on uniform blocks set on an endless grid, like Chicago. The blocks in Manhattan, especially north of 14th and west of 5th, are longer, hence they are packed with numerous structures of varying height and composition. One can easily trace and see the history of modern skyscraper construction in Chicago's Loop because the the historic buildings are contained within a small area comprised of a few square blocks, which is easily walkable, and they are not compressed, nor overwhelmed by neighboring structures. One can stand on the north end of the Michigan Ave. Bridge and be rewarded with a beatiful sweeping view of the Loop, the Chicago River, Lake Michigan, and North Michigan Ave. Panoramic urban views of this nature are difficult to come by in Manhattan, unless one views it from another state, like NJ, or another borough. NYC presents a much complex situation due to its topographical setting, and it's historic development. Chicago presents a neater, tidier urban appearance then NYC, but cannot match the the fantastic richness and variety of architectural styles and treatments one encounters in the Big Apple.

[@PSPguy2]

Nick Potts did a great job, very interesting and enlightening!

[@noorimeldaelle3403]

Hello Nick i am from Singapore i am 40 years old. Wow! Thank u so much for your effort of showing and telling us the history of each building. Honestly i never been to New York but at least i have some knowledge about the building in New York

[@johnscanlan9335]

Whenever you do get to New York please know it's the perfect walking city with an almost unending amount of architectural treasures to see. Fortunately there are so many books available you can easily give yourself a university-level education on the history and development of the city's myriad of architectural styles!

[@noorimeldaelle3403]

@@johnscanlan9335 Hello John thank u so much for telling me i really appreciate it. I am just wondering are u a New Yorker?.

[@johnscanlan9335]

@@noorimeldaelle3403 I was born and lived much of my life there. But now I live out west in Las Vegas, Nevada. I like the weather out here much better. New York winters can be extremely cold!

[@noorimeldaelle3403]

@@johnscanlan9335 Hello John ok good to know that 👍 is another important piece of information. Thank u for telling me i really appreciate it. U are so kind.

[@fortress1133]

I'm a fairly new Long Islander moving here from the mid-west 2 years ago. I love this city for the diversity and the architecture shows it. Chicago has some but not on this scale. Thank you for the tour!

[@user-ck9lk6zm3h]

Nick Potts did a great job, very interesting and enlightening!. Nick Potts did a great job, very interesting and enlightening!.

[@christophermyers3758]

Really enjoyed this video! After my visit to the Met on my first trip to NYC, in 2017, I walked by a few of these buildings... including the Ukrainian Institute, where I came upon a group of Ukrainian students celebrating a sporting event! Very fun students. Loved the Cook block of townhouses! The level of architectural detailing on all these buildings is amazing... I started to notice faces, animals, shields and quotes carved into stone. Overwhelming! I want to go back, and take more time walking these streets and breathe it all in... 🤗

[@marinedrive5484]

Great tour of the Upper East Side. I particularly like Rosario Candela's glamourous and elegant co-ops which for me are the epitome of Art Deco style and class and a defining characteristic of NYC.

[@daddythomas1389]

Thank you!! That was fascinating!! I could have listen to this for 3 hours!! Can't wait to see the next one!

[@ValeryRiver_]

This series with architect Nick and the one with architects Michael and Meredith where they talk about architecture in movies are my favourites

[@sanazintheuniverse]

Love NYC

[@thenorthroom5614]

When I saw Nick Potts on the thumbnail, I LIT-erally said "YES!" out loud because it meant a new NYC Walking Tour video. This series could go on forever and I'd watch every single one.

[@claudiamann7111]

What a great walking tour. Love learning about all the different styles in New York. Thanks so much.

[@Chrissieb.rackett]

Ooh shoot, our angel Nick Potts is back!!!

[@cheamericana]

I love watching these walking tours. I lived in New York for 15 years and often wished I knew more about the architecture

[@carolinejohnson22]

Such an interesting series. Love it! 🙂🇬🇧

[@eddieg6436]

Excellent, excellent host.

[@aleks-33]

Amazing video, I'm going on Dec 1st to NYC for the first time since the pandemic and I'm so ready to soap up all the architecture so thank you for this. 🥰

[@mattbonanza9032]

I love this guy 🥰. Cute and pleasant to listen. More please.

[@lorenzocrovetto1587]

I really appreciate these kinds of episodes. i would love to see something about historical skyscrapers...

[@ThreeRunHomer]

I’m surprised you didn’t include the Guggenheim! It’s in the Upper East Side too.

[@chriscatton705]

great video! Nicholas makes it so available and understanding. Thank you!

[@richoneplanet7561]

the horizontal lines for the Whitney really do enhance and help the building fit in it's location - thanks for pointing that out!

[@xerxeszero586]

The first house showed is where they film the movie cruel intentions 2

[@theotang681]

i loved how potts narrated this tour. so much information to digest.

[@nopetuber]

everything in this video is so incredibly gorgeous

[@basehead617]

i could listen to this guy talk all day

[@WifeWantsAWizard]

(5:48) "...tower in the center which didn't survive..." True story from the 24th edition of the Seventh Regiment Gazette dated December 1909: Charles Clinton was the architect who designed that building (constructed in 1880) and he was a member of the Seventh Regiment. He died in 1910 and the tower (belfry) was removed within weeks of his death in 1911 to make the facade "considerably more important than heretofore".

[@christopheralspach7847]

Amazing! I love your vids and just moved to UES so enjoying greatly!

[@MrCWells3000]

I love these videos- so great to hear in-depth information about the city.

[@michaelforgione8151]

Great video. Incredible knowledge you have.

[@TheChizznut]

Appreciate your knowledge Nick Potts!

[@panisaa.3889]

I just finished the first season of the Gilded Age, love your content so much. Maybe we can dedicate an ep comparing architecture between New Yok old / new money

[@Rantsack]

I used to live on 83rd between 1st and 2nd. I love it there. The buildings and designs are so beautiful with their own stories. Pictures and videos don't do justice.

[@christinagarza7944]

Loves this video so much. Learned a lot because he was interesting!

[@bethebong]

What a blessed time to be an architect. It's all about circumstances. Read, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

[@marcelletalksmma]

I lived in the ues for nearly a decade! It's the best!

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Thank you for sharing your walk there in New York. So nice be there in the Upper East Side..

[@colinmcgraw]

Really cool video - well done! 👏

[@benvenuti_Moscow_walks]

I like to watch the architecture 😊

[@ritabiro5105]

Great architecture....thanks for showing it happy christmes

[@kathleenweinberg6442]

They are some large lavishing building

[@ahotdj07]

I live at 85/5 and learned a lot about the buildings in my neighborhood. I will have to pay more attention when I am out and about. The only fact I did know was about MET.

[@akinaboy1317]

Love this

[@MrSloika]

More like this, please.

[@tyeteames7192]

Great video. Please make more.

[@kanakapono]

Our neighborhood. We live on 72nd and 1st. Would never live anywhere else in Manhattan. We love the neighborhood. Close to everything and quiet at night.🎉

[@montresian]

Thanksssss i am in New York right now and your vidéo is very very interesting ! Thankssss

[@alanajean3568]

love learning about american architecture! very fascinating

[@notfadeaway6617]

Variety of architecture, variety of people

[@kjh3514]

i truly love living on the ues!

[@theavengers.]

Hope to visit new York one day ~

[@jplourde11]

More Nick Potts!

[@johnsonrobertsassociates88]

These walking tours are great. Thanks! FYI, the word is "deteriorate."

[@yaksarahny]

Love it!! Will you do one for the UWS as well? 😊

[@Mike_GA]

Having enjoyed years of being NYC residents we've moved to greener pastures. We really enjoy the NYC explorations. May we suggest a review of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. During a recent visit to enjoy a Holiday Mass, all we could think of was, "What happened to all the grandiose renovation plans?" What did the decades of scaffolding and stone mason apprenticeships produce? Will we ever see the Grand Organ return?

[@rturney6376]

Thank you

[@oswald2358]

Amazing 👍

[@Alexlinnk]

This is really aswome

[@donnagarner2190]

Very interesting and well done!

[@crixxxxxxxxx]

I never knew the top of the MET was unfinished. I always thought the blocks up there were evoking Egyptian structures like the pyramids, blending into the Greek and Roman inspired columns.

[@keno.3043]

My dream neighborhood 😍

[@mrvk39]

I live here and it's kind of boring...

[@BauAuslese]

This interesting video brought to mind the movie "The Anderson Tapes", an entertaining bitter-sweet caper-comedy directed by Sidney Lumet from 1971, starring Sean Connery. It is about the burglary of the Italianate palazzo on 1 East 91st Street on 5th Avenue, which is today the Convent of the Sacred Heart. A lot of really great on loction shots. The Whitney Museum was designed by Hungarian born architect Marcel Breuer (1902-1981).

[@samgoldstein8147]

Would love to see one of these videos for a neighborhood that isn’t historically a center of wealth

[@jeff__w]

5:46 “[The Park Avenue Armory] is missing its central tower. Originally, it had a much taller tower in the center which didn’t survive.” What happened to it? Towers don’t simply disappear, as far as I know.

[@presspound7358]

Methinks that AD hath contributed to knowledge, culture and sophistication. On KZbin no less. 👍🎩🌂🇨🇦

[@v01c3]

That QWOP walk 😂

[@Warren1453]

Mr Potts misspoke: The Duke Mansion (now housing NYU's Institute of Fine Arts) is Louis 16th in style, not 15th.

[@ptgnyc9310]

A brilliant overview of the Lower-West-Upper-East-Side! To be fair, the other 3/4 of the neighborhood doesn't fit the brand as well.

[@theshypersistence]

Great tour! I wonder what would be the purpose of those tall roofline walls as seen in the last two buildings? 🤔

[@walkinginiran.]

Hello my friend❤😍 Thanks for sharing beautiful videos🥰🙏💯 be successful and victorious❤❤❤❤❤👍👍👍🌺🌺🌺☺💯

[@hn6810]

Love these videos! Has he done Chelsea/Meatpacking yet?

[@benb995]

V nice

[@a-complished4406]

Fascinating

[@christianwestling2019]

Interesting video. Something I never quite understood is the border between Upper East Side & Harlem. Seems so odd that there is this fancy neighbourhood and on the other side of the street there is a... not so fancy neighbourhood.

[@mrvk39]

welcome to NYC! Same could be said of downtown Brooklyn areas like Willamsburg, Park Slope next to Flatbush and Bed-Sty

[@ThreeRunHomer]

96th St is generally considered the border between the Upper East Side and East Harlem, but luxury development has crept north of 96th. I was lucky enough to live for a year in a new upscale apartment building a couple of blocks north of 96th. There was a housing project directly across the street from us (never had any problems and it was kind of cool to have such a mix of income levels).

[@christianwestling2019]

@@ThreeRunHomer So its just a normal street? Below 96th there was luxury and north of 96th there was poverty? And none of it crept over the boundary?

[@ThreeRunHomer]

@@christianwestling2019 There was never a hard dividing line between rich and poor. In the video he explained how Park Avenue is rich now but was poor before Park Avenue was built over top of the railroad tracks.

[@christianwestling2019]

@@ThreeRunHomer Yes, but this was well before the area was built up?

[@newbie_productions]

The upper east side can be attributed to many places, at first I was thinking Harlem, but it was just the area where I like to call the “Consulate District”, where a lot of consulates and diplomatic sovereign nations offices come and work. Any consulate district is generally pretty exquisite, and New York is no exception to that.

[@galactyx1]

Barely a wasted word. Superb economy of expression. Seems to speak from memory, not notes. Subscribed just to double down on my approval!

[@youngandrestlessjean3634]

I'm fairly certain that the Ukrainian institute was used as the exterior for the Valmont mansion in the 1999 film Cruel Intentions.

[@uncledmsr]

More Nick Potts

[@alanoneill3065]

fascinating..educational. Check out the CORRECT pronunciation of Jacobean

[@bosdavy1]

Many architects and historians do a great disservice in perpetuating the myth that Brutalism (as embodied in the example of the Whitney Museum) is aggressive or brutal on the viewer/dweller because they think that coined name for the style comes from Brutal. This isn’t so. The coinage of Brutalism comes from the French term “Beton Brut” meaning raw concrete. This movement sought to be more democratic than the loftier, more refined predecessors in urban or civic architecture. Many now prefer to call this architecture “Heroic.”

[@LUIS-ox1bv]

No, "brutal, " aptly fits the look. Live in Manhattan, and as often as I have walked by the former Whitney on Madison, Ave, the structure cannot be more then what it is; a bunker-like fortification with the subtlety of clenched concrete fist. To believe this thudding expression was designed with democracy in mind is pure rubbish. To insert this in a stately neighborhood merely smacks of egoism and is hardly heroic.

[@realtalk6195]

@@LUIS-ox1bv Define democracy because you seem to have a Disney-esque version of it in mind. Architecture like brutalism which lacks ornamentation certainly seems more egalitarian on the surface and is something that could be replicated more easily as it doesn't require specially sourced components. Not that I think the style is ideal, it's good for a novelty.

[@rontibm1621]

Great video. Although sometimes I had hard times understanding some of his words . Requesting to properly mic the presenter. EDIT : I turned subs on and found that hes not finishing pronouncing whole words. eg. at 6.17 it says "particularly" in subs, but hes not saying that.

[@267cal]

🔥👍👍

[@wardajamila2164]

Allah barke kolchi mtawl wowww et 1000 mabrouke sakane jadide

[@lalasotto558]

How about the 57th Street, the most expensive street in the world according to Businesd Insider