By Carol Tannenhauser
April 4, 2022 Weather: Partly cloudy. High of 56 degrees.
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News
In March 2021, 18 concrete modernist sculptures known as the Nivola Horses — for the Italian artist Constantino Nivola who designed them in 1964 — disappeared from the plaza of the Stephen Wise Towers, a NYCHA complex on West 90th and 91st Streets between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. Only their dismembered hooves remained. It wasn’t vandalism, but ignorance on the part of a landscaping contractor, and, now, Curbed reports, after a “painstaking” restoration, “the horses are expected to be reinstalled in a refurbished plaza this fall….[with] new hooves and, potentially, new tails and noses too.”
Last year, “amid what he called ‘the blur’ of formless Covid days,” a former Wall Street Journal reporter walked from his home in Washington, D.C. to Central Park — “a ramble to the Ramble,” The New Yorker called it. This year, in search of more adventure, “he set his sights on…traversing what he calls the Seven Seas of Central Park, from north to south: the Harlem Meer; the Pool, west of the North Meadow; the reservoir; the Turtle Pond; the Lake; the Conservatory Water, with its model sailboats; and the Pond, across from the Plaza….”
Columbia Spectator recently did a round-up of women-owned restauarants in “MoHi.” For those behind the times on neighborhood nicknames, that’s “Morningside Heights” — except many of the restaurants they noted are technically on the Upper West Side, including Silver Moon Bakery, Ortomare, and Cafe du Soleil. You’ll recognize the names of others that are close enough by to easily expand your comfort zone, like Melba’s, Lolo’s Seafood Shack, and Massawa, the oldest African restaurant in New York City.
When Noah Jacob decided to open a Jewish Deli in Portland, Oregon, he prepared in the best way possible, according to Eater: “[He] took his team on his dream trip to New York: A five-day tour of New York’s iconic Jewish delis, bakeries, and restaurants. They ate bagels and bialys at Kossars, kishke and chopped liver at Katz, smoked fish at Barney Greengrass, knishes at Yonah Schimmel’s. And of course, they took the obligatory trip to Zabar’s, strolling the aisles of the famous Upper West Side market and bakery, peering in the deli cases and watching gloved men slice sable.”
Famed Violinist Itzhak Perlman and his wife, Toby, have listed their Manhattan townhouse for $17.5 million, according to VIOLINIST.com. “It’s a pretty hefty price tag, but it might not be much higher than the one on his 1714 “Soil” Stradivarius, were Perlman to sell his violin!” Don’t worry, the Perlmans are not leaving the neighborhood. “‘They raised their family here, but their kids are all grown up now and the house is just too big for two people,’” a friend told the New York Post. “’They adore the Upper West Side. It’s all about being close to Lincoln Center.’”
Finally, it’s official: Central Park “ranks as the single most popular filming location in the world,” according to Thrillist. “A new study from Giggster, a site that facilitates location booking for film sets, reveals that NYC’s own Central Park has appeared in 352 films. This makes it the number one filming destination in the world, outpacing Los Angeles’ Bronson Canyon…” And the study doesn’t even consider TV shows!
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Just noticed that the garden at Amsterdam and 84th St. has been cleared. I believe it had been cared for by students at the nearby school. Does anyone have any information on what’s happening? Thanks!
When I was a kid, in the 90s, my girl scout troop worked on the garden. We were from.PS 87, not PS 9. I know at that time adults were volunteering there as well. I dont know about recently, but at that time children from the local schools worked on it
Noah Jacob seems to have a problem.
Bagels at Kossars?
No, Mark Off Madison if you want to taste a bagel the way
bagel union members made them
Smoked fish at Barney Greengrass?
No, Murray’s Sturgeon
Chopped liver at Katz’s?
No, Russ & Daughters
Knishes at Yonah Schimmel’s. Yes!
Thank you for mentioning Mark’s OFF Madison; must try it if it’s as good as you say.
Half a century ago I belonged to a group of serious young subversives wnose meeting room was in the same modest building as the Beigel Bakers Union. Note the spelling, which was Americanized in the 1960s, about the time that the authentic small, chewy rolls-with-a-hole started acquiring their current soft, puffy, bloated identity, not to mention detritus such as raisins. As far as I am concerned, a beigel without that union dipthong should be pronounced “Bah-gel.”
What kind of Jewish deli tour omits pastrami and corned beef? Liebman’s on W 235th St in Riverdale is one of the last Authentic delis in the City. And Russ and Daughters, since 1914, for smoked fish, caviar, bagels, bialys, babka, and other traditional baked goods.
My Upper West Sider son teethed on the tough bagels sold in 1957. A bagel was tied to his carriage; when he was bored he threw it over the side, then pulled it up by the string, thereby learning cause and effect.
Not much to learn at Zabar’s except the stealth method of raising prices…!
The only place for pastrami and chopped liver in New York is Katz’s. Period. Russ and daughter’s is great for getting fish for a million dollars, but they do not make the best chopped liver even on that block. Barney greengrass is excellent for real Jewish meals to eat in and to take out! The best lox eggs and onions in America, and the best to send shiva bereavement platters. 2nd ave deli makes a decent matzo ball soup and some other soups.
Was very happy to learn that the Constantino Nivola Horse sculptures at Wise Towers are being restored. These Horse Sculptures have been a mainstay attraction to many generations of children from the Wise Towers Development complex and the surrounding schools. They along with the wall Muriel’s, and monoliths in the surrounding areas are a tribute Mr.Nivola’s creativity and sharing of art to public space.
Does anyone know why at around 7pm there is a run of numerous mopeds and similar transportation devices on Riverside Drive?