On Sunday, November 1, 2026, about 50,000 people will come off the Queensboro Bridge at East 59th Street, make a hard left onto First Avenue, and run straight uptown past us. We're at 341 East 62nd Street, between First and Second. That's half a block from the course. If you've never watched the marathon from First Avenue, here's the thing to know: this is the loudest stretch of the entire 26.2 miles. Runners come out of a silent mile on the bridge into a wall of noise, and you can watch it hit them.
Where to stand on First Avenue
Anywhere on First Avenue between East 60th and East 72nd works, and the closer you get to the bridge exit at 59th, the deeper the crowd. Our honest pick is the block between East 63rd and East 66th. You're past the initial crush, the sidewalk is wide, and you can still see runners in a solid stream rather than a trickle. Pick the east side of the avenue if you're out before noon, because the sun sits over Queens and Roosevelt Island in the morning and the east sidewalk stays lit and warmer. Later in the day the west side is better.
A few practical things we've learned watching this from our own block. Get to the barricade you want by mid-morning if you care about the front row. Stand near a corner, not mid-block, so you can duck out without swimming through people. And if you're looking for one specific runner, use the official race app tracking rather than guessing, because at 20 blocks a mile the window where they pass you is about 90 seconds wide.
What time runners come through the East 60s
Expect the first wheelchair and professional athletes on First Avenue in the middle of the morning, and the thickest crowd of runners from roughly midday into mid-afternoon. Citizen waves go off on Staten Island in a staggered start between 9:40 and 11 a.m., and First Avenue sits at about mile 16, so the bulk of the field reaches the East 60s two to three hours after their own start. If you only want an hour of this, come out around 1 p.m. That's when the avenue is fullest and the noise is constant.
The day gets long for spectators. Bring a jacket. First of November on an east-west side street can be 45 degrees at 9 a.m. and 60 by 2 p.m., and once you're standing still against a barricade you'll feel every bit of the wind coming up off the river.
Getting around the Upper East Side on marathon Sunday
Don't plan to drive or cab across First Avenue, and don't plan on crossing it wherever you like. First Avenue closes to traffic for the race, and the NYPD opens a limited number of pedestrian crossings staffed by officers. Walk to one, wait your turn, cross there. Trying to cut through the field is how you end up in a very unpopular photo.
The subway is unaffected. The Q at Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street is about an eight-minute walk west of us and runs under Second Avenue up to 72nd, 86th, and 96th, so you can hop three stops north, come back out, and watch a completely different part of the race with fresh legs. The F stops at the same 63rd Street station. Buses along First and Second Avenue get rerouted or suspended in the closure zone, so treat them as unavailable that day.
If you're the one running
Staying up here on race weekend has a real advantage: you're 16 miles into your own race when you pass your bed. More usefully, you're an eight-minute walk from the Central Park entrance at Fifth Avenue and 60th Street, which is where the finish area sits, so you can walk home after the finish instead of fighting the subway with a medal around your neck and a mylar blanket on your shoulders.
Our apartments have kitchens, which matters more than it sounds the night before a marathon. You can cook your own pasta at 7 p.m. instead of waiting 40 minutes for a table with every other runner in New York. Check-in is usually after 4 p.m. and checkout is by 11 a.m., though on marathon Sunday a late checkout is the request we get most, so ask us early and we'll tell you honestly whether it's possible.
Booking the weekend
Race weekend is one of the busiest weekends of the New York year, and it books out further ahead than anything except the holidays. If you're holding a date, note our cancellation terms: you get a full refund if you cancel more than 30 days before check-in, and reservations cancelled inside 30 days are non-refundable. So decide before the start of October.
No lobby, no key card, just your own front door. We'll text you the door code before you arrive, and if you want to know exactly which corner to stand on, text us that morning. We're a real person on the other end.