Monday Bulletin: The Race Is on to Replace Nadler; Where to Go for a Perfect UWS Day; Tenants in a 10-Story Building Lose Their Elevator; ‘Only Murders’ Returns on Tuesday

Monday September 8

The forecast throughout this week features lots of sun symbols and the words “pleasant” and “nice.” Highs mostly hover around the mid 70s, dropping to around 60 degrees at night.

On this day in 2015, Stephen Colbert debuted as the host (and executive producer) of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS. Colbert, who replaced longtime host David Letterman, plays to an audience five nights a week in the network’s midtown Ed Sullivan Theater. Last week, the show returned from an August break, for what will be Colbert’s final season. CBS announced in July that, in “purely a financial decision,” it was cancelling the show as of next May. That explanation was greeted with deep skepticism, since the announcement came shortly after Colbert’s on-air criticism of Paramount’s $16 million payment to settle a lawsuit filed by President Trump against CBS, which is owned by Paramount. Colbert, whose monologues are laced with criticism and mockery of Trump, called the company’s payment to settle the case a “big fat bribe.”

Notices

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News Roundup

Compiled by Ann Cooper

Brace yourself for a 10-month media tsunami; the race is on for the June 2026 Democratic primary to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler. In 1992, the Manhattan Democratic Committee picked 44-year-old Jerry Nadler to take over the congressional seat long held by liberal Ted Weiss, who died unexpectedly the day before that year’s Democratic primary.

Nadler, who has held onto that congressional seat ever since, announced his retirement last Monday, setting off a feeding frenzy among local politicians and the media that cover them. Political handicappers are consistently naming three likely candidates: Micah Lasher, 43, state assemblymember from the Upper West Side (also most likely to eventually get Nadler’s endorsement, according to the handicappers); City Councilmember Erik Bottcher, 46; and Assemblymember Alex Bores, 34.

The handicappers clearly believe (relative) youth is an essential qualification to fill the 12th congressional district seat. Other possibilities include former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, 36; Jack Schlossberg, 32, sometime-journalist, social media influencer, and grandson of John F. Kennedy; and Chelsea Clinton, 45, daughter of Bill, the former president, and Hillary Clinton, the former presidential candidate.  (FWIW,  Nadler told CNN he does not consider Schlossberg a “major candidate,” and a Clinton representative quickly doused speculation that she was actively considering a run.)

Youngest of all the names out there is the only one who had an actual campaign up and running before Nadler said he would step down: Liam Elkind, 26, who spoke with West Side Rag last week about the race and his goals, if elected.

Age alone won’t decide the Democratic race, of course, but the handicappers say it’s hard to predict what combination of qualities will win the majority of voters in the district, which encompasses the width of Manhattan from Union Square to the top of Central Park. “It is overwhelmingly Democratic, but contains the full breadth of the party’s diversity, from progressive artist to centrist corporate chieftains,” noted the New York Times.

Local politician Scott Stringer, who’s not likely to run, noted that the winning candidate “should not be a person who is on Social Security.” Rather, he said, “I believe that the next congressmember should fight like hell to continue Social Security.”

For lots more on the race, go – HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

What’s a perfect day on the Upper West Side? The luxury travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler says it starts with coffee and breakfast at a diner-like venue. And the best breakfast venues to launch that perfect UWS day, says the magazine, are Good Enough to Eat, Old John’s, Tom’s, Wu + Nussbaum, and, of course, Barney Greengrass.

After that, a stroll through a green space – Riverside is recommended over Central Park – followed by lunch, a bookstore tour, early dinner, dessert (somewhere other than your dinner stop), and evening entertainment. Finally, if you’re still on your feet after that 12-hour tourism marathon, the magazine will tell you where to go for “sips and tipples” after 10 p.m.

Some of the recommendations are a bit surprising, given Conde Nast Traveler’s high-end audience. The article offers a disclaimer about Tom’s: “Candidly, it’s not a spot for foodies,” but adds that “as soon as you park down at a vinyl booth, you’ll feel like a local.”

You can learn more about what Conde Nast Traveler considers a perfect UWS day – HERE.

The tenants in a 10-story building on West 104th Street are without elevator service to reach their apartments, until at least mid-November. Fox 5 reported that management of the Grace Apartments shut down the building’s lone elevator for repairs and an update, leaving the building’s many elderly and disabled tenants stuck with the stairs as their only way in and out. The Fox 5 story opened with video of an 87-year-old resident, who walks with a cane, laboriously working her way up to her third floor apartment with help from friends. Tenants say they were not offered any alternative accommodations during the months of repairs, and management did not respond to a Fox reporter’s calls.

Watch the full story — HERE.

The fictional Upper West Side apartment building Arconia returns to Hulu Tuesday. Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short (aka Mabel, Charles, and Oliver) return as the three amateur sleuths and true crime podcasters of ‘Only Murders in the Building.’ This season, they investigate the death of longtime Arconia doorman Lester. The Belnord on West 86th Street is the real-life building seen in the series.

Lester’s death is ruled an accident after his body is found in the fountain of the building’s courtyard. But obviously the trio of sleuths have some different theories, which they pursue over 10 episodes; the series’ final episode streams October 28.

Some big-name stars from past seasons will return, including Meryl Streep, while new faces appearing this year include Téa Leoni, Keegan-Michael Key, Christoph Waltz, Bobby Cannavale, and Renée Zellweger.

Watch the trailer for ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ Season 5 — HERE.

ICYMI

Here are a few stories from last week’s Rag that we think are worth a look if you missed them — 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.)

In the Wake of Jerry Nadler’s Retirement, A Conversation With the Current Lone Candidate in the Race

Learning to Herd the Goats in Riverside Park’s Annual Goatham Initiative

Upper West Side in the Moment: A Glimpse into the Neighborhood Today

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