The Spirit | Your local newspaper for the Upper West Side

April 20, 2024: Playoff Palooza

April 20, 2024: Playoff Palooza ( Playoff Palooza on April 19. Photo: Scott Levy/MSGS)

In celebration of the New York Knicks kicking off the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs the team is throwing a Playoff Palooza packed with interactive fun, celebrity meet-and-greets and exclusive giveaways downtown on April 19 starting at 11 a.m.

Knicks Playoff Palooza: A Saturday of Fun, Celebrities & Giveaways at Battery City Park on April 19

15 Apr 2025 | 06:37

The Knicks open their conference playoff run on the evening of April 19 at Madison Square Garden, but fans who want to get into the swing of the playoffs early should head downtown to Waterfront Plaza at Brookfield Place, Battery Park City starting at 11 a.m.where the team is once again hosting a three-hour...

A devastated Joan Camprubi Montal, brother of Merce Camprubi Montal, prepares to toss flowers into the Hudson River near the site where his sister, her husband Agustin Escobar and their three children perished in a helicopter crash on April 10. The helicopter pilot was also killed in the crash.

A devastated Joan Camprubi Montal, brother of Merce Camprubi Montal, prepares to toss flowers into the Hudson River near the site where his sister, her husband Agustin Escobar and their three children perished in a helicopter crash on April 10. The helicopter pilot was also killed in the crash. ( Photo: Justin Persaud/Mayoral Photography Office)

Flowers on Hudson for Six Killed in Deadly Helicopter Crash

15 Apr 2025 | 04:50

Less than 20 minutes after boarding a sightseeing helicopter on April 10 at the Skyport in downtown Manhattan,...

Peter Cincotti at the piano.

Peter Cincotti at the piano. ( Photo: Courtesy Cafe Carlyle)

This NYC Native Always Comes Home to The Carlyle

15 Apr 2025 | 11:20

At just 3 years old, Peter Cincotti started tickling the keys of a toy piano, already giving audiences...

A resident captured a video that shows a raccoon atop scaffolding at 505 E. 79th St. and posted that the raccoon was “rabid,” prompting the NYPD to respond.

A resident captured a video that shows a raccoon atop scaffolding at 505 E. 79th St. and posted that the raccoon was “rabid,” prompting the NYPD to respond. ( Photo: Citizen)

‘Rabid’ (or not) Raccoon Riles Up UES Residents; Masked Critter Still at Large

15 Apr 2025 | 12:06

A raccoon was spotted walking across scaffolding on the Upper East Side on April 14, and when someone...

A nonprofit known as Upper West Side Cinema Center has agreed to a $6.9 million purchase of the famed Metro Theater at 2626 Broadway. The group hopes to revive the theater, which has been closed since 2005, as a five-screen arthouse destination.

A nonprofit known as Upper West Side Cinema Center has agreed to a $6.9 million purchase of the famed Metro Theater at 2626 Broadway. The group hopes to revive the theater, which has been closed since 2005, as a five-screen arthouse destination. ( Photo: Upper West Side Cinema Center)

Saved: Metro Theater Bought by UWS Cinema Center for $6.9 Million

15 Apr 2025 | 03:11

The Metro Theater is back, after a nonprofit group known as Upper West Side Cinema Center announced that...

Left: wanted for sexual assault and robbery, April 9; Right: wanted for attempted rape, April 7.

Left: wanted for sexual assault and robbery, April 9; Right: wanted for attempted rape, April 7. ( Photos: NYPD)

Necrophilia on the R Train; Attempted Rape of Woman at East Broadway

14 Apr 2025 | 12:36

Various people will tell you subway crime is down for various reasons. And, according to certain statistics,...

Left: Broome Street at Wooster, where Mae Berg was attacked; Right: Berg, a costume designer, models a coat she altered, Brooklyn Bridge in background.

Left: Broome Street at Wooster, where Mae Berg was attacked; Right: Berg, a costume designer, models a coat she altered, Brooklyn Bridge in background. ( Photos: Brian Berger (left) Mae Berg Design/ Instagram (right))

Horror in SoHo: Woman Stabbed by Broken-Bottle-Wielding Maniac

13 Apr 2025 | 09:13

Meagan “Mae” Berg, the 25-year-old costume designer stabbed in the neck by a broken-bottle-wielding maniac...

Robert Dilenschneider, author and founder of the Dilenschneider Group, has just published his 23rd book, <i>Character: Life Lessons in Courage, Integrity, and Leadership.</i>

Robert Dilenschneider, author and founder of the Dilenschneider Group, has just published his 23rd book, Character: Life Lessons in Courage, Integrity, and Leadership. ( Photo: Courtesy Robert L. Dilenschneider)

For Author with Long Career in Crisis PR, It All Comes Down to “Character” in Latest Book

How often do we describe someone as funny or weird or just a “character”? Now, a serious writer is taking a deep dive into...

13 Apr 2025 | 08:53

The DSNY began enforcing the city’s new composting mandate, violators charged a fine

The DSNY began enforcing the city’s new composting mandate, violators charged a fine ( Photo: @nycsanitation Instagram)

Over 2,400 Fines Handed out by Sanitation for Compost Violations; Some Council Members Object

The city appears to be escalating its crackdown efforts against building owners who violate the new composting law even as...

11 Apr 2025 | 05:52

Stationery & Toy has emerged as a friendly neighborhood institution in its nearly four decades on the Upper West Side.

Stationery & Toy has emerged as a friendly neighborhood institution in its nearly four decades on the Upper West Side. ( Photo: Andrea Sachs)

How One Beloved UWS Store Is Navigating the Turbulent Retail Waters

You might call Stationery and Toy at 125 W. 72nd St. a mom-and-pop store. You wouldn’t be far off the mark: The store is...

13 Apr 2025 | 09:43

Young Tom Klingenstein (shown above, with his grandfather Joseph Klingenstein in 1962) was taken to the majestic original Penn Station in 1963 by Grandpa Joe just before the rail hub faced the wrecker’s ball. Now 71, Tom is working with a group on a plan for a new Penn Station. And he says Donald Trump could help.

Young Tom Klingenstein (shown above, with his grandfather Joseph Klingenstein in 1962) was taken to the majestic original Penn Station in 1963 by Grandpa Joe just before the rail hub faced the wrecker’s ball. Now 71, Tom is working with a group on a plan for a new Penn Station. And he says Donald Trump could help. ( Photo: Courtesy Tom Klingenstein)

A New Classical Penn Station? This Backer’s Plan Inspired by Grand Original

Joseph Klingenstein must have known the architectural masterpiece was doomed when he took his grandson to see it.

Visiting...

13 Apr 2025 | 02:39

Local advocates rallied at City Hall on April 8 to demand greater transparency around arts education funding.

Local advocates rallied at City Hall on April 8 to demand greater transparency around arts education funding. ( Photo: Jack Ahern )

Advocates Urge City to Spend More on Arts Ed. for Public Schools, as Cuts Loom

Local arts advocates hosted educators and students at an April 8 rally on the steps of Manhattan’s City Hall, in order to...

14 Apr 2025 | 01:08

Young Norman Mailer was not allowed by the publisher of his classic war novel “<i>The Naked and the Dead</i>” to use the “F” in the book. He substituted the word “<i>fug”</i> instead.

Young Norman Mailer was not allowed by the publisher of his classic war novel “The Naked and the Dead” to use the “F” in the book. He substituted the word “fug” instead. ( Photo: Bernard Gotfryd/Wikimedia Commons)

Explosive Language Could Help Keep You From Exploding, Experts Say

Modern science says that peppering your speech with salty words is good for your body as well as your brain.

For starters,...

11 Apr 2025 | 03:52

A sign on the door tells the story: Beth Israel Hospital, which served the downtown community since 1889, was shut down by Mount Sinai on April 9.

A sign on the door tells the story: Beth Israel Hospital, which served the downtown community since 1889, was shut down by Mount Sinai on April 9. ( Photo: Keith J. Kelly)

Beth Israel Closes After Local Activists Lose Long Legal Fight

Beth Israel Hospital has officially shuttered its doors, after Mount Sinai received a favorable appeals ruling in a protracted...

14 Apr 2025 | 10:51

NYU placed barriers around their campus a day after the NYPD arrested pro-Palestinian student protesters, April 22, 2024.

NYU placed barriers around their campus a day after the NYPD arrested pro-Palestinian student protesters, April 22, 2024. ( Photo: Alex Krales/THE CITY)

NYU, Fordham Student Visas Yanked in Widening Federal Dragnet

Students at Fordham University and New York University had their visas revoked in recent days under President Donald Trump’s...

10 Apr 2025 | 01:26

Photo of Bobby Darin performing. Darin’s own television show began when he hosted a summer replacement program for “<i>The Dean Martin Show</i>.”

Photo of Bobby Darin performing. Darin’s own television show began when he hosted a summer replacement program for “The Dean Martin Show.” ( Photo: NBC Television)

A Personal Bobby Darin Memory

I must confess. Although I have been reviewing theatre for a decade or so by now, rarely have I looked so forward to a show...

09 Apr 2025 | 01:03

The newest exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York highlights the dance floor as a vital space for creativity, connection, and cultural rebellion.

The newest exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York highlights the dance floor as a vital space for creativity, connection, and cultural rebellion. ( Photo: Lorraine Duffy Merkl)

Urban Stomp Showcases 200 Years of Dance Moves (and Dancing Is Encouraged Here)

They were dancing in the halls.

The foxtrot, lindy hop, salsa, hip-hop, hustle, waltz, tango, and voguing are on display starting...

09 Apr 2025 | 07:15

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