Watch-Blog
Joint Letter on 5G Towers
LW! has a long history as an adversary for the out-of-scale 5G-towers proposed for the streets of our city. In our 2020 and 2021 testimony before the Public Design Commission, we spoke out lamenting the ungainly proportions and unattractive design. Now that these are...
New York in English
By Claudie Benjamin Its most appropriate that the New York Language Center’s UWS is located in a historic former Horn & Hardart Automat at 2710 Broadway, 2nd Fl. This is because using the UWS neighborhood and the five boroughs as teaching points is integral to...
Somewhere in the Mediterranean
By Claudie Benjamin A painting that captures the mood and cultural pride of a certain time and place? Certainly, that describes the huge, riveting work called Voice of Peace by Adi Oren highlighted at the Dagon Restaurant at 2454 Broadway. Painted in the restaurant’s...
The Last Generation for Dry Cleaners
By Claudie Benjamin An ongoing challenge confronting the dry cleaning industry is addressing the safety of the non-water chemical products used for cleaning. According to an article in the environmentalist publication, Enviro-Forensics: Turning Environmental...
Buildings, Businesses, and People in Digital Murals
By Claudie Benjamin If you google Stoddard Theater on Broadway at 2431 Broadway, the New York Public Library’s digital collection will yield a small black and white photo (inset) of the Upper West Side theater taken in 1933 by Wurts Bros., a professional photography...
Historic Memory
By Claudie Benjamin No question cars can be dangerous machines. Most NYC drivers drive cautiously following the rules outlined in the driver’s test manual. Not so for riders of CitiBike, personal bikers, delivery bikers, motor scooters and tots on electric...
Christmas Trees 24/7
By Claudie Benjamin Tree drove from Florida in his van and met up with Yaya in North Carolina. They continued on to NYC to pick up their gig selling Christmas trees and wreaths on the Upper West Side. The two vendors, employees of Evergreen, a large Brooklyn-based...
Caring for the Artist, the Performer, the Creator Within
By Claudie Benjamin Gaga. Jagger. Whitney. Bono. As the Lawrence Vocal Studio celebrates its upcoming 75th anniversary, the Lawrence family continues to show why they are among the premier teachers of voice in the world. Their studio tradition has influenced some of...
Pharmacy’s Boutique Vibe
By Claudie Benjamin Even among the oldest Upper West Siders, memories are receding quickly of once omnipresent dark paneled and shelved pharmacies displaying decorative apothecary jars filled with blue, green, or amber liquid and a not-just-for-display mortar and...
Finding Treasure
By Claudie Benjamin In the mid-1970s, Louisa and John Craddock were a young adventurous couple being priced out of their apartment with a view of Central Park. Then they heard about what seemed like a great deal. Now in 2022, almost 50 years later, Louisa is...
