Editor’s Note: As part of a regular West Side Rag series, artist Michelle Hill interviews and draws Upper West Siders. This is the fifth installment of our Portrait of a Neighbor series.
Bari Khan, born in Karachi, Pakistan.
Where did you grow up and what do you do here?
I was born in Karachi, Pakistan. Raised in Damascus, Syria and Islamabad, Pakistan before coming to the States. My parents and my family are from Bangladesh. I work for the city of New York, and am a senior finance manager for the Health Department. Before joining the City of New York, I worked in Wall Street. I have lived in the Upper West Side almost all my life, for over 40 years.
Why did you move here?
My family was transferred here because my dad was working for the United Nations at the time. We moved to 70th Street between Columbus and Broadway in the very early 70s and loved the neighborhood and somehow never moved out of the UWS despite so many opportunities for more spacious housing.
What do you love about the Upper West Side?
It was one of the most comfortable neighborhoods in NYC – sandwiched between two parks and accessible to all the best this City has to offer. Museums, great Ma and Pa stores (at that time), restaurants and really nice buildings. Some old and some new. Columbus Circle is one of my favorite squares in the world.
What frustrates you about the new Upper West Side?
The changing landscape of new skyscrapers and mall-type mega stores. This neighborhood doesn’t really have the infrastructure to support all of the current development projects that this Mayor has allowed in the past decade. The subways and sidewalks and already over crowded and traffic is a mess. The good public schools all have waiting lists which is unusual for NYC and the prices for everything have skyrocketed due to high rents. I miss this neighborhood being middle-class and diversified and most important…very personal and friendly.
What would you like the new mayor to change?
Absolutely build more schools and more traffic control. The bike lanes on Columbus and other avenues make car travel during rush hours almost impossible and with two parks – we should be more concerned about the businesses and pedestrians than solo bikers who may or may not use the lanes. As an owner of a car (have to use for work) we have lost so many valuable parking spots and the congestion is so bad for the environment and for traffic. Also, the Mayor has definitely given many breaks to luxury high rises, which are pretty but force small businesses to close (they simply cannot afford the rents regardless of how good business is) and drives out the middle and less economically advantaged communities. Those are the families and individuals who made this neighborhood so special and wonderful. I should know – I have grown up in this neighborhood.
To read more from this series, click here.
Bari’s frustration (in Q-4) reflects hundreds of thousands of inhabitants of Manhattan which believe that the construction projects in the last 15 years were a sort of rape of the unique urban harmony known for the Westside. It has severely affected all aspects of residential, commuting, and infrastructure which used to be pretty balanced until a decade ago.