Weekend History: More Matchbooks Take Us Back to Patzo, La Cocina and Docks
Our post on matchbooks from old restaurants inspired more people to send in their matchbooks from the area and even from around the coun … Read the rest of this entry >>
Throwback Thursday: Matchbooks Bring Back Memories
Our tipster Debra was throwing some old matchbooks out when she decided to line them up and snap a photo. "Remember these?" she wrote in an email to … Read the rest of this entry >>
Flamboyant Performer and Longtime Upper West Sider Margarita Pracatan Dies
Margarita Pracatan, a performer who lived in the same Upper West Side apartment for 52 years, died on Tuesday at the age o … Read the rest of this entry >>
Juneteenth Memorial Will Be Held on Broadway and 96th Street on Friday at 5
Friday, June 19th, is Juneteenth, the oldest commemoration of the actual ending of slavery in the United States. It is the day in 1865 that … Read the rest of this entry >>
Children’s Museum Wins Key Vote to Turn Church Into New Museum With a Playful Roof Terrace
An empty, gutted, 117-year-old landmark church on 96th Street and Central Park West will get new life as the home of the Children’s Museum of Manha … Read the rest of this entry >>
Group Warns City to Remove Teddy Roosevelt Statue as Police Seek Vandal
The statue of President Theodore Roosevelt on the steps of the Museum of Natural History has been provoking debate and protest for years … Read the rest of this entry >>
7 Walks in 7 Days: Alexander von Humboldt Was a Celebrity in His Day
As the weather improves, it’s a good time to explore some parts of the UWS that may be new to you. Whether you’re a solitary walker or you prefer to … Read the rest of this entry >>
A Young Quarantined Artist Draws the View Outside His Window, Then Imagines the Same View in 1940
A 21-year-old Upper West Side artist named Benjamin M. has been home during the quarantine and he decided to draw the view outside his bedroom wi … Read the rest of this entry >>
Throwback Thursday: Menus in a Drawer Spark Delicious Memories
Doc Rich Weiss found some old menus and sent us a photo of them, writing a little about what makes those memories special. The restaurants featured in … Read the rest of this entry >>
New-York Historical Society Seeks to ‘Preserve History As It Happens’; Asks for Public’s Help In Documenting Coronavirus
Books will be written about The Pandemic of 2020, and museums will create exhibitions. Those who lived through it, particularly at its epic … Read the rest of this entry >>
Weekend History: Video of The 1996 Blizzard, Back When It Actually Snowed
This has been the second least-snowy New York winter in recorded history, a travesty to children everywhere and even to some ad … Read the rest of this entry >>
Children’s Museum Will Need to Tweak Its Plans to Renovate Church After Inconclusive Board Decision
The Children’s Museum of Manhattan will have to make some changes to its proposal to turn the First Church of Christ, Scientist on 96th Street and CPW into a m … Read the rest of this entry >>
Famed Garage Where Robert Caro Cracked the Robert Moses Code Now Gated Off
One of the holy sites of investigative journalism in New York City has been fenced off from public view – although the site is so obscure that few people realize its signific … Read the rest of this entry >>
Exhibit Sets the Life of Rock-and-Roll Impresario Bill Graham to the Music He Brought Us All
The Bill Graham exhibition at the New-York Historical Society is visually exciting, nostalgic and accompanied by a terrific soundt … Read the rest of this entry >>
Throwback Thursday: One of the Classic Upper West Side Movie Theaters
The New Yorker Theater at 2409 Broadway at 88th Street was one of the great Upper West Side movie houses of the 20th century. Woody Allen … Read the rest of this entry >>
Throwback Thursday: A Photographer Captured That 70s and 80s Vibe
Mark Futral has photographed Upper West Siders for decades, and he sent us some of his shots from the 1970s and 80s, along with … Read the rest of this entry >>
5 Events This Month to Learn Upper West Side History
There are five talks scheduled this month about local history, including two this week. Two are from the Bloomingdale History Group, which offers free program … Read the rest of this entry >>
Cathedral of St. John the Divine to Celebrate Inspiring Life of Rev. James Morton on Saturday
The Very Rev. James Morton, who led the Cathedral of St. John the Divine from 1972 to 1997, died on Saturday. Morton took over during a difficult … Read the rest of this entry >>
The 3 Businesses That Closed in the 2010s That We Miss the Most
As we say goodbye to the 2010s, we look wistfully back on businesses that were once important gathering places for generations of Upper West Si … Read the rest of this entry >>
Famous “Virginia,” as in “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus” was an Upper West Side Girl
This neighborhood never ceases to amaze. It turns out that “Virginia,” as in, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clau … Read the rest of this entry >>
