The city's proposal to rezone part of the Upper West Side to discourage big box chain stores and banks from proliferating will have "unanticipated consequence," according to the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District. BID Executive Director Barbara Adler tells us the city's plan "is a solution looking for a problem. We have no problem on Columbus now. Columbus has been able to weather all markets for many years, it's in the historic district, it's different from Broadway and Amsterdam, and we feel tampering with our storefronts and telling property owners what they can or can't do would be huge mistake. "
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Results tagged “upperwestside”
Columbus Avenue Businesses Fight Anti-Big Box Rezoning Plan
Video: Journey Through Amtrak's UWS Graffiti Tunnels
Beneath New York City lies a vast network of abandoned tunnels, caverns, nooks and crannies that the average joe will never see. But urban explorer Steve Duncan is not your average joe! As you'll see in their Undercity series, he and filmmaker Andrew Wonder really like getting dirty below grade. This week they explore a series of tunnels quite familiar to graffiti fans and Manhattan kids with a penchent for exploration: The Amtrak "Freedom Tunnel" underneath the West Side.
Free Food Alert: Chocolate Truffles On The Upper West Side
Upper West Siders with a sweet tooth, this one is for you. This week a new sweets shop, Chocolate Works, opened in the old Express Supply hardware space on 91st and Amsterdam. And to celebrate, the West Side Rag notes, the shop has been giving away free chocolate truffles. And it isn't done yet.
City May Rezone Upper West Side To Drive Chain Stores Away (Or Underground)
The preponderance of big chain stores on the Upper West Side could be severely reversed under a plan introduced by the Department of City Planning. Acting on concerns from the Upper West Side community and elected officials, the city is considering rezoning part of the neighborhood to create two Special Enhanced Commercial Districts. Each of these zones would limit the frontage of new and expanding banks and residential lobbies along Broadway, Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues. Overall store size would not be restricted, so big chains could still burrow underground, but city planners argue that "over time the general multi-store character of Amsterdam and Columbus avenues would be maintained, while promoting a more varied and active retail environment on Broadway."
You'll Gag At "Gaga's Restaurant," Joanne, Says Cantankerous Critic
Last night Joanne Trattoria, the new Upper West Side restaurant from Art Smith and Lady Gaga's papa, opened its doors to the public (and, apparently, Tony Bennet). And though it was supposed to be a no-press affair, the Post's resident curmudgeon, Steve Cuozzo, popped in for "a 2 1/2-hour meal that seemed like as many days." Pop star parents or no, the Cuozz was not amused. And Gaga was not to be seen.
Friend On Actor's Suicide: "The Dog Thing Was The Last Straw"
The funeral for the Upper West Side soap opera actor who committed suicide after euthanizing his beloved pet dog took place on Monday. Nick Santino committed suicide last week the day after his 47th birthday, and the NY Post alleged that in his suicide note he said it was because he was wracked with guilt and grief over euthanizing his pit bull Rocco, following harassment and pressure from his condo board. Outside his funeral at St. Athanasius Church in Brooklyn, Santino's friend Sara Schwartz told the Post that she believes the death of Rocco was the tipping point for Santino: “It’s more than the dog. I definitely think the dog thing was the last straw. It gave him a reason to do it. If that didn’t happen, he may have lived a long life...He wanted to be in heaven with the dog.”
Condo Member Doesn't Want To Be Blamed For Actor's Suicide (Or His Dog's Euthanasia)
This week, an Upper West Side soap opera actor committed suicide, and the NY Post alleged that in his suicide note he said it was because he was wracked with guilt and grief over euthanizing his beloved pet dog Rocco. Nick Santino euthanized Rocco this past Tuesday—on Santino’s 47th birthday—after being under pressure from his apartment condo to get rid of the dog. Marilyn Fireman, a board member at his building at 1 Lincoln Plaza, responded to the allegations: “I’m sorry the man is dead, but it has nothing to do with the pet policy. You just assumed that [his suicide] was a result of a board’s decision.”
Actor Commits Suicide After Euthanizing Beloved Dog
An Upper West Side soap opera actor committed suicide this week—according to the Post, he wrote in his suicide note that he was wracked with grief over euthanizing his beloved pet dog Rocco. Nick Santino euthanized Rocco this past Tuesday, on Santino’s 47th birthday, under pressure from his apartment condo to get rid of the dog. "Today I betrayed my best friend and put down my best friend," Santino wrote in a suicide note, according to close friend Stuart Sarnoff. "Rocco trusted me and I failed him. He didn't deserve this."
Inside Lady Gaga's Papa's Italiana Trattoria Joanne
According to our research, Lady Gaga is a recording artist whose ubiquitous song "Poker Face" makes some people want to blow their brains out just to get it unstuck from their heads. Her fame and wealth have escalated to such a degree that even people genetically associated with her attract media attention. For example, Joanne Trattoria, a "neighborhood" restaurant on the Upper West Side, might have gone overlooked if the owners weren't Gaga's parents (and if the keywords "lady gaga" didn't get even more clicks than a story about "Snooki Kim Kardashian Rehab Kitten Daily Show Sex Tape"). So here's a look inside Joanne, you monsters.
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's Empire Expands With 3rd Outpost On Upper West Side
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is spreading across NYC with an almost Starbucksian appetite for expansion: the wildly popular LA-based chain has just opened its third location in Manhattan, on the corner of 79th Street and Columbus Avenue. This new outpost arrives barely a month after CBTL began pouring over on 86th and Amsterdam. (The first NYC location opened Broadway at 39th Street last August.) But unlike its NYC predecessors, this new spot has a "sit-down restaurant vibe" with table service, an expanded food menu, and, come spring, an outdoor patio.
Taxi & Car Collide, Injure Pedestrian On Upper West Side
At around 12:15 p.m. this afternoon, a taxi and another car were involved in an accident at 97th Street and Broadway. According to the FDNY, a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and sustained head injuries. The identity of the victim is unknown, but they've been transported to St. Luke's Hospital. No injuries to the passengers in the vehicles were reported, and the NYPD couldn't tell us whether any criminality is suspected.
Mom Who Took Son Shoplifting Gets Five Years Probation
Carolyn Taylor, the 36-year-old mom who was busted on a shoplifting spree with her 11-year-old son last March, will not be going to jail. Yesterday the Fagin-mama was sentenced to five years of probation after she pleaded guilty to charges of grand larceny and endangering the welfare of her child.
Driver Loses Control Of Car, Plunges Into Hudson River
At around 10 a.m. this morning, a driver lost control of her car and ended up in the Hudson River near 94th Street. She managed to get out of her car and was fished out of the water two blocks north.
Law & Order Actress Reunited With Stolen Dog
We love us some adorable animal stories—so what better way to bid farewell to 2011 than with one such happy story! Recurring Law & Order actress Lenore Harris was reunited with her 17-year-old Pomeranian yesterday, a few days after the dog was stolen from her in a CVS on the Upper West Side. “It’s a great holiday New York story,” said Lenore’s sister, Rosalind Harris, an actress who played Tzeitel in the movie Fiddler on the Roof.
Manhattan DA May Charge Ex-Trader With 2009 Murder Of Wealth Manager Wife
A day after revealing that he would be hit with a wrongful death suit, now it's believed that Rod Covlin may face murder charges from the Manhattan DA's office for the death of his estranged wife. Sources tell the Daily News "the Manhattan district attorney's office will seek murder charges against him before the spring."
Man Pinned Between Subway Platform and Train, Is Expected To Survive
An unidentified 50-year-old man is in the hospital this morning after being pinned between the 1 train and the platform at 66th Street, and there are conflicting reports on how he got stuck there. An FDNY spokesman did not have any information about the cause of the incident, but a spokesman confirms the man sustained a skull fracture and fractured his pelvis. Eyewitnesses tell ABC 7 the man was running for a downtown No. 1 train "when he disappeared after hitting the train doors." It's believed he was pinned between the train and the platform, then dragged a short distance. Other witnesses say the man fell during an argument.
Alleged UWS Wife Strangler Sued For Wife Strangling
The estranged husband of an Upper West Side wealth manager who was found strangled to death on New Year's Eve 2009 has never been formally charged in her death—but he has now been hit with a wrongful-death suit by her estate. Roderick Covlin, a former trader who founded the U.S. Backgammon Federation, has been accused in the suit of murdering Shele Danishefsky Covlin. Public Administrator Ethel Griffin, who handles estate complications, alleges Covlin “intentionally, deliberately, willfully, wantonly, maliciously, brutally and without provocation or just cause did strangle, choke, strike, injure, assault, abuse, beat and murder” his wife.
Photos: Taxi Engulfed In Flames On Upper West Side
A dramatic inferno engulfed a taxi cab last night on the Upper West Side around 7 p.m. The taxi burst into flames on Columbus Avenue between 84th and 85th Streets; a witness tells My Upper West, "This is shot from the window at Tale Thai on Columbus Ave. We all looked up and suddenly the taxi was engulfed. The driver got out safely."
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Opens Second Location On UWS
California-based chain Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf continues their New York takeover this week, opening their second outpost (the first arrived in August) on the Upper West Side. And on top of the standard selection of Blended coffee drinks and fancy teas, this location will also offer some decidedly UWS-appropriate accommodations.
Where To See The First Six Minutes Of The Dark Knight Rises
If you're like us, then you probably already feel like you've seen at least half of the 2012 summer blockbuster, The Dark Knight Rises. Between the Wall Street battles, the 59th Street Bridge filming, and the Newark Catwoman sightings, we've pieced together that the movie will focus around the dark underbelly of street closings. The final chapter of the acclaimed Christopher Nolan-helmed Batman films is due in theaters next July, but you'll have a chance to see the first six minutes of the film in theaters in just a few weeks!
Good Enough To Eat Owner Says Landlord Wants Her Out
After over two decades at its current location on the Upper West Side, kitschy comfort food mainstay Good Enough to Eat may be on the way out. Founder and chef Carrie Levin tells us she's locked in a dispute with her landlord, Arthur Leeds Management, and is not at all optimistic that it can be resolved. She says Leeds has given her an ultimatum to make costly soundproofing improvements, following an upstairs neighbor's complaints to 311. But Levin doesn't believe any complaints were ever made, because the local police told her they've heard nothing about any noise issues at the address.
Mom Who Threw Her Baby In The Hudson To Plead Insanity
Devi Silvia, the 34-year-old woman who threw her 19-month-old baby into the Hudson last year in a botched murder-suicide attempt, is being offered the chance to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, DNAinfo reports. Silvia had already been diagnosed as being bipolar after being taken into police custody.
"Urban Farmhouse" Elizabeth's Neighborhood Table Open On Upper West Side
City slickers can't seem to get enough of the haute barnyard dining thing, or at least that's what the owners of this new Upper West Side restaurant are banking on. Elizabeth’s Neighborhood Table may be located on the ground-floor of a 25-story high-rise apartment building, but if you see it from the street you might think you've wandered right into Anytown, USA. The exterior facade features a shingled roof, white picket fence, clapboard siding, wrap-around porch, and swing. Why look, there's Aunt Bee pickin' "Let's Get It Started" on the banjo!
Italian Jazz Singer Killed While Crossing Street In Manhattan
An Italian jazz singer was hit and killed by a car while crossing the street in Manhattan late last night. Daniela D'Ercole, 32, was struck by a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer SUV minutes before midnight, and pronounced dead on arrival at St. Luke’s hospital.
Cop Jumped Twice By Riverside Park Stripped Of His Badge, Gun
NYPD's Internal Affairs department, which hasn't been as active as some would like of late, is currently investigating a very strange case on the Upper West Side. Officer Benjamin Ambrosio, 28, claims that he was attacked twice while off-duty in two months in the same area near Riverside Park. Now, DNAinfo reports, Ambrosio has been put on modified duty and stripped of his gun and badge while Internal Affairs tries to figure out what in the world is going on. Getting your gun stolen by a man slashing tires is not an easy thing to do!
UWS Residents Claim Noisy Restaurant Is Acting Like A Club
Tolerating the noise that spills out of bars and clubs is part of the city's social compact with its residents. We get to brag about living near fantastic amenities that we scream about to 911 every other week, and the restaurants pledge to "work with communities" by blasting Sean Paul and selling $2 jello shots between 12-2 a.m. But both the UWS and Inwood locations of Papasito Mexican Grill are drawing ire usually reserved for the "UNTZ-UNTZ" establishments. "I've been here 35 years, I've seen a lot of stuff come and go," UWS resident Kevin Krajick tells DNAinfo, "This is one of the worst things that's happened to the neighborhood."
"Riverside Rapist" Found Guilty Of Rape
Hugues-Denver Akassy, the Ivory Coast native who claimed in court to be an irresistible ladies man, was convicted today of raping one woman and harassing three others. However, the self-described journalist was acquitted of a fifth attack. Akassy now faces a possible 25 years behind bars for his role as the "Riverside Rapist."
Mosquitoes Attacking Upper West Side Homes Through Basements, Air Vents
The genteel residents of the Upper West Side are being plagued by super-powered mosquitoes that hide under the cover over darkness—and the Health Department just doesn't care, they say.
Man Jumps Off-Duty Cop In Riverside Park—And Takes His Gun
Late last night, an off-duty cop was jumped at 91st Street and Riverside Park. He fired at the suspect, who got away and managed to take the cops gun!
Cops Cracking Down Hard On UWS Food Trucks
After months of increasing tension between mobile food vendors and brick-and-mortar restaurants (plus some very cranky little old ladies) on the Upper West Side, area cops are seriously cracking down on the vendors. Here's a look at their latest tactics designed to run the trucks and carts straight out of town.
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