By Carol Tannenhauser
Monday, August 22, 2022
Rain, high 77 degrees.
Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events! Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner.
Found in Central Park: Pokémon Card Collection. Contact info@westsiderag.com if you lost a collection of Pokémon Cards, and we will connect you with the finder.
News
The New York Times ran a story about the quandry facing New Yorkers vacationing outside the city this August with the Democratic primaries inconveniently set for Tuesday, the 23rd. Should they come into the city to vote?
In some of the leafy villages of the Hamptons this past week, the results appeared to be mixed. Many voters said they planned to head back into the city for early voting or Primary Day.
As he lounged on a bench with an iced coffee in Southampton, one of them, John Lewin, said he’d gotten multiple phone calls from Mr. Nadler’s campaign reminding him to vote and had firm plans to return to his home on the Upper West Side on Primary Day.
“I like going physically — old school,” said Mr. Lewin, a lawyer.
He conceded the two incumbents were “probably not” that different, but Mr. Nadler had his vote. “It’s like me going to Zabar’s,” he said. “I know where everything is. That’s Jerry Nadler.”
A Vanity Fair piece focused on questions raised by the Maloney/Nadler/Patel race. When should the older generation hand the reins over to the next? And is there a statute of limitations on accomplishments?
Maloney and Nadler each have a long list of accomplishments—but many of the moments they highlight on the campaign trail, like Nadler voting against the Iraq war in 2002 and Maloney spearheading credit card reform in 2009 — are ancient history to voters under 35….the race is emblematic of the Democrats’ larger generational problem….The party’s head, President Joe Biden, is 79. Its congressional leadership is a gerontocracy: In the House, speaker Nancy Pelosi is 82; the majority leader, Steny Hoyer, is 83; and the majority whip, James Clyburn, is 82. On the Senate side, Schumer is a mere 71; his second in command, Dick Durbin, is 77. Eleven of the 12 House members over the age of 80 are Democrats.”
Finally, two non-political, purely good-news stories:
First, the Loeb Boathouse won’t be closing after all, according to the New York Post.
A mystery New York billionaire has swooped in at the eleventh hour with a $6 million offer to save the beloved Central Park Boathouse….Operator Dean Poll had said he had no choice but to close the Central Park restaurant on Oct. 17 due to skyrocketing costs. The billionaire then approached Poll with a deal to finance the renovation of the iconic property and keep it open under his current contract with the city.
Second, some exciting Rag news:
Longtime readers will remember our popular Pupper West Side column, which offered unique canine perspectives of life on the UWS. Well, we’re delighted to announce that Pupper is coming back! The column will return on a weekly basis starting Tuesday, September 6th. If you think your pup deserves a shot at neighborhood fame, we encourage you to reach out to Audrey at pupperwestsideuws@gmail.com to be considered for a future profile on West Side Rag.
Don’t forget to vote! You can find your polling place here. Election Day forecast: Afternoon thunderstorms, chance of rain 40%, high 84 degrees.
There is also a lot of apathy about voting because it is hard to differentiate between Nadler and Maloney. However, as demonstrated by the huge number of responses to the WSR thread about the state senate race, there is a big difference between the candidates in this race, so it is really important to get out and vote – it takes just a minute. And you will get cool stickers!
I am supportive of fresh new ideas, but until we get decent candidates, I will support the old guard – Patel is not a viable option. There are some pretty good younger candidates running in some of the other House races in the area. Also, much of the leadership in Congress is older because leadership positions go to those who have been there the longest. So in that case it is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Yay Pupper West Side!
Thank you for publishing my young starling photo taken at the Boathouse and inspired by Julia Zichello’s wonderful starling article. Just one more happy customer/West Side Rag reader relieved on learning the Boathouse has been saved! More fries, please!
It’s a gorgeous photo!
Thank you, Christine!
Re: “New York billionaire has swooped in at the eleventh hour with a $6 million offer to save the beloved Central Park Boathouse”
Gee, And here I thought REAL billionaires (NOT YOU, Donald) were bad, bad, bad!
Guess not, ’cause they do good stuff like this and more.
Yup, they do get a break on taxes, but that’s the fault of our senators and representatives who depend on them for campaign donations so they can pass more legislation favorable to them.
BUT, at least us simple-folk get to enjoy our park, Boathouse, museums, etc.
““It’s like me going to Zabar’s,” he said. “I know where everything is. That’s Jerry Nadler.” Right, so you are all comfy cozy with Jerry. That’s your right. But know that Maloney and Nadler are NOT the same. With Maloney on several occasions demonstrating more common sense than Jerry. She has consistently been tough on crim while Jerry has been consistently soft!
https://rollcall.com/2022/08/18/often-in-sync-nadler-and-maloney-split-on-these-nine-key-votes/
Nadler also voted for Iran nuclear deal while Maloney voted against.
So, yeah, we know Jerry, but I think we have a better option now!
It was better to have a nuclear deal than not, because once king trumpy, in one of his many fits of pique, pulled the rug on that deal, it inevitably started those Iranian centrifuges spinning once more.
And so now we have NOTHING but the prospects of a nuclear arms race breaking out in the world’s most volatile region… Iran vs. Saudi Arabia, yet another huge trumpy misfire, like the way he shafted our Kurdish allies simply because another dictator (Erdogan) asked him to, and we all know what a soft touch he is in re: dictators… or maybe the prospects of yet another hotel was somehow raised?
Wouldn’t put it past him… one sobriquet no one’s ever tried to hang on him is Honest Don.
Nonsense…pure and simple.
Great argument! Your opinion was fact based, with lots of supporting arguments! Well done! 🤪
At least I made a case for my opinion.
“ As he lounged on a bench with an iced coffee in Southampton…”. Glad to hear that Mr Lewin is as comfortable with Nadler as he is with Zabar’s. He might rethink this if he witnesses a violent robbery there or if Zabar’s would have to go out of business due to frequent unpunished shoplifting as did many local businesses.
Before anyone jumps my throat saying it is NY senate/mayor business, I would like to say once again, that the policies and ideology are the same across the board. Moreover Nadler endorsed Bragg and was pro defunding police which he is now conveniently denying. He is a flake that goes with “the current thing” and accomplishes absolutely nothing.
I’d say his record is anything but go with the current thing — against Iraq war, for Iran nuclear agreement. Not exactly popular or easy votes. Too old – yes, like lots of them. But his positions on these things were courageous.
What about Bragg? Courageous?
Everyone, including his primary opponents, the print and tv news organizations, missed Bragg’s position on Bail, as it was clearly on his web site.
Flake? Don’t say that!
One woman asked Nadler about the Green New Deal, which he at first told her was impossible. Seeing this wasn’t the answer she wanted, he said, if “we get more Democrats in the Senate,” it could possibly be accomplished.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/08/19/democrats-nadler-maloney-new-york/
It’s amazing how most UWS people keep voting for representatives that have backed utterly failed policies. Crime, inflation, energy dependence, open border chaos, and on and on.
Party loyalty over self interest. The Henry Jackson’s and Hubert Humphreys are a half century away. This isn’t your grandparents party for a long time but it doesn’t matter. Yeah, let’s keep Bragg and AOC.
Suicidal.
And here we have another republican glossing over one of the most seismic and cruel changes to women’s health and reproductive autonomy. 1in 3 women have now lost access to abortion in the United States.
Vote NO to FORCED BIRTH. Vote BLUE!
There are lots of common sense, moderate Dems out there who are very strongly pro-choice, pro gay marriage, pro affordable housing, etc but are also fed up with the crime and quality of life situation in the city. It is not binary.
The AOCs of the world are so busy trying to show how virtuous they are that they ignore reality. They think they are helping people but so often they really aren’t. I will take them vs Trumpers any day of the week but they aren’t helping the situation and in reality they are hurting it because they mobilize the Republicans.
To me save can indicate a possible teardown. The issue with the Loeb Boathouse has never been a teardown–that would be terrible–based on everything I have read. The issue has been finding a new company/person to lease the place. Glad to know that it will be operating again. Great place for regular dining and special events.
Yes, please vote tomorrow! The polls are open 6am to 9pm.
You can find your poll site here:
https://findmypollsite.vote.nyc/
I’m working as a poll worker at the Frank McCourt HS site. If you happen to visit my table and you mention “West Side Rag” I’ll give you an extra sticker.
Great to hear about The Boathouse and Pupper Westside. That “column” and the Flowers of the UWS are two of my favorites!
Note to UWS residents: you may have spent the past few months or weeks debating Maloney v Nadler v Patel, but have you checked your ED yet? You might discover, that you’re now part of ED 13, and you’re in the southern part of a big district that includes Morningside Heights, Inwood, Washington Heights, Harlem, Riverdale and other parts of the Bronx. The southern westside border runs right down the middle of 104th street.
Your Congressperson is Adriano Espaillat, who is facing two Democratic challengers neither of whom has a chance.
Yay, Pupper West Side!
Some of you could benefit from spending a little more time with a dog and a little less watching Fox News (or NewsMax).
What a stunning photo…So much interesting wildlife in nyc…WHO knew?…
Thank you, Christopher!