Text and photographs by Stephen Harmon
This week, Throwback Thursday shifts its focus from people to some of the places that once lined the avenues of the Upper West Side.
Look closely. The photographs are filled with details, including objects and services that are no longer needed or relevant in today’s world. That doesn’t include Fairway!
I hope you enjoy perusing.
Stephen Harmon is a longtime Upper West Sider, a retired lawyer, and a world-class photographer whose work is displayed in many of the city’s museums, including The Museum of the City of New York, The Brooklyn Museum, The New York Historical, and The New York Public Library.
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I can’t figure out if these photos make me want to smile or cry (or both). These are irreplaceable images and our family is glad that you have shared them. Thank you!
Mr Harmon, yes please to somehow making a book with them. We will be waiting in the purchase line!
Thank you, worked at Shakespeare in the early 80s. Remember checking out the books displayed on the blankets. And lo and behold: the stores sticker. Oy. (Stolen). Lol
Me too.
These are great – love this series – thank you so much!
Where possible, could you label the locations (i.e. west side of Broadway between 74 and 75)? Thanks!
Why? Do it yourself and have fun remembering!
The first photo is Columbus btw 75/76th, east side of the street
The fun for me is in guessing, not having it given.
Agree. If that is possible would love to know. This is a wonderful weekly feature.
….or Symphony Space!!!
These pictures brought back some great memories – still miss Grossinger’s especially during Thanksgiving ( they made the best pies). Workbench & the Cherry Restaurant were great places!
I was so bummed when the Cherry restaurant went out of business. I lived around the corner on 77th street. Loved breakfast there, sometimes enjoyed after never getting to bed to begin with!
I miss the Brunch at the Turkish Bicycle in 1980… John and Yoko would occasionally do brunch there
…I always did
Yes, the Cherry Restaurant was the only decent place to eat with good home cooked dinners specials every night back in the late 60s Columbus Avenue/75th St. that was the place to meet the local neighbors and eat good old-fashioned dinners. And if I’m not mistaken wasn’t Grossinger’s at West 77th St. in Columbus Avenue and then move to Broadway at 79Th St.,? That bakery was the best old-fashioned Jewish bakery on the upper west side for years and come the holidays, it was full of deliciousness, loved that place.
Two other things Dale, you left out…. What was the best breakfast in town?
The Excelsior Hotel
“The Excelsior Coffee Shop” at West 81st St.
The candy counter was stacked a mile high with my favorite candy Clarke and Fifth Avenue bars and Baby Ruth. I don’t remember the woman’s name that was running the shop, but she reminded me of “Endora” who was Samantha Stephens’ mother and Maurice’s wife. She was an extremely powerful witch. from Bewitched, she wore the greatest makeup in the world and the longest fingernails., I loved her so much, she was so kind.
…And one more restaurant you missed Dale…. how about the Cuban/Chinese restaurant on Broadway in the low 80s? The best $10 dinner in the world.
A choice of Wonton Soup or Egg Drop Soup… the largest dinner dish you ever wanna see with yellow rice, black beans, and fried bananas with shredded beef over that and all the baguette butter bread you can eat. For dessert …their signature “Flan” that cost an extra dollar.
That was the Flor de Mayo–which moved to 100th St.
Are you thinking of the ‘Pez Dorado’ restaurant? A very healthy pothos plant occupied the window and grew along the wall halfway into the dining room’s center. Fantastic food and unbelievably cheap prices! Chicken and Yellow Rice (Special Dominican)—laced with capers, was a heaping oval platter for, I believe, $4.99. My often-ordered alternative was Ropa Vieja (shredded beef) and their cafe con leche was delicious! I sure do miss those days.
My first year in New York City, 1981, I lived in the Excelsior Hotel. I bought candy bars at the candy shop all the time and remember Sylvia well. I recall her telling me that she had been a dancer in her earlier years — a Rockette maybe, but don’t hold me to that.
I loved that Cuban Chinese restaurant it was there when I lived across the street in the 90’s still..it made my winter so fun and yummy..I had never heard of such a thing as Cuban Chinese ..all New York knew about it except me ..great memory
Grossinger’s was great! Every Sunday we went in for cinnamon sticks…fantastic! And they were St. Louis Cardinal fans, too!
IIRC, the woman who ran the coffee shop in the Excelsior Hotel was named Sylvia. She had a perpetual smile and a greeting for all her regular customers. Yes, it was a great place for breakfast. The adjoining hotel was a popular stopover for airline crews from Eastern Europe among other places, so the coffee shop could sound like the Tower of Babel at certain times of the day. There were clocks in the lobby that showed the time in different time zones. It was a local hangout with an international feel.
Oh thank you so much for remembering her name. I will never forget “Sylvia” the name fits her well!
I’ve had so many great talks with her, especially when I popped in for a dinner sitting at the counter late at night. And yes, you’re right about the us single neighbors…. We would all eat at the counter bringing each other up-to-date with the news in the neighborhood.
At that time period we would talk about brownstones being renovated to apartments from rooming houses, me being one of the newest that just moved to the neighborhood renting a new renovated apartment (one of the first three renovated brownstones) on West 80 Street,
Correction, I made a typo, about Grossinger’s, I believe they moved from Columbus Avenue next to Cherry Restaurant to the corner of West 79th St. and Broadway ?
Grossinger’s was never on the corner of 79/Broadway. The only corner it COULD have been on 79th was SE, but that’s where Babke was. I think Grossinger’s moved uptown on B’way to the uppers 80s or low 90s.
Grossinger’s had two locations, one east side of Columbus Ave near 76th, the original, and on the west side of Columbus near 88th. The 88th street location stayed open years after the 76th street closed.
Yes ! Thank you
Between Grossinger’s Bakery, and Babke Bakery… I got them so mixed up and I just moved into the neighborhood in 1968 (I was 19yo) they were both a great Jewish bakery’s and they were only a few blocks apart.
https://www.westsiderag.com/2015/02/05/throwback-thursday-oh-to-be-young-and-full-of-babka
Our family used to go to Cherry Restaurant all the time. Chicken katsu was great!
Cherry, Cherry!
It was great to see those memories of the UWS. Thank you.
Love that bold, simple yellow “BROADWAY” street sign – can we bring those back?
Great photos. I’ve lived on the UWS for 60 years and much preferred it back in the 70s and 80s–despite the crime. It was fun and vibrant. There were so many movie theaters and plenty of jazz clubs.
Wow, what a trip down memory lane! Starting with the Cherry for Saturday morning breakfast. It was such a wonderful time living on the UWS then.
Fantastic…
So many memories flood back with these wonderful photos. I’m so grateful for Stephen’s sharing of what once was.
Grossingers!! a real bakery!!!
What!! No Williams BBQ?
Another staple Morris Brothers–camp clothes for summer.
Putomayo, Grossinger’s Bakery and Cherry Japanese Restaurant side by side! A regular United Nations of a block! Maybe the passage of time makes that throwback streetscape seem more golden, but walking along that segment of Columbus seems a lot duller nowadays.
Absolutely love these pictures. Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful photos! I relive my walks with my parents through these streets. I smile and I cry. I miss my neighborhood so much. UWS will forever be my home. Thanks!
Dobson’s, Ruelles, Cherry Restaurant, this was the kind, friendly time on Columbus Avenue which we need now.
Miss all the street vendors
I’ve lived my whole long life on the UWS, and it’s a pleasure to see these pictures of the ‘hood from years ago. Especially enjoyed the picture of the old Embassy theatre. Thank you.
I love the signs. Dominick and Eugene was released in March of 1988.
wow lots of great shots. Any shots or does anyone remember La Crepe which was located in the weird triangle where broadway and Columbus met? The building is no longer there.
I just tried to send in a comment but it vanished! I said that Grossinger’s had the best chocolate cheesecake ever, Putamayo was a great store, and as I recall, Amsterday Video only carried porn. If you have any photos of Williams Barbeque when it was on the West side of Broadway, I’d love to see it! Also Honee’s shoe store, Indian Walk, Tibbs diner on the north-west corner of 84th St. and Broadway, Rappaports (a children’s clothing store), a gift shop on the north-west corner of Boadway and 84th. called David’s.
And I there was a Barricini’s candy/chocolate store. They always had big chocolate turkeys which came in a little cardboard house/pen. There was a liquor store on Broadway next to Tibbs and a record shop on the same block as Tibbs diner.
Thank you, Steve Harmon. As William Faulkner famously said, “The past is never dead. It isn’t even past.”
Williams Barbeque was indeed a treasure. Had the best rotisserie chicken and the best chicken l have ever tasted. Also, the guys behind the counter were familiar neighborhood friends who recognized you as you walked through the door.
Thank you, Thank you and thank you again! I can’t thank you enough for having taken such wonderful photos and preserved such great places in the my memory and the memory of others. I loved the Cherry Restaurant!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much, having been born in this area & still live here, these photos bring back wonderful memories. Please if you can publish a book
Cherry Restaurant-it was always rice, gravy and scrambled eggs. Lived on 76th street for many years when Cherry was located closer to 76th street, east side of Columbus.
And “Tap a Keg” was across the street.
Tap a Keg! I’d forgotten that!
Looking back you realize how many Mom n Pop’s we used to have. All, with few exceptions today, gone. 🙁
Very first photo grabbed me – Putumayo! I completely forgot about that store. I used to shop there all the time. I have to say that almost every single photo here brings back memories. I remember pretty much all of these stores, corners, streets. Thank you, Steve !!!!
Amsterdams. Great name. Great sign. It looks like it may have been a bar/restaurant. There is a guy inside who is dressed like bartenders used to dress
I went to Amsterdam’s frequently in the ‘80s. It was open for dinner until 2 or 3 a.m. Can you imagine ANY restaurant these days with those hours? In the beginning, it was not unusual to see limos parked outside. I remember particularly that it was a favorite hangout for Liz Smith, meaning, of course, that there were celebrities to be found.
In addition to their chicken, they always had a “roast of the day”.
Does anyone know what became of Amsterdam’s???
Amsterdam’s was a bar/restaurant. Bruce Willis was a bartender at the establishment in the early 80’s, before he was cast in “Moonlighting.”
The “Mutiplex” on 72nd and B’way was before my time but that Workbench next door had a long and healthy run well into the 21st century.
How did they fill 2 theaters in there? Was there a Tower Records on the NW corner?
I don’t know what inspired Stephen to take some of these storefront photos but I’m very grateful he did and even more so that he shared them with us. I remember so many of those shops and restaurants. Thank you!
Ruelles! The beginning of the Columbus Ave renaissance! Grossinger’s! Dobson’s! Amsterdam’s! PUTUMAYO!!!! Seeing these pix brings my 20s right back to me, just love this series.
Good call re Ruelle’s. It began a succession of fabulous restaurants on that corner. After them came Nick & Toni’s, then Paul Prudhomme took over the space for a limited 6-week run. After that, Steve Hanson opened Isabella’s, which was there for over a decade. It is now an outpost of La Pecora Bianca.
My home town still looks exactly like this, including how people are dressed.
Dobson’s was really important in terms of the changes that occurred on Columbus Avenue. It really felt like it was the first new restaurant to appear and stick around. It was the vanguard of the next generation that subsequently birthed Rúelles, Nikki and Kelly, Diane’s, etc . even if it wasn’t as hip or chi chi.
Dobson’s (or should I say “dobson’s”) came along in the late 1970s, and I remember the couple who owned it. They were lovely, and they put all of their hard work and dreams into that place. The stretch of Columbus, where they opened, was in a neighborhood that was pretty rough at the time with very few restaurants that attracted a higher-end crowd. I mean, this was the era of multiple patrons passed out on the Chock full o’ Nuts counter in the middle of the afternoon.
If I remember correctly the owners of Dobson’s may have rented the downstairs apartment in a brownstone owned by the soap actor from The Doctors, Jim Pritchett, and his wonderful family, or maybe they lived next door to the Pritchetts. The Pritchetts were the ones who introduced me to them, as I was childhood friends with Pritchett’s son.
When people ask me about the days of the dirty, old Upper West Side, I always reference Dobson’s opening as a turning point in the revival of Columbus Avenue and the rebirth of the neighborhood. Here’s a great article from the 1979 NYT that chronicles all of the new and exciting thing happening on that once benighted boulevard…
https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/08/archives/discovering-the-pleasures-of-columbus-avenue-metropolitan-baedeker.html
What great pictures! Thanks for the memories.
And good snowstorms. – no more it seems
I miss that burger/pizza joint in the late 70s/early 80s with all the colored lights where they had Sangria with tons of fruit in pitchers. My roomies and I used to go there all the time and they loved the Sangria. Pizza wasn’t bad but the burgers were grilled and they came with steak fries and they were really good and not at all expensive!
Ruelle’s became Nick & Toni’s for a while. Then Paul Prudhomme took over the space for a limited six-week run. After that Steve Hanson took it over and opened Isabella’s. Now it is an outpost of La Pecora Bianca. That has probably been the winningest corner of Columbus Avenue.
Ruelles was next to Ruskays and eventually took over their space to make the big place it became. It was a drug store for a long time and I’m not sure what is in the space now. But it was never on the corner of 77nth St.
Cantinas?
In the picture of Symphony Space you can see the building on the corner of 96th Street that is going to be torn down.
The NE corner of 96/Bway? Are they taking down that building??
Yes, there’s another article about it.
I really miss Dobson’s. They had the best Sunday brunch ever. Not one place today comes close.
Love it! Photo and Fountain Service, just like when I was a kid. And absolutely NO SCAFFOLDING anywhere!
Thanks for sharing!
Sign the Petition!
I wonder what happened to her.
These are great! I used to shop at Putumayo when I was a teen. Thanks for this walk down memory lane.
These photos as always are great! Thank you for sharing them.
Wait, Putumayo was a real place???
Thank you! Love these photographs.
Harmon is a real talent. His work is memorable.
William’s BBQ on Broadway! There was a ramp or stairs to go in. My mother ordered tongue on kashka and I said, tongue? I ate it, it was delicious, and then William’s was gone. Never ate tongue again.
In the picture of the Symphony Space, you can see the soon-to-be-demolished Wollaston in the background–the subject of another article from this week.
I live at 104th and Amsterdam. The UWS doesn’t look like it used to. Most of the stores in the photos are gone.