Union Square and Murray Hill

The East Side between 14th and 42nd Streets is mostly residential, and lacks both the history of Lower Manhattan [1] and the energy of the Villages. But it does have a considerable quiet charm and a number of quirky attractions sandwiched between brownstones and apartment buildings.

Various neighborhoods make up this section of the East Side. Union Square [2] begins at 14th Street and Broadway. Madison Square [3] begins at 23rd Street and Broadway. Further east is Gramercy Park [4], a residential square centered at 20th Street and Irving Place.

Murray Hill, between Madison and 3rd Avenues, 34th and 42nd Streets, is named for Quaker Robert Murray, who owned all the land in the area in the Revolutionary War era. Legend has it that Murray’s wife, Mary Lindley, helped George Washington win the war by detaining the British officers for tea while the Americans escaped up the West Side to Harlem Heights.