Today is Memorial Day: Monday, May 25th, 2026
The forecast calls for showers this morning, but with luck, they’ll clear out by afternoon, and we’ll have a mix of sun and clouds to wrap up the long weekend, with a high of 72. The rest of the week should be mostly sunny, with highs in the 80s tomorrow and Wednesday, and the 70s Thursday and Friday.
On this date in history, Babe Ruth hit his 714th home run, setting a record that would not be broken until 1974. But sadly, he didn’t set it for the Yankees, which had released him at the end of the previous season; by then, he was playing for the Braves (then located in Boston) and also serving as the team’s vice president and assistant manager.
Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events. Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.
If you’re looking for a way to celebrate Memorial Day, consider heading to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at West 89th Street and Riverside Drive at 10 a.m. for a wreath-laying ceremony. The program includes music and speeches from representatives of veterans’ groups, military personnel, and community organizations.
A reminder that registration is open for anyone who wants to help with the Parks Department’s June 12 tree census in Riverside Park. More information and signup link — HERE. (Note that there are two signup links for that day — one for those who’ve participated in the tree census in the past and don’t need training, and one for those who are volunteering for the first time.)
News Roundup
Compiled by Laura Muha
The Geneva School, which says it offers students “a time-proven classical education within a biblical worldview,” has put in a $20 million bid for the building once occupied by the bankrupt Manhattan Country School, Crain’s New York Business reported.
The latter school drained its endowment fund in 2015 to purchase the six-story brick building at 150 West 85th Street (between Amsterdam and Columbus avenues), with plans to expand. But the pandemic disrupted those plans, and expenses mounted rapidly, causing the school to fall behind on its debt payments. When its lender threatened foreclosure, the school sought a buyer for the building, and when that failed, it filed for bankruptcy and closed in May 2025.
The Geneva School, located five blocks north at 138 West 90th Street (also between Amsterdam and Columbus), was founded in 1996, and currently has 425 students in preschool through twelfth grade, according to Crain’s. Quoting from its 2024-25 annual report, Crain’s said that Geneva’s student body has grown by 43% since 2020; the most recent annual report states that it is looking to expand and update its facilities.
If other qualified bids for the building come in by the June 15 deadline, an auction will determine the fate of the building, Crain’s said.
Read the full story — HERE.
The debate over horse-drawn carriages in Central Park erupted again last week when two of them collided near a park entrance, flipping one of them and injuring the driver.
According to CBS News, the incident occurred last Monday at the entrance to Central Park at Seventh Avenue and 59th Street, when a carriage pulled by a horse named Troy became entangled with that of a carriage pulled by a horse named Otis.
Edita Birnkrant, of the animal-rights group New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets, told CBS that Troy became “violently spooked” before the collision.
But Christina Hansen, shop steward for TWU Local 100, which represents carriage horse drivers, disputed that account. She said Troy, who is new and still getting acclimated, had just dropped off riders at the end of a line of carriages, then “went to pull out in a hurry.” The back wheels of his carriage collided with those of the one in front of him, which was pulled by Otis. It tipped over, she said, injuring the driver, who was taken to the hospital.
The Central Park Conservancy issued a statement, calling the incident “troubling” and “a stark reminder of the dangers that horse-drawn carriages pose in an increasingly crowded Central Park.”
“The Central Park Conservancy renews its call to ban carriages in Central Park as a matter of public safety and public health,” the statement said. “New York should join the growing number of major cities around the world that have already banned horse-drawn carriages before yet another accident is allowed to happen.”
Read/watch the story — HERE.
If you’re a reader of the Rag, you might remember a story we ran a year and a half ago, about the Lego figures mysteriously embedded in the sidewalk on the north side of West 85th Street between Columbus and Central Park West. At the time we did the story, we counted 10 figurines.
Now, says Eyewitness News reporter Kemberly Richardson, there are roughly 40. And while she was on 85th Street doing a recent story on them, she was “over the moon” when she “randomly” bumped into the Lego artist himself, who is sometimes called “the Banksy of 85th Street” – a reference to the famed British artist who has been stealthily stenciling anti-authoritarian street art on buildings since the 1990s, but who has never publicly confirmed his identity. (Side note: Banksy is the artist responsible for the silhouette of the boy wielding a sledgehammer painted on the wall of the Zabar’s building at West 79th Street and Broadway.)
In the interview, the mystery Lego artist — whose identity Eyewitness News didn’t disclose — told Richardson he and his son, who was then 8, placed the first figure in wet concrete near their home three years ago, just for fun, and it’s expanded from there. She asked him if he’s ever considered placing pieces elsewhere on the UWS. “He said no — he believes doing that would lose its charm; he’s happy keeping it right here,” she reported.
Read/watch the full story — HERE.
In Other UWS News
- Gothamist recently wrote about efforts by public health expert Nina Schwalbe, a candidate for Rep. Jerrold Nadler’s congressional seat, to gain traction against “the boys club” also vying for the job. Read it — HERE.
- I Love the Upper West Side reports that Joe Columbus, the owner of the infamous pit bulls who attacked a chihuahua named Penny last year, recently was spotted walking a new puppy on Columbus Avenue near the site where the attack occurred. Read the full story — HERE.
- Ephemeral New York, a history blog, recently did a post focused on what’s believed to be the oldest tree in Central Park. Read it — HERE.
ICYMI
Here are a few stories we think are worth a look if you missed them last week — or a second look if you saw them. (Note that our comments stay open for six days after publication, so you may not be able to comment on all of them.)
Upper West Siders Set to Compete in Paris for Tennis’ French Open
UWS Shed Watch: Many Sidewalk Sheds Are There for Mandatory Facade Inspections — Could That Change?
With Candidates Everywhere, Democracy Is in Session on the Upper West Side
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