Watch-Blog
Refined Pastry Evoked Pre-WWII Europe
By Claudie Benjamin Little known or expected, the fine pastries served in First Class on Pan Am, TWA, Air France, KLM, and others in the 1960s and 70s were made by the Eclair Bakery at 141 West 72nd Street. The Éclair prided itself on elegant, refined pastries that...
Ahead of the Curve at PS 9
by Sarah McCully Columbus Avenue has been a bustling thoroughfare for over a century, a home to countless shops, museums, apartments, and schools alike. Over the years, the block between West 84th and 83rd Streets has been home to a tiny hotel, elegant apartments, and...
Lichtman’s Sweet Legacy
By Claudie Benjamin A New Yorker article in the July 20, 1987 issue of the magazine poignantly described the auction of the effects of Louis Lichtman’s, the bakery that had long been on the corner of 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Folk musician David Roth recently...
We All Scream for Trudy’s Ice Cream
by Sarah McCullyEven on a cold and dreary afternoon, Trudy’s Ice Cream shop is like a burst of sunshine on Columbus Avenue. It’s quickly become a fixture of this pocket of the Upper West Side, though it only opened on the corner of 108th Street two years ago. I’ve...
Never Taken for Granted
By Megan Fitzpatrick I met Rev. K Karpen on a bright Wednesday morning with a coffee in hand and a smile ready to start his day. Most likely not his start, but mine. The daily grind at St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church had already begun with palettes of...
Gnot Your Grandma’s Gnocchi
By Megan Fitzpatrick I shimmy into the narrow shopfront on Columbus Avenue between 70th and 71st Streets to shield myself from the rain, and I’m immediately drawn to the wonderfully delicious smell of vodka sauce, cheese, and potatoes. Fresh gnocchi is being prepared...
Washing A Building
By Claudie Benjamin It’s not simple to clean and repair a building facade. That’s particularly true for an elaborate structure like the 1902 Dorilton coop on 71st Street. For over a year, the ornate Beaux Arts treasure has been swathed in protective netting. Once...
Building Materials Sourced from the Earth
By Claudie Benjamin Plaster: on the low end of building materials? Not at all. Its use as a building material in the luxurious 1902 Dorilton at 171 West 71st Street, where apartments sell for millions, is a notable example. Realtor Ann Cutbill Lenane counts among...
Facing Columbus
By LANDMARK WEST! The Doric order is recognized for its plain solidity and strength. The Ionic order is recognized for its graceful beauty. The Corinthian order is recognized for its detail and slenderness. The Mermaid order? I’ll have the beer-battered fish tacos...
Wish I Had Made (the Cake) Myself
By Claudie Benjamin Madge Rosenberg spent 30 years devoted to her passion for baking. She was so successful that today, more than a decade after Soutine, her French-style bakery at 104 West 70th Street closed in 2012, she said she can’t go up to the farmers market on...
