Monday, February 5, 2024
Sunny. High 43 degrees.

Notices
Our calendar has lots of local events. Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.

The Lunar New Year is on February 10, and the Super Bowl is on February 11. While these two events might not seem connected, an unexpected statistic has been making the rounds in the lead up to the game.

Super Bowl LVIII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday will be played under a waxing moon. The Kansas City Chiefs have won 19 of their last 20 games under a waxing moon. Do with that, what you will.

You might be eligible for free money from the city. There are $18.4 billion in unclaimed funds resulting from unused gift cards, and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli set up a database recently to allow New Yorkers to check if they are eligible. All you have to do is enter your name — HERE.

This reporter was able to add $47 to his bank account.

West Side Rag is seeking a cartoonist. If you are a cartoonist, know anybody that might be interested, or know where we might find one, please reach out to info@westsiderag.com.

Upper West Side News
By Gus Saltonstall

Susan Schwartz, an Upper West Side resident and former Community Board 7 member, and her husband David Schwartz, were recently profiled by The New York Times. But you’d have a challenging time guessing why.

This past fall, the couple co-authored and published the book, “The Joy of Costco: A Treasure Hunt From A to Z,” which was the culmination of the pair visiting more than 200 Costco locations across the United States and world.

Last week, the Times spoke with the local couple in an article titled “They Love Costco So Much They Wrote a Book About it.” The discussion ranged from the Schwartz’s 450-square-foot apartment on the Upper West Side, to the inspiration that led the couple to travel 220,000 miles, to 13 other countries, and see hundreds of Costco warehouses over the last decade.

The now well-reviewed book was turned down by 22 publishers, before they eventually decided to self publish it under their own publishing company, Hot Dog Press, which is a nod to the staggering number of franks that the chain sells every year. (Just shy of 200 million in 2023.)

Most recently, on a local level, Schwartz stepped down in December from her co-chair position of CB7’s Parks & Environment Committee over the board’s handling of the proposed electric-bike charging station (hub) outside of the subway station on Broadway between West 71st and 72nd streets.

Schwartz had served on the board since 2016.

A luxury building on the Upper West Side just sold for over $250 million, according to the New York Post.

A&R Kalimian Realty sold the AIRE luxury apartment tower at 200 West 67th Street last week for $265 million to Gotham Organization and Carlyle Group, the Post said. It is a 43-story building with 310 units, a private park, an event deck, fitness center, rehearsal spaces, and more.

The ground floor also has available commercial space.

You can read more about the details — HERE.

Susie Essman has been a staple of the longtime hit comedy show “Curb Your Enthusiasm” — and ahead of its final season — The New York Times sat down with Upper West Sider Essman to discuss her journey on the show. 

In fitting neighborhood fashion, the Times conducted the interview at Cafe Luxembourg, the same local spot that Essman named as her favorite when the Rag spoke to her in our “Why the West Side” series in 2017.

Despite the show shooting in Los Angeles, Essman and her husband split their time between a two-bedroom Upper West Side apartment and a home in Upstate New York. Essman told The Times she hopes to eventually retire on the Upper West Side, where she also lives with a deaf, one-eyed Shih Tzu named Helen Keller.

On “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Essman plays Larry David’s manager’s wife Susie Green.

“I love the trees,” Essman told the Rag in 2017 about her favorite parts of the Upper West Side. “You’re between two parks, and Riverside I prefer, because I love the Hudson and it just feels more neighborhoody to me. And Central Park , with all its beauty and it’s such a magnificent place, just feels more touristy to me. And I’ve always lived closer to Riverside.”

Following a reader-submitted photo of rat poison in Central Park, the Central Park Conservancy explained to the Rag that it does regularly put out rat poison, but will always place it in fenced-off and flagged areas.

Dog owners should thus remain vigilant.

There are also rare occasions where a bird can pick up the poison and drop it in a non-fenced-off area.

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