By Carol Tannenhauser
Monday, April 18, 2022
Weather: Afternoon showers. High of 52 degrees.
Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events!
News
Four planets aligned over the Upper West Side on Friday — well, they aligned over the entire planet, but amateur astronomer Alexander Krivenyshev caught a shot of Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Saturn over the neighborhood from New Jersey at 5:36 a.m., Space.com posted.
What does it mean when the planets align? Answers range from “nothing” to “the belief that the alignment of the planets is somehow connected to a huge shift in energy, taking us from a place of war to a quieter place of peace and harmony,” Bustle.com reported. “The evils plaguing the human race would finally take a back seat to love, acceptance, and cooperation.” Admittedly, it was only a partial alignment.
From the sky to the skyline to the “skinniest skyscraper in the world,” TimeOut called Steinway Tower. “Its height-to-width ratio is a staggering 24:1.” Though not technically on the Upper West Side — it is located at 111 West 57th Street — its presence is certainly felt through its impact on the Central Park South skyline. “Also known as a pencil tower given its slenderness, the skyscraper style…is reminiscent of the 1970s Hong Kong skyline, when similar buildings popped up everywhere….As usual, plenty of New Yorkers have been bemoaning the new presence in the sky, calling the super-tall building an eyesore and ‘odd to look at given its thinness.'”
Last June, the Naftali Group bought Eagle Court at 215 West 84th Street (Broadway and Amsterdam) for $71 million. “The most likely scenario…is a complete demolition of the 128-unit rental building to make way for a condo tower,” The New York Times wrote. Naftali told the tenants to leave when their leases ended or face eviction. One tenant is refusing — and a pandemic-era initiative may be in his favor. “A renter protection enacted to prevent evictions during the crisis could help drag out the standoff for years.”
A man was slashed across his forehead in an uptown B train on the tracks passing the UWS, earlier this month, the Daily News reported. “[He]…was on his normal commute, with about a dozen young males appearing on the train at W. 59th St. ‘They were being rowdy, eating chips and throwing bags on the floor,’ he said. ‘The main aggressor started stepping on me’….His low-key request to look out was greeted with anger as the youths charged suddenly…one of the teens wielded a box cutter or razor blade.”
“In late 2020, Savannah Wiza and her husband were deliberating how to get their children, who were 4 and 7 at the time, from their home in Harlem to their elementary schools on the Upper West Side once schools resumed partial in-person learning,” The New York Times wrote, in a piece about the growing trend toward transporting children by electric Cargo bikes. “The family was avoiding the subway and did not want to deal with the parking headaches that owning a car in the city brings. Riding scooters uphill was not working so they considered biking, an option that at first ‘terrified’ Ms. Wiza.” You should see her now.
Mimi Reinhard, a concentration camp survivor who typed the names of more than 1,000 Jewish people to create what became known as “Schindler’s List,” and who lived on the Upper West Side for around 50 years after World War II, died on Friday in Israel. She was 107,” Patch reported. “Schindler would go on to bribe Nazi authorities to let him keep the names on the list as workers in his factories, saving them from almost certain death. The story was eventually made into the 1993 film “Schindler’s List” by director Steven Spielberg.”
Finally, Wednesday is the deadline for a contract agreement between the Realty Advisory Board (RAB) and Local 32BJ, the union representing doorpersons, supers, and other building workers. “They have voted to go on strike, if need be,” CBS reported. “If that happens, over 3,000 buildings and 500,000 apartments will be affected citywide.” The issues concern fair wages, health benefits, and paid leaves. Watch WSR for developments.
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And send your best photographs of the neighborhood and its inhabitants to info@westsiderag.com. They might end up illustrating Monday Bulletin!
The building workers stayed here in March 2020 and kept showing up. They cleaned, they assisted, they went above and beyond. They are essential workers who deserve a fair contract. Arguing over giving them one is pathetic.
I don’t think that anyone would disagree that the building workers are entitled to a “fair contract”.
Now, would you tell us please what a “fair contract” should provide?
The proliferation of the multiple super skinny Skyscrapers along West 57th cast shadows far into the park…all the way up to 86th Street. Must we really shade our beloved park so oligarchs can park their money in empty penthouses? President Mark Levine, please bring back the Sunshine Task Force!
RE: The 4 planets that were in alignment over the UWS. Their significance should be obvious to anyone who has ever wondered how the planets got their names. Apparently, when in alignment, their names appear in the heavens right next to the planets, as is obvious from the photograph! The Universe works in mysterious, and thoughtful, ways!!