With a glorious past and an even brighter future, the East 57th Street shopping corridor is poised to offer something for almost everyone. Long identified with such haute couture as Louis Vuitton, Yves St. Laurent, Chanel, Dior, Prada on the north side of the street (between Madison and Fifth Avenues) and Tiffany & Co., Tourneau, Christian LaCroix, Buccellati and Turnbull & Astor on the south side, it’s window shopping paradise to the throngs of tourists enamored by the famous area and a second home to the shopping elite.

But it’s not only couture that keeps the strip chic and vibrant; East 57th Street has successfully managed to incorporate change into its retail profile over the years. More mainstream destinations such as Niketown, Borders and Victoria’s Secret have been able to meet the high rents of the street and share the rarified image of the ultra chic fashion shops lined up from Fifth Avenue to Park Avenue. This eclectic mix of retail, comprised of designer and national brands, has resulted in a total shopping experience that runs the gamut for passionate shoppers.

Moreover, 57th Street continues to move towards the East River without losing any cachet. With the landmark D&D building on Third Avenue between 58th & 59th Street holding court, such high design retailers as Hammacher Schlemmer, Waterworks and Maurice Villency along East 57th Street have the advantage of high visibility just around the corner from the ultimate designers’ destination building. Moving further east, the retail mix becomes more service-oriented to accommodate a residential profile that predominates at that end of the corridor. So much so, that the World Wide Group’s new 1 million square-foot mixed-use development, which will include rental and for-sale residential units and two public schools, i.e., PS 57 and the High School of Art and Design, will also feature 170,000 square feet of prime retail space. Anchoring the retail in a 47,000-squarefoot space will be Whole Foods Market, scheduled to open in 2012.

East 57th Street is Delicious!

While the splendid Whole Foods opens four years from now, shoppers and residents along East 57th Street still need to dine in style. Fortunately, there are abundant choices in this distinctively high-end area that include recent additions, well-established and elegant standards, casual dining and the ultimate in haute cuisine. When L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon opened at the regal Four Season Hotel, it immediately attracted a coterie of dedicated fine dining aficionados. In the two years since opening, the restaurant has added another Michelin Star to M. Robuchon’s 17 deserved honors and has become one of the most important destinations for both unparalleled cuisine and a place to be seen.

One block east, between Park and Lexington Avenues, über chef Laurent Tourondel’s elite chophouse BLT Steak reinforces the presence of fine cuisine.

On the same block is the grand 4,000-square-foot French restaurant and lounge Opia in the charming Hotel 57 at 130 East 57th Street. Moving east in both cuisine and direction is Indochine-inspired eatery Le Colonial, a discreet haven in an elegant townhouse with palm trees and exotic ambiance. And the appropriate finish to this eastern route to fine dining along 57th Street is Mr. Chow, synonymous with New York sophistication for more than three decades.

East or West , 57th Street is Best

The concentration of designers so identified with East 57th Street actually begins on the west side of the corridor between Sixth and Fifth Avenues, where Bergdorf Goodman is majestically poised between Fortunoff’s and Van Cleef & Arpels and on the other side of the street Bulgari anchors the corner. Happy news for the well-heeled; on the horizon is an array of merchants poised to thrill all dedicated shoppers, including Prada-owned Miu Miu at 11 East 57th Street, Audemars Piguet Swiss watches at 65 East 57th Street and internationally renowned Biedermeier importer Iliad Antik at 212 East 57th Street.

Unlike any other shopping corridors in Manhattan, East 57th Street has found a balance that includes international designers and national brands. There is a retail presence here that is able to provide something familiar and exciting to European tourists, visitors from the heartland and local New Yorkers, alike. Simply put, 57th Street is top notch shopping terrain!