Bobby Panza

Reporter at West Side Rag

Featured in: Favicon

westsiderag.com Favicon

petnews2day.com Favicon

ilovetheupperwestside.com Favicon

bloombergnewstoday.com Favicon

eastsidefeed.com Favicon

syncopatedtimes.com

Articles

Senator Hoylman-Sigal Honors Tip Top Shoes for 85 Years on the Upper West Side

6 days ago | ilovetheupperwestside.com | Bobby Panza

Free Upper West Side News, Delivered To Your Inbox Dozens gathered on Saturday to celebrate Tip Top Shoes’ 85 years on the Upper West Side. The beloved shop at 155 West 72nd Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, was packed with patrons, and familiar longtime employees were behind the counter. “The service is so good.
Photographer Charles Chessler to Exhibit Portraits and Wildlife Work in Rutgers Sanctuary

1 week ago | westsiderag.com | Bobby Panza

By Bobby PanzaSponsored ContentWith one hand, Charles Chessler angles a bounce board to catch the sunlight in Verdi Square as I pose for a rare picture. Mike, aka Maestro, plays the piano in his usual spot on the rounded marble seating at the park’s north end this early Saturday afternoon. The two clearly know each other—they exchange greetings while I move timidly through the midday hustle and bustle. Then suddenly, everything feels right. In Chessler’s other hand is a camera.
Original Mama's Pizza to Close Location, Relocate Nearby

1 week ago | ilovetheupperwestside.com | Bobby Panza

Free Upper West Side News, Delivered To Your Inbox Mama’s Pizza is looking for a new home. The longtime Upper West Side slice shop, currently located at 941 Amsterdam Avenue at West 106th Street, is expected to suspend operations this week as it searches for a new location in the area, according to Frank Tuttolomondo—grandson of Marianinna, famously known as Mama, who passed away at 101 four years ago—and nephew of Joe and Alfonso, who helped her run the operation over the years.
Peter Yarrow’s 67th Street Duplex Hits Market for $4.4 Million

1 week ago | ilovetheupperwestside.com | Bobby Panza

Free Upper West Side News, Delivered To Your Inbox American folk artist Peter Yarrow, a native New Yorker who rose to fame as a member of the legendary music group Peter, Paul and Mary, passed away in January 2025 from bladder cancer.
Secondhand Designer Shop 2nd Street Opens One Location, Another on the Way

2 weeks ago | ilovetheupperwestside.com | Bobby Panza

With over 700 locations in Japan, 2nd Street—founded in 1996—is known for one-of-a-kind pieces in secondhand condition. The brand arrived in the U.S. in 2018 and recently opened a new shop near Columbia University, at 2875 Broadway between West 111th and 112th streets. Another location is on the way at 2519 Broadway, at the southwest corner of 94th Street. ILTUWS stopped by to check out the secondhand sensation this week.
Salvatore’s, a New Pizza Shop, Opens on West 105th Street

2 weeks ago | ilovetheupperwestside.com | Bobby Panza

Free Upper West Side News, Delivered To Your Inbox Remember the days when you could get two slices and a soda for $5? That relic of a deal is alive and well at the newly opened Salvatore’s N.Y. Pizza, located at 924 Columbus Avenue between West 105th and 106th Streets (previously home to Pie Pie Pizza). Officially open since Monday, May 19, ILTUWS stopped by to check out the spot and sample the fare.
Farewell, Shakespeare & Co.: The Strand to Take Over UWS Location

2 weeks ago | ilovetheupperwestside.com | Bobby Panza

In 2018, Shakespeare & Co. made a hopeful return to the Upper West Side, opening at 2020 Broadway between West 69th and 70th Streets–more than two decades after its original UWS location on 81st and Broadway shuttered in 1996. But on Monday, The Strand announced it would be taking over the lease — bringing Shakespeare & Co.’s brief UWS revival to an end. In March 2025, after only one year in business, Shakespeare & Co. closed its store at 105th and Broadway.
Infamous 74th Street Townhouses Fully Boarded Up

2 weeks ago | ilovetheupperwestside.com | Bobby Panza

Free Upper West Side News, Delivered To Your Inbox In a 2006 New York Times story, “Even a Major Architect Has Minor Commissions,” writer Christopher Gray discussed two rowhouses at 231–233 West 74th Street (between Broadway and West End Avenue). “In 1929, the two houses were scheduled for demolition to make way for a 35-story hotel on the Broadway corner.
Super Fly Grand Opening Next Week: A Look Inside the Upper West Side’s Newest Licensed Dispensary

3 weeks ago | ilovetheupperwestside.com | Bobby Panza

Free Upper West Side News, Delivered To Your Inbox Currently in the midst of a soft-opening that began on May 10, Super Fly Dispensary welcomed ILTUWS to check out its first retail location in the neighborhood, at 57 West 86th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West. Walking into Super Fly feels different from many dispensaries. Some shops go heavy on the frosted glass and secrecy, giving off a slightly suspect vibe.
Is Westside Market Expanding with a Third UWS Location?

3 weeks ago | ilovetheupperwestside.com | Bobby Panza

Free Upper West Side News, Delivered To Your Inbox Time ripens all things—and soon, it will reveal the future of 2250 Broadway, between 80th and 81st streets, where Westside Market, the Upper West Side brand that began on 110th Street in 1977, has purchased the building currently occupied by Staples.