What's the Closest Subway to Sutton Place? Lexington Av/59 St, About a 12-Minute Walk

The short version

Lexington Avenue/59 St is the closest station to most of Sutton Place. From Sutton Place South at 57th Street it's about 12 minutes on foot, straight west on 57th, then a block up. The complex runs the 4, 5 and 6 on Lexington and the N, R and W underneath, so you can get to Grand Central, Union Square, Times Square or Wall Street without changing trains.

If you're at the south end of Sutton Place

Use 51 St / Lexington Av-53 St instead. From the low 50s near First Avenue it's about the same 12 minutes west, and it puts you on the 6, plus the E and M if you're heading toward Midtown West or Queens. It's the better choice anywhere below 55th Street.

If you're heading north or to the East Side

Lexington Av/63 St is the one to know. The F and Q stop there, and the Q runs up Second Avenue to 72nd, 86th and 96th, which makes the northern Upper East Side about four minutes away. From Sutton Place and 59th it's roughly a 14-minute walk. It's also the closest station to us on East 62nd Street, a few minutes from our door.

Why there's no station closer

Nothing runs east of Third Avenue between 42nd and 63rd Street. The Second Avenue subway got as far south as 63rd Street and stopped there. That's the trade with Sutton Place: you walk four long avenue blocks to a train, and in exchange you get river light, almost no through traffic, and blocks that go quiet after seven.

Buses and the tram

The M15 and M15 Select run up First Avenue and back down Second, which is the fastest way south to the East Village or north into Yorkville without walking to Lexington. The 57th Street crosstown buses will take you across to the West Side. And the Roosevelt Island Tram boards at Second Avenue and 60th Street, a couple of blocks from us and a short walk up from Sutton Place. It's a real commuter line that takes a MetroCard or OMNY, and the ride over the East River takes about four minutes.