The Surrey

About The Surrey

The Surrey suits travelers who want a quiet, residential base on the Upper East Side with Central Park within a short walk. Couples marking an occasion, families visiting the museums along Museum Mile, and business guests with meetings on the East Side all fit here. The address, 20 East 76th Street, sits in Carnegie Hill, a low-key neighborhood of townhouses and apartment blocks. Guests who want the Theater District or the Financial District at the door should look further south; everything here is a subway or taxi ride away.

This is a five-star hotel, and the supplier records a guest score of 4.3 out of 5 from 356 reviews. The grade and the score suggest a well-run address rather than an economy stop. The supplier lists a 24 hour front desk, a concierge, security around the clock, a restaurant, a bar and breakfast served in the room. It is a stay built around the Upper East Side rather than around Midtown nightlife, with the park and the museums close by.

Rooms and listed facilities

Facilities listed by the supplier cover most of what a city stay needs. Couples can rely on air conditioning, a minibar and a safe, with a fitness center, a spa and a garden for time off the street. Families have listed family rooms and cots, and a kitchen appears on the list. Business guests get free wifi, laundry service, room service and luggage storage. The 24 hour front desk and 24 hour security help late arrivals. Confirm room type, kitchen access and parking or valet parking with the property before booking.

The setting

The Surrey stands at 20 East 76th Street in Carnegie Hill, on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The blocks around it are mostly residential, with Museum Mile along Fifth Avenue to the east and Central Park to the west. Central Park is about 0.6 miles (0.9 km) away in a straight line, and its edge at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street about 0.9 miles (1.4 km). Times Square is about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) in a straight line and Grand Central Terminal about 1.7 miles (2.7 km). The pace here is slower than Midtown.

Location and neighborhood

Most visitors cross Carnegie Hill on the way to a museum and never look up. The neighborhood runs from 86th Street to 96th Street, east of Central Park, and it holds Museum Mile: Fifth Avenue here is lined with the Guggenheim, the Cooper Hewitt and other collections, all within a few blocks. Between them are embassies, schools, synagogues and brownstones. Fifth Avenue divides East from West street numbers, so an address on the park side reads East 91st Street. Carnegie Hill is residential first and visitor-facing second, which keeps the sidewalks calm.

Evenings here are quiet by Manhattan standards. The streets around The Surrey empty after the museums close, and the nearest loud blocks are further south or over on the avenues. That suits travelers who want a base away from Theater District crowds but still on the same subway corridor. Lexington and Third Avenues carry the buses and a local subway line, with 86th Street as the main crosstown stop for the park and museums. Plan dinner early or head downtown; Carnegie Hill itself winds down with the daylight.

Getting there and around

From The Surrey, Manhattan is easy to work out. The nearest subway stations sit along Lexington Avenue, and the cross streets of the grid make walking to Central Park a straight line. JFK and Newark Liberty are both around 13 miles (21.6 km) away, and the trip depends on traffic and connections; allow time and check current options with the airport operators. The main rail gateway, around 1.7 miles (2.7 km) from The Surrey, handles regional and long-distance trains, with intercity buses arriving at their own terminal on 42nd Street. Tap a contactless card or phone to pay on the subway, which runs all night.

Nearby sights and food

Central Park begins at the western end of the neighborhood, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art sits on Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, at the start of Museum Mile. The Guggenheim and the Cooper Hewitt are within a few blocks of each other. Broadway theaters cluster around Times Square, further south, with evening curtains typically at 7 or 8 pm; check the show. Observation decks spread across the city, from the Empire State Building to the Financial District.

Eating in Carnegie Hill leans residential. Expect small Italian rooms, Japanese counters, Greek and Turkish grills, and bakeries that open early for the school run. Madison Avenue has the denser cluster of places, with a few along Lexington and Third. Menus cover pizza and pasta, sushi, Middle Eastern mezze, and American plates, plus coffee shops that double as work spots by day. For a wider choice, walk south toward the 70s or cross into the Upper West Side. Reserve on weekend evenings, when neighborhood tables fill.

A day from The Surrey

A day from The Surrey: start with coffee and a pastry nearby, then walk west to Central Park and follow the paths south toward the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Give the collection two or three hours; the Guggenheim and the Cooper Hewitt sit within a few blocks if you want a second stop. Break for lunch on Madison Avenue. In the afternoon, cross the park to the American Museum of Natural History, or ride downtown to the Museum of Modern Art. Book an observation deck for the hour before sunset, then eat downtown or return uptown for an early dinner. Check opening days and last entry before setting out.

Distances

Facilities listed by the supplier

As listed by the booking supplier; a facility not listed here may still exist. Confirm anything important with the property.

• 24 Hour Front Desk
• 24-hour security
• Air conditioning
• Babysitting service
• Bars
• Bath
• Bathrobe
• Bathroom
• Breakfast in room
• Car rental service
• Carpeted
• Cleaning
• Coffee
• Concierge
• Crib
• Dry cleaning service
• Express check in
• Family rooms
• First aid
• Fitness Center
• Free Wi-Fi
• Garage
• Garden
• Hairdryer
• Housekeeping
• Internet access
• Iron and board
• Kitchen
• Laundry Service
• Elevators
• Luggage storage
• Massage
• Minibar
• Non smoking rooms
• Parking
• Pay per view
• Pets allowed
• Restaurant
• Room Service
• Safe