Today is Monday, November 9th, 2026
Today’s forecast calls for a mostly sunny, breezy day with a high of 58, and tomorrow and Wednesday should be more or less the same. Showers are likely Thursday and Friday, and it will be noticeably cooler, with Friday’s high forecast to reach only 48.
On this day in 1620, after 66 days at sea, the 102 passengers and 31 crew members aboard the Mayflower got their first glimpse of land. Two days later, the ship would anchor in the harbor that is now Provincetown, Mass., and the rest is (still-evolving) history.
Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events. Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.
Symphony Space is cleaning house in preparation for a major renovation, and this Saturday, November 14th, they’re holding a memorabilia giveaway in the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, 2537 Broadway (at 95th Street). Up for grabs are books, CDs, T-shirts, and other keepsakes from seasons past. Members are invited to take their pick between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and everyone else is welcome between 1 and 4 p.m. For more information (or to become a member) contact Melanie Nulf at melanie.nulf@symphonyspace.org or 212-864-1414, ext. 227.
Next Sunday, November 15th, Animal Care Centers of New York will hold a mobile pet adoption event from noon to 4 p.m., across from City Councilmember Gale Brewer’s office, 563 Columbus Avenue (between 87th and 88th streets). Bring a government-issued photo ID and a charged smartphone (necessary to complete the adoption application). Adoptions are first come, first served. If there’s heavy rain, event may be canceled; check before showing up. More information — HERE.
Ron Dermer, Israel’s former ambassador to the United States and former minister of strategic affairs, will speak tomorrow night about antisemitism and ways to combat it at an event hosted by the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, 30 West 68th Street (between Columbus and Central Park West). More information and tickets ($18) — HERE.
News Roundup
Compiled by Laura Muha
The seven barn owls who fled their nest on an UWS water tower after construction workers dismantled the roof are all safe and accounted for, amNY reported.
Although a new nest box was attached to the water tower on the West 75th Street building by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the birds don’t appear to be using it. Rather, the parents and five fledglings appear to be feeding and roosting elsewhere, though a couple of them have been spotted perching on the tower.
The owls created a sensation when they appeared early last month, and crowds of birdwatchers with binoculars and long-lens cameras began gathering nightly on the sidewalk below the water tower to observe them. But 10 days later workers ripped the roof off the water tower, despite a stop-work order from the DEC, and the owls fled.
Still, for now, all seems well. “The owls appear to be adjusting to their new circumstances and have found alternative roosting locations,” Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal wrote on social media. “Sounds like true Manhattanites, if you ask me.” Read the full story — HERE.
Last week we wrote about an op-ed by Central Park Conservancy President Betsy Smith, who acknowledged pedestrians’ concerns about speeding bikes (e- and otherwise) on roadways in the park, but said fixing the problem was not as simple as banning them.
This week, a Curbed op-ed on the same subject caught our eye. Though author Justin Davidson’s point of view is clear — he supports stricter controls on the bikes — what made his piece different from many of the others we’ve read is that he delves into the actions other cities with strong bike cultures have taken in terms of policy, enforcement, and infrastructure changes in order to keep everyone safer.
“So far, the Central Park Conservancy and the NYPD have tackled [bike scofflaws] with an ineffectual combination of pleading, finger-wagging, and a few tickets a week,” wrote Davidson, a Pulitzer-Prize winner who is currently New York Magazine’s architecture critic. He starts his piece by describing how, during a single recent attempt to cross the East Drive in Central Park, he was nearly hit not once but twice by speeding cyclists, while an NYPD van idled nearby.
“London installed granite rumble strips in Hyde Park, raised crosswalks across bike lanes at bus stops, and ran snaking paths through Van Gogh Walk in Brixton,” he wrote. “Last May, Amsterdam banned [electric] fat-tire bikes in Vondelpark, and so far the count of at least that invasive species has come down. New York’s designers need a thorough catalogue of these techniques and a willingness to try them all.”
He acknowledges there will be pushback. “All of these moves will infuriate those who value the Drive’s openness and fluidity, especially the road racers who consider it their natural preserve,” Davidson wrote. “I sympathize — but Central Park can no longer grant the privilege of being able to rocket along unimpeded. Horse racing, dog racing, and NASCAR don’t get to take over parks and streets either.” Read the full op-ed — HERE.
You, too, can own a piece of movie history — if, that is, you have a cool $3.95 million to pay for it.
The Upper West Side townhouse that Meg Ryan’s character supposedly called home in the 1998 classic You’ve Got Mail, recently hit the market, the New York Post reported.
“People really love the movie and they love the house,” listing broker Richard Pretsfelder, of Leslie Garfield, told the Post, adding that fans of the movie still stop by to snap pictures of it.
In the movie, Ryan plays the owner of an independent bookstore fighting to keep it alive in the face of a rival (and much bigger) bookstore owned by Tom Hanks’ character — who, unbeknownst to her, is also her online love interest.
The townhouse, located at 328 West 89th Street (between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue), contains an owner’s duplex and six apartments that can be rented out, as well as a private garden. Read the full story and see photos of the interior — HERE.
In Other UWS News
- The last week of October was an active one for the UWS luxury real estate market (defined as any residential sale of $4 million or more); the top sale was a five-bedroom condo with an asking price of $15.9 million. Read the full story and see other high-end sales — HERE.
- The Independent, a British publication, recently featured drone footage of the changing leaves in Central Park. See it — HERE.
- Speaking of Central Park foliage, UPI posted a striking photo of Cleopatra’s Needle protruding above the colorful treetops. See it — HERE.
ICYMI
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