Are theses places mentioned in "The Great Gatsby" actual places in New York City?

Question

Are these places/objects from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald real, and if so, where are they at exactly?

The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg
The Vally of Ashes
East and West Egg

Answer 1

Neither The Valley of Ashes nor The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg correspond to any "real places"; they have strictly symbolic meaning.

1. First introduced in Chapter II, the valley of ashes between West Egg and New York City consists of a long stretch of desolate land created by the dumping of industrial ashes. It represents the moral and social decay that results from the uninhibited pursuit of wealth, as the rich indulge themselves with regard for nothing but their own pleasure. The valley of ashes also symbolizes the plight of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their vitality as a result.

2. The Eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg
The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are a pair of fading, bespectacled eyes painted on an old advertising billboard over the valley of ashes. They may represent God staring down upon and judging American society as a moral wasteland, though the novel never makes this point explicitly. Instead, throughout the novel, Fitzgerald suggests that symbols only have meaning because characters instill them with meaning. The connection between the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg and God exists only in George Wilson’s grief-stricken mind. This lack of concrete significance contributes to the unsettling nature of the image. Thus, the eyes also come to represent the essential meaninglessness of the world and the arbitrariness of the mental process by which people invest objects with meaning. Nick explores these ideas in Chapter VIII, when he imagines Gatsby’s final thoughts as a depressed consideration of the emptiness of symbols and dreams.

But East Egg and West Egg were inspired by a real place.

Until 1924, The Fitzgeralds rent a house in Great Neck, Long Island, a wealthy area about 25 miles from New York City. This setting serves as an inspiration for the East Egg and West Egg of The Great Gatsby

Answer 2

Yes and no ...

West and East Egg are fictional and so is the Valley of Ashes and Dr. Eckleburg. Both of these last ideas, however, are very possible, although Fitzgerald is not referring to a particular place. In every town there is a place on the edge of town that is a garbage heap, and this is nothing new. Also, advertising is just getting started during the 1920s, so a billboard is perfect, and the eyes are a perfect symbol or metaphor for God.

However, Long Island, Manhattan, the railroad on Long Island, the Plaza Hotel (where the big blow-up argument happens on the terribly hot day, leading to Myrtle's death) in New York City, these are all real places. New Haven is where Yale University is, so when they mention that, it's for real.

Answer 3

Not that I could tell, and I visited New York City a couple of years ago

Answer 4

Some are, some aren't.

i like F.Scott Fitzgerald's books