Marmara, 301 East 94th Street

"The northeast quadrant of the Upper East Side has been slow to be redeveloped, but the gentrification process is underway as this 31-story, red-brick apartment tower demonstrates. Erected as a condominium with 108 apartments in 1991, it has a very impressive lobby and a well-designed corner plaza as well as excellent views over its low-rise neighbors. The plaza has extensive landscaping and wooden benches for sitting beside tall planters that also enclose a disabled access ramp. The canopied entrance leads up a few stairs to the arched, tall entrance into the lobby, which is lined with rich tapestry-like fabric and has a very attractive rear Japanese-style garden visible through a glass wall. The entrance façade is a dark red polished granite and the lower two floors are faced in limestone and the second floor has green awnings. The building, which has a concierge, is setback from both the avenue and the sidestreet but also is staggered along the sidestreet to create more corner bay windows that give it a more interesting form. This section of the Upper East Side is east of the very popular Carneige Hill neighborhood and is sprinkled with several impressive high-rise apartment towers and numerous restaurants. Cross-town bus service is available on 96th Street where there is a subway station at Lexington Avenue as well as numerous playgrounds to the east and the entrances to the FDR Drive. Some service stations are also nearby on First Avenue. With good views and its attractive entrance, this is one of the more desirable addresses in this neighborhood." Read Carter's Full Review