By West Side Rag
2025 was another banner readership year for West Side Rag. Our coverage of the Upper West Side got more than 11.5 million page views over the past 12 months.
The list of the year’s most-viewed stories reflects the diversity of what interests readers in our neighborhood, from tales about real estate and food, to more newsy items about the closure of a 236-year-old school, the rat invasion at West 96th Street, and a baseball coach’s defiance when ICE showed up in Riverside Park.
Along with our most-read pieces, we covered dozens of other major neighborhood stories, including the dogs that attacked Penny the chihuahua and the subsequent legal fallout, the ongoing debate over the fate of West-Park Presbyterian Church, and what progress got made on the Metro Theater restoration. We covered scaffolding stories up and down the neighborhood, published a survey of UWS vacant storefronts, and brought you the first pictures of the two daredevils who climbed to the top of the El Dorado’s towers in March.
And throughout the year, we introduced you to a wide variety of people who live and work on the UWS, among them: the new commander of Police Precinct 24, the first candidate in the highly competitive race to replace longtime Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Central Park horse carriage driver whose livelihood is under threat, a group of octogenarians and nonagenarians who meet almost daily at a bench in Central Park, a Nutcracker soloist, and West Side Rag’s new comments moderator.
Thank you to all the readers who visited West Side Rag in 2025 and to the many of you who have supported us financially. We’ll continue to grow in 2026!
Here are the top 10 most-read stories from the year that was.
10. Upper West Side Italian Restaurant Named to Michelin Guide
9. Rare Upper West Side Home For Sale on Hidden Old English-Styled Village Block
Rare Upper West Side Home For Sale on Hidden Old English-Styled Village Block
8. Ben Stiller Sells Parents’ UWS Apartment, Preserves Legacy in New Documentary
Ben Stiller Sells Parents’ UWS Apartment, Preserves Legacy in New Documentary
7. UWS Jacob’s Pickles Reopens Following Health Department Closure
UPDATE II: UWS Jacob’s Pickles Reopens Following Health Department Closure
6. 2 Housing Lotteries Launch on the Upper West Side: Apartment Offered for $61K
2 Housing Lotteries Launch on the Upper West Side: Apartment Offered for $61K
5. Monday Bulletin: Parents Seek to Transfer Children Out of NYC Private Schools After Mamdani Victory
4. A Baseball Coach Says He Fended Off ICE Agents Questioning Kids on the Upper West Side
A Baseball Coach Says He Fended Off ICE Agents Questioning Kids on the Upper West Side
3. Upper West Side School Set for June Closure After 236 Years
2. The Rat Swarm of West 96th Street: ‘I’m Beyond Horrified’
UPDATE: The Rat Swarm of West 96th Street: ‘I’m Beyond Horrified’
1. The Last Holdout Tenant of an UWS Townhouse Prepares for Another Winter Without Heat or Hot Water
The Last Holdout Tenant of an UWS Townhouse Prepares for Another Winter Without Heat or Hot Water
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The Absolute Bagels saga didn’t make the list?!?! 😉
“The El Dorado” is redundant
So is Mississippi. The original name reportedly was “pi”and the way you said “river” was “sip,’ so it was the sip pi. Then a population/language shift occurred. The new indigenous tribe’s word for “river” was “sis,” so it became “sissippi.” With all the new accretions for the word “river” the name now means “river river river river river.” So, don’t worry about two “the’s” in the name of the building located at 300 Central Park West.
One might make the same claim regarding the UK band The The. I wouldn’t.
Then there’s the band that covers songs by the the classic 1960s group “The Band,” who call themselves “The ‘The Band’ Band.”
I tried Sempre Oggi (#10 on this list) for the first time a few days ago. My impressions are set out thusly: The food was very good, the prices are pretty steep, the atmosphere is bustling, and the service, while well-meaning, was lackluster. To illustrate the last point, I offer this: I waited nearly half an hour for an appetizer and was literally unable to inquire as to its whereabouts because the staff would whiz by so quickly it was impossible to get anyone’s attention. Finally, the waiter appeared and said my entree would be arriving momentarily, whereupon I had to break the unfortunate news to them that I never received the appetizer. They seemed surprised, perhaps annoyed, but definitely not apologetic, which I found surprising. So in summation, despite the good food, the bustle is a bit much for my taste and I’ll refrain from future visits.
They did not end up getting any Michelin recognition, just an FYI
Great list and thanks for all of your hard work. Not the stories I would have guessed. I thought some of the ones you mentioned above would have gotten more hits.
Speaking of which, any update on the killer pit bull and its awful owner? You have been doing a great job of covering that and any updates would be much appreciated. Thanks!
There were two pit bulls owned by Joseph Columbus (or one by C and one by his female associate; I think he gave out different stories about ownership of the dogs).
I thought it was two but wasn’t sure – thank you for confirming. I don’t think that impacts my request.
Thanks again to WSR for hopefully following up. I’m sure there are other popular stories that I am blanking on where a follow-up would be interesting – you generally do a great job of taking the pulse on these and doing so.
Just wanted to take this opportunity to say that Youman Wilder is my UWS Hero of the Year.