4 minute read

HOME TOGETHER

Jessica Gilo and Jeff DeCanio, a couple of eight years, are enmeshed in cultural creation throughout New York. DeCanio, a sixth generation New Yorker and a hospitality professional for more than 20 years, has been integral in the development and management of some of Midtown and Downtown’s most sought out cocktail lounges and mixology venues. Gilo, a New York resident for nearly 15 years, is a publishing professional specializing in lifestyle, food and wellness books. They have lived together on the Upper East Side together for almost seven years.

Can you tell us about your respective histories with the Upper East Side?

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Jeff: I grew up in Midtown until I was 12 or 13. My mom decided to move to the Upper East Side. We moved to 79th Street between First and York. I was Uptown pretty much throughout my entire childhood. My first apartment out of the house was a few blocks away on 84th. I was working in restaurants up there. I didn’t have to leave the Upper East Side.

Jessica: Right out of college I lived in Boston for a few months. When I got a job in New York, there was a lot of chatter about the Upper East Side. I was about to live with really artistic people who wanted to be near the museums. For us, the Upper East Side was this intersection of luxurious, old New York and young, all living together. Everyone I knew was in the neighborhood. There was a familiarity there.

Have you developed a community?

Jessica: I first had a sense of community when I joined a local yoga studio. I started making friends. I started seeing people in the neighborhood that were familiar faces. It was my first foray into community. It happened by frequenting the same places and building a commonality.

For us, when we started dating, the first time I met Jeff’s mom, we were entering into Agata & Valentina on 79th Street, going for a grocery run. It’s across from where he grew up. We’d only been dating for a couple of weeks at this point. Jeff said, “I wonder if we will see my mother here.” Lo and behold, we turned a corner and there she was. That’s the case: knowing the neighborhood and everyone’s routine.

Jeff: There are a couple of specialty markets on the Upper East Side with imported products and homemade cheeses. This was my mom’s market. We also frequent Citarella. There are so many markets, restaurants and bars that have been around my whole life. They’re a mainstay. Memories are here.

What are your favorite neighborhood attributes?

Jessica: We go to both parks. We’re in earshot of Central Park and often visit the reservoir. But we also go to Carl Shurz and have access to the East River.

We love exploring the Upper East Side. One of our favorite areas is Madison Avenue. Yes, it’s amazing to go shopping but you look around west of Lexington and you can imagine the history and majesty of the architecture.

The allure of the Upper East Side is that I love going Downtown to all the scene-y places and then coming home to the quietness and intimacy of what we know. We don’t have a scene that we need to keep up with.

Jeff: That isn’t to say we don’t love what’s new and what continues to pop up in our neighborhood. What we like to celebrate are the places that have been there forever. Places that are their own institutions. We have our favorites. J.G. Melon is it. I live in bars for work. But when I come home I don’t feel the need to go out. It’s just home.

How does the Upper East Side defy stereotypes?

Jessica: There are some of those stereotypes still active. There are women in Chanel suits pushing dogs in strollers. You do see them and how preserved some parts of the neighborhood are and it’s charming. Walking around Madison and Fifth you have this storied part of the city that feels so residential and quiet. All of this exists but people benefit from it.

Jeff: And yet every street has a different identity. It’s got its own personality.

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