Photo by Ellen Joy: “You see a sunset like this and you go – well, maybe it isn’t so bad being home from vacation.”
To those of you who may have been working on your tans or your chakras and neglected West Side Rag, we just wanted to review a few stories that made headlines this summer, so that when someone stops you in Fairway and asks “Did you hear about that thing in the West Side Rag?” you can honestly say “Yes, now please stop blocking me from the spiced marcona almonds!”
As a note to our fact-checking fans: we’re starting the summer at the beginning of June even if it technically didn’t start until the 20th.
June 14: Gun goes off in Zabar’s. A homeless man named Louis Leston Anderson found a gun near the Lincoln Tunnel, brought a gun into Zabar’s, and shot it into his own leg while he was waiting in line for breakfast, according to police. Anderson fled to Riverside Park, ditched the gun and checked himself into Mount Sinai West (Formerly Roosevelt Hospital) on 59th Street. No one was injured, except for him. His next court date is October 19, according to the DA’s office. Here’s what his lawyer told the DA at his first hearing.
July and August: Bookseller crackdown. Police confiscated books from sellers on Broadway and Columbus Avenue who they say left the books unattended, which is against the law. Kirk Davidson, the main Broadway seller, fought the case and won, although as of last month he still had at least one charge pending. Police cars have been watching the Broadway booksellers around the clock this summer. But, as can be seen in the photo at right, that hasn’t dissuaded them. “These guys need to pick up their furniture and move on,” wrote the tipster who sent it in.
August 30. Flood damages dance studio building, sinks SUV. A broken water main on Amsterdam Avenue around 89th Street damaged several buildings and created a sinkhole that literally sunk an SUV. Dance studio and community fixture Ballet Hispanico suffered major damages and is raising money to restore its space.
There was lots and lots of other news and exciting opening and closings too, but those are the stories most likely to raise eyebrows, at least in the checkout line at Fairway. Keep sending in tips! And if you haven’t already, sign up for our email newsletter. It takes less than a minute.
Anyone who suffered damaged and wishes to recoup losses, you must file a claim with the Comptroller’s Office. You have 90 days to file. Their engineering tort division will review, as this resulted from a water main break (NYDEP). Hold on to pics, receipts, police reports.
Its a time consuming process, but the system works. They have a website, which is very informative.
Thanks for info.
PC Richards on Broadway and 87St has been sold by PC Richards as an independent store and has been very unreliable. Incidents of the delivery people stealing from homes has been reported
Warning. Stay away. It is not as it once was.
They are using the name but with totally different operatiom
I think there is a PC Richards on the East Side. Is it part of the old group? Other recommendations for places to go?
Now there’s a question: with (always pretty awful) PC Richards not an option, where to go for appliances? Krup’s on the 18th – gone, Best Buy – yuck. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance to all responding.
That place has always been a disaster. I ordered a window air conditioner from them about three years ago and it was a disaster from start to finish. Missed delivery dates, delivering broken equipment, incompetent installers, etc. Haven’t been back, since.
Thanks Frank. I wish I had known this information 5 weeks ago. I ordered a microwave from Trifon, a salesman in the appliances department back on July 21st and he still hasn’t managed to have it delivered. The whole thing has been a mess, from start to finish. He is AWFUl. Never follows up, always passes the buck to someone else and is generally the worst sales person I have ever encountered. Steer clear people.
Haven’t seen the annoying book guy for the past few days. Were his books confiscated again?
Do you miss these guys, Mark? For years, they have quite literally set up their living quarters right there on Broadway, converting large sections of the street into their combination home/”office.” In all my years of being a resident of the Upper West Side, I have never encountered such an intolerable situation! Have the people living here lost their minds?? In the old days, such behavior would have been correctly seen as panhandling at its worst! Yet and still, liberal West Siders want to show how “compassionate” they are by permitted nt city streets to be taken over by a bunch of ne’er do wells! Pathetic!
Some booksellers farther up Broadway also had their books removed. There was a couple who had books piled on tables outside the Duane Reade between 111th and 112th, and the bookseller outside the downtown 1 train at 110th. They are all gone! There is also a very good bookseller on the west side of Broadway between 110th and 111th. He has a good selection of out-of-print and rare materials.
There are still several random booksellers between 68th and 72nd on Broadway. During the past 2 weeks I was in this area every day for appointments and surprised at how many were still out there. There were also several small encampments of homeless people, including the kids who alternate around the neighborhood with the dogs in tow (they now have a large pit bull). I’m getting a little more concerned about these groups than the booksellers at this point. Some of them are getting aggressive and while I feel horrible that this dog is laying on the sidewalk in 90 degrees I’m really hesitant to approach them and assist in any way. Am I the only one noticing the increase in homeless ‘groups?’
now you have 2 on the opposite sides of 86th and amst..on the south side ( near the coffee shop/liquor store)you have the YOUNG white guy who everyday for the last several months has been trying to get enough for a room( so the sign says)…on the north side (near cvs) you have the couple, guy has tatoos on his face,chick looking for her next fix….welcome to the future of NYC
He’s been ‘trying to get a room’ for 3 years since I first encountered this group. They actually hang out together and coordinate with cell phones then disperse to different areas, some with the dogs, some with the signs, all with the same story or variations of it. I used to help them, and give them food but they said they wanted money to get ‘home,’ so I gave them money and they complained that they had to use any money they were given to buy food. I found out they were sleeping at a church (somewhere near 70th), and I offered to get bus tickets so the one guy could go home to his girlfriend and baby in Ohio, but he forgot which state he’d told me and them gave me a different story when I got there. Very depressing situation overall.
The young homeless people from out of town had been congregating for years in the East Village, but around 2010 started coming up to the West Side. This summer though there seem to be fewer on the West Side than the previous summer/2015.
They are sometimes referred to as “travelers” or “crusties.” They go to cities like SF, Seattle, Austin and now NYC.
Re: July and August: Bookseller crackdown. Police confiscated books from sellers on Broadway and Columbus Avenue
Just today I witness a neighbor donating her books to a bookseller on Broadway. I witnessed an act of generosity and of general welfare for this man and for the community. Here was this man recycling books (Books!) from past reader to the next reader. It was not just the recycling, but much more. The pleasure the previous reader had gained would be felt by the next. What a great idea that is.
Dannyboy, do you know anything about the booksellers in front of Fairway? There are several tables with kids books (they look new) and also several non-book items. I just wondered why they’re allowed to set up there, but the people btwn 72-73 and being watched by the police.
I do not.
My hypothesis on all this is that the Police are responding to pressure from individuals who use the Police as their own private army to attack those who offend them.
That’s very interesting, I know the area by Fairway has always been congested but this was the first time I noticed that so many large tables were set up. Thanks for the feedback!
“it was never “alright” , “hip” or UWS ish.”
not leaving much room for discussion of other opinions with that
lynn, as much as i love you, we need to share our differences, if we are to thrive.
in this case, my opinion is that neatness isn’t everything.
“it was never “alright” , “hip” or UWS ish.”
not leaving much room for discussion of other opinions with that
i guess that’s the Final Determination
The book seller near Fairway sells new books, mainly childrens books. When he has finished his day at work, he packs up , cleans up, and leaves, taking the books with him. This is how the UWS functioned in the past and for the last 53 years of my living here, have never objected to this type of enterprise…..books and art are legal . the booksellers who drink, are verbally abusive and who leave their tables and wares overnight are a blight to the area.
They might have been here for a long time, but since the day leaving the sidewalks filthy , books and tables overnight, it was never “alright” , “hip” or UWS ish.