Photo by Dave Browning.
Please opine about local issues in the comments. Or ask questions of your fellow Upper West Siders. Kudos to commenter James, who wrote a detailed and well-reasoned comment last week about his choice to rent versus buy. Worth reading if that’s on your mind.
(One quick note: our calendar initially had the wrong date for the Naumberg Bandshell concert. It was on Tuesday.)
Photo by Dave Browning.
Please opine about local issues in the comments. Or ask questions of your fellow Upper West Siders. Kudos to commenter James, who wrote a detailed and well-reasoned comment last week about his choice to rent versus buy. Worth reading if that’s on your mind.
(One quick note: our calendar initially had the wrong date for the Naumberg Bandshell concert. It was on Tuesday.)
We are aware that the reply button on the comment form is broken on mobile (it's ok on desktop) and we are working on fixing it ASAP! Thanks for your patience!
I heard that a local shelter closed and the former residents are heading to the soup kitchens on 86 and West End and on 82 and Amsterdam and that this is what is to blame for the large uptick in homeless in the neighborhood. Can someone confirm that or give more information? I was assaulted in the street by one of these guys and it seems that many are more aggressive than the regulars we have always had up here. Comments?
One thing that has changed….
since about 2010 there have been quite a few young (20-something) homeless people who are not from NYC – they are from out of town. Some couples and a bunch with dogs.
For years, they’ve been coming to NYC in warm weather, mostly staying in Union Square and the East Village.
But a few years ago, started coming to the UWS.
This summer especially, seem to be congregating in front of Trader Joe’s and the AMC/Loew’s movie theatre. The NYPD tried (very politely)to move them away from Trader Joe’s a few days ago. They were really high and gave the police a very hard time.
ditto. i feel so sorry for the innocent dogs who had no choice in this.
I honestly feel more sorry for the dogs than for these kids.
The young bums who sit outside Trader Joes reading books and on playing on their iphones are in town for the cheap Heroin. Apparently that is why we have seen an uptick in drug using white kids from the Midwest. Cheap Heroin. Anyone who is giving these kids money is surely enabling their drug habits and keeping these people in oour hood.
I wrote Helen an e-mail and her intern wrote back that our councilwoman was having a meeting last Wednesday at the 20th precinct to discuss how to help solve this problem with Godard or in other ways. Bratton admitted last week that there is nothing he can do.
Even having the homeless man who sets up camp outside Victoria Secret being on the front page of the NY Post 2 days in a row hasn’t changed anything. Contacting Helen’s office and having your voice heard is the best thing to do.
Thank you for the shout-out!
Twas quite a fine comment!
Wondering what the purpose is for the long stretch of scaffolding covering the sidewalk on the north side of West 100th St. just west of Columbus Ave. It been up since last Fall though no work seems to be in progress. Is the City paying a rental fee for the scaffolding? It’s an eyesore and for no surmisable reason.
Am I the only Westsider who picks up litter in the streets? Am I the crazy one, or just too sublime for words? How can people who are proud of themselves and their neighborhood just walk by? The lowlife tossers–there I have no explanation, they are thieves who rob us of dignity and pride in our surroundings. It tales almost no effort to quickly scoop up “clean” street refuse…and feel good about yourself
I pick up litter as well. It’s just completely beyond me what goes through people’s minds when they toss something on the ground. One of these days, I’m probably going to chew someone out.
Sure, picking up litter isn’t going to make world peace happen all of a sudden, but it’s a small step that anyone — including YOU — yes, YOU — can take to make your city, your country, or your planet a better place.
Actually, instead of chewing people out, what I’ve been doing so far is picking up the piece of litter and handing it back to them, saying, “You dropped this.” It’s less confrontational and doesn’t include any tacit assumption that the person is a disgusting, selfish pig.
Eleanor you are not alone in picking up trash, as I do it too. I am shocked by the amount of trash strewn about. I am a dog owner as well and often pick up others dog waste. It really is maddening how careless and thoughtless others can be, though who knows the stories they are living from. Thanks for being a caring individual, good to know there are those who care and are taking strides to make things better.
I have been wondering about the scaffolding on 76th and Amsterdam. It has been up for at least 3 years and no work in sight. It is covering up many empty store fronts (except for Tessa) and no wonder– since the block does not look attractive.
Onservations:
Why do people sit at the bottom of subway steps in the direct flow of traffic ?
Why can;t people use the city provided recycle bins the proper way. Paper in Paper Can , Metal in Metal Can etc?
Why can;t 7-11’s be replaced by Wawa’s . 7-11’s in the city are not a great experience.
Why do people sit at the bottom of subway steps in the direct flow of traffic ?
For the same reason that they stand in the doorways of the subway trains themselves: Because they are the only people who matter, and anyone else should just go around them. Your right to use the stairs, or the doors, for their intended purposes disappears when your fellow citizen’s personal comfort prefers to use the stairs, or the doors, for purely unintended purposes.
In other words, because they are jerks.
Unfortunately I agree with Cato, and I would expand thus: I think the actual number of jerks are few, but there are also a great many more sheep – people who will bias towards “what is everyone else doing, I’m doing that” instead of a personal sense of consideration and how would I want to be treated. So a few jerks exhibit a behavior and then others just follow.
An example of this is the entrance to the 81 St C stop in weekday mornings. Some time ago – I think within the last year – people started lining up in front of the stairs, instead of along the sidewalk. It’s completely rude, unless there is some reason I don’t see (always possible). But no one is going to break the pattern, because it exists. I wonder how it changed. Perhaps there was some construction along 81 that I don’t recall, but it definitely wasn’t always this way (I’ve been going to that stop for over 10 years).
My post is a little unclear. The line I’m referring to is the line for the M79 across town to the east side; this stop is right next to the entrance for the C 81 St stop.
I wish we had your news paper in a bin on w 23st some where on 7th ave and why haven’t we seen the west side spirit any more I miss that paper too. I love the west side rag thank you and keep bringing the news on
I used to love the Spirit but when they changed the font size and layout of the paper about a year ago ( I think ) it went downhill. It was impossible to read both visually and aesthetically
I hope the management of the new Bloomingdale’s outlet at the corner of Broadway and 72nd St. make efforts to remove the blight of booksellers between 72nd and 73rd.
I’m not opposed to street vendors in general, but those who take up an extraordinary amount of space, play loud radios, make obnoxious comments to passersby, throw lots of cigarette butts everywhere,and store their wares on the sidewalk overnight are a problem.
It seems that since these book vendors don’t need a license to operate as do other vendors any kind of enforcement by authorities will be nonexistent. This means that unless a lot of individuals complain to local officials, and/or the businesses that operate nearby use any influence they may have in lobbying city officials to come up with a solution this problem will continue to exist. Seems fairly simple to solve. Either require book vendors to pay for a license, or limit the square footage any one vendor can use and if they go beyond that allotted amount they can and should be fined. Failure to pay fines gets your books confiscated and donated.
I’ll repeat what I said above, for the benefit of those who don’t understand this.
Selling books on a table on NYC sidewalks without a license has been established by court cases. It’s a “free speech” issue. Perhaps an attorney can chime in here with more specifics.
So don’t wish for booksellers to be licensed because they will never be required to get a license.
All other forms of street vending is licensed; food, trinkets, imported rip-off fakes from China (often sold by the Africans — they pick up their daily quota of this junk from wholesalers on 28th St. — that someone else complained about elsewhere in this topic).
Books aside, there are strict rules about who can be a vendor, where they can set up, etc. And YES, the city does occasionally enforce these rules. I’ve seen the police close down fruit carts further uptown.
The rules, to the best of my knowledge, do not concern themselves with the quality of the food or merchandise.
The only time we could expect the police to force a book vendor to move or close down would probably be a case of immediate danger to the health or safety of the public.
I don’t know that the situation between 74th-72nd Sts. has reached that point yet, disgusting as it is. I wouldn’t hesitate to say there are several dumpsters along the West Side of Broadway there — without the actual dumpsters, just the contents!
As for businesses along those blocks (and the owners of the buildings), unless the booksellers are violating the property line (which is usually about the middle of the sidewalk), there is no basis for a complaint to the police or other agencies.
Of course between 74th-72nd Sts, some of these guys do violate that line, parking their butts in their “outdoor living rooms” right alongside the buildings.
Maybe the thing to do to organize a barrage of complaints to the businesses. When Bloomingdales opens, go in every time you pass and gripe. Same with the others (why do I forget who’s actually in between the TD bank at 74th and 72nd?).
Maybe an organized protest on the sidewalk might have an effect? I doubt it. Visual activism on the UWS is a lost cause. Last time I saw people marching was years back to protest the horrendously ugly and inappropriate Ariel eyesores being built by mega-greedy Gary Barnett. A lot of good that did!
The street vendors have created a shabby…not intellectual or literary…presence on Broadway. Extending from 72nd to 74th Streets, this stretch looks dirty and unattractive. If would be quite a different statement if they had elegant book display stalls or street furniture like those found in European Markets or on Parisian Boulevards – the manner in which Broadway was historically intended. No upscale grandeur here. Just broken down shabby tables and beat up desk chairs and piles of cardboard debris left in our precious tree pits. This is not a public sidewalk anymore. And the evening looks hideously more shabby with plastic tarp wrapped tables and clutter that, sadly, I would expect on Brighton Beach Avenue or Pitkin Avenue…not on the Upper Westside Broadway.
Did you see my reply above?
The tarps are there all the time. I make frequent trips down to TJ’s, during the middle of the day and in the evenings. I usually get off the bus at 74th and walk (after going to the bank) to 72nd.
It seems some of these tables on those two blocks are always covered by tarps!
What is Helen Rosenthal doing about all of this? I wish we had officials in our community who would tackle the real issues we face for our families such as homeless people wacked out on K2 harassing our kids not tourist helicopters and bike lanes.
Several Manhattan community groups asked the Bloomberg administration to address this issue. Bloomberg administration was not interested in tackling. In fact, Bloomberg responsible for increasing food cart vendors throughout,seeing licensing as a revenue source.
(Bloomberg would not even address issue of carts in front of Metropolitan)
But IMO this just helped solidify a “norm” whereby anyone – food carts, book “vendors”, etc, feels entitled to plop down anywhere and take over the pavement. And when one vendor finds a new corner, others follow.
Agree totally with you about these booksellers. Although the legal right to sell books on a sidewalk table in the city has long been established, these guys (is it a cartel?) between 74th and 72nd St on the west side of Broadway have pushed it to the most obnoxious extreme.
Not too sure Bloomies can do much, except perhaps right in front of their store, and then only if the property line is crossed. Certainly Urban Outfitters didn’t give a damn.
And pity the passerby who might actually want to browse these books. More than half are usually covered with plastic regardless of the weather or time of day. The tables are piled far too high and totally disorganized.
Anyone can do much better by finding used and actually new books at Symphony Space most afternoons during the Summer. And there, your $1.50 (for a small paperback) actually goes to a good use.
I agree too. I used to stand up for the booksellers, but the guy with tables in front of the old Loehman’s at the Ansonia has started taking up more and more of the sidewalk and turned into a real nuisance.
Also in agreement about the booksellers. There’s also a new vendor who sets up shop under the scaffolding in front of Fairway, selling an unusual assortment of merchandise including socks, sheet sets, and children’s books. Between his tables, the produce (and shoppers) in front of Fairway, and the scaffolding, the sidewalk on that block has become very difficult to navigate.
If Helen Rosenthal had half a clue she would put a citibike right where those book sellers set up shop. This would put an end to his illegal shop. It might be legal to sell books but not other merchandise which is always available on his tables. The loud music and screaming at people walking by is awful. But lets all be happy that Helen is stopping tourist helicopters from flying by our neighborhood. People who are actually spending money in our city and people running a legitimate business.
+1 to you Mark. When I first moved to the neighborhood 25 years ago those guys would at least remove their wares/junk from the sidewalk when they closed for business every night.
Does the WSR have any special feature each 9/11 — some kind of nostalgic observations, etc?
We have tended to write about it in some way. Here are a few stories and photo essays from prior anniversaries:
https://www.westsiderag.com/2014/09/11/photos-911-on-the-upper-west-side
https://www.westsiderag.com/2013/09/11/indelible-reminders-of-september-11-2001
https://www.westsiderag.com/2011/09/09/events-to-commemorate-the-10th-anniversary-of-911-on-the-upper-west-side
If you have any story ideas for this year, let us know. WSR
Something many people keep mentioning: the exit steps from the 79 street stop on the 1 train are too narrow for the numbers of people getting off at this stop.
Does anyone know how we can start an official request / campaign to get new stairs cut in? I’d like to see stairs at 80th Street, and put in elevators to come into ADA compliance. Wherever it goes, I think additional stair space is needed.
I hope that this isn’t a naïve suggestion, DMH (and I’m sure that I’ll hear about it if it is): You can’t get a large developer nearby to build the stairs in exchange for a building permit?
Get started now, it took decades to get this done at 72nd street. Your grandchildren will appreciate it.
whelp, you guys did a great job at 72nd Street! Very grateful for the hard work it must have involved. I hope the 79 street entrances get some capacity upgrades to meet the overflow demand.
Hi DMH,
I totally agree. And unfortunately as the other person pointed out, it will probably take 50 years to get that done. If there’s a way to contact me privately, i’d be interested in working with you on this. At least in getting something started! I have a gripe about the MTA i’m gonna bring up at t CB7 meeting sometime. I’ll start a new comment/rant here about it.
Ok, what’s on my mind at the minute, is when I’m waiting on line to fill metro card or at a cashier or at a bus stop etc. Why do people wait til the last possible minute to take out their cash, credit card, metro card to use it. If one is standing on line for either a couple minutes or 15 minutes, they have plenty of time to get their money out!, instead of rummaging through their bag once it’s their turn. Ooohh, that drives me nuts. Also when waiting to put more cash on my metro card there’s always people using their credit card when there’s a machine right next to it that takes Only credit cards and debit cards, and most of the time there are no lines for that machine! That drives me crazy too! Ok, I feel better, just getting that off my chest!! 😀
I totally agree. It’s not like it’s a surprise that some form of payment will be required when waiting in a line to purchase something.
I went to refill my metrocard the other day and the machine wouldn’t let me get a one month unlimited. It was simply gone as a option. Has that changed since last month? Or is there a chance that machine just couldn’t fulfill that request?
Does anyone know what will be in the very large newly constructed space on Amsterdam between 95th and 96th street next to the bank?
What’s the deal with the African men selling bags/scarves etc. every few blocks on Broadway? What kind of license they have and how did they get it? They are obviously not veterans…
That’s been going on for ages! I like having the vendors out and about! Have bought a couple of things from them in a pinch! It shows what this city is about… Diversity! Eclectic, interesting street life! Instead of manicured streets of other cities
Agreed. They’re clean, neat and sell decent merchandise that’s timely for the season. I’ve never seen one of those merchants yell at passersby or in any way act other than like a responsible merchant.
In stark contract — see the discussion above — to the “book sellers” on Broadway in the lower 70s.
There’s enough going on that we have to pick our battles, and I don’t think that the hat merchants pose any problem to our neighborhood. Heck, I’d rather have them encroaching a little on our sidewalks, always right near the curb, than some of those “sidewalk cafes” that consume most of the pedestrian way.
The new SelectBus on 86th is so cumbersome and difficult to use it makes no sense at all. Passengers must stand on line to get a slip of paper with their Metrocard instead of inserting in the slot as they board. Then should the machines at which you do this be out of order, as they often are, they are supposed to get off at the next stop, buy the ticket and get back on the bus, which likely has moved on so they must wait at that stop for another bus. Then there is the coin machine. The slot to insert the coins is too small even for my tiny hands,( I wear a size 6 glove) , and so awkward to reach that I invariably drop several coins. If one manage to get them in, the machine often decides not to dispense a ticket. eve though it records the correct amount. So you press cancel, get a few, not all of the coins back, find additional coins to try again. Try getting the returned coins out of the tiny dispenser. Often, they shoot out to the floor. By this time the bus is gone. And should you need a transfer, oh my. You take your little piece of paper to the front of the bus and ask for a transfer. Not finished yet. At the point you wish to transfer, you must take your transfer to another machine and get another piece of paper because the driver wont let you board without this piece of paper. Think of the elderly who have trouble getting up and down the stairs of a bus. This requires them to do it SIX times if the original machine is out of order. Also, if the machine is out of order and a MTA person boards when you are between the original stop and the next stop where theoretically you can buy a ticket, Do you have to get off the bus and go back to the original stop to prove the machine is Out of order or risk a $100 fine?. What if that machine at the second stop is out of order also-not unlikely? I can see getting of and on the bus several times at each of the remaining stops on that route.. This is supposed to make the ride quicker? Only for the driver because he/she has not got any passengers who can get on the bus with the proper pieces of paper. It would be funny , like a circus act if it did not make moving within the city so difficult for so many already stressed New Yorkers.
Avoid the 86th bus
Oh Eliza, I’m afraid your concerns about the M86 aren’t shared…by anyone else. You’re lengthy dissertation is mostly hyperbole. I’ve never seen a ticket machine out of order. I’m not doubting that you have…actually I am.
The SBS is a vast improvement over what it was, it’s difficult to see how that could be seen otherwise.
When things change it can be confusing at first. Many of us find the SBS to be a vast improvement. Try to give it a chance instead of negging about it, you might be happier.
“Negging” -Subconsciously, or consciously expressing only a negative perspective of a suggestion or idea.
Might I suggest buying a Metrocard? The SPS on the crosstown 86th street line is, in one word, EXCELLENT. The time to cross the park from Broadway to 5th Avenue is now less than 10 minutes. The bus stays at a stop for a period of one red light then moves quickly on. How anyone could think that the new system is not a vast improvement over what was is beyond me. Hopefully the bus lines on 79th and 96th streets will be next.
And then if the bus hits a squirrel, and if the moon is in Aquarius, and if it’s a leap year, the whole thing blows up. What was the MTA thinking?
Lol!!!!
have had excellent experiences on the M86 select bus so far.
I took this bus a couple nights ago and it was EXCELLENT. Got my ticket easily by inserting my metro card (major improvement over carrying coins) and grabbing the receipt. Quickly boarded the bus with another 20 or so people who also all had easily figured out how to get tickets and then rode all the way to my destination in less time than usual. Huge improvement.
My long standing issue is a basic one. How tough is it to walk down the righthand side of the sidewalk? The staircase? People who walk down the left of the sidewalk and expect me to jump out of their way are always surprised that I won’t.
I hear ya! Stay to the right folks!…
And that Means Your Right! 🙂
Hallelujah brother!
Sometimes I say “This isn’t England” and just stop in front of them so they have to move over.
Trash on the streets has increased dramatically in the last couple of years. I take pride in the neighborhood and I pick up as much as I can. If only the stores would police their own area. Much of the trash is produced by ‘take-out’ and left strewn around over-flowing waste containers where it is wind-blown all our sidewalks. (that would include you Joe’s) It is an insult to those of us who live here.
Definitely seems like it. Those $1,000+ recycle bins seem to not only be a waste of money but don’t seem to hold waste in side them. All of those receptacles that are supposed to hold free newspapers are disgusting and add to the cluttered sidewalks as well. I understand people are pigs but I can’t for the life of me understand why most businesses don’t make it a priority to clean up outside their individual businesses. If I owned a business, especially situated on a corner where most of these receptacles are placed I’d make it my business to ensure that everything is clean. Mind boggling!
While it’s true that people can sell books and art on the street without a General Vendors license they still must abide by certain vendor laws: they have to be at least 20 feet from the entrance of any building,they are limiteed to 8 feet of space parrallel to the curb, there must be 3 feet of space from the curb to the property line, they cannot leave their merchandise unattended overnight and they cannot sell non-permitted items (i.e. porn, electronics). Personally, I find the book mess at 72nd street an eyesore. Most of the books look terribly dirty. I would never buy one from them.
Does anyone else find the corner of 79th and Amsterdam extremely dangerous to cross going east or west on the north side of 79th? The cars and buses turning left in order to go north on Amsterdam are trying to find a gap in the oncoming traffic, then avoid the pedestrians in the crosswalk. They have a green arrow at the end of the cycle, but they can still go before that. All it would take to fix this is for the arrow to become red before it turns green. Currently it doesn’t.
I happen to live at that exact intersection, and yes, it IS terrible, and terribly dangerous! It’s been on the radar of the DOT for a while as a dangerous place.
read more:
and
I can tell you anecdotally that it actually is better now than it was a couple years ago, while still imperfect. It appears this was decided to be the best solution at the time. :-/
I wanna complain about how friggin loud it is while waiting for the 1 train at both 79th and 86th! I don’t even care about looking silly anymore, i cover my ears when the 2/3 express trains are coming because i am SURE that it must be doing some sort of long term damage to my hearing and those of the little ones who are around. How have people put up with this for the last 100 years? Some day i’m gonna bring it up with the community board.
How I wish the food and service at Ellington on the Park was better.
What a great location that’s being negatively impacted by really Bad Bad Food and indifference in service
Nice staff people though.
What about that Ben Affleck huh? Dirty business! Matt Damon used to live on the UWS.
Remember when the UWS was cool and we had all those stars from stage and screen living here with us? Now all we have is trashy bankers.
Remember Humphrey Bogart.
Yes. And Lauren Bacall lived on the UWS.
I just recently moved here from Missouri in desperate need for food food and ect… I do not have my social security card I have a copy of my Missouri Id have proof address even my insurance card im pregnant plz let me know
I heard that a local shelter closed and the former residents are heading to the soup kitchens on 86 and West End and on 82 and Amsterdam and that this is what is to blame for the large uptick in homeless in the neighborhood. Can someone confirm that or give more information? I was assaulted in the street by one of these guys and it seems that many are more aggressive than the regulars we have always had up here. Comments?
One thing that has changed….
since about 2010 there have been quite a few young (20-something) homeless people who are not from NYC – they are from out of town. Some couples and a bunch with dogs.
For years, they’ve been coming to NYC in warm weather, mostly staying in Union Square and the East Village.
But a few years ago, started coming to the UWS.
This summer especially, seem to be congregating in front of Trader Joe’s and the AMC/Loew’s movie theatre. The NYPD tried (very politely)to move them away from Trader Joe’s a few days ago. They were really high and gave the police a very hard time.
ditto. i feel so sorry for the innocent dogs who had no choice in this.
I honestly feel more sorry for the dogs than for these kids.
The young bums who sit outside Trader Joes reading books and on playing on their iphones are in town for the cheap Heroin. Apparently that is why we have seen an uptick in drug using white kids from the Midwest. Cheap Heroin. Anyone who is giving these kids money is surely enabling their drug habits and keeping these people in oour hood.
I wrote Helen an e-mail and her intern wrote back that our councilwoman was having a meeting last Wednesday at the 20th precinct to discuss how to help solve this problem with Godard or in other ways. Bratton admitted last week that there is nothing he can do.
Even having the homeless man who sets up camp outside Victoria Secret being on the front page of the NY Post 2 days in a row hasn’t changed anything. Contacting Helen’s office and having your voice heard is the best thing to do.
Are you referring to this?
https://therealdeal.com/blog/2015/07/29/notorious-camden-hotel-property-to-be-replaced-by-10-story-resi-building/
Thank you for the shout-out!
Twas quite a fine comment!
Wondering what the purpose is for the long stretch of scaffolding covering the sidewalk on the north side of West 100th St. just west of Columbus Ave. It been up since last Fall though no work seems to be in progress. Is the City paying a rental fee for the scaffolding? It’s an eyesore and for no surmisable reason.
Am I the only Westsider who picks up litter in the streets? Am I the crazy one, or just too sublime for words? How can people who are proud of themselves and their neighborhood just walk by? The lowlife tossers–there I have no explanation, they are thieves who rob us of dignity and pride in our surroundings. It tales almost no effort to quickly scoop up “clean” street refuse…and feel good about yourself
I pick up litter as well. It’s just completely beyond me what goes through people’s minds when they toss something on the ground. One of these days, I’m probably going to chew someone out.
Sure, picking up litter isn’t going to make world peace happen all of a sudden, but it’s a small step that anyone — including YOU — yes, YOU — can take to make your city, your country, or your planet a better place.
Actually, instead of chewing people out, what I’ve been doing so far is picking up the piece of litter and handing it back to them, saying, “You dropped this.” It’s less confrontational and doesn’t include any tacit assumption that the person is a disgusting, selfish pig.
Eleanor you are not alone in picking up trash, as I do it too. I am shocked by the amount of trash strewn about. I am a dog owner as well and often pick up others dog waste. It really is maddening how careless and thoughtless others can be, though who knows the stories they are living from. Thanks for being a caring individual, good to know there are those who care and are taking strides to make things better.
I have been wondering about the scaffolding on 76th and Amsterdam. It has been up for at least 3 years and no work in sight. It is covering up many empty store fronts (except for Tessa) and no wonder– since the block does not look attractive.
Onservations:
Why do people sit at the bottom of subway steps in the direct flow of traffic ?
Why can;t people use the city provided recycle bins the proper way. Paper in Paper Can , Metal in Metal Can etc?
Why can;t 7-11’s be replaced by Wawa’s . 7-11’s in the city are not a great experience.
Why do people sit at the bottom of subway steps in the direct flow of traffic ?
For the same reason that they stand in the doorways of the subway trains themselves: Because they are the only people who matter, and anyone else should just go around them. Your right to use the stairs, or the doors, for their intended purposes disappears when your fellow citizen’s personal comfort prefers to use the stairs, or the doors, for purely unintended purposes.
In other words, because they are jerks.
Unfortunately I agree with Cato, and I would expand thus: I think the actual number of jerks are few, but there are also a great many more sheep – people who will bias towards “what is everyone else doing, I’m doing that” instead of a personal sense of consideration and how would I want to be treated. So a few jerks exhibit a behavior and then others just follow.
An example of this is the entrance to the 81 St C stop in weekday mornings. Some time ago – I think within the last year – people started lining up in front of the stairs, instead of along the sidewalk. It’s completely rude, unless there is some reason I don’t see (always possible). But no one is going to break the pattern, because it exists. I wonder how it changed. Perhaps there was some construction along 81 that I don’t recall, but it definitely wasn’t always this way (I’ve been going to that stop for over 10 years).
My post is a little unclear. The line I’m referring to is the line for the M79 across town to the east side; this stop is right next to the entrance for the C 81 St stop.
I wish we had your news paper in a bin on w 23st some where on 7th ave and why haven’t we seen the west side spirit any more I miss that paper too. I love the west side rag thank you and keep bringing the news on
I used to love the Spirit but when they changed the font size and layout of the paper about a year ago ( I think ) it went downhill. It was impossible to read both visually and aesthetically
I hope the management of the new Bloomingdale’s outlet at the corner of Broadway and 72nd St. make efforts to remove the blight of booksellers between 72nd and 73rd.
I’m not opposed to street vendors in general, but those who take up an extraordinary amount of space, play loud radios, make obnoxious comments to passersby, throw lots of cigarette butts everywhere,and store their wares on the sidewalk overnight are a problem.
It seems that since these book vendors don’t need a license to operate as do other vendors any kind of enforcement by authorities will be nonexistent. This means that unless a lot of individuals complain to local officials, and/or the businesses that operate nearby use any influence they may have in lobbying city officials to come up with a solution this problem will continue to exist. Seems fairly simple to solve. Either require book vendors to pay for a license, or limit the square footage any one vendor can use and if they go beyond that allotted amount they can and should be fined. Failure to pay fines gets your books confiscated and donated.
I’ll repeat what I said above, for the benefit of those who don’t understand this.
Selling books on a table on NYC sidewalks without a license has been established by court cases. It’s a “free speech” issue. Perhaps an attorney can chime in here with more specifics.
So don’t wish for booksellers to be licensed because they will never be required to get a license.
All other forms of street vending is licensed; food, trinkets, imported rip-off fakes from China (often sold by the Africans — they pick up their daily quota of this junk from wholesalers on 28th St. — that someone else complained about elsewhere in this topic).
Books aside, there are strict rules about who can be a vendor, where they can set up, etc. And YES, the city does occasionally enforce these rules. I’ve seen the police close down fruit carts further uptown.
The rules, to the best of my knowledge, do not concern themselves with the quality of the food or merchandise.
The only time we could expect the police to force a book vendor to move or close down would probably be a case of immediate danger to the health or safety of the public.
I don’t know that the situation between 74th-72nd Sts. has reached that point yet, disgusting as it is. I wouldn’t hesitate to say there are several dumpsters along the West Side of Broadway there — without the actual dumpsters, just the contents!
As for businesses along those blocks (and the owners of the buildings), unless the booksellers are violating the property line (which is usually about the middle of the sidewalk), there is no basis for a complaint to the police or other agencies.
Of course between 74th-72nd Sts, some of these guys do violate that line, parking their butts in their “outdoor living rooms” right alongside the buildings.
Maybe the thing to do to organize a barrage of complaints to the businesses. When Bloomingdales opens, go in every time you pass and gripe. Same with the others (why do I forget who’s actually in between the TD bank at 74th and 72nd?).
Maybe an organized protest on the sidewalk might have an effect? I doubt it. Visual activism on the UWS is a lost cause. Last time I saw people marching was years back to protest the horrendously ugly and inappropriate Ariel eyesores being built by mega-greedy Gary Barnett. A lot of good that did!
The street vendors have created a shabby…not intellectual or literary…presence on Broadway. Extending from 72nd to 74th Streets, this stretch looks dirty and unattractive. If would be quite a different statement if they had elegant book display stalls or street furniture like those found in European Markets or on Parisian Boulevards – the manner in which Broadway was historically intended. No upscale grandeur here. Just broken down shabby tables and beat up desk chairs and piles of cardboard debris left in our precious tree pits. This is not a public sidewalk anymore. And the evening looks hideously more shabby with plastic tarp wrapped tables and clutter that, sadly, I would expect on Brighton Beach Avenue or Pitkin Avenue…not on the Upper Westside Broadway.
Did you see my reply above?
The tarps are there all the time. I make frequent trips down to TJ’s, during the middle of the day and in the evenings. I usually get off the bus at 74th and walk (after going to the bank) to 72nd.
It seems some of these tables on those two blocks are always covered by tarps!
What is Helen Rosenthal doing about all of this? I wish we had officials in our community who would tackle the real issues we face for our families such as homeless people wacked out on K2 harassing our kids not tourist helicopters and bike lanes.
Several Manhattan community groups asked the Bloomberg administration to address this issue. Bloomberg administration was not interested in tackling. In fact, Bloomberg responsible for increasing food cart vendors throughout,seeing licensing as a revenue source.
(Bloomberg would not even address issue of carts in front of Metropolitan)
But IMO this just helped solidify a “norm” whereby anyone – food carts, book “vendors”, etc, feels entitled to plop down anywhere and take over the pavement. And when one vendor finds a new corner, others follow.
Agree totally with you about these booksellers. Although the legal right to sell books on a sidewalk table in the city has long been established, these guys (is it a cartel?) between 74th and 72nd St on the west side of Broadway have pushed it to the most obnoxious extreme.
Not too sure Bloomies can do much, except perhaps right in front of their store, and then only if the property line is crossed. Certainly Urban Outfitters didn’t give a damn.
And pity the passerby who might actually want to browse these books. More than half are usually covered with plastic regardless of the weather or time of day. The tables are piled far too high and totally disorganized.
Anyone can do much better by finding used and actually new books at Symphony Space most afternoons during the Summer. And there, your $1.50 (for a small paperback) actually goes to a good use.
I agree too. I used to stand up for the booksellers, but the guy with tables in front of the old Loehman’s at the Ansonia has started taking up more and more of the sidewalk and turned into a real nuisance.
Also in agreement about the booksellers. There’s also a new vendor who sets up shop under the scaffolding in front of Fairway, selling an unusual assortment of merchandise including socks, sheet sets, and children’s books. Between his tables, the produce (and shoppers) in front of Fairway, and the scaffolding, the sidewalk on that block has become very difficult to navigate.
If Helen Rosenthal had half a clue she would put a citibike right where those book sellers set up shop. This would put an end to his illegal shop. It might be legal to sell books but not other merchandise which is always available on his tables. The loud music and screaming at people walking by is awful. But lets all be happy that Helen is stopping tourist helicopters from flying by our neighborhood. People who are actually spending money in our city and people running a legitimate business.
+1 to you Mark. When I first moved to the neighborhood 25 years ago those guys would at least remove their wares/junk from the sidewalk when they closed for business every night.
Does the WSR have any special feature each 9/11 — some kind of nostalgic observations, etc?
We have tended to write about it in some way. Here are a few stories and photo essays from prior anniversaries:
https://www.westsiderag.com/2014/09/11/photos-911-on-the-upper-west-side
https://www.westsiderag.com/2013/09/11/indelible-reminders-of-september-11-2001
https://www.westsiderag.com/2011/09/09/events-to-commemorate-the-10th-anniversary-of-911-on-the-upper-west-side
If you have any story ideas for this year, let us know. WSR
Something many people keep mentioning: the exit steps from the 79 street stop on the 1 train are too narrow for the numbers of people getting off at this stop.
Does anyone know how we can start an official request / campaign to get new stairs cut in? I’d like to see stairs at 80th Street, and put in elevators to come into ADA compliance. Wherever it goes, I think additional stair space is needed.
I hope that this isn’t a naïve suggestion, DMH (and I’m sure that I’ll hear about it if it is): You can’t get a large developer nearby to build the stairs in exchange for a building permit?
Get started now, it took decades to get this done at 72nd street. Your grandchildren will appreciate it.
whelp, you guys did a great job at 72nd Street! Very grateful for the hard work it must have involved. I hope the 79 street entrances get some capacity upgrades to meet the overflow demand.
Hi DMH,
I totally agree. And unfortunately as the other person pointed out, it will probably take 50 years to get that done. If there’s a way to contact me privately, i’d be interested in working with you on this. At least in getting something started! I have a gripe about the MTA i’m gonna bring up at t CB7 meeting sometime. I’ll start a new comment/rant here about it.
Ok, what’s on my mind at the minute, is when I’m waiting on line to fill metro card or at a cashier or at a bus stop etc. Why do people wait til the last possible minute to take out their cash, credit card, metro card to use it. If one is standing on line for either a couple minutes or 15 minutes, they have plenty of time to get their money out!, instead of rummaging through their bag once it’s their turn. Ooohh, that drives me nuts. Also when waiting to put more cash on my metro card there’s always people using their credit card when there’s a machine right next to it that takes Only credit cards and debit cards, and most of the time there are no lines for that machine! That drives me crazy too! Ok, I feel better, just getting that off my chest!! 😀
I totally agree. It’s not like it’s a surprise that some form of payment will be required when waiting in a line to purchase something.
I went to refill my metrocard the other day and the machine wouldn’t let me get a one month unlimited. It was simply gone as a option. Has that changed since last month? Or is there a chance that machine just couldn’t fulfill that request?
Does anyone know what will be in the very large newly constructed space on Amsterdam between 95th and 96th street next to the bank?
What’s the deal with the African men selling bags/scarves etc. every few blocks on Broadway? What kind of license they have and how did they get it? They are obviously not veterans…
That’s been going on for ages! I like having the vendors out and about! Have bought a couple of things from them in a pinch! It shows what this city is about… Diversity! Eclectic, interesting street life! Instead of manicured streets of other cities
Agreed. They’re clean, neat and sell decent merchandise that’s timely for the season. I’ve never seen one of those merchants yell at passersby or in any way act other than like a responsible merchant.
In stark contract — see the discussion above — to the “book sellers” on Broadway in the lower 70s.
There’s enough going on that we have to pick our battles, and I don’t think that the hat merchants pose any problem to our neighborhood. Heck, I’d rather have them encroaching a little on our sidewalks, always right near the curb, than some of those “sidewalk cafes” that consume most of the pedestrian way.
The new SelectBus on 86th is so cumbersome and difficult to use it makes no sense at all. Passengers must stand on line to get a slip of paper with their Metrocard instead of inserting in the slot as they board. Then should the machines at which you do this be out of order, as they often are, they are supposed to get off at the next stop, buy the ticket and get back on the bus, which likely has moved on so they must wait at that stop for another bus. Then there is the coin machine. The slot to insert the coins is too small even for my tiny hands,( I wear a size 6 glove) , and so awkward to reach that I invariably drop several coins. If one manage to get them in, the machine often decides not to dispense a ticket. eve though it records the correct amount. So you press cancel, get a few, not all of the coins back, find additional coins to try again. Try getting the returned coins out of the tiny dispenser. Often, they shoot out to the floor. By this time the bus is gone. And should you need a transfer, oh my. You take your little piece of paper to the front of the bus and ask for a transfer. Not finished yet. At the point you wish to transfer, you must take your transfer to another machine and get another piece of paper because the driver wont let you board without this piece of paper. Think of the elderly who have trouble getting up and down the stairs of a bus. This requires them to do it SIX times if the original machine is out of order. Also, if the machine is out of order and a MTA person boards when you are between the original stop and the next stop where theoretically you can buy a ticket, Do you have to get off the bus and go back to the original stop to prove the machine is Out of order or risk a $100 fine?. What if that machine at the second stop is out of order also-not unlikely? I can see getting of and on the bus several times at each of the remaining stops on that route.. This is supposed to make the ride quicker? Only for the driver because he/she has not got any passengers who can get on the bus with the proper pieces of paper. It would be funny , like a circus act if it did not make moving within the city so difficult for so many already stressed New Yorkers.
Avoid the 86th bus
Oh Eliza, I’m afraid your concerns about the M86 aren’t shared…by anyone else. You’re lengthy dissertation is mostly hyperbole. I’ve never seen a ticket machine out of order. I’m not doubting that you have…actually I am.
The SBS is a vast improvement over what it was, it’s difficult to see how that could be seen otherwise.
When things change it can be confusing at first. Many of us find the SBS to be a vast improvement. Try to give it a chance instead of negging about it, you might be happier.
“Negging” -Subconsciously, or consciously expressing only a negative perspective of a suggestion or idea.
Might I suggest buying a Metrocard? The SPS on the crosstown 86th street line is, in one word, EXCELLENT. The time to cross the park from Broadway to 5th Avenue is now less than 10 minutes. The bus stays at a stop for a period of one red light then moves quickly on. How anyone could think that the new system is not a vast improvement over what was is beyond me. Hopefully the bus lines on 79th and 96th streets will be next.
And then if the bus hits a squirrel, and if the moon is in Aquarius, and if it’s a leap year, the whole thing blows up. What was the MTA thinking?
Lol!!!!
have had excellent experiences on the M86 select bus so far.
I took this bus a couple nights ago and it was EXCELLENT. Got my ticket easily by inserting my metro card (major improvement over carrying coins) and grabbing the receipt. Quickly boarded the bus with another 20 or so people who also all had easily figured out how to get tickets and then rode all the way to my destination in less time than usual. Huge improvement.
My long standing issue is a basic one. How tough is it to walk down the righthand side of the sidewalk? The staircase? People who walk down the left of the sidewalk and expect me to jump out of their way are always surprised that I won’t.
I hear ya! Stay to the right folks!…
And that Means Your Right! 🙂
Hallelujah brother!
Sometimes I say “This isn’t England” and just stop in front of them so they have to move over.
Trash on the streets has increased dramatically in the last couple of years. I take pride in the neighborhood and I pick up as much as I can. If only the stores would police their own area. Much of the trash is produced by ‘take-out’ and left strewn around over-flowing waste containers where it is wind-blown all our sidewalks. (that would include you Joe’s) It is an insult to those of us who live here.
Definitely seems like it. Those $1,000+ recycle bins seem to not only be a waste of money but don’t seem to hold waste in side them. All of those receptacles that are supposed to hold free newspapers are disgusting and add to the cluttered sidewalks as well. I understand people are pigs but I can’t for the life of me understand why most businesses don’t make it a priority to clean up outside their individual businesses. If I owned a business, especially situated on a corner where most of these receptacles are placed I’d make it my business to ensure that everything is clean. Mind boggling!
While it’s true that people can sell books and art on the street without a General Vendors license they still must abide by certain vendor laws: they have to be at least 20 feet from the entrance of any building,they are limiteed to 8 feet of space parrallel to the curb, there must be 3 feet of space from the curb to the property line, they cannot leave their merchandise unattended overnight and they cannot sell non-permitted items (i.e. porn, electronics). Personally, I find the book mess at 72nd street an eyesore. Most of the books look terribly dirty. I would never buy one from them.
Does anyone else find the corner of 79th and Amsterdam extremely dangerous to cross going east or west on the north side of 79th? The cars and buses turning left in order to go north on Amsterdam are trying to find a gap in the oncoming traffic, then avoid the pedestrians in the crosswalk. They have a green arrow at the end of the cycle, but they can still go before that. All it would take to fix this is for the arrow to become red before it turns green. Currently it doesn’t.
I happen to live at that exact intersection, and yes, it IS terrible, and terribly dangerous! It’s been on the radar of the DOT for a while as a dangerous place.
read more:
https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130727/upper-west-side/dot-agrees-improve-signals-at-dangerous-west-79th-st-intersection
and
https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130613/upper-west-side/residents-demand-changes-dangerous-uws-intersection
I can tell you anecdotally that it actually is better now than it was a couple years ago, while still imperfect. It appears this was decided to be the best solution at the time. :-/
I wanna complain about how friggin loud it is while waiting for the 1 train at both 79th and 86th! I don’t even care about looking silly anymore, i cover my ears when the 2/3 express trains are coming because i am SURE that it must be doing some sort of long term damage to my hearing and those of the little ones who are around. How have people put up with this for the last 100 years? Some day i’m gonna bring it up with the community board.
How I wish the food and service at Ellington on the Park was better.
What a great location that’s being negatively impacted by really Bad Bad Food and indifference in service
Nice staff people though.
What about that Ben Affleck huh? Dirty business! Matt Damon used to live on the UWS.
Remember when the UWS was cool and we had all those stars from stage and screen living here with us? Now all we have is trashy bankers.
Remember Humphrey Bogart.
Yes. And Lauren Bacall lived on the UWS.
I just recently moved here from Missouri in desperate need for food food and ect… I do not have my social security card I have a copy of my Missouri Id have proof address even my insurance card im pregnant plz let me know