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Is Time Expanding on the Upper West Side?

March 16, 2025 | 9:56 AM
in ABSURDITY, ART, COLUMNS
28

By Gary Martin

I’m not alone here, am I? Don’t we all do this???

* * *

Gary B. Martin is an illustrator and animator who has lived on the Upper West Side for more than 30 years. His illustrations appear in the Rag on Sundays, chronicling life in the neighborhood, New York City, and the Universe. See them all here. For a broader range of Gary’s work, including animations and other motion graphics, please visit www.martoons.com

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28 Comments
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Neal Leibowitz
Neal Leibowitz
9 months ago

But 15 years ago was an other day. You appear to be talking to a young person; how did that happen?

5
Reply
nancy
nancy
9 months ago
Reply to  Neal Leibowitz

Hilarious.

1
Reply
Amy
Amy
9 months ago

haha! You’re not the only one!😂 My sense of time is flexible . . . !
Great Martoon, as always!👏🥰

2
Reply
Eric
Eric
9 months ago

The memories of my neighborhood are too entrenched to completely forget, I remember more than 40 years ago when a Saturday night involved dinner at the Back Porch, a trip to Shakespeare’s on 80th, Zabars (then open until 10, with less space) and waiting for the NYT to hit the newsstand. I was not alone; Broadway between 79 and 81 was busy all night. All gone, except happily in my memory.

8
Reply
Life-long Upper West Sider
Life-long Upper West Sider
9 months ago
Reply to  Eric

And the wait at the fish counter on Saturday nights was endless, with some people searching the floor for tickets that had been dropped, in order to shorten their wait.But still, it was fun, because strangers talked to each other! This was before David Zabar revolutionized and shortened the wait time by introducing pre-packaged salmon and many other items in a case opposite the counter.

0
Reply
Judy Orich
Judy Orich
9 months ago

With the current headlines what they are ,15 years ago is more soothing to recollect ! Until it all starts to blend …….. enjoy spring fever.

5
Reply
Rosie
Rosie
9 months ago

Funny, but true..

1
Reply
David
David
9 months ago

You are not alone.

2
Reply
Comare
Comare
9 months ago

Yup! I canrelate WHOLEHEARTEDLY! Fabulous Martoon. Thank you. It brought a big smile to my face 😊

3
Reply
Peter Birkenhead
Peter Birkenhead
9 months ago

I feel attacked.

2
Reply
Arline Shenker
Arline Shenker
9 months ago

So gosh darn creative

2
Reply
Lewis S
Lewis S
9 months ago

As they say in the down south
I live down the road a piece of means miles down the road and where??

2
Reply
Ken
Ken
9 months ago

That’s exactly how I feel!

2
Reply
Nina
Nina
9 months ago

Or twenty years ago!

2
Reply
ecm
ecm
9 months ago
Reply to  Nina

Often 50 years ago feels like yesterday to me. Other times, it feels more like 50 years ago.

3
Reply
Terry
Terry
9 months ago

Yes, the other day could be way, way back for me!

2
Reply
Steevie
Steevie
9 months ago

Because of the internet nothing is really gone. Whether it was a month ago or 40 years ago, it is simple to look up.

1
Reply
Sharon
Sharon
9 months ago

See you ‘later’, when I say it, means anytime between 1 minute and 100 years.
So I totally get ‘the other day’ too
Thank you Gary!

2
Reply
Debfrombrooklyn
Debfrombrooklyn
9 months ago

Yes! This is absolutely true!

2
Reply
Joe Chiplock
Joe Chiplock
9 months ago

Why it was just the other day I met the man of my dreams…oh, wait, that was 33 years ago? Well…. it still feels fresh as the other day…. Thanks for making all the happy memories new again.

3
Reply
Ellen White
Ellen White
9 months ago

👍🏼👍🏼❤️

2
Reply
Sarah
Sarah
9 months ago

Seems about right. Though for me it’s more like “everything since Mar 2020 is ‘the other day’, everything before it is ‘a million years ago.'”

4
Reply
Mark
Mark
9 months ago

I am currently in London, and just found out that the cash from my most recent trip here is no longer accepted for cash transactions. Because it’s 21 years old and they’ve changed their cash system several times since then. #smh

3
Reply
Lori
Lori
9 months ago

Lol, so true…

2
Reply
Ian Alterman
Ian Alterman
9 months ago

According to the Simple English Dictionary: “The expression ‘the other day’ is not used for yesterday. Generally, it means anything from 3 days to about 2 weeks ago.”

If one is referring to a time more than 2 weeks ago, the proper phrases would be “in the past” or “in the recent past.”

2
Reply
Eljay
Eljay
9 months ago

Time is an artificial construct (is what I keep telling my creditors).

3
Reply
Steevie
Steevie
9 months ago
Reply to  Eljay

But jail is a real construct.

0
Reply
Joanne
Joanne
9 months ago

This is too funny! It’s true, because life is flying by so quickly that 15 years ago seems like yesterday!

1
Reply

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