
By Carol Tannenhauser
2021 was supposed to be a turning-point year. The mood on the Upper West Side was buoyant as Donald Trump was defeated, making way for a new administration. And, after a brutal 2020, the vaccine was coming! Everyone was talking about the light at the end of the tunnel.
But the glimmer didn’t last; it was soon eclipsed by evidence that New York State and City didn’t have a clue about getting shots into arms, despite having had three months to prepare. Words like “glacial” were being used to describe the pace of the vaccination rollout. Anxiety was rising. The governor and mayor were fighting. We wrote about it on January 6th — the day of the Capitol Insurrection, when hopes for a unified and happier New Year were further dashed.
But there were moments.
The House impeached Trump a second time and our representative brought to the floor a little piece of us all. The penultimate most-viewed Rag story of 2021 was Jerry Nadler Brought a Zabar’s Bag Into the Impeachment Hearing; Here’s What Was in It. Click on the story — called by a reader, “The best Rag story of all time” — if you forgot.

The most viewed story of 2021 happened nine months later, after the vaccine had gone through permutations no one predicted: from scarcity to surplus; from “Get me vaccinated now!” to “Over my dead civil rights!”
Turns out, neither Trump nor the virus were gone — and a new group was added to the mix: “Anti Vaxxers.” By September, Mayor Bill de Blasio had implemented a vaccine mandate, requiring proof of vaccination to enter exercise and entertainment venues, and indoor dining.
On September 15, three tourists from Texas went for dinner at Carmine’s, the family-style Italian restaurant on 91st and Broadway. A brawl ensued. It was made of many ingredients that had been simmering all year — vaccine mandates, race relations, interstate animosities (Texas had just essentially banned abortion) — all taking place in front of one of the neighborhood’s most famous and favorite spots. The Rag was among the publications that broke the story: Three Texas Women Charged in Assault on Carmine’s Hostess Over Proof of Vaccination.
The third most-viewed story of the year had to do with the ill-fated “NYC Homecoming Concert” in Central Park. We reported on it, from the announcement to the shutdown, an unforgettable moment involving lightning, Barry Manilow…and a Mayor who refused to face reality. Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Saturday’s Central Park Concert Whether You’re Going or Not.
Below are just a smattering of other stories we’re proud to have run this year. Also click on the links within the articles for other memorable 2021 stories.
As for 2022, it comes again with renewed hope. New medicines to combat Covid are being approved, and the word is that Omicron, although highly contagious, causes milder illness, and may be short-lived. Whatever happens, the Rag will be there to cover it and its significance to the Upper West Side.
And let’s not forget the joys of 2021 — the babies who were born and the vows that were taken, the graduations and the brief periods of respite we had when we could more freely do the things and see the people we love.
Thanks so much to our readers, tipsters, subscribers, advertisers, commenters and other writers, and a happy and healthy New Year to us all!
Need Help Signing Up for a Vaccine? A Young Tech-Savvy Person Can Help You
Snowstorm Enters Top-16 in Recorded History; Here’s How to See If Your Block Was Plowed
Trump Highway Sign at West 79th To Be Removed After 1,600 Sign Petition
Proposed Boat Basin Dock House Design Raises Eyebrows; ‘Time to Start Shouting’
Max and the Ring: ‘What Is Lost May Very Well Be Found Again!’
Community Garden Chicken Not Lost, Just Feeling ‘Broody’
Ban Tourist Helicopters, Elected Officials Say; 2 Bills Could Force Limits
The Bug Was a ‘Massive, Hairy-Legged Monster,’ So Why Did He Hesitate to Kill It?
“Blue Umbrella” is a lovely picture. Seems just perfect for right now.
I discovered West Side Rag this year. Now I’m a regular & look forward to being one in 2022. You do great work.
Warts and all, 2021 was still a better year than ghastly 2020. We have vaccines that sort of work and Trumpty-Dumpty is gone. But for a hilarious recap, read Dave Barry’s 2021 Year in Review from the Miami Herald. Just a hint – it starts off with extended car warranties…
The craziest most amazing arc of the year for me was, from calling repeatedly for HOURS, and DAYS to get an appointment for a vaccination to:
“Okay, we’ll give you $100 to get vaccinated… please? How about pretty please?”
We have kept our UWS apt of 35 years, but have moved to CT since COVID. It’s so sad to read not only of the removal of beautiful & historic statues at the Natural History Museum, the removal of a sign designating Trump’s patronage to clean highways, the empty store fronts……but what caps it off is the incredible mean spirit expressed by my once fellow New Yorkers of such negative and trivial gestures, especially that crime is rampant and trash is everywhere. Moreover, ‘white Manhattan’ did not support the election of Eric Adams a man who has his work cut out for him and to whom we wish the very best. BUT what will heal the nasty spirit of New Yorkers expressed in the comments of this website? Not nice and not welcoming at all. BTW Connecticut is a lovely state – ‘blue’ but not nasty.
I entirely agree with you. I hadn’t looked at this publication for more than a year, and it strikes me as a publication from another country. I have spent much of the year in FL and CT, due to family obligations surrounding personal loss. I am in bereavement, yet I would prefer not to indulge in bitterness. What I have noticed is that the populations of these states are living in freedom, have embraced life, and moved on in their lives. New Yorkers do not seem to notice their civil rights have been marginalized. New York cannot be the draw it has been in its current state, and is a shell of what it once was. States which embody the essence I took for granted as the America I grew up in are thriving, and will continue to move forward. Each time I have returned to the city during the last year, it has felt more authoritarian, and that the citizenry is living in a bubble. Given the choice, many will follow the road to freedom, creativity, and gracious interaction. Mr. Trump is not the only former Manhattanite in FL—many are there. I suspect my posting will draw much maligning, but the loss of population here, and the gains in FL, TX, etc., are undeniable. Compulsory medical treatment in the hands of government, rather than that which is arrived at through careful consideration between a citizen and their physician, is a dangerous precedent.
Thanks for summing up a crazy year. Here’s to a better 2022 for us all.
How can I get a print of the person with the blue umbrella I’m the downpour?