UWS Mysteries: Political Teepee, Possum in a Van, Strange Blue Light, Naked on 72nd Street

Mysteries abound on the Upper West Side, even at a time when people are indoors. In fact, people seem to be contemplating even more mysteries than usual given that they…have the time to. It’s like that Hitchcock movie Rear Window. Sometimes you have to sit (and sit and sit) in front of the same window for long enough before you see what’s really going on.

Political Teepee

Someone put up a teepee in Central Park near Lasker Pool in the Northern end of the park a couple weeks ago. And either that person or someone else also hung a sign on it that’s got a somewhat confusing political message. Something about no one dying from heart attacks or strokes anymore, just coronavirus. It’s tough to read. Thanks to Rob for the photos.

Playing Possum

Remember that possum that we wrote about a couple of weeks ago that was hanging out outside the Museum of Natural History? Apparently, it wasn’t so natural after all!

We got this eerie message from a reader:

“I was walking my dog in Teddy Roosevelt Park when a man in a red minivan stopped and let the possum out of his minivan to run into the park. He then went in and parked in the AMNH parking lot. A woman who had a closer view of all of this reported it to security and the police. I’m just writing to report that this possum is not here naturally.

A Strange Blue Light

Sometimes a little mood lighting can be fun. But every night? One reader is confused as to why there’s always a blue light in the window across the way. Anyone know anything?

“In January, my boyfriend and I moved into 101 West 79th street (the huge building on the corner of 79 and Columbus). We absolutely love the building and the block, but are totally baffled by the building across the street from us. Each evening, one of the top floor windows is illuminated bright blue (see photo attached). Pre-daylight savings time the light turned off around 9:03, now it goes off around 10:03. Same time every night. Our living room and bedroom look straight out at the light, so pretty much every evening we debate its purpose, even more so in this time when we’re confined to our homes. We have also recently learned that other long-time residents of the building are curious as well — referring to it as ‘the blue light.'”

Bare Essentials

As the vast majority of Upper West Siders equip themselves up with masks and other protective coverings, others have a bit less protection. The video, shot by a reader “a few weeks ago” shows a man in his birthday suit walking down 72nd Street. The tipster says the man was wearing some sort of barely-there frontal covering such as a sock. This may be the same man that was spotted last year on Central Park West wearing only a pair of sensible shoes and shoulder bag. (It’s not clear if the video below was taken before the coronavirus restrictions were enacted.)

Have a mystery you’d like us to look into, or tell your neighbors about? Email us at westsiderag at gmail.