We have all, at one point in our lives, imagined what it would be like to live like the rich and famous. To not worry about petty problems like grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning. Running errands are for the lower class who can't afford to hire someone to do that for them. If you're telling yourself that you’ve never wished for a little more in life, then you're simply lying to yourself. We as human beings are selfish, we want more. We also like to live vicariously through fictional television characters. Welcome to the Upper East Side of New York. Manhattan, to be exact.
A glorious place where privileged parents mingle with money, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with their offspring. Let's go for a journey into the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite and the not so elite... How do they compare? This sounds familiar, right? Admit it, right now you're picturing lonely boy Dan Humphrey drooling over the ever-so-elusive Serena van der Woodsen.
The popular CW drama "Gossip Girl" aired from 2007 through 2012. The show opened our eyes to a new world: The Upper East Side of Manhattan, and if you’ve ever watched the show, you’ve probably thought to yourself, “Is the UES really like that?" As an ex-Upper East Sider, I’m here to set the record straight on three major elements the show sets up the UES to portray: beauty, fashion, and money.
1. Beauty
Beauty is a huge factor of the show! Not only is the main cast beyond gorgeous, but have you ever taken a look at the extras walking around? "Gossip Girl" portrays not only everyone on the UES as beautiful, but apparently everyone on the entire island is, as well! Although there are many beautiful people in Manhattan, especially on the UES, there are just as many non-beautiful people, just like any other big city.
2. Fashion
Fashion in New York City is unlike fashion anywhere else in the world! The range of what's trendy goes from the hottest new arrivals at Urban Outfitters to ready-to-wear Prada and Balmain. There are many Upper East Siders who do treat the city streets as their own personal catwalk. It’s not uncommon to see Burberry trench coats along with the matching umbrellas and rain boots, or tweed Chanel suits. But, you’re honestly more likely to run into a young nanny dressed in Lululemon and Nike trainers than you are a Blair Waldorf look-alike, dressed head to toe in Chanel.
3. Money
I’ll be honest, this is the most accurate aspect that the show portrays. The Upper East Side is not only one of the most expensive places to live in the country, but it's also the most expensive place to live in NYC. A studio apartment on the UES will run you a minimum of $3,000 a month in rent, and to buy that same apartment would easily cost you half a million dollars. NYC is a very affluent place in general, but the UES brings a new meaning to wealthy. Currently, the most expensive apartment on the market on the UES is $86 million. You may look at that number and think that it would be impossible for anyone to afford that, but when you live in a city with some of the world's richest billionaires and Wall Streeters, who annually make a couple million dollars, that number isn’t much of a fantasy anymore.
Reality isn’t always like the television shows, but in this case, it comes pretty close. The CW hit "Gossip Girl" portrayed a pretty accurate vision of the UES, but didn’t hit all the marks. But let's be honest. If the Upper East Side was as great as "Gossip Girl" makes it out to be, we would all want to live there!
