If you own child pornography—which? gross—you might want to make sure it is well packed when you are moving. Just ask (now former) NYPD auxiliary cop Daniel Sayer. The 59-year-old was arrested this week and charged with two felony counts of possessing child pornography after police allegedly found a "massive" collection in his possession. According to one Greenwood lake resident who saw cops take Sayers away, "He didn’t seem surprised." more ›

After months of rumors, H&H Bagels' West Side location has been closed. Not that H&H wanted to—the Daily News reports, "A New York City Marshal has moved to take possession of the fabled bagel maker from its last existing site on W. 46th." more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›

Fake "journalist" Hugues Akassy, also known as the "Riverside Rapist," won't be going for any picnic dates in the park for quite awhile. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Jill Konviser today sentenced the Ivory Coast native to spend the next 20 years behind bars. She gave him a stern talking to as well! "You may be a good journalist, I don't know," she said. "What I do know is that you are a rapist." more ›

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! more ›

Beware bespectacled and sunglassed folks on the Upper West Side, one of your own had his glasses knocked off by a mean man near Columbus and 94th Street over the weekend. He has posted flyers around the neighborhood, which warn: "This kid knocked my sunglasses out of my hand and stepped on them breaking the lens and frame—costing $150.00! And did not apologize! Be careful, this is not a nice man!" more ›

The obvious solution (Katie Sokoler/Gothamist) more ›

A schoolyard basketball game turned bloody yesterday afternoon on West 77th Street near Columbus Avenue. Police arrested a 12-year-old student who allegedly threw a knife at another player after a shoving match broke out during a game. The blade, which was longer than four inches, struck the student below the knee. Luckily it seems it didn't strike any major arteries, and the victim was taken to St. Luke's Hospital for treatment. more ›

Actor (and NIMBY) Matt Dillon, now 47 years old!, headed to his local Community Board meeting last night on the Upper West Side to express his views on restaurant Calle Ocho changing locales and landing closer to his home base. Donning sunglasses and a hat, DNA Info reports that Dillon doesn't want the restaurant (now on Columbus Avenue) moving about a half block away, to 45 West 81st Street. more ›

As you may or may not have noticed, we write the occasional story or two about bike lanes here. But even we've never heard of "limo lanes." According to DNAInfo, the DOT announced a plan this week for a special zone for limousines and black cabs on Riverside Boulevard on the Upper West Side. But will our luxury motorcycle taxi service be able to use the limo lanes? more ›

In this city, restaurants and bars come and go faster than you can say "sustainable locavore burger." And even though there are great new additions to the culinary landscape popping up every week, you've gotta give kudos to anyone who can stick it out for over a year. With that in mind, we bring you Still Got It, our tribute to establishments that continue to serve mouthwatering meals and drinks long after the buzz has faded—or if the lingering hype is still justified. more ›

Looking for something fun, free and folky to do tonight? Ding Dong Lounge, the best dive on the Upper West Side, will host obscure folk heroes Gary Higgins and Ed Askew tonight at 8 p.m. Both artists, who are now on Chicago-label Drag City, are celebrating new releases on the tail end of their long, winding, under-appreciated careers on the margins of the folk world: tonight is the record release party for the re-release of Askew's album Imperfiction, a 1984 cassette home recording, and Higgins new record of unreleased recordings from the 70s, A Dream a While Back. more ›

Everyone loves boobs and everyone loves food, which means everyone loves talking about that natural and naturally controversial topic, breast-feeding! First Lady Michelle Obama is promoting it, celebrities are doing it, there are foods being made from breast milk, many states require offices to have lactation rooms, and people (rightfully) get upset when they can't do so in public. But one Upper West Side condo board isn't so keen on "breast-feeding resource center" The Upper Breast Side, which is located in its first floor. more ›

It's no secret that former city DOT commissioner Iris Weinshall has been working hard behind the scenes to liberate her neighborhood from the menacing Prospect Park West bike lane, which has been terrorizing locals by calming PPW's notorious traffic and increasing bicycling. And it's also no secret that Weinshall's husband is none other than supposedly avid cyclist Chuck Schumer, the New York Senator who once told the Post, "The bike people drive [Weinshall] crazy, but they know they have an ally in me." Well, that was six years ago; it looks like Schumer's allegiance has shifted. more ›

We received an excited email from a reader stating: "A friendly exotic bird was saved by New Yorkers on the UWS Saturday in freezing temperatures"... with a link to a website retelling this story from the rescuer: "I was on the UWS on Saturday and noticed this bright orange/green/blue bird standing on the sidewalk chirping. It looked pretty out of place..." more ›

Echoing the complaints of Williamsburg locals, residents of the Upper West Side are grumbling at the idea of another Duane Reade moving in to their posh corner of the city. According to the bloggers at (aptly named) MyUpperWest.com, a Duane Reade is moving in to luxury apartment development The Corner, located at Broadway and 72nd Street—which is "disappointing news." more ›

Barnes and Noble, which put themselves up for sale recently, and have been in a battle for control of the company, announced today that it will be closing its Lincoln Center location in January, and the company blamed high rent as the reason it would shutter the vast space at West 66th Street and Broadway. more ›

Once Gale Brewer takes care of those pesky Canadian Lennon fans, she's got an army of rats to deal with. According to My Upper West the peaceful 87th Street block between West End and Riverside has been overtaken with the vermin, just in time for sandal weather! A local tipster told the site, “it is not uncommon to see between 10 and 12 rats running all over the place” at night. more ›

The Landmark Preservation Commission is making an example out of one Upper West Side homeowner. The 19th-century Queen Anne-style mansion at 12-14 West 68th Street is in an area that was landmarked in 1990, but sometime in 2005 the owner at the time, Polly Cleveland, received a permit from the Buildings Department to add one floor to the five-story structure. This was completed in 2007, but Cleveland has since moved out. Arthur Minerof is the current owner, and he's now been told the sixth floor has to be torn down. more ›

The new Frank McCourt High School is a selective, application-only high school. That is, if you don't count all the low-scoring students they failed to mention in the school booklet. According to community leaders, the school said they would only accept students with high test scores in an attempt to attract "your typical UWS parent," even though they had discussed making the school rigorous while still bringing in students from struggling middle schools. Officials allegedly believed the lower standards may dissuate higher performing students from applying, but schools spokesman Danny Kanner said that was never the intention. He also specifies that "typical UWS parent" just means "parents highly engaged in the high school admissions process." more ›

The Hawaiian shirtification of the Upper West Side is about to go down, with the new Trader Joe's setting up shop in a residential tower in the neighborhood. NY1 reports that the construction is nearly complete at 72nd and Broadway, and Gotham Organization Vice President Jeffrey Kaye confirms rumors of the grocer moving in. Kaye told them: "It's official. Trader Joe's will be coming. We expect them to open later this year... we can’t confirm what the date will be." Fairway Market and Citarella are just two blocks away, and one UWS resident wonders if "this is going to become food row." more ›

Back in January a seal was spotted basking in the sun off Staten Island, and it was promptly featured in The Advance with a photo spread. Now Manhattan has its own posing seal! A photographer sent the NY Post a shot of this Upper West Side seal, spotted at the end of West 64th Street on the Hudson. But how did he get up there? The paper says he likely rode the high tide. Pretty clever... but which borough has the cuter seal? more ›

Ready to find yet another missing parrot? Last year a man captured an escaped macaw in Midtown; earlier this year a woman was reunited with her bird Gracie, who flew the coop in Park Slope; and now, Pepper the pet parrot has gone missing! more ›