West Side Rag

Meet the UES Candidate Running to Represent Both the UES and UWS in Congress Alex Bores, who is running for the NY-12 congressional seat. Photos courtesy of Bores's campaign By Gus Saltonstall It is

A WSR conversation with NY-12 Congressional candidate Alex Bores. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/27/m...

UWS Weekend: Great Things to Do in (and Around) the Neighborhood By Tracy Zwick February 27th through 29th Columbia Men’s Basketball: Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m. at

Mavis Staples, now 86, is at the Beacon Theater Saturday night. Her latest studio album (her 14th) is "Sad and Beautiful World." www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/27/u...

WSR Cartoon: Cabin Fever on the Upper West Side By Bob Eckstein About the cartoonist: Bob Eckstein is a writer, illustrator, author, and contributor of cartoons to The New Yorker and

He built this city. He built this city out of what was lying around the house. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/27/w...

Columbia University’s Athletes Share Behind-the-Scenes Stories From the Winter Olympics Freestyle moguls skier Olivia Giaccio, wearing number 6, and her teammates give pointers to Winter Olympics commentator Snoop Dogg. Photo

What do Olympians do when they're not out there competing? Learn from two Team USA members who study at Columbia University. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/27/c...

Dead Body Found in Central Park: Police WSR. By Gus Saltonstall A dead body was found in Central Park on Thursday, a police spokesperson told West Side

The person was found unresponsive in Central Park around 10:50 a.m. on Thursday, police said. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/26/d...

ICE Agents Detain Columbia University Student: School Says Officers Made ‘Misrepresentations’ To Get Into Building A protest against ICE outside of the Columbia University gates, hours after a student was detained. Photo by Claudia Gohn.

Federal agents detained a Columbia University student on Thursday morning, according to the school. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/26/i...

A WSR Conversation With Candidate Nina Schwalbe in the Race to Represent the UWS in Congress NY-12 Congressional candidate Nina Schwalbe. Photo courtesy of Schwalbe's campaign. By Gus Saltonstall The most common word used to describe

Nina Schwalbe is running to succeed Rep. Jerrold Nadler in New York's 12th Congressional District. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/25/a...

New Affordable Housing Development Set For Upper West Side: What to Know The Saint Agnes Residence. Photo by Gus Saltonstall. By Gus Saltonstall A new housing development for formerly homeless adults and

The plan calls for 50 studio apartments, the majority for formerly homeless adults and the rest for low-income individuals. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/25/n...

Openings & Closings: Tamizdat Book Corner; Poppie Toys; Sisu Clinic; Farmer’s Market Cafe; THISBOWL Tamizdat Book Corner will sell books that have been banned in Russia. Photo by Lisa Kava. By Lisa Kava Tamizdat

Tamizdat Book Corner, which carries books banned in Russia, is opening Thursday in a corner of White Rabbit Books. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/25/o...

UWS River Run Playground Keeps River and Other Historic Elements in Plans Approved by City Rendering of the planned renovation for River Run Playground. Images courtesy of the New York City Department of Parks and

After community pushback, the city is preserving the 'river' in a Riverside Park playground. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/24/u...

‘This Is a Traffic Cone’: UWS Couple’s Videos Tell the Stories Behind the Neighborhood’s Mundane Streetscape Opening shots of two "What Is This?" episodes. By Scott Etkin In the opening shot of one of her recent

A lesson from "What Is This?": Blizzard warnings are triggered by wind levels, not by a specific level of expected snow. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/24/t...

Upper West Side Historical Photo Challenge No. 21 By Rob Garber for the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group Welcome to another installment in the Rag’s Historical Photo Challenge. The

This photo was taken on the UWS, sometime in the past. Do you know where, when, and what it shows? www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/24/u...

Upper West Side Snow Photos From The Blizzard: See It A snow covered West 93rd Street. Photo by Deborah Sharp. By West Side Rag As of 1 p.m. on Monday,

Central Park had received 19.7 inches of snow as of 1 p.m. on Monday. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/23/u...

Man Shot on the Upper West Side: Police WSR. By Gus Saltonstall A man was shot Sunday night on the Upper West Side, police said. A 28-year-old man

The shooting took place Sunday night on West 87th Street, police said. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/23/m...

Here’s the UWS Dish: Florentin’s White Bean Msabbaha Photos by Abigael T. Sidi. By Abigael T. Sidi As I was planning for this week’s piece, with yet another

Of all the dishes I’ve covered for this column, Florentin’s white bean msabbaha might be most straightforward, yet it's super tasty and vibrant. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/23/h...

Monday Bulletin: A Minute of Silence in Central Park for Late Russian Dissident; UWS’s Dubious Dog-Poop Distinction; Cycli A ghostly Upper West Side, seen across the Central Park Reservoir, awaits the arrival of the blizzard. Photo by Ann

New Yorkers gathered at a bench in Central Park to remember Russian dissident Alexei Navalny on the anniversary of his death. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/23/m...

UPDATE: Racist Remarks Shock Participants at UWS Schools Meeting: ‘We Take These Matters Very Seriously’ Participants in the meeting reacting to the racist remarks. UPDATE: Saturday, February 21 at 8 p.m.: Allyson Friedman, a professor at

Update: Allyson Friedman, a professor at Hunter College, sent a statement in an email to West Side Rag acknowledging she was the one who made the remarks at the Upper West Side schools meeting. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/20/r...

The Pilates Proliferation on the Upper West Side By Gary Martin Gary B. Martin is an illustrator and animator who has lived on the Upper West Side for more

There will be no shortage of active limber caffeinated people on the UWS. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/22/t...

Upper West Side Meltdown: All That the Ice Leaves Behind Photo by Yvonne Vávra. by Yvonne Vávra One by one, they’re disappearing. The ice banks that rose after last month’s

What do snow piles on Upper West Side curbs, glaciers from 20,000 years ago, and the blankets we hide under in winter have in common? www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/21/u...

UWS Weekend: Great Things to Do in (and Around) the Neighborhood Graphic. By Tracy Zwick February 20th through 22nd Silence and Sound: Arvo Pärt's Music for Strings at the Cathedral of

Broadway legend (and UWSer) Mandy Patinkin is in concert at Symphony Space on Saturday, performing show and classic American tunes. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/20/u...

Racist Remarks Shock Participants at UWS Schools Meeting: ‘We Take These Matters Very Seriously’ Participants in the meeting reacting to the racist remarks. By Gus Saltonstall Officials of the Upper West Side School District

"If you train a Black person well enough, they'll know to use the back," an adult said while an UWS child was speaking. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/20/r...

WSR Cartoon: Some Are Thinking, At Least it’s Not a Cartoon About Curling By Bob Eckstein About the cartoonist: Bob Eckstein is a writer, illustrator, author, and contributor of cartoons to The New Yorker and

The helmet stays on. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/20/w...

A Less-Than-Enlightening Update on the Possibility of Wegmans Opening on the Upper West Side Signage for Wegmans on the Upper West Side. Photo by Gus Saltonstall By Gus Saltonstall There are few subjects the

"We continue to remain focused on our Astor Place store," a Wegmans spokesperson wrote to WSR. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/19/a...

West Side Canvas: Down by the River By Robert Beck Remember Fall? My previous column was about the snow, and it felt like I was piling on,

My previous column was about the snow, and it felt like I was piling on, so here’s something to look forward to. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/19/w...

What’s Going on With the 174 Yards of Sidewalk Shed Over The Astor on the Upper West Side The sidewalk shed and scaffold at The Astor building. Photos by Gus Saltonstall. By Gus Saltonstall 522 feet. That is

The sidewalk shed on the west side of Broadway, between West 75th and 76th streets, has been up for nearly 12 years. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/18/w...

After Weeks on the Picket Line, Nurses Head Back to Work Nurses on the picket line at Mount Sinai Morningside in January. Photo by Claudia Gohn By Claudia Gohn Shella Dominguez,

"I wasn't sure at the beginning if it was something that we were capable of, but it really turned into something powerful." www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/18/a...

Openings & Closings: Tap; Mikado; Crepes on Columbus; Runaway Poppy; Grassroots Fitness Project Tap. Photo by Lisa Kava. By Lisa Kava and Natalie Demaree Tap, a gluten-free Brazilian cafe at 267 Columbus Avenue

Tap, a gluten-free Brazilian cafe at 267 Columbus Avenue, is expanding into the space next door. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/18/o...

94-Year-Old UWS Woman Missing For More Than a Month: NYPD Majorie Cleonese-Laporte, who has been missing since January 8, according to NYPD. By Gus Saltonstall A 94-year-old Upper West Side

Majorie Cleonese-Laporte was last seen on January 8, leaving her building on West 94th Street, between West End and Riverside Drive, police said. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/17/9...

UWS Broadway Farm Grocery Store is Fully Closed, But Unclear For How Long Broadway Farms was closed on Tuesday. Photos by Gus Saltonstall. By Gus Saltonstall For months, it has looked like the

Broadway Farm was closed on Tuesday. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/17/u...

Ruthless Advice for Upper West Siders: All of the Answers With None of the Expertise By Karen Bergreen and Cynthia Kaplan Editor's note: This month, a guest columnist, Emmy-Award-winning comedian Judy Gold, is filling in

The Winter Olympics is an excellent excuse to watch daytime television. www.westsiderag.com/2026/02/17/r...