Monday, July 14
Humid, with a high of 83 and heavy afternoon thunderstorms.
For the rest of the week, expect temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s, with daily thunderstorms.
On this day in 1946, pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock published The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, a parenting guide that transformed the way generations of children have been raised by encouraging parents to, among other things, trust their instincts and not be afraid to show affection to their children. The book, which remains in print nearly 80 years later, has sold more than 50 million copies.
Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events. Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.
The Upper West Side Action Group meets tomorrow, Tuesday, July 15th, at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th Street from 6-7:30 p.m. Gili Getz, an Israeli-American peace activist with American Friends of Combatants for Peace, will address the group, which is working to defeat the anti-democratic movement within the Republican Party. Light refreshments will be served; a voluntary donation of $2 is requested to help cover the cost of renting the space. More information — HERE.
UWS News
The UWS lost an environmental giant last week, when activist Olive Freud died at age 97. The former high school math teacher was instrumental in reining in mega-developments — including one by Donald Trump — that, had they gone unchallenged, would have left the neighborhood looking very different.
“You don’t want to be on the opposite side of the negotiating table with Olive Freud,” City Councilmember Gale Brewer was quoted as saying in an article about Freud’s death that ran in City and State NY. “She takes on these big companies and she wins. She’s really made her mark on the West Side.”
Freud moved to the UWS with her husband, Edgar, in the 1960s and the couple raised their son and daughter here; for 25 years, Freud also taught math at the Music & Art High School (now LaGuardia High School for Music and Art and the Performing Arts). In the 1980s, when she heard Trump was planning a luxury development for the south end of Riverside Park, she sprang into action, founding a group called The Committee for Environmentally Sound Development.
“It was part of the agreement when he bought that land that the traffic that originated from his complex would go up the new road – Riverside Boulevard – to Riverside Drive,” Freud recalled in 2023, as she accepted an award for her activism. “But it was very expensive to do, and he thought it would be better if the traffic came up to West End Avenue instead.”
Freud’s group filed a lawsuit against Trump, and won. “So now there is a connection from Riverside Drive to Riverside Boulevard and the Boulevard goes into the West Side Highway,” Freud recalled. “It’s much better [for the environment and traffic] that way.”
Freud didn’t stop with Trump’s project. Other high-profile fights included a suit against Lincoln Center after it cut down the trees in Damrosch Park, which led to the restoration and reopening of the space; and another suit in 2017 that alleged the developers of a 52-story tower already under construction at 200 Amsterdam Ave. were relying on illegal zoning. A judge agreed and ordered the top 20 stories of the tower removed, though that was overturned in appeal several years later.
Age didn’t slow Freud down. As recently as last month, she attended a forum for the mayoral candidates and, according to her obituary, cornered each of them afterward to ask why they didn’t have a more developed environmental platform. And at the time of her death, her obituary said, she was planning to attend yet another public hearing on Staten Island.
Read the full story — HERE and HERE.
First it was pizza. Now it’s ice cream. Less than two months after the popular UWS pizzeria Mama’s Too was named one of the city’s best by the New York Times, and its chef was named one of the best in the world in an international competition, a new UWS ice cream parlor is earning its own “best of” accolades.
Salt and Straw, a Portland, Oregon-based chain known for its… er… creative ice cream flavors (coconut toffee candied mealworms, anyone?) has been named No. 2 in the city by Time Out New York, second only to Caffè Panna, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
The shop, at 360 Amsterdam Ave. (corner of West 77th Street), opened last fall, and long lines already are a familiar sight. Time Out notes that, like all Salt and Straw shops, the menu of the UWS location includes a few flavors tailored to the area, such as Chocolate Babka with Hazelnut Fudge Ice Cream (with babka from Breads Bakery) and Pastrami On Rye (with slices of smoked pastrami from the Carnegie Deli.)
Read the full story — HERE.
An Upper West Side man being sought by police for failing to turn in two pit bulls that mauled a chihuahua managed on three occasions to avoid capture last month, once nearly mowing down a crowd of pedestrians while fleeing a sheriff’s deputy, court documents allege.
Sheriff’s Deputy Jorge Espinal said in a sworn affidavit that he saw Joseph Columbus “violate multiple traffic laws” on June 23rd, and attempted to pull him over. But Columbus, who was driving a black Jeep Cherokee with Massachusetts plates, took off, “willfully disregarding multiple red traffic signals and driving onto public sidewalks to maneuver around traffic, causing numerous pedestrians to jump out of the way to avoid being struck,” said Espinal, who stopped chasing him for fear of injuring someone.
Shortly thereafter, officers spied Columbus in East Harlem, and attempted to block him with their cruiser. But Columbus “accelerated directly towards the officer’s vehicle … [in] an intentional attempt to ram it,” then escaped again by driving up on the sidewalk to circumvent traffic, the New York Post reported.
A day later, the Jeep was spotted in the parking lot of a building where Columbus’ child was graduating from middle school, but he again escaped with the help of the school’s principal, who allowed him to leave by the back door, the Post said.
Columbus owns the two pit bulls accused of mauling Penny the chihuahua on Columbus Avenue in May, and killing a Shih Tzu in Central Park in January. Columbus was ordered to turn his dogs over to police last month, but instead he disappeared, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Read the full story – HERE.
The Center at West Park, evicted last month from the landmarked West-Park Presbyterian Church on West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, will continue its programming just down the street at St. Paul & St. Andrew (263 West 86th Street), where it has been offered a residency.
But the arts group isn’t giving up the fight to save its original home from losing its landmark status and being demolished to make way for a luxury high rise.
“The Center at West Park (CWP) will continue its mission to provide accessible programming, support artists of all ages, and build inclusive, intergenerational audiences, while maintaining its commitment to Love Our Landmarks: Save West Park,” Executive Director Debby Hirshman said in a statement.
In 2022, West-Park Presbyterian Church’s 12-member congregation announced that it could no longer afford the upkeep of the 135-year-old building and asked the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission to strip it of its landmark status, allowing the congregation to sell the property to a developer — a plan that met with immediate opposition from residents, local elected officials, and celebrities, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Laurence Fishburne. Under city law, buildings with active tenants can’t be demolished, so the church sued to void the center’s lease, and when it succeeded, served it with eviction papers.
In her statement, Hirshman said the group’s achievements were significant during its time at West-Park. “This space has become a neighborhood anchor and a vital resource for New York City: a home for artists of all ages and at every stage of their careers, and for audiences of all backgrounds. Its commitment to economic affordability, reflected in its pricing and pay-what-you-can model, reduces barriers to experiencing the arts for families, performing arts groups, artists, children’s programs, and more.”
Hirshman said CWP’s Film Center, staged readings, music programs, Evolution Festival, Object Movement, and space subsidy program will continue at St. Paul & St. Andrew, and at select locations around the city.
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How embarrassing for NYC and NYPD, they cannot caught one person, (Columbus), in 2 months and they have his address! SHAME!
It’s egregious. I hope they at least impounded his car that he drove on the sidewalk.
NYPD gets nearly $6bn a year and is so rife with corruption the prior chief, Jeffrey Maddrey, was extorting subordinates for sex in exchange for overtime.
Adams has made the NYPD an embarrassment, Adams was hated while he was in the NYPD now that he’s mayor he appointed his corrupt friends, promotions being sold. While the people who deserved promotion got screwed. So glad I’m gone.
Wow, something else we agree on.
Tisch seems like she is cleaning things up (?), but fixing culture that has been rotting away under Adams will take time.
Principal who let Columbus out the back door should be hit with obstruction of justice charges.
Yes, just like that judge who did the same with the illegal immigrant.
Universe of difference between the two situations. A judge is entitled to not have their domain turned into an ICE meat market.
False. A judge cannot interfere with law enforcement.
They do that every day. It’s kind of their job.
A Judge can declare a move illegal and un-Constitutional. Actually, that’s his/her job.
Columbus is built like two offensive lineman smushed together, and yet is pretty nimble when it comes to staying free. On the bright side, the criminal offenses now linked to him directly, and not his dogs, likely mean he’ll be looking at incarceration too.
How was Columbus’s sidewalk driving excursion and attempted cop car ramming not on our local TV news stations? Why was he not ventilated by the NYPD as cars are deadly weapons? It seems he has some friends in high places.
The older generation of environmental activists’ focus on fighting tall buildings like at 200 Amsterdam, is misguided. If you don’t allow tall buildings, then additional demand for housing gets pushed out into exurban sprawl which at the margin is removing natural/undeveloped land. Dense infill development prevents this and reduces demand for cars, both are huge environmental wins.
Hilarious. It’s not misguided not to want towering skyscrapers dwarfing the rest of your neighborhood and adding a serious burden on the infrastructure: meaning water, sewage, electricity, gas, police, fire, sanitation, schools, etc. As for housing, it’s all luxury housing, starting in the millions. It has nothing to do with suburban sprawl, either. Skyscrapers are the furthest thing from an “environmental” win. Cars also have zero to do with luxury housing: much of which attracts people with cars, of course. People who live in multi-million dollar apartments don’t take the subway. You must be in luxury real estate. No one else wants to block the sky.
It’s completely misguided, thank you for introducing that smorgasbord of incorrect tropes. There is absolutely the infrastructure capacity to support new housing, these new buildings contribute a ton of real estate taxes to help pay for police, teachers, fire etc. You really think 200 Amsterdam is requiring more police or fire department resources?
People living at 200 Amsterdam absolutely take the subway. There isn’t any parking in the building (as far as I can tell) or excess parking in the neighborhood for all the residents to own a car. Dense car-free living is a huge environmental win.
Look around at nearly every older building, they’re already in the millions. The sky is just not blocked by tall buildings! Please travel to any other large global city, many of whom build much more densely.
UWS Dad-
Actually in 2013, many “younger” people including parents fought the City’s plan to allow development of a high-rise (50 stories) by PS 199.
Perhaps that was before you lived here.
I lived here alright but was not yet keyed on local zoning and NIMBYism as the reason rents were so high.
In fact that is a great example, a 50 story building is not remarkable in Manhattan and having those new units built by now would allow more families to live close to their school.
These are multi-million dollar apartments and kids who go to private schools.
Yes new housing is usually expensive… and now those very well off families who would have lived in those homes are out competing for housing with the rest of us.
UWS Dad-
Well not to be snarky – but if there was a garage being built, would you be OK with that development?
Or might you have a “nimby” opinion?
NIMBYs block new homes. Which we have chronically under built in New York for decades. Homes are good because people can live in them and they provide tax revenue to pay for our police and teachers.
Of course, I don’t want bad things built, I don’t want a glue factory built on the UWS either. This is not rocket science.
LOL it’s just the opposite the heating and ekectticity , AC hot water etc send excess heat into surrounding neighborhood it’s why we don’t get snow drifts like single home neighborhoods in yhr outer boroughs
Uh, there’s no way that 100 families in separate houses use less fossil fuels and create less “excess heat” than 100 families in one or two apartment buildings.
No. Way.
Paul –
Per research, high-rise buildings are not actually good for the environment. Issues include emissions, trapping heat, materials used for construction and other issues.
As you note, sprawl is not good either.
The best are moderate size (10-15 story) apartment buildings.
I agree we should allow 15 story apartments by right all over NYC, that seems like a perfectly acceptable compromise.
Precisely! Apartment living is far more efficient energy usage than a single family home
There was actually an interesting editorial in the NY Times over the weekend about the need for tall buildings in big cities. As the world becomes hotter we need the shade from tall buildings.
Trees also provide shade.
I read that editorial as well, the shade is a nice benefit but the main reason to build taller housing is to accommodate more people.
Trees are great, why not both? Taller buildings + more trees!
You have got to be kidding. Ever hear of adaptive re-use?
Of course, that’s fine and has its place. Sometimes building something new (and taller) is better for everyone than adapting a smaller building.
UWS Dad,
1. She just passed away.
Why not just be respectful that a person passed away? Why the constant criticism ?
Also there were many aspects of her life including as a teacher.
2. Actually there are people of all ages who object to high-rise development.
My condolences to her loved ones, I’m deeply grateful for her work as a teacher.
I mean sure, sometimes younger folks are misguided as well.
Often, younger folks are misguided. At least as often. Humans think too highly of themselves.
In the Freud story: “led,” not “lead.” (But Olive probably knew that lead is not good for the environment, either.)
Thanks for pointing this out. It will be corrected.
The amount of TDS on display in this above WSR article goes a long way in explaining why the UWS is such a mess
“Roughly an hour later, officers found the same Jeep in East Harlem. They tried to block it with their cruiser — but Columbus allegedly accelerated toward the officers, in what the affidavit describes as “an intentional attempt to ram it.”
This is attempted vehicular manslaughter – on a police officer!! It is the ostensible reason that Sean Bell was gunned down by the NYPD in 2006.
This man has now broken almost every law on the books. So I hope he gets the book thrown AT him!! Talk about a menace to society!!
It is absurd that the Center plans to continue their fight with the Presbytery – a fight they cannot, and could never, win. They have ZERO legal standing. Even if there were NO landmark issue involved, we are talking about a LANDLORD (the Presbytery) who is legally evicting a TENANT (the Center). And a landlord has the sole and exclusive right to determine not only what to do with his/her/its building, but also to rent to or evict tenants. So even if the LPC were to deny the hardship, the Presbytery is under no legal obligation to re-rent to the Center.
The Center has a new space and needs to get on with its “life” and stop with the stupidity. In fact, if their celeb supporters – worth a collective $500 million – were actually willing to put their money where their mouths are, they would find a space on the UWS, buy or lease it, and create a Center that no one could evict or otherwise mess with.
But this is all “:show” for them; after all, they don’t get to stay multi-millionaires if they actually SPEND that money. Yet if the top five of them each put in $3 million, they could afford a $15 million purchase or long-term lease that would allow the Center to do its good work without interference. But don’t count on it. This is more of a PR move for them.
The Center would do well to accept St Paul and St Andrew’s gracious offer. A wonderful, sturdy building that has great space for performances and other spaces for the arts program. Let’s face it—it’s time to leave the crumbling building and release the parishioners held hostage for too long. I hope Gale Brewer and others will support this sensible solution and allow much needed housing to be built on the property.
SPSA wasn’t always so “sturdy.” It, too, had a sidewalk shed and support structure around its bell tower for years. And a similar fight over its landmarking ensued when IT applied for hardship in the 1990s. Just like at WSP, a small but vocal group (not one of whom had ever set foot in the church) appeared and fought SPSA’s hardship application. SPSA, too, had been offered a deal by a developer to demolish the building and put up a “normal”-sized WEA building, in which the church would have been given all the space it needed for its congregation and programs (and it has far more critical programs than WSP).
Thankfully, SPSA was able to raise enough money (partly, and sadly, due to the fire at B’nai Jeshrun, and that congregation’s use (and rental fees) of SPSA’s sanctuary while their sanctuary was being repaired) to make the needed repairs to the bell tower, and even putting in a new staircase on WEA.
But SPSA’s current building almost didn’t survive either.
Once any eatery is named “best in the city” or “second-best in the city” it gets immediately trashed. No establishment can ever live up to that kind of hype and people’s expectations get unrealistically high.
Columbus is just trying to save his dogs. He knows that once they’re caught, they’ll be euthanized. He’ll be caught, but the dogs will be long gone. The vicious pooches are probably in Mt. Vernon. Lots of people in the city keep their violent dogs up there.
Gili Getz is looking at the wrong party and the wrong people. Too those of you who go, you might want to take an extra-large coffee. Good luck staying awake.
Put out an APB for Joseph Columbus.
He can run but he can not hide.
Lock him up, throw away the key.
That’s really not how it works , he’s not going to jail. This is NYC , he might serve 1 day at most, also the Sheriff office has the warrant not the NYPD, the Sheriff Office are a bunch of clowns.
Actually, you obviously know very little about the law if you think Columbus will not go to jail (though, of course, a “bad” judge could sentence him to very little time). In addition to the original crime vis-a-vis his dogs, he will also be charged with resisting arrest (multiple counts), moving traffic violations (multiple counts”, attempted vehicular manslaughter (against both pedestrians and NYPD officers), and at least two or three other crimes.
When he is arrested, he will be charged – and tried – for those crimes. And he could very well end up spending several years in jail. And we have not even begun to discuss the allegations (and multiple witnesses) to charges of child abuse and child endangerment.
Yes, he will serve time. It simply depends on the judge how much. And given the notoriety of his mounting crimes – and his clear willingness to continue to break the law – I don’t think he is going to get off lightly.
Actually Joey is right an APB can be issued.
Does that mean this is a civil matter, not criminal ?
It is a combination of both. There will be civil AND criminal charges filed.
I despise the Post for their right wing propaganda but kudos to them for staying on top of the dog story. And thank you to WSR as well.
I do not understand why NYPD is not just sitting outside his home waiting for him to come home then locking him up. He and his dogs have committed numerous crimes. If they know what car is his and it was used as part of a crime, impound the car. And lock up the principal for supporting this garbage – parents at the school should be up in arms.
This story is truly unbelievable. What a miserable human being. And what ineptitude by NYPD. I tend to defend them more than others and usually put the blame on Bragg for not prosecuting, but here it seems like NYPD is not getting the job done.
Then I hope you equally despise the Daily News for their left-wing propaganda. Otherwise, you’re just another partisan living in a bubble.
Spoken like someone living in a bubble. The Post is a mixed bag. Good social gossip, entertainment, real estate news, sports, and local coverage. Miserable and ridiculous national coverage with some of the worst columnists in the business. Propagandists for the current Reich.
Yes the Post uses the popularity of their sports and tabloid coverage to subsidize & launder their right wing political propaganda. It’s not a contradiction.
“[…]American Friends of Combatants for Peace, will address the group, which is working to defeat the anti-democratic movement within the Republican Party.”
Or, in short, to defeat the Republican Party. Fine idea!
From their offices in London, Time Out manages to run a nice market in Lisbon, but they certainly seem to rank NY ice cream shops from there. Salt & Straw is tasteless and disgusting. It is the type of bullshit marketing that may fly in grungy Portland but shouldn’t here.