Columbia Football Fires Head Coach After First Win of the Season
Sam Blum
Talk about a bad Sunday hangover.
Columbia head coach Norries Wilson was relieved of his duties Sunday morning, despite leading his team to their first win of the season the day before. Wilson was in his sixth year as head coach, and had seen a steady decline in results since posting a 5-5 record in 2006, his first year at the helm. Read more
Free Movie Tickets for UWS
According to a heads up from Council Member Gale Brewer’s office, Upper West Side residents can score free tickets to see the forthcoming film “New Year’s Eve” in early December. The Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting has coordinated the free ticket offer to compensate the neighborhood for the inconveniences caused by the movie’s filming there. The picturesque brownstone lined streets have always beckoned Hollywood – last month the same offer came from the movie “Tower Heist,” and literary buffs might be hoping to get a similar deal when the Jonathan Safran Foer novel turned Tom Hanks film “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” comes to theaters – so it’s nice for the studios to acknowledge that the film crews blocking streets and taking up precious parking spots interrupt the day-to-day goings on of the Upper West Side. Read more
The Alchemy of Same-Sex Relationships
Gahl Sasson wants gay people to search for their soul mates.
Tomorrow night, Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 7–9 p.m., Sasson will lead a workshop called “The Alchemy of Same-Sex Relationships: Tips from Mystical Traditions for Attracting and Harmonizing Love Signs and Soul Mates” at The New York Society for Ethical Culture. Read more
P&G Bar Jams at West-Park
If you’re looking for a way to extend the weekend, you might plan to stop by West-Park Presbyterian Church on Monday night to witness the belated farewell jam session concert of famed, and now shuttered, Upper West Side watering hole P& G Bar.
“We’re welcoming them to West-Park for the concert they didn’t get to have,” said Reverend Bob Brashear, pastor of the landmarked church that has scratched and clawed its way to survival and a rebirth as an arts center.
P&G, after moving two years ago, had been struggling to pay the rent and was forced to close earlier this summer; they were pushed out a week sooner than expected and never got to have a final goodbye bash. Monday night’s free concert will feature some of the P&G regulars, and the acts will include solo acoustic artists, singer/songwriters, blues, jazz, old-time, Irish and full bands. The event will also raise funds to help repair the severely water-damaged building at West-Park in their “Donation to Renovation” drive. Read more
West Side Decks Out for Fashion Week
Fashion Week, the biannual international convergence of designers, models, buyers, celebrities, press and fashionistas on New York to view the spring 2012 collections, has begun! But what is the average Upper West Sider to do during all the hubbub? (Aside from model-watching, of course.)
The Lincoln Square Business Improvement District (BID) has been working with Lincoln Center and the sponsors and organizers of Fashion Week to ensure that the stylish events enhance, rather than hinder, local business. They’ve also drummed up some specials for regular folks and fashion icons alike. Read more
Upper West Side Hurricane Prep
As New York City braces for Hurricane Irene and Mayor Bloomberg issues the first-ever mandatory evacuation for residents in low-lying areas, some neighborhoods of the city have more to worry about than others. If you check the Office of Emergency Management’s Hurricane Evacuation Map, you can see if you’re in one of the zones. Almost all of the Upper West Side is a “no zone,” which means that you won’t need to evacuate, but there are still precautions to take. Read more
Upper West Side Street Collapse
Thanks to a tip from Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal’s office, we came upon this phenomenon on West 82nd Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues, where there have been problems with water main breaks in the recent past:
Partial street collapse on W. 82nd St. Photo by Andrew Schwartz.
There have been no reports of any injuries or accidents as a result of the street collapse, and workers were on the job to get it fixed immediately. We’ll find out the cause and post an update when we have it.
UWS Real Estate Deal Gets Pushback
The proposed location of the new Jewish Home Lifecare nursing home. Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein.
In this week’s edition of the West Side Spirit (pick it up in the neighborhood today!) we take a look at the latest plan by Jewish Home Lifecare to find a new location, and what some members of the community are saying about it: New Spot, Same Reaction.
“Jewish Home Lifecare does not speak to the community,” said Catherine Unsino, a local resident and a nursing home care advocate. “We’ve protested the Department of Health in Albany. They did not have a public process that they’re supposed to have.”
Unsino and a handful of other residents set up a table at the 97th Street greenmarket last week just outside the lot where JHL will potentially construct its new 24-story building. They spoke to people passing by on the sidewalk and gathered signatures on a petition to protest the location.
Roberta Flack Sings On
In this week’s edition of The West Side Spirit, reporter Daniel Fabiani interviews legendary crooner Roberta Flack, who calls the Upper West Side home. Read more
Gay Wedding Week at Fourth Universalist
By Ashley Welch
The Fourth Universalist Society will host a Wedding Week to celebrate marriage equality from July 24 to July 28.
Beginning on Sunday at 1 p.m., the sanctuary will be open to marry every couple that enters the church’s doors. Ministers, pastoral counselors, musicians and volunteers will be on hand to assure every couple who wants to wed will get married. Prices for the services range from $250 to $350 and include the marriage ceremony, marriage license, the option for pre-marital counseling and a reception with wedding cake and champagne. However, no one will be turned away if they cannot pay.
