Tag: columns

By Nancy Novick From Romeo and Juliet to the Twilight saga, themes of first love--and the forces that thwart it--have attracted scores of filmmakers from around the world. But far fewer have depicted the non-sexual, yet no less passionate attachments many young women experience with one another. In her new ...

Five years ago, I joined a softball team called the Consenting Adults. They were in their 23rd year of existence, with colorful characters who were writers, psychologists, teachers, and gifted softball players. They gave me

By Stan Solomon Hey, you! Yes, you, busy UWSer – have you ever felt, as you rushed about this place, that somebody…or something…was watching you? Now, don’t get all paranoid and start scanning for black helicopters over Broadway or holding aloft an always-open black umbrella! We’re not talking about surveillance ...

By Tracy Kaler As I walk South on Broadway, I always know how many blocks I have left until I reach Zabar’s without ever looking at a street sign. I see the crowds of pedestrians ahead, the commotion and energy as I approach the store, and when I reach West ...

Editor's Note: Last weekend, Upper West Sider Thomas Hudson joined about 2,500 other people from all over the world in competing in the Ironman U.S. Championship Triathlon, which finished at 81st Street in Riverside Park. It included a 2.6-mile swim in the Hudson, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile ...

By Stan Solomon On Sunday evenings this Fall, a supernatural-themed prime time drama called 666 Park Avenue is set to air on ABC. But the Upper East Side drama has a twist – and it’s not just the whole haunted-apartment-building thing. The exterior shots that claim to show

By Stan Solomon Greenwich Village’s Washington Square was named for President George Washington, and the Flatiron District’s Madison Square was named not for a sports arena but for President James Madison. Thus, isn't it safe to assume that the Upper West Side’s Lincoln Square must have been named for President ...

By Malcolm Carter Loved the apartment, hated the clutter. This condo on a lower floor of a boutique building that is a stone’s throw from Lincoln Center in the mid 60s has a great deal going for it (though not views). Among the pluses of this 1,586-sf unit are 10-feet-high ...

By Tracy Kaler Thousands of restaurants have come and gone on the Upper West Side in the past fifty years since Big Nick's first opened its doors. But few have won their way into the hearts of locals like the little greasy spoon on Broadway and 76th Street. This past ...

By Laura Weiss Just-opened Upper West Side food specialty shop Gastronomie 491 owner Nicole Ahronee says, “People are tired of going to Zabar’s,” and that they’re eager for an alternative to the 70-plus-year old food emporium. Gastronomie 491, an upscale eat-in and take-out place, is just a few short blocks away ...

Upper West Sider Kara Rota will be reviewing inexpensive local restaurants for the West Side Rag. This is her first review for the site. By Kara Rota While some of us were still in a mild daze from the lost hour of sleep last weekend, the perks of "springing forward" ...

Nancy Novick, an Upper West Side writer, plans to write an occasional column for us on books, particularly those with relevance to the neighborhood. This first column is about Alexandra Styron (above), a one-time Upper West Sider who wrote a memoir about her father, the writer William Styron. By Nancy ...

By Malcolm Carter On a clear day, you can. . . climb up forever. Selling an apartment is hard enough these days.  Selling one in a building without elevators is a challenge that can be overwhelming. The photo above (looking up from the bottom of the stairwell) nicely illustrates the ...

This is the second article in a West Side Rag series about the most essential eateries on the Upper West Side. Spurred by the sudden closure of H&H Bagels last year, we asked ourselves the question: what other restaurants, markets, and bakeries are absolutely essential to the neighborhood? This is ...

By Elizabeth Boyle It was a cold gray day outside on Saturday, but inside Jewish Home Lifecare on West 106th, crowds of kids sweated it out in front of a full house in a fierce Double Dutch jump rope competition.  Competitive Double Dutch involves two rope turners turning interlacing ropes, ...

This is the first article in a West Side Rag series about the most essential eateries on the Upper West Side. Spurred by the sudden closure of H&H Bagels last year, we asked ourselves the question: what other restaurants, markets, and bakeries are absolutely essential to the neighborhood? This is ...

By Stan Solomon It was a most ‘dark-and-stormy-night,’ and there we were, headed up Columbus Avenue, running late for a dinner date. “We” means myself -- attempting to hold an umbrella and steer my aging-but-trusty mobility scooter -- and my wife, keeping pace beside me. Ahead was yet another curb ...

By Karen Farber Early on Friday I was coming home from walking my dog and as I passed by 151 West 74th Street I did a double-take.  What I had originally thought was a small dog sitting outside the building waiting for its owner turned out to be a fully ...

A fellow nature lover recently told me of seeing a black squirrel repeatedly in the northern end of Central Park. So I ventured out to find it.

By Marjorie Cohen I first heard about Chris Pelletierri from a student in his stone carving class. Intrigued by the idea of a stone carver working and teaching on the Upper West Side, I arranged a visit to Chris' studio. Chris met me on the steps of the Cathedral of ...