I bet your cute daughter will look back at this decade as the magical Upper West Side, like you remember. Don't Miss A Drop. On that very block in 1972 (probably two years before my mugging), a 10-year-old boy named Jimmy Wallace was found in the hallway of his apartment house with stab wounds in his back and neck. jeannine.j@gmail.com. That is the ambiguous power of nostalgia, as the jagged recollection of hitting a tiny child with a bicycle still has the power to catch like a rusted nail four decades later and open a fresh wound. I dont understand the folks who insist the 70s werent terrible. About fifty of us stood across the street and watched, as though we were attending a wake. UPPER WEST SIDE Upper West Siders have long known that if they want a good drink and a hopping nightlife scene free of college students and sports bars, they'd have to head below 59th. Yes there was plenty of crime in the 80s, and the neighborhood has gone through change (for the better). You want something obscure, because your horoscope recently told you to try new things. Cocktails are pricey ($12-16) but it's just too fun to miss. Via (Photo credit: Steven Siegel) Store signage at New York Times Square, around 1985. For example, claiming that people dont talk with their neighbors seems like little more than an assumption Im actually friends with several people in my building, to say nothing of those I merely talk with now and then. The great surprise, perhaps, is that while it is no longer the home of the Jewish intelligentsiain part because the Jewish intelligentsia doesnt exist as it once didit is, if anything, even more distinctively and vibrantly Jewish. May 6, 2009. So no matter what type of place youre looking for, use this guide the next time you go out on the Upper West Side. Theres solid bar food, you can get a good cocktail, and the space feels kind of like a long clubhouse with booths, darts, and board games. My sister and I used to walk down the street and try to remember what was there before. This live HD webcam overlooks the cityscape and Coolsingel, a major street in the city centre of Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands, as shown on the map further down the page. more proof that you dont have to be that old to look back on the past with rose colored glasses. But in 1961, 84th Street was a nightmare, and something had to be done. I remember when only the neighbors came out to see the Thanksgiving parade. They have an enormous scotch selection, a large number of snifters, and plenty of Irish and American whiskey as well. Finding a place to grab a drink on the Upper West Side is not a difficult task, however, there are some bars worth visiting more than others especially if you're looking for a specific vibe or ambiance. That said, it isnt the sort of place where you have to whisper and swirl your glass before you take a drink. The Netherlands consists of twelve provinces; it borders Germany to the east, and Belgium to the south, with a North Sea coastline to the north and west. 114 tips and reviews. Not the Hollywood stars with a party pad in some flashy glass tower downtown, but the ones who really live here. Get the latest in beer, wine, and cocktail culture sent straight to your inbox. By signing up, I agree to the .css-bwwgd3{transition-property:var(--chakra-transition-property-common);transition-duration:var(--chakra-transition-duration-fast);transition-timing-function:var(--chakra-transition-easing-ease-out);cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;outline:2px solid transparent;outline-offset:2px;color:currentColor;font-size:inherit;line-height:160%;}.css-bwwgd3:hover,.css-bwwgd3[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-bwwgd3:focus,.css-bwwgd3[data-focus]{box-shadow:var(--chakra-shadows-outline);}Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Ive ben on 76th since 1978. Neil Simon movie and yes a movie, but does show the charm and grit of the 70s. So they are finally free of their daily captors and, like all kids, act out without thinking of who or what is around. The circle of progress. Because The Smith is always there when you need it to be. It is the principal city of the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical . MacAliers Pub was across the avenue. the very chic chain that only was located on the UWS. I dont recognize the neighborhood at all. Youre on the Upper West Side, and you want to drink beer. Get a table or some bar seats at Dive Bar, a dimly-lit spot with over 30 beers on tap (most of which are available by the glass, growler, and pitcher). It went badly. This big bar on Amsterdam Ave feels like the kind of place you might have gone junior year, complete with foosball, pool tables, and, yes, intense games of beer pong. You'll be lead upstairs to a fancy little space with luxurious seats and bespoke cocktails. I would recommend the author talk to some parents at the local schools to get a sense for the community now. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Food City was also where I dreamt of having my first jobs first as bagger, then aspiring to cashier. But in 1976, when my parents moved to Broadway and 79th street with their three small children, no one in Manhattan lived above 72nd street if they could avoid it. Home to such venerable New York landmarks as Lincoln Center, Columbia University, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Dakota Apartments, and Zabar's food emporium, the Upper West Side stretches from 59th Street to 125th Street, including Morningside Heights. From the outside, this place looks like a very normal pub - and on the inside it looks pretty normal, too. I loved that they were open 24 hrs. Of course, I want to see my beloved neighborhood grow & flourish but why is there such a strong need to push out the very people, shops, & community that created the desirable neighborhood it became? RESERVE A TABLE. Long gone is the divine Eclair Bakery on W. 72nd St. and the Royale. Is that what a Harvard education gets you these days? You can drink one at the L-shaped bar in the corner, or you can grab a little table along the wall. Finally, the kind of restaurant the Upper West Side has long been starved for. I am currently working on my graduate school thesis and have decided to write about how the Upper West Side has changed in my lifetime. Download Upper West Side Nyc stock photos. Apple Upper West Side Opens at 9:00 a.m. Shop by drop-in available Shop by appointment Reserve a shopping session Order pickup in store Learn more Genius Bar by appointment Make a reservation Today at Apple in store Find a session See all in-store and online services Address 1981 Broadway New York, NY 10023 (212) 209-3400 See map and directions For more photos of UWS storefronts in 1982, click here. Rubell's maxim: "The key to a good party is filling a room . Every few years I will take my 20 block walk from my old apartment to 84th and Columbus. Im trying to write it into a book, and I cannot find anything about it anywhere. Hey, Scooter Stan, they are often a pain in the neck. The block in question was 84th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues. I live in a small city in the midst of a great city. Bars/clubs 1980's Show more . Theres also a big stack of board games in one corner, and, with its giant fish tank and mismatched wall decor, the space feels almost exactly like the common area of an off-campus house where six college seniors live. Everybody got mugged. To read a similar account of growing up in the 30s and 40s, click here. I frankly dont recognize this overheated characterization of the 1970s-80s neighborhood. Retroclubnyc is NYC's top dance club and nightclub playing the best dance music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s thru today including classic disco, freestyle and house music. I remember The Red Baron and Food City and Victors Cafe The Upper West Side has plenty of drinking options. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. Italian $$$$ Upper West Side. That room and the first-come first-served bar area both have lots of TVs playing games at high volume, but what really sets Blondies apart from other sports bars is the food. No more butcher, fish store, local drugstore, bakery, candy store, DVD rentals. Maybe before you retired you might have offered a no-credit seminar on at-large behavior and minding ones own business. Upper West Side Geography. Living outside the neighborhood & city in recent years, I admit, has allowed me a greater perspective on the losses the UWS has undergone. They had delicious burgers. First of all, the TV situation here is pretty great - each booth has its own screen, and then there are multiple big screens over the bar. Another one had South American clothes but the name has vanished from mind. And it was where I chose to live when I moved to Manhattan from Canarsie in 1972. Retro what does it mean? My current UWS apartment still has the footings in the floor where a Police Lock fit between the door and the floor. According to a 1966 study, out of 150,000 residents, 105,000 were white (of whom 40,000 were Jews); 26,000 came from Spanish-speaking homes; and 18,000 were black. Bring a date or meet some friends here, and if anyone gets hungry, get a few small plates like meat, cheese, and oysters. We came to wonder if New York was a place that stunted human possibility instead of expanding it.. The infamous Upper East Side murder has yet to fade from public memory. I lived at 219 W 81st (corner of Broadway) from 1962 to 1967, when we moved to Queens because the neighborhood was becoming too dangerous! Im sure we all remember the coffee shop! Use them in commercial designs under lifetime, perpetual & worldwide rights. I think this was the second time. But on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, my small city, social pathologies began to run rampant half a century ago, long before they broke into the wider culture. Let me correct myself for Sarabeths Kitchen was between 79th and 80th Streets on Amsterdam across from Macs. New York, in general became much safer when Rudy Guilliani became mayor, and even more so under Mayor Bloomberg. Bar in Upper West Side Add to myNY One of the smaller venues on our list is Bodega 88. Amazing roast chicken at Amsterdams. I was mugged four times before I was 14. If you are a graduate student, you should know how to check municipal records for closing dates of stores. The little space is long and narrow, with a bar up front and a few tables in back, and it works for anything from date night to a drink with your parents. Jacobs Pickles is great if you need an Upper West Side brunch spot or dinner meetup with someone you know will embrace the heavy bar food. The neighborhood has lost many small businesses such as delis, bodegas, pizzerias, barber shops, candy & stationery stores. It was known for its burgers, hot dogs, and milkshakes. My grandparents used to call the UWS a slum and would never sleep over instead theyd sleep in a room at the Greystone on 91st and Bwayha! Its a good spot to eat some bangers and mash, and its perfect for when you want to sit on a barstool and watch sports with a Guinness. The menu features mini food items, perfect for bar munchies, as well as delightful dinner options. I also remember that the Upper West Side was a true neighborhood, and I remember the slow and then really fast gentrification of the neighborhood in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. At 254 West 54th Street, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager converted a former opera house into the most notorious nightclub of the disco era. Learn more about historic floods. Contentsshow 1The Mermaid Inn 2Prohibition 3The Owl's Tail 4Bodega 88 5E's Bar 6Vin Sur Vingt 7Dive Bar 8Jacob's Pickles Only in Honolulu, wrote the journalist Joseph P. Lyford, is there a greater confusion of blood, ancestry, language, and culture in as small a space. But though there were racial and ethnic tensions aplenty, and these would grow exponentially as the years passed, the division in the neighborhood was primarily one of classa division between the middle class and the lower class. Im so please that Calle Ocho (once around the corner on Columbus) has become attached to the hotel; that Zingones , the terrific and friendly mom & pop grocery store on Columbus btw 82 & 83 is still in business and doing better than ever; that Rose Liquor still is thriving one block down with the flower shop next door now run by the daughter of the man I used to buy my flowers from, and that the newsstand at the corner of Columbus and 81 is till run by my friend from Pakistan, who used to call his family to find out when my eccentric English husband used to ask him Whats the weather today in Karachi? I still run into my neighbors on the street, and sure, a lot has changed, but the heart of the neighborhood and many of the characters are still there! Would it be meaningful to a visitor in 2010 to know that Isaac Bashevis Singer lived in the Belnord on 86th and Broadway; that Singers brother Israel Joshua set the final section of his magnificent novel of German Jewry, The Family Carnovsky, at 94th and West End; that the composer Sergei Rachmaninoff spent his final years at 84th and West End? We also went to the park alone which kids nowadays hardly ever do. Theres also a stretch of Amsterdam Avenue full of college bars, where youll find things like beer pong and people tapping on multiple car windows asking if this is their Uber. No one rememers Charevari, they had a couple of stores, Al buen gusto, Merit Farms, Columbia Savings bank, El Farro, Columbia Savings, the lending library and card shop that is now Giacommos, Gristedies, Bartons Candy Store, the movie theater on Bway between 72-73. Of course we remember Charivari. 29 Second Ave. (between 1st & 2nd St.) It was a rich neighborhood at the turn of the last century and it has gone back to that. Its a good spot to day drink with a big group, but theres no table service - youll be notified by a buzzer when your order is ready at the counter. Its a little spot decorated like a living room in a very nice apartment, and they serve top-notch cocktails. Usually the small cities in America that never change are the ones whose best days came half a century or more ago and are now literally rotting away before your eyes, their once-handsome houses mottling, their fences akimbo, their storefronts boarded, their grass untended, their gas stations abandoned on windblown corners. Working there I was held up at gun point at the 85th street location and the 99th street location. It no longer does. UPPER WEST SIDE, NY An Upper West Side joint was just named among the best sports bars in New York City. Learn how your comment data is processed. This article is so one-side. Terrible, just terrible. People have bidding wars over apartments that cost millions of dollars. Best upper east side bars 80\\\'s in New York, NY. It all started at Goddard Riverside and then onto West Side Montessori. The entrance to this Upper West Side speakeasy is right inside Burke & Wills go to the back and open the green leather door. Kyle: When I moved here, the hotspot was 8 th Avenue between 14 th and 23rd. The Upper West Side, or UWS as it is often abbreviated, is a large neighborhood or series of smaller adjacent neighborhoods in northern Manhattan, extending from 59 th Street northward to 110 th Street, with Central Park to the east and the Hudson River to the west. Amsterdam Ale House plays sports on a few TVs, but it feels less like a sports bar and more like a casual neighborhood spot than any other place on this stretch of Amsterdam Ave. Columbus tween 70,71. Named after the famous landmark apartment building nearby, The Dakota Bar possesses a vibrant energy all of its' own. On the first morning after I arrived I saw a man murdered in broad daylight in the Village. In a striking sentence reflective of the fatalistic attitude of the time, she writes, Crime prevention was, of course, the Police Departments first priority, as preventive medicine was the primary concern of health administrators. And the bakery that was on 72nd between Bway and West End. And the new projects that rose up on the Upper West Side became breeding grounds of concentrated disorder, causing thousands of disintegrating and disintegrated families to fall under the sway of an even more destructive lawlessness easier to ignore, perhaps, precisely because it was so concentrated and because so much of what was awful went on indoors. By 1968, there were a whopping 85 bars on the Upper East Side, most of them singles bars. Best Bars in Upper West Side, Manhattan, NY - The Dead Poet, Arthouse Bar, The Owl's Tail, Amsterdam Ale House, Dive 75, The Upside, Pekarna NYC, Dublin House, George Keeley, The Milling Room I lived on 79th street from 1976 to 2011 in the rent-stabilized apartment I grew up in, and over that time I have seen the neighborhood change drastically. Hello. Plus, the long, all-French wine list has over 50 options available by the glass, and you can even try things in flights of three or five glasses. The neighborhoods smattering of Orthodox residents did little to manifest their observance publicly. Locals knew to be inside their locked apartments by nightfall and you were safe. My building is very family oriented. Apologies for coming to this conversation rather late but felt compelled to share my experience of the UWS. It was 1990 on Manhattan's Upper East Side and, after the extravagant 1980s, the neighborhood . Left for dead, he lived, the only surviving victim of a serial killer who prowled the neighborhood for a year. DSNY 'Snow Alert' Runs From Monday at 4PM to Tuesday at 9AM; Here's What it Means Dog Slips From Collar and Runs 34 Blocks in Traffic; Wait Till You See Where She Ends Up Life is rough on everyone. Isnt the least bit fancy, but it also doesnt smell bad, and they even have some books you can read while you drink. Awesome to read all the comments and Tnx to all my neighbors for taking time to reminisce West 72nd here from early 70s to 2012 Forgot so many places but this jogged a great deal to share nostalgically with my family I miss Eclaires, La Fortuna and laser rock of the early 80s and the many times I saw John and Yoko walking in the park as a kid .. Or the 72nd st Kung fu magazine store on the 2nd Memories are all we ever truly have. the bar next to them. Now no reason was needed at all. Think about it. West of Broadway was less rough, but Broadway was Pay-A-Broadway after 9pm as if there was city-approved zoning for street walkers after 9. woolworths was on the high 60s on amsterdam just south of the jewish temple that is still there. Vin sur Vingt | Best Things to Do Upper West Side. When the mental institutions disgorged their populations, the UWS got more than our share. Go on Mondays for live jazz. 1. e's Bar 511 Amsterdam Ave., nr. The sidewalks teemed with alcoholic homeless Vietnam Vets haunted by their own nightmares and hopelessness. 12 Lost Gay Bars of New York City Michael Ryan. The Cozy Bar (The Dead Poet) Best Bars & Pubs in Upper West Side (New York City): See 120 Tripadvisor traveler reviews of Bars & Pubs in Upper West Side New York City. Unfortunately, mom and pop stores have closed. Wish my kids could have a similar space to grow up, warts and all. The food was all American dishes, and I used to go there for dinner all the time. If you are interested in answering a few questions email me at: jeannine.j@gmail.com. Columbus and Amsterdam avenues were to be avoided though we had to cross them to hang out in Central Parkmostly by the fountain. #20. The tacos are supplemented with other obvious sports bar snacks, including corn on the cob, guac and chips, flautas, plus burritos, quesadillas, and tortas. Delicious, homey. Tiny place, sweet lady from down south. They took my empty wallet and the little folder containing the invaluable pass that afforded me free access that month to that bus line. (I had mussels, he had short ribs). I think it and she was gone by 1975 or 76. 4. Local artists sold their wares and the kids tried not to kill themselves in the slightly deflated Moon Bounce. Its hard to keep up now, tho! My high school boyfriend lived on 82nd and Broadway. When? I remember when the only Mexican restaurant anybody ever hear of was Taco Rico on 72nd. She was the only person that worked there and basically it was a counter that you ordered from and nothing more. I was born in 1965 and moved away in 1977 (returned later). All the small stores have had to vacate once their leases were up and the rents were jacked up to unaffordable rents. Email me if you want to answer some. Located on Columbus b/n 81 and 82, it was beautiful inside (lots of wood), and I recall when it died out, roughly at same time of a branch of Shakespeare & Company on 81st and Bway, once the Barnes and Nobles opened (at 82nd), which of course still remains. My father, and then my mother ran the Thalia Theatre from the 1930s to the 1970s, so I guess I would qualify as someone who know what the Upper West Side was like before 1976, when no one would live above 72nd street if they could avoid it. I remember way before Charivari when the drugstore was on the corner of 72nd and Columbus, across the street from Merit Farms. One thing I have noticed of the UWS, which I find disturbing, is the influx of banks, financial storefront businesses and chain pharmacies on every street corner. The streets of my childhood were dirtier, and the people who lived there were poorer but I played on the street all day unsupervised by adults and we were safe. I dont think the email in the article works. The space is about the size of a studio apartment, so we wouldnt recommend bringing a group, but its a decent place to watch sports alone or with a friend, especially before 7pm when drinks are half off. I have been thinking about this since it was originally posted a couple of years ago. Explore the scintillating March 2023 issue of Commentary. I came to NYC for the first time in 1979. It is an expensive place to live, but then it always was. The Loft sounds right. Gone were the days when people indulged in a nice restaurant dinner only when traveling or celebrating a birthday or anniversary. But west end was great, and also 86th was great all the way over to the park. We would remember it now as we remember the Son of Sam, and the Washington snipers, and the Hillside Strangler. Also if you remember what year the Woolworths on 79th and Broadway closed let me know. They've generously opened up their lobby by transforming it into a cafe and bar inspired by the aesthetic of speakeasies of the 1920's. That memory is itself almost certainly a conflation of two moments that occurred months apart, but in retrospect, they blend high exhilaration and low shame, an almost perfect distillation of the bipolarity of childhood feeling. Well, Mike Miller, Id like to inform you that starting a sentence with a preposition (as Historian did) and splitting infinitives (as you did when you said to never start) are both accepted by some of the widely used style manuals. The Ribbon has style and substance and does classic food right. The whole thing about the terrible 1970s (and even 1980s) is vastly over-rated. Loved growing up there. . If their children were found playing on the street unsupervised that would warrant a call to 311 or Child Protective Services. i graduated college in 1988 and came back to NYC, and i couldnt believe that my friends that went to work in investment banking all lived in a new building (the westmont) at 96th and columbus. Featuring live music nightly, the jazz age is still present in this dimly lit bar, which is a great swanky alternative without the gouging prices.