{"id":370988,"date":"2026-10-12T13:58:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T13:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/370988\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T13:58:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T13:58:08","slug":"monday-bulletin-transportation-experts-weigh-in-on-central-park-loop-artist-turns-the-uws-into-a-character-penthouse-in-musicians-uws-building-hits-the-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/370988\/","title":{"rendered":"Monday Bulletin: Transportation Experts Weigh in on Central Park Loop; Artist Turns the UWS into a Character; Penthouse in Musician\u2019s UWS Building Hits the Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The West 68th Street Block Association said yesterday\u2019s Longest Table event would be held rain or shine \u2014 and it was. Photo by Sam Gross<\/p>\n

Today is Columbus Day, Monday, October 12th, 2026<\/p>\n

The forecast calls for morning showers, but skies should clear by afternoon, with a high of 70. The rest of the week should be partly to mostly sunny, except for the possibility of a passing shower Tuesday evening, and temperatures should be moderate: mid-70s tomorrow and Wednesday, and low 60s Thursday and Friday.<\/p>\n

On this day in 1492, Christopher Columbus made landfall in the Bahamas, becoming the first European to set foot in the New World. His arrival would not only lead to a wave of European immigration, but also to enslavement of the native peoples; he personally sent some 5,000 slaves to Spain. His sponsor, Queen Isabella of Spain, initially supported this, but later changed her position, stating that indigenous peoples were subjects of the crown, and could not be enslaved in most instances. In her last will and testament, which coincidentally was signed on this date in 1504, she instructed her descendants to ensure that indigenous Americans \u201cbe treated well and fairly, and if they have received any wrong, remedy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Notices<\/p>\n

Our calendar<\/a> has lots of local events. Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.<\/p>\n

District 3 Superintendent Dr. Reginald Higgens will give a State of the Schools Address next Tuesday, October 20th from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at PS 163 (163 West 97th Street) and discuss priorities for the upcoming school year.\u00a0 RSVP \u2014 HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n

News Roundup<\/p>\n

Compiled by Laura Muha<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Central Park Loop. Photo courtesy WSR archives.<\/p>\n

Over the past decade, traffic in Central Park has changed significantly. Cars were banned in 2018, and last year the Central Park Conservancy began reconfiguring the park\u2019s six-mile loop, better separating bike and pedestrian lanes in a move that was supposed to make it safer for everyone. So why have there been so many serious accidents lately?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the question Gothamist posed to experts last week, after accidents that left two people dead in the past two weeks.<\/p>\n

Everyone interviewed agreed that in part it\u2019s the number of people using the park: \u201cRunning and conventional cycling have both exploded in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the park offers a rare place in Manhattan where people can exercise without worrying about car traffic,\u201d Gothamist noted.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a case of who is using the park. Attorney Peter Beadle, who represents a bike club suing to prevent the city from implementing a 15-mph speed limit for bikes in the park, told Gothamist that cyclists used to fight with cars for space. \u201cNow it\u2019s runners and cyclists. You go at 6 in the morning, 6:30 in the morning, and it\u2019s like the two tribes. The runners on the left, the cyclists on the right.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, the number of people riding motorized bikes and scooters \u2014 some legal, some not \u2014 has increased dramatically.<\/p>\n

Transportation engineer Sam Schwartz, who served as the city\u2019s transportation commissioner from 1982 to 1986, told Gothamist that he wouldn\u2019t recommend banning bikes from the park. But, he added, \u201cI would say ban e-bikes or e-mobility. And the standup scooters, in my mind, are some of the worst offenders, going at incredible speeds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last month, a pedestrian walking through the park en route to work died after being hit by a bicycle<\/a>, and last week, a cyclist died while attempting to avoid a collision with an off-leash dog that ran into the roadway.<\/p>\n

Read the full story \u2014 HERE,<\/a> and see the Central Park Conservancy\u2019s statement on last week\u2019s fatal accident \u2014 HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The UWS as a character, by Natasha Polozenko. Used with the artist\u2019s permission.<\/p>\n

The Upper West Side is often described as having character. Now, it is one \u2014 and that character has gone viral, reported yahoo.com.<\/p>\n

Artist and UWSer Natasha Polozenko created the character \u2014 a young woman made up of bits and pieces of iconic locations and objects in the neighborhood \u2014 as the latest in a series in which she imagines what various places would look like if they became human. In the past she has created characters for Budapest, Krakow, and New Orleans; most recently, she put her illustration skills to work in Rag territory, filming iconic locations and objects on the UWS, then cropping them to create virtual puzzle pieces, which she fit together to form the character. She then printed and hand-painted it, in a process she documented on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe video starts with a shot of a typical yellow taxi going through a New York street,\u201d reported yahoo.com. \u201cPolozenko \u2018grabs\u2019 the taxi in editing, copying it multiple times and slightly altering it to make it into a skirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, Polozenko films a sidewalk, where the entrance to the American Museum of Natural History subway station is found. She copies the sign for the entrance and changes its shape a bit, placing it on top of the taxi skirt to make it into a shirt.\u201d Other locations and objects incorporated into the character include Central Park lamposts, the steps of a brownstone, and the Westsider book shop.<\/p>\n

In the four days after Polozenko posted her UWS video, the post was viewed more than 31.6 million times, and received 2 million likes, and 15,000 comments on Instagram, Yahoo reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cFantastic. In concept, video process edit, painting execution,\u201d wrote one commenter.<\/p>\n

\u201cai could neverrrrr,\u201d wrote another.<\/p>\n

And a third: \u201cWhat do you people eat to be this creative \ud83d\ude0d i want some.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full story \u2014 HERE<\/a> and see Polozenko\u2019s process on Instagram \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Musician\u2019s Building. Photo via Google Maps<\/p>\n

Attention musicians: Are you in search of a new apartment? Have we ever got a place for you \u2014 as long as you can afford the $3.5 million price tag.<\/p>\n

A top-floor apartment in the pre-war Musicians Building \u2014 constructed with soundproof walls specifically for use by musicians\u00a0 \u2014 recently hit the market, the real-estate site 6sqft.com reported.<\/p>\n

The fully updated unit, at 50 West 67th Street, includes a vaulted entryway, a living room with crown moldings and 10-foot ceilings, two working wood-burning fireplaces, a chef\u2019s kitchen, and central air conditioning. \u201cThe home\u2019s two bedrooms (there\u2019s plenty of room to add a third) have en suite baths; the primary bath has a glass-enclosed steam shower and radiant heated tile flooring,\u201d the publication reported. Read the full story and see photos \u2014 HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n

In Other UWS News<\/p>\n

The NYPD is searching for a man who threw a blunt object at the head of a woman who was jogging near Riverside Park last month, ABC News reported. Though the incident happened in early September, police just released photos of the suspect last week. Read\/watch the full story \u2014 HERE.<\/a>
\nA Bronx man has been charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian in connection with the death of UWS philanthropist<\/a> Geoffrey Radbill, who was struck from behind by a car while cycling on Riverside Drive last December, the New York Post reported. Read the full story \u2014 HERE<\/a>.
\nThe website YIMBY.com (\u201cYes in My Back Yard\u201d) recently ran a piece on the completion of The Henry, at 211 West 84th Street (at Amsterdam Avenue). Read it and see photos of the facade \u2014 HERE<\/a>. For photos of the building\u2019s $27 million triplex penthouse, see realtor.com\u2019s piece \u2014 HERE<\/a>.
\nThe Times of India dipped into the archives last week, to run an article about an UWS woman who, in 2003, picked up a painting that had been tossed in the trash on West 72nd Street. What happened next was the stuff of Antiques Road Show legend. Read the story\u00a0 \u2014 HERE<\/a> (and a piece the New York Times ran at the time \u2014 HERE<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

ICYMI<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Hear it for the Upper West Side\u2019s Old Dog Lady<\/a><\/p>\n

Graffiti Removed From Historic Facade of Former UWS Metro Theater: \u2018It Symbolizes Movement\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Upper West Side Street Life as It\u2019s Seen Today: Photo Collection<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Subscribe to West Side Rag\u2019s FREE email newsletter\u00a0here<\/a>. And you can Support the Rag\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n