Non-Stop Shop
Ask any tourist what comes to mind when they hear the words, "New York City" and they will likely mention shining skyscrapers and corporate headquarters, sidewalks filled with shoppers, and well-known dining destinations. What they are probably envisioning is East Midtown, Manhattan, an energetic F line neighborhood that also adds a dose of style with a hidden gem, the Decorative Arts District.

Big Buildings, Big Business and Big Stars
Once a community of tenement housing and manufacturing, today's East Midtown is the heart of commerce for New York City. Here, office buildings containing brokerages, law firms, investment banks, real estate developers and retail stretch more than 50 stories in the air, and the area also has some of the world's most exclusive residential addresses.

Even non-New Yorkers recognize the distinct iconography of East Midtown. It's where Marilyn Monroe's skirt was lifted by a burst of air from a subway grate in The Seven Year Itch, filmed in front of what is now the Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel (569 Lexington Avenue) and where Tobey Maguire saved the Roosevelt Island Tram, which originates from the station at East 59th Street and Second Avenue, in SpiderMan. The district was home to Garbo and Hearst, and is still home to A-Rod and Beyonce.

East Midtown's Bloomingdale's (1000 Third Avenue) remains a destination for New Yorkers and tourists alike, while the nearby Waldorf Astoria (301 Park Avenue), an Art Deco hospitality legacy, continues to serve as a 'home away from home' for American presidents and visiting heads of state.

Decorative Arts District
New York has always been about cutting-edge style, and East Midtown offers plenty. The numerous clothing stores dotting the area offer the New York fashionista an ample supply of goods, but East Midtown's trump card is its unique Decorative Arts District, one of the world's largest concentrations of home décor and interior design showrooms. Snuggled between Lexington and Second Avenue between 60th and 57th Street, the district houses approximately 100 independent, street-level showrooms (many open to the public) as well as the Decoration & Design (D&D) Building (979 Third Avenue) and the Architects & Designers (A&D) Building (150 E. 58th Street), two major international centers for the design profession which anchor the Decorative Arts District.

Looking to heighten your apartment's interior appeal? Every spring, the East Midtown Association hosts Inside DecArts "Shop Like a Decorator" Weekend, an event that celebrates the home décor showrooms of the area's Decorative Arts District. Patrons can rub shoulders with home design pros and merchants and receive discount shopping, in-store demonstrations and educational programs (Visit www.InsideDecArts.com for more information).

Getting Here:
Subway F train: Lexington Avenue at East 63rd Street
E and V trains: Lexington Avenue at East 53rd Street; and Fifth Avenue at East 53rd Street
6 train: Lexington Avenue at East 59th Street; and Lexington Avenue at East 51st Street
4 and 5 trains: Lexington Avenue at East 59th Street
N and R trains: Lexington Avenue at East 59th Street
Parking 60th Storage Corporation, 220 East 60th Street (Third-Second)
Bricin Parking Corporation, 155 East 55th Street (Lexington-Third)
Central Parking, 109 East 58th Street (Park-Lexington)
Central Parking, 110 East 58th Street (Park-Lexington)
Central Parking, 150 East 58th Street (Lexington-Third)
Central Parking, 222 East 58th Street (Third-Second)
Central Parking, 159 East 60th Street (Lexington-Third)
Enterprise 61st LLC, 160 East 62nd Street (Lexington-Third)
Icon Parking Systems, 569 Lexington Avenue (50-51)
Lex 55 Garage Corp., 136 East 55th Street (Lexington-Third)
MPG Parking Corp., 151 East 51st Street (Lexington-Third)
New York Parking 57 Corp., 114 East 57th Street (Park-Lexington)
Parking Garage, 120 East 60th Street (Park-Lexington)
Square Parking Garage, 206 East 59th Street (Third-Second)