By Carol Tannenhauser
Monday, July 4, 2022
Generally clear, High 87 degrees
Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events! Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner.
“The greatest city in the world is set for the greatest Fourth of July celebration in the country,” according to the Daily News. Unfortunately, the East River is hosting the Macy’s barges (historically, the rivers alternated each year), so Upper West Siders will have to leave the neighborhood for the best in-person views — or stay home and watch it all on TV. Either way, The New York Times has it covered.
The City’s free summer meals program for New Yorkers 18 and under has started and is available at these locations on or near the Upper West Side, operating Monday-Friday, Breakfast 8-9:15 am, and Lunch 11 am- 1:15 pm:
- PS 149 (41 W 117 St.)
- Wadleigh (215 W 114 St.)
- Locke School (20 W 112 St.)
- PS 75 (735 WEA)
- UA Green Careers HS (145 W 84 St.)
- PS 191 (300 W 61 St.)
Thanks to Council Member Gale Brewer for the information.
On Wednesday, July 6, at 3:30 pm, Amsterdam Nursing Home (1060 Amsterdam Avenue, between 113-114 Streets) will be having a big celebration for 14 residents who are 100-plus years old. Yes, 14 centenarians in one place! There will be certificates going out from various UWS dignitaries, live music entertainment, food, and, of course, birthday cakes. The event is open to the public.
News
A story in The New York Times by Penelope Green recounts the more-than-century-long history of the Belnord, the Renaissance-style building, covering a full city block from West 86th Street , Amsterdam to Broadway, now the setting of the hit TV series, “Only Murders in the Building,” created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman. Hoffman says he drew inspiration from the Belnord. “I knew we could make something as elevated as that amazing building. It is a cliché to say that the building itself is a character, but I like the challenge of getting beyond that cliché a bit. What pulls us out of our apartments to meet people? How well do you know your neighbors? Do you only connect when it’s necessary? The ways in which we get pulled together when we live in these spaces is what’s really interesting.”
It’s also interesting that, when the Belnord had slipped into deep disrepair, the person who saved it was the controversial builder of supertalls, Gary Barnett, then 38 years old, who bought it in 1994 for $15 million. “A decade later, Mr. Barnett and his company, Extell Development, would build One57, the funnel-shaped, blue-glass skyscraper on West 57th that was the city’s first supertall tower and, in so doing, incur the ire of preservationists, urban planners and civic groups. But in those years, he was a hero. The Belnord was his first Manhattan property, and he would spend $100 million shoring it up.”
On the topic of buildings, The Real Deal informs us that Chabad Lubavitch, which “has been praying for a resolution to its plight on the Upper West Side” is now “putting its faith in the judicial system.” The religious organization is suing the developer Sackman Enterprises. The issue is that Chabad bought a condominium under construction at 15-19 West 96th Street, between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, from Sackman more than five years ago to use for “religious, education and community” purposes, but it is still far from finished. “The developer only recently topped out the building, meaning the uppermost beam was put in place,” a lawsuit filed by Chabad Lubavitch reported.” They want their down payment back — and then some.
The Zabar family is being sued by Friedland Properties for being “commercially unreasonable,” because they won’t discuss redeveloping a property the two groups own jointly, across the street from Zabar’s store on Broadway and West 80th Street, The Real Deal reported. “The Zabars and Friedland both own a 50 percent stake in the multifamily building. Friedland ‘s ready to redevelop the property, but claims in the suit Zabar’s vice president Stanley Zabar ‘steadfastly refused to engage in meaningful discussions.’”
Is it possible to find a source for the info that the fireworks will be on the Hudson next year? I thought de Blasio made the East River location permanent because he felt Brooklyn was being snubbed.
My recollection is the last time it was on the Hudson was right before he was elected. I know he’s not mayor now, but it would be surprising for Brooklynite Adams to pretend a shift back to the Hudson.
Really was a delight when they had it on the Hudson and closed down the west side highway!
*Spelling: “portend” a shift not “pretend” 🙂
‘pretend’ is spelled correctly. i think its misuse is a grammatical mistake.
Why share our fireworks with Jersey? On the east side, 3 boroughs get to enjoy them!
“East Side, West Side….”* why can’t the fireworks be off the tip of Manhattan at “The Battery”, where there is a huge public park (with a bathroom!) and it’s accessible by MTA subway or bus.
Since the TV guys need an iconic NYC skyline as background to the fireworks they can put their cameras on a barge or on Governors’ Island.
*from “The Sidewalks of New York”, which was the campaign-song of Governor Al Smith’s several runs for president, which he lost, possibly because he was both Catholic and from The Big City.
The park near the Battery is nowhere near as large as Riverside Park on the Upper West side. You can have a more wide open area for viewing with absolutely no obstructions starting from West 72nd street on uptown.
Agreed. The last time it was on the Hudson was 2014 or 15. My understanding was that they were not coming back to the west side because the east siders thought tax-payer dollars should not benefit Jersey viewers. The West side is so much easier/nicer to view them too…alas.
Macy’s pays for the fireworks, not NYC. The store could solve the whole problem by circumventing the city on alternate years and docking the barges slightly more than half way across the river in NJ waters. The logic would be Macy’s has customers in NJ, along with the West Side and upper Manhattan. Why the dead hand of DeBlasio’s fireworks whims should still control is beyond me.
Good point. I thought there was some partnership. I wished yesterday that they had a barge in the Hudson, one by downtown and one in the East River.
Congrats to the local centenarians!
But is it a smart idea to invite the general public into a nursing home, especially for an event with food and drink so people will be unmasked? If I had a family member at that facility, I would be very upset .
If you’re uptown the fireworks are on every other street 😒
Agree with Huh – and want to remind folks that Covid transmission rates are still in the double digits in many parts of the city. (This time last year it was closer to 2%!) For those well vaccinated, with healthy immune systems, and no tiny babies in the house or loved ones over 70, risk doesn’t feel high although illness is unpleasant. But actually Omicron is not mild for the unvaccinated (protect those tiny babies!) and risk of death is much higher for our very elderly. Yes, be glad if you aren’t hanging out in TriBeCa, where nearly one in five people tested last week tested positive (!) But in Morningside Heights, not far from the nursing home celebrating these wonderful centenarians, the test positivity is still close to 14%. So at an open to the public event – maybe please keep the eating and any mask lowering out of doors?Infection control is still extremely important for that special population.
Interesting history of the building under dispute by Zabar’s and Friedland:
https://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-broadway-studio-building-2231-2239.html
As a nearby resident, I’m glad Zabar’s tries to preserve some of these low-scale buildings in the neighborhood. Hope Friedland doesn’t win and erect another ugly hulk like the one they built on the east side of Broadway and 80th. Who wants another half-empty “luxury” apt. tower that blocks light and air?
The building on the East Side of B’way and 79th, one that had the banners not too long ago: “rent- 10,000 a month” ?
On the other hand, the high rents that Zabars charges forced DSW clean out of the neighborhood… so, as they say in India: “when the elephants fight, the grass gets trampled”.
Inappropriate. Our country is in dire straits. This is no time to celebrate. We’re in the process of closing in on a monster who nearly destroyed our democracy.
Let’s keep our eye on the prize.
My memory may be a bit faulty, but as a child who grew up on the Upper West Side, I clearly recall that my family (and friends and neighbors) all gathered on the grass in Riverside Park (which starts at West 72nd St) and goes up till near the GW Bridge. It was a great place to go and view the fireworks because the park was all open air space. There are no luxury high-rise buildings right up against the river as there are on the East side. Having the fireworks on the Upper West side meant that we could go to pick a spot in the late afternoon (even the early evening around 7:30PM), spread out a blanket, bring a cooler with some cool drinks to stave off the heat and relax as the sky went darkened (had the added bonus of being able to see a nice sunset, too) over the Hudson. There were no tall buildings obstructing nearly every view. By having them on the East side, you have to go early in the day (and I do mean early) to try to pick a spot, then you can’t move from there as the crowds gather because you’ll lose that spot. That means hours and hours of being in what can be oppressive heat some years with no bathroom access usually. So what if the show also benefitted the NJ people? Aren’t we neighbors? Many NJ residents work, pay taxes and shop in NYC. I hate that the fireworks are no longer shot off the Upper West side (lower West side is almost as bad as the East side for viewing, BTW). Generally, as much as I LOVE the fireworks, I will never go view them anymore because of this.