Elliman VICINITY: A Conversation with Magazine Publishers Matt Hranek and Yolanda Edwards
by David Graver
April 2026
This article originally appeared in Vicinity: Your Neighborhood Guide to the Upper East Side | Spring 2026.
More than 20 years ago, Matt Hranek and his wife, Yolanda Edwards, moved to Park Slope from the West Village. Both editorial icons who led storied lives at Condé Nast before launching their own print magazines, WM Brown and YOLO Journal, respectively, the couple moved to the Upper East Side in 2024. Experts in the nuances of the luxury lifestyle, fine dining, fashion, and international travel, the move reinvigorated their love for their home city: New York.
Can you tell us a little bit about your personal history with the Upper East Side?
I had never lived on the Upper East Side, but I secretly always wanted to. I guess I was concerned with my downtown image. I always loved going up there—it was always like a bit more of a mini trip to Europe with a big dose of OG NYC. We were traveling for eight months after leaving Brooklyn and this apartment fell into our lap. It was a lucky accident and a welcome one!
To you, what are the most appealing attributes of Upper East Side living?
The Upper East Side is clean, it’s tidy, it’s quiet. It has epic architecture. I never wait for the 6 (which is two blocks from my apartment) for more than a couple minutes. I like the retail experience there, window shopping or otherwise. All my business commutes are easy...I am on the grid again after leaving (with pleasure) Park Slope.
Do you have personal recommendations for restaurants? For shops and stores? For activities?
Foodwise, near us, we like Commerce, William Poll for sandwiches, Ralph’s coffee, Birley Bakery, which is great for lunch or breakfast. Hoexters is also very delicious and has a good vibe. Bemelmans, of course!
Shopping it’s the Ralph Mansion for me. I can’t pass without going in. Sunspel for knits and tees, Beretta for a bit of the sporting life. The Mashburn shop (Ann and Sid). Yolanda likes Tuckernuck. There are, of course, all the big boys on Madison. Yolanda likes Max Mara for coats, I like Hermès for cologne, and there are all the sexy watch brands like A. Lange & Söhne, etc.
All my doctors have offices up here, including the vet!
What makes it quintessentially New York City? What makes it a distinct enclave?
It seems unchanged, established, and architecturally on point. The museums play a big role in that—The Met, in particular, and The Frick with its recent restoration—but so do the people that have been there for generations.
Is there anything you want people to know about the Upper East Side?
Don’t rush up looking for something hip, whatever that means. The Upper East Side is what it is: old school and established, sometimes expensive (we always split entrees now) and somehow unchanged. I am the window shopper on Madison, the guy at the bar with the martini splitting the Cobb with fries. And the most exciting part: walking home! No Ubers to BK or long subway waits and rides on the Q.
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