Sinatra's New York

Sinatra's Upper East Side apartment has just hit the market for $7.7 million.  Sinatra occupied the lavish 3,000 square foot apartment on East 72nd street from 1961 to 1972.  The apartment's wrap-around terrace with views of the Hudson River was the site of many Rat Pack parties.  According to one story, Sammy Davis Jr. was so inebriated at one decadent party that he began throwing champagne glasses onto FDR drive below.  JFK, Marilyn Monroe, and Andy Warhol were also said to have attended parties there and the apartment saw the beginning and end of Sinatra's marriage to Mia Farrow.

Sinatra's former penthouse apartment (530 E. 72nd St)

Well before his Rat Pack days, Sinatra was a struggling New Yorker.  Although Sinatra had had some early success, he had hit bottom in 1952.  His record label MCA dropped him.  His marriage to Ava Gardner was on the rocks.  He had even attempted suicide in 1951 one night after walking through Times Square and seeing the crowds for competitor Eddie Fisher.  Sinatra went home, locked himself in his kitchen, and turned his gas on full.  Luckily, his manager found him in time.

The day before Thanksgiving on 1952, Frank Sinatra wandered into Patsy's Restaurant on 56th street and Broadway and sat at the bar by himself.  After a meal and a few drinks, he asked for a reservation for 3 pm the following day.  Although the restaurant was closing for Thanksgiving, they opened at 3 pm Thanksgiving day just for Sinatra.  The owner even invited his staff and their families to make it look like the restaurant wasn't closed.  Years later, Frank Sinatra realized what had happened and remained loyal to the establishment til his death.  According to the New York Times, the restaurant was so intertwined with his career that his friends and fans just started showing up at the restaurant when Sinatra passed away in 1998 saying "I just had to be here today."  Of course, the rest of the story is history.  Sinatra began his comeback in 1953 when he starred in "From Here to Eternity" and was signed by Capitol Records.  He never looked back.

Patsy's Restaurant (56th and Broadway) - a Sinatra favorite