Watch-Blog
Chance Finds
By Claudie Benjamin Some older New Yorkers may remember the first modest beginnings of Pottery Barn in 1949. Early on, the threadbare store was on Tenth Avenue and 19th Street. Pottery was then sold in crates. There were no shelves. Somewhat younger people who are...
The Air We Breathe
By Claudie Benjamin Breathe in…ahhh…that fresh air! But, is it clean? Likely not. Daily air quality indexes on the Upper West Side, for example, can range in the “poor” toxic levels. More specifically, for example, on October 19 the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) on...
Risk and Movie-Watching
By Claudie Benjamin The policy of the AMC 13 Lincoln Square movie theater at 1998 Broadway is clear and familiar to theatergoers: “Smoking is prohibited within the theatre, including auditoriums and common areas. This includes vapors, e-cigarettes, and any other...
Water: Potable, Portable & Free
By Claudie Benjamin Recently, in Paris, a customer left Shakespeare and Company, the iconic bookstore, and right out front filled her water tumbler straight from one of the multitude of elaborately ornamented 19th-century “Wallace” water fountains on the streets of...
How Green is My City
By Claudie Benjamin Having abundant green personal space along with a view on the UWS has long come at a price. But, yes, it does promise to make daily life better. QG Floral and Landscape’s call-waiting message puts green/grass desirability this way: “Even if you...
Lost Sky
By Claudie Benjamin When Jill Gill talks about her past 70 years as an artist and urban observer, she says she sees both the past and present at the same time. Among the most startling differences reflected when comparing her more than a hundred street scenes with the...
White Hats and FDNY: Joint Responders to Manhole Fires
By Claudie Benjamin July 13, 2017: Alex Elting, then living on the Upper West Side, caught a dramatic moment on his cell when he videotaped the billows of black smoke and flames rising from a manhole fire at Sherman Square at 71st Street just about 100' ft. from where...
Loving Aqua: Difficult and Rewarding
By Claudie Benjamin Aqua fitness training goes by many names. But, the bottom line is that whether you are very fit or adapting to living with a brand new knee, Aqua can only make you stronger and more confident in both how you look and feel, according to Anne Peyton...
City of Yes for Housing Opportunity at the City Planning Commission
By Megan Fitzpatrick After 15 hours (yes, you heard that right) of public comments, Commissioners' pushback, and lively debate, the City Planning Commission's City of Yes for Housing Opportunity (COYHO) public hearing came to a close on July 10th, 2024. Opponents of...
Coronado’s Granite Jewelry
By Claudie Benjamin Nodding to the past and embracing innovation is a recurring theme guiding architects of post-war buildings on the Upper West Side. There have been detours, some more successful than others. A few plain-faced white buildings introduced in the 80s...
