ReportWire

Tag: Upper West Side

  • Ghosts hunting, from The Dakota to Central Park to ‘Spook Central’

    [ad_1]

    UPPER WEST SIDE — Meet the famous phantoms of Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

    Authors Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes joined Localish to shed light on storied hauntings in their book “America’s Most Gothic: Haunted History Stranger than Fiction.” Hieber also guides tours for Janes’ company, Boroughs of the Dead. The walking tours revolve around the sites behind New York City’s ghost stories.

    Hieber describes the Upper West Side as very vibrant – and that includes its paranormal scene.

    The Upper West Side’s “got a lot of life, and so its stories of the afterlife are similarly vibrant and relational.”

    The Dakota Apartments at West 72nd Street and Central Park West is a perfect example. It’s been the focus of ghost stories from the get-go.

    One of the building’s notable ghosts belongs to the man who developed the Dakota in the 1880s.

    “Edward Clark had made all his money by being the lawyer who helped Isaac Singer get the patents for the Singer Sewing Machine,” explains Hieber. “The Singer Sewing Machine money went into what at the time was known as ‘Clark’s Folly,’ a nickname given to the building by skeptics of its location on an all-but-barren Upper West Side.”

    Clark died in 1882, before the building was completed. He’s said to have stuck around to make sure the building stayed up to snuff.

    “Workmen have noticed a figure and when they see a picture of Edward Clark they’re like, ‘That’s the guy who was watching over some of the renovations through the years.”

    A couple of the Dakota’s most famous tenants included John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Hieber said Ono has spoken of witnessing her late husband appear in their apartment and reassure her. The beloved former Beatle was shot to death outside the building’s entrance in 1980.

    Appropriately, Boris Karloff, who played the original Frankenstein, once lived on the building’s basement level. Rumor has it, children were too afraid to visit for trick or treating.

    Movie buffs might recognize the building’s exteriors from 1968’s “Rosemary’s Baby,” and just a few blocks away you’ll find “Spook Central” and Tavern on the Green in Central Park, a couple of sites featured in 1984’s “Ghostbusters.

    Central Park’s Boat Pond is home to a pair of Victorian sisters, clinging to one of the period’s favorite pastimes.

    “The Van Der Voort sisters are a ghost story that perpetuated after the 19th century,” explains Hieber. The duo is said to be spending the afterlife ice skating away… in the shadow of the Dakota apartment building, no less.

    “America’s Most Gothic: Haunted History Stranger than Fiction” is available now at Amazon and other book sellers.

    You can book at tour with Boroughs of the Dead at its website.

    [ad_2]

    CCG

    Source link

  • Rats and pigeons have taken over spot near Upper West Side subway station, neighbors say

    [ad_1]

    Everyday is Thanksgiving dinner for a growing flock of pigeons near an Upper West Side subway station.

    For people just passing through, it’s a curiosity. But for those who live in the neighborhood, the all-day buffet for the birds is creating an all-night feast for rats, and the locals want to put a stop to the feeding frenzy.

    A local leader pins the blame lies squarely on those leaving food for the birds, because that is attracting the rodents and allowing them to run amok near the corner of 96th Street and Broadway, where the 1/2/3 trains run.

    “When you feed the pigeons, you’re going to bring the rats because they like the same grain. The same seeds,” said Councilmember Gale Brewer, who represents the Upper West Side.

    Brewer said the pigeon problem begins each day in the morning. That’s when animal lovers, some of whom have been seen on video, feed the birds. But every evening, there are leftovers — and the result is a feast for rats.

    “The rats are behind you, they just come out and if there is food by your foot they go right by your foot. They aren’t even scared of humans,” said Deborah Kelly.

    Another local resident, Susan Lawrence, said she has had a rat come right across her foot as it was going for the leftover food.

    Brewer said she has pleaded with the Mayor Eric Adams administration, writing a letter asking for measures to prevent the feeding of pigeons. However, the city’s Health Department responded by saying that it’s not illegal to feed pigeons or other wildlife.

    “I was a little surprised there was nothing that could be done to stop people from feeding them,” said Brewer.

    Though some New Yorkers don’t mind sharing the space with pigeons, others say it reminds them too much of of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. And the rats? They’re for the birds.

    “I think they are flying rats and they should do something about it,” said Sheila Mitchell, who lives on the Upper West Side.

    Earlier in August, Mayor Adams touted several months straight of decreasing rat sightings based on 311 complaints. A lot of the neighbors in the area would like to see a more intense presence of Health and Parks Department staff to dissuade people feeding birds.

    [ad_2]

    Chris Glorioso

    Source link

  • Family of hostage Omer Neutra hosts community basketball game to honor their son’s 23rd birthday

    Family of hostage Omer Neutra hosts community basketball game to honor their son’s 23rd birthday

    [ad_1]

    UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) — More than a year after the October 7 attacks on Israel, the family of one hostage is reminding community members about their son, who is having his second birthday in captivity.

    Friends and family members came to show their support for Long Island native Omer Neutra at a community basketball game on Sunday.

    “We’re exhausted, absolutely. This has been a roller coaster of a year between hope and despair, and right now, negotiations are at a standstill,” said Omer’s mother, Orna Neutra.

    The family last spoke to their son, who is in the Israeli military, just a day before Hamas attacked, claiming 1,200 lives and taking 240 hostages, including Omer.

    “We’re hoping he’s okay, and I mean, there’s a good chance he doesn’t even know what day it is. He doesn’t know that it’s his birthday or if it is his birthday,” said Daniel Neutra, Omer’s brother.

    Omer’s family refuses to give up hope and continues to cling to their belief in miracles.

    They have been working tirelessly to get their son released, talking to officials in Washington and Israel, and also leaders in the Middle East.

    “He was 21 when he was taken captive. Right, it’s heartbreaking, it’s devastating. And it’s unfathomable that a 22-year-old is spending his time in the tunnels underneath Gaza for such a long time,” Orna said.

    According to his family, Omer loves basketball and wore the number “24” because he idolized Kobe Bryant and was a big Knicks fan. Despite living in Israel, Omer rarely missed watching a Knicks game.

    “And we were four years ago and we watched the NBA Finals always together. Whether we were together physically or apart across the ocean, we always watched NBA finals together,” said Ronen Nuetra, Omer’s father.

    Omer’s basketball teammates here at home say they are in disbelief as they wait for updates about him. One teammate, Ari Kantorowitz, says Omer was always the joyous spirit of their group, even when they were bad.

    “He was our heart. He was the guy that was fighting for all of us that maybe weren’t as tough. He always brought like the hope that we could win,” Kantorowitz said.

    ALSO READ | Community calls for postpartum care changes after mother dies weeks after giving birth

    Sonia Rincon has more on the urgent call by family members and advocates for changes to postpartum care.

    ———-

    * Get Eyewitness News Delivered

    * More Manhattan news

    * Send us a news tip

    * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

    * Follow us on YouTube

    Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

    Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.

    Copyright © 2024 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.

    [ad_2]

    WABC

    Source link

  • Who is the pickleball grinch? Vandal wanted for destroying equipment at NYC park

    Who is the pickleball grinch? Vandal wanted for destroying equipment at NYC park

    [ad_1]

    There’s a vandal on Manhattan’s Upper West Side with an apparent vendetta against pickleball.

    Police confirmed reports Friday of a person vandalizing the pickleball courts in Riverside Park. Portable courts are now being used, and removed nightly, after the destructive work of an unknown assailant.

    The damage had reportedly cose nearly $2,500.

    The West Side Rag, which first reported the confusing crime, said the courts on the lower level of the park were hit three times in less than a week, and that several nets were cut up and stuffed into a trash can.

    City crews are working with the NYPD to try to figure out who is behind the park prank.

    Pickleball players have reportedly said they saw a man dismantling the nets, but he took off when they confronted him. The next day, nets and poles vanished — with the poles later found in a garbage bag.

    “It’s too bad that someone would vandalize them, but I also think it’s great the community came together to replace the nets,” Veronica Zabala said Friday.


    News 4

    A portable net is set up at a pickleball court.

    [ad_2]

    NBC New York Staff

    Source link

  • Luxury NYC Residences That Perfectly Match Their Settings

    Luxury NYC Residences That Perfectly Match Their Settings

    [ad_1]

    For many the number one driver in selecting a residence is the desire to reside within one of New York City’s most charming, upscale and historic neighborhoods. An extra bounty of exclusivity is conferred upon those New Yorkers who select residential buildings directly influenced by the city streets and structures around them.

    Passionate architects and designers of recent years have added to New York City streets an array of properties that reflect the streetscapes right outside their doors. Whether the buildings showcase the trademark limestone of the Upper West Side, the brick and concrete characteristic of Brooklyn’s DUMBO or the European-influenced charms of Gramercy, these are properties that fit their Gotham environs so well, they’ve become extensions of the enclaves encircling them.

    96+Broadway

    Bearing an address at 250 West 96th Street, 96+Broadway is an Upper West Side luxury condominium property developed by JVP Management and designed by Danish designer Thomas Juul-Hansen.

    Within the 23-story building is an eclectic array of 131 residences, with the floor plans extending from one to five-bedroom configurations.

    “By blending classical architectural elements, from the elegant setback to the Bavarian limestone façade with bronze trim, every aspect of the building was designed to convey the sense of grandeur and sophistication synonymous with the neighborhood’s architectural heritage,” says JVP Management Partner Van Nguyen.

    Front & York

    Architect Morris Adjmi designed this pair of 21-story residential towers in Brooklyn’s DUMBO enclave. The structure’s intricate hand-crafted façade is composed of 1.2 million Glen-Gery bricks of a unique color echoing the surrounding streets’ hues.

    “Our objective for Front & York was to adapt DUMBO’s historic warehouse aesthetic at a grand scale with contemporary references to the neighborhood’s most iconic elements,” Adjmi says.

    “To recall the nearby Manhattan Bridge, storefronts are framed with a highly customized system of blue steel arches. Above, custom grey engobe brick draws reference to the neighborhood’s quintessential Belgian-block streets.”

    222 E. Broadway

    The tableau surrounding the corner of the Lower East Side’s East Broadway and Clinton Street influenced the design of this new ground-up, 28-story luxury tower and renovated 11-story landmarked loft building.

    SLICE Architects and S4 Architecture pictured the development as a “vertical village” offering an array of fenestration and massing that differentiates the property from surrounding newer developments. At the same time, 222 E. Broadway complements the nearby streetscape, dotted with some of Manhattan’s most desirable establishments and legendary cultural institutions.

    250 E. 21st Street

    Though boutique in size, this entirely new 13-story, 54-residence structure is endowed with style. Situated at 21st Street and 2nd Avenue in Gramercy, the Issac & Stern Architects building boasts design galvanized by the European influence of nearby Gramercy Park and the historic richness of the Gramercy enclave as a whole.

    “The developers of 250 East 21st Street were able to capture the European charm of Gramercy Park in this eye-catching building,” says John Gomes of the Eklund | Gomes team at Douglas Elliman. “(Its) architecture was directly inspired by a trip Fredrik Eklund and I took to Paris. Following our trip, we met with Issac & Stern Architects to mirror these beautiful Parisian buildings that are all over the city, which you rarely find in Manhattan. The result is a building unique in character with Juliette balconies, impressive pre-war architecture and sleek modern interiors.”

    109 E. 79th

    The heart and soul of the Upper East Side is captured in this condominium property designed by Steven Harris Architects and Rees Roberts + Partners. Striking volumes and impeccable detailing are hallmarks of the building, which stands steps off Park Avenue and is encircled by the city’s most time-honored and fabled pre-war addresses. The blend of aesthetics and layering is inspired by design movements ranging from Art Deco to Bauhaus, Midcentury modern and international style.

    547 West 47th Street

    Manhattan’s West Side is the setting for this move-in-ready, 219-unit luxury condominium bearing an address on 11th Avenue between 47th and 48th Streets.

    Floor plans extend from studio to two-bedroom in a project that represents the initial New York City design foray for internationally recognized Dutch architectural firm Concrete. “With its contrasting design, the façade honors the dynamic energy of Hell’s Kitchen today, while paying homage to the neighborhood’s rich industrial heritage,” says Scott Shnay, a principal at real estate development joint venture CBSK Ironstate. “The brickwork base references the classic factory lofts that once defined the area, and the upper levels of sleek, cantilevering glass boxes take inspiration from Manhattan’s Machine Age skyscrapers.”

    [ad_2]

    Jeffrey Steele, Contributor

    Source link

  • Family’s NYC Real Estate Legacy Endures, 111 Years After Disaster

    Family’s NYC Real Estate Legacy Endures, 111 Years After Disaster

    [ad_1]

    On this date in 1912, one of the richest men in the world dined sumptuously aboard the White Star line’s newest and proudest ocean-going vessel on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic. Later that evening, he would guide his young wife Madeline to lifeboat No. 4 and be told he could not join her until all women were safely aboard. He would later be glimpsed on the ship’s starboard bridge wing, speaking with another passenger.

    This was the last anyone saw of John Jacob Astor IV until his remains were plucked from the icy Atlantic waters a full week later, one of just 333 bodies recovered of the more than 1,500 lives lost in the April 15, 1912 sinking of the Titanic.

    This 111th anniversary of the catastrophe is as apropos a moment as any to reflect on the rich New York City real estate legacy of the Astor family, a legacy that remains a civic treasure to this day. The Astor name lives on in a number of honored New York City settings, not least of which are Astor Place, the crossroad between the East and West Village, and Astoria, Queens, a bastion of international culture and public green space nestled between Long Island City and Sunnyside across the East River.

    The Astor

    Also bearing the Astor name are myriad New York City buildings that harken to the city’s gilded age. Near the top of that list is no less a plum than the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, built by William Waldorf Astor, great grandson of John Jacob Astor I.

    Another is The Apthorp, built by William between 1905 and 1908 to occupy an entire city block bordered by Broadway, 79th Street, West End Avenue and 78th Street.

    The building was operated by the Astor family for decades until its 1950 sale. It now is a New York City-designated landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

    Yet another notable example is The Astor. Situated on Manhattan’s Upper West Side at 235 West 75th Street, The Astor was commissioned by William in 1901.

    Designed by busy New York City architects Clinton and Russell, the original structure featured two southern towers. A third tower, designed in 1914 by Peabody, Wilson & Brown, completed within a year and similar in appearance to the original towers, was designed to be four stories taller to allow for spacious penthouses. These were targeted at well-heeled New Yorkers then descending on the Upper West Side, who were predicted to flock to the building for its location on Broadway between 75th and 76th, and its proximity to the city’s original subway line and Central Park.

    New listings

    The Astor introduced new listings this past autumn, the first new inventory in the iconic building in two years. Restored and upgraded for today’s most discerning purchasers, the residences feature the kind of luxuries first-class passengers aboard the Titanic would have savored, had they entered a time tunnel directly to 2023.

    Included are formal entry foyers, herringbone-patterned wood floors, wood-burning fireplaces, up-to-date kitchens featuring top-of-the-line appliance packages and bathrooms offering soaking tubs and radiant heated floors.

    “It’s rare to find a home in Manhattan that features both historic architecture and contemporary interiors with modern upgrades, especially one that caters to today’s active lifestyles.” says Douglas Elliman’s Kyle Egan, who along with Randall Dolland and Michael Kafka is overseeing building sales.

    “The Astor provides this ideal combination in one of the city’s most sought-after neighborhoods. Discerning buyers in today’s market are looking for a unique product that can’t be found elsewhere. The Astor speaks to those looking for a beautiful, inviting, spacious home, and a special piece of New York history.”

    It appears exactly 111 years after the Titanic’s sinking, the cache of the real estate associated with its most famous passenger continues ascending.

    [ad_2]

    Jeffrey Steele, Contributor

    Source link