Monday, February 12, 2024
Cloudy. High 45 degrees.
There is a high chance of snow in New York City on Tuesday, 2/13, from 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. “5 to 8 inches of snow and 40 mph winds expected.”
That notwithstanding, with warm weather prevailing at the end of last week, it is worth reminding folks of a more extensive breakdown of the seasons in New York City.
we made it to first fake spring. congrats everyone pic.twitter.com/iT9hcbJ6Ow
— New York Metro Weather (@nymetrowx) February 8, 2024
Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events. Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.
There’s a trifecta of holidays this week. Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday is on February 12. Ash Wednesday is on February 14. Valentine’s Day is also on February 14.
News from the local political world, Carmen Quinones, the president of NYCHA’s Douglass Housing Tenants Association, has announced her candidacy in the race to replace Danny O’Donnell in Assembly District 69. She joins Eli Northrup, Melissa Rosenberg, Barry Weinberg, and Micah Lasher.
Upper West Side News
By Gus Saltonstall
As reported by West Side Rag, President Joe Biden traveled to New York City last Wednesday. The New York Times provided a detailed breakdown of what he discussed on the trip — much related to the importance of defeating former President Donald Trump.
Biden made three stops at fundraisers during his day in New York, including at Democratic donor Maureen White’s home.
“We’re here for him, and for the next four years,” White told The Times. “But we’re also here because the consequences of not electing Joe Biden are terrifying,” alluding to a Biden loss most likely meaning a Trump victory.
Biden also made frank references to the point.
“It’s not that I’m so good, but you have to have someone who can beat somebody,” Biden said, also referring to Trump, according to The Times. “It is dangerous for us to be engaged in this kind of politics, because it ends up dragging us all to the bottom.”
The president also joked that he’s not 81, but instead, “40 times two.”
Biden’s first stop was on the Upper West Side to discuss climate issues, the second was a larger reception with Latino supporters at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, and the third was at an “opulent residence” across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Times reported.
You can read more about Biden’s remarks and other aspects of the trip on The New York Times website.
Buildings on the Upper West Side and Upper East Side are growing noticeably taller when compared to other neighborhoods in the five boroughs, according to a recent data analysis by New York 1.
“New York City is known for its skyline that is always seemingly changing and growing,” Eric Feldman from NY1 wrote. “Dozens of taller residential buildings have been built since the turn of the century in two neighborhoods in particular: the Upper East Side and Upper West Side.”
Data shows there have been more than 50 buildings in the two neighborhoods that have been built higher than 328 feet since 2000, and there are close to 100 buildings in the communities with available air rights that have the potential to produce 400-foot buildings, NY1 reported.
The article also mentions the trend of people moving back to the Upper West Side from Brooklyn, the “creative” zoning lot of 200 Amsterdam Avenue, and the 62 parcels of land on the UWS that could yield not-yet constructed buildings taller than 400 feet.
You can find out more on NY1’s website.
An Upper West Side eatery was just named among the best in New York City for a Valentine’s Day celebration.
Eater NY put together a list of the “Best Restaurants for Valentine’s Day in New York City,” and Rampoldi at 49 West 64th Street earned a spot on the ranking.
“If elegance is a passion, this haute European-style outpost [of] Monaco’s royal family, is ideal,” Eater NY wrote about the UWS restaurant. “Toast with red crystal glasses against a background of hand-cut Italian marble accented walls and floors.”
The publication also pointed to the restaurant’s scallops, beef filet, and pistachio cake.
You can find out more about Rampoldi, which serves Mediterranean cuisine, on its website.
2024 is a leap year — meaning this February will have 29 days instead of the customary 28.
A leap year happens because it takes roughly 365.25 days for the earth to orbit the sun, and since we round the number of days in a calendar year to 365, we add one day (February 29) to the calendar every four years to make up for the missing partial days. “Without this extra day, our calendar and the seasons would gradually get out of sync. Without leap days, the calendar would be off by 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds more each year. After 100 years, the seasons would be off by 25 days!” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Any February 29 birthdays among us? What’s that like?
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“Consequences of not electing Joe Biden are terrifying,” I call this quintessential self awareness.
Winston Churchill said the same thing last month.
Unfortunately, the consequences of electing Biden are also profoundly unsettling.
The alternative is terrifying. So unsettling vs terrifying.
Trump just threatened to encourage Putin to invade any NATO country whose dues aren’t paid up. .
Unsettling seems like the better option.
If it comes down to it, I would vote for Biden.
But the specter of voting for a clearly cognitively compromised octogenarian, whose son is up to his hoo-hah in legally and ethically shady sh….. shenanigans,
because he’s the ‘best’ available option against a treasonous insurrectionist?
That is precisely the definition of ‘profoundly unsettling’.
That’s an outrageous assessment in the context of what Trump said about NATO members shirking their financial responsibilities. Trump dealt with this long-standing issue head-on and NATO finally started receiving the proper levels of inflows from delinquent members.
Unfortunately, a lot was due to the Pandemic here and around the world. Supply and demand nonexistent and has taken a long time to get back!
Yes, because Both Sides attacked the Capitol on Jan 6th. And Both Sides removed women’s rights to their autonomy. And Both Sides neglected the pandemic that had us lining up dead bodies in coolers on 5th avenue. Both sides are profoundly unsettling.
Certainly NOT equally! The MAGA Republicans and the Proud Boys caused the brunt of Jan. 6th, if not All!
I don’t know where you get yr information but it sounds faulty
So wait. That incredible, week-long disruption that tied up miles of the Upper West side — was for a single Biden visit to Maureen White? It was reported earlier that Biden had 3 events on the UWS. Gus is reporting only one event took place here. What an outrageous waste of taxpayer money!! Maureen, you’re rich. Next time just fly your donors to
Washington DC and spare your neighbors the security theater.
Week long disruption??? I’m sorry but barricades in the neighborhood for a few days are not a “week-long” disruption. I live down the block from one of his stops and the only true disruption was the few hours surrounding the event. You can review his public schedule – he had three events. One on Riverside and 76th/77th, One at Lincoln Center and on on the East Side.
Fundraising visits like this are a fairly common occurrence for both Democrat and Republican presidents and candidates. I’d rather pay for the security and then deal with the aftermath of a lack of security…..
Biden is so incoherent, his handlers should have just told him he visited the UWS, while keeping him in the White House basement. He would’ve thought he was here, and told people imaginary stories about his visit. Save us all the hassle!
There are no open lots on the UWS. Of course, buildings should be growing taller. This is a better use of space and increases housing.
It’s not about vacant lots per se; but lots where exists good to large amount of unused floor to area ratio (FAR) or aka “air rights”.
West Park church is obvious, there are others.
Only main restriction on transfer of air rights is properties must “touch” or otherwise adjoin. You can buy up air rights from buildings on one entire city block avenue to avenue, street to street. Again long as the properties touch each other.
Landmarked buildings have an out where they can sell air rights to properties across street (IIRC). This helps get around claims by property owners that landmark status deprives them of realizing value.
Strict zoning and the overuse of historical preservation have been an environmental disaster. The UWS is one of the greenest places you can live in the entire country and our population has barely grown in 50 years.
Historical district designation per se does not stop redevelopment of a property. In fact neither does landmark status as well.
Case in point is 14-16 Fifth avenue which sits firmly in Greenwich Village historical district.
https://nypost.com/2023/05/19/nyc-condo-construction-displaces-block-residents-from-homes/
If LPC signs off on demolition of a building, that’s all she wrote. In case of 14-16 Fifth avenue LPC got developer to reduce size of new building by 42% from what it could have been as of right.
https://www.villagepreservation.org/campaign-updates/14-16-fifth-ave/
https://www.villagepreservation.org/campaign-update/another-landmarked-building-in-greenwich-village-endangered-due-to-city-approved-work-at-10-fifth-avenue/
https://www.curbed.com/2023/09/fifth-avenue-construction-project.html
https://www.villagepreservation.org/campaign/14-16-fifth-ave/
Since they landmarked most of the UWS its been extremely difficult to build anything new. So many old ugly buildings with no architectural merit are being preserved. And now with onerous rent regulations that Albany imposed they can’t even be renovated as their is no return for the landlords. The only thing being built is super expensive condos and rentals.
The landmarks ruling pertaining to UWS should be rescinded and only the buildings with real architectural merit should be protected. There are many great buildings worth preserving on UWS but the rundown ordinary ugly building should not be protected.
What keeps many old to ancient UWS buildings from coming down has much to do with they are often filled with rent regulated tenants.
RC and RS tenants cannot be touched usually and not all will take a buy out offer regardless of amount.
Biden needs to announce he won’t run again, and let someone else (maybe Newsome) run. Otherwise, we’re getting another Trump term. Biden is a wreck right now: https://www.city-journal.org/article/bidens-disastrous-press-conference
I don’t understand why so many people toss Newsome’s name into the race. Can you educate me about 3-4 accomplishments that he can be credited with? I know very little about him.
One week after the President’s visit nearly all of the “NO PARKING TUESDAY” and “NO PARKING WEDNESDAY” signs remain on dozens of streets, on Riverside Drive from the West70’s to 82nd St, on West 81st from Riverside to Columbus and elsewhere. Our excellent police dept might hire a temp employee for sign removal duties after this and other major events.
Has anyone thought about the stress on our infrastructure by adding so many “new” apartments…high risers ….. adding so much more to our sewer system, water system, sanitation pick-ups, electricity, ? How about wifi? Thousands more in the congested city as well?