West Side Rag

Welcome to The Rag! We're glad you're here and hope you take some time to explore all that we have to share. The Rag is an online newspaper and blog dedicated to the Upper West Side of Manhattan, featuring insights and stories from locals who call this vibrant neighborhood home. Our coverage includes topics such as real estate, crime, new and closing businesses, parks, and much more, along with engaging columns about community life. Geographically, the Upper West Side spans from 59th to 110th Streets and is bordered by Central Park and the Hudson River. However, we’re open to covering events beyond those limits. If there’s something happening at St. John the Divine on 112th Street, we’ll report on it. And if Keanu Reeves were to dance in his underwear at 58th Street and 10th Avenue, you can bet we’d share that story too! Since its launch in 2011, The Rag has quickly gained recognition, winning accolades as one of the top neighborhood blogs in the city by the Village Voice in its first year. Life & Style Weekly praised us as “The best insider source about Manhattan’s Upper West Side,” while BrickUnderground described The Rag as “wry, addictive, and up-to-the-minute.”

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UWS Weekend: Great Things To Do In (and Around) the Neighborhood

1 week ago | westsiderag.com | Tracy Zwick

By Tracy ZwickLet’s Weekend!May 30th to June 1st, 2025Celebrate 150 Years of The Art Students League: 215 West 57th St.; weekdays 10 AM to 9PM, Saturdays 10 AM to 4 PM; Closed Sundays; Free Just steps inside the landmark building on West 57th Street that houses The Art Students League, you’ll find paintings, lithographs and drawings by the likes of Georgia O’Keefe, Winslow Homer and Norman Rockwell.
A WSR Interview With the UWS Elected Official Running for Manhattan Borough President

1 week ago | westsiderag.com | Gus Saltonstall

By Gus SaltonstallUpper West Siders will know State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal as one of the neighborhood’s elected officials, but he is also running to be the next Manhattan Borough President. The primary elections will take place on June 24 this year, with early voting starting on June 14, and the race for Manhattan Borough President will be on the ballots of Upper West Siders.
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.
A WSR Interview With the Upper East Side Candidate for Manhattan Borough President

1 week ago | westsiderag.com | Gus Saltonstall

By Gus SaltonstallElection season is almost upon us in New York City. The primary elections will take place on June 24 this year, with early voting starting on June 14. Among the races on Upper West Side ballots next month will be the Manhattan Borough President position. Among the candidates in that race is Councilmember Keith Powers, who represents a neighborhood West Side Rag generally avoids any mention of: the Upper East Side.
Openings & Closings: Morningside Cafe; Kinder Wash; Dark Bullet Bar; 75th Organic Deli & Market; Studio Pilates

1 week ago | westsiderag.com | Scott Etkin |Lisa Kava

By Scott Etkin and Lisa KavaMorningside Cafe, a seasonal kiosk on the southwest edge of Morningside Park (281 Morningside Ave. near West 113th Street), opened on May 24th. While the structure is new, the concessionaire has a long history in the area. Michael Summerville was a seafood vendor, known as “Crab Man Mike,” on 125th Street for 30 years.
Multiple People Hospitalized After NYPD Car Swerves Into UWS Outdoor Dining Setup: Police

1 week ago | westsiderag.com | Gus Saltonstall

By Gus SaltonstallMultiple people were hospitalized, including two restaurant patrons, after a police car swerved into an Upper West Side outdoor dining setup on Monday, in an attempt to avoid colliding with another car, a police spokesperson told West Side Rag on Tuesday morning.
Upper West Side Pizza Joint Named Among Best in NYC by New York Times

1 week ago | westsiderag.com | Gus Saltonstall

By West Side RagLast week, The New York Times put together its list of “The 22 Best Pizza Places in New York Right Now,” and an Upper West Side eatery made the ranking. The Times sampled 79 of the city’s most popular pizzerias and came up with a list of the 22 best. The lone UWS pizza place to make the list? Mama’s Too Pizzeria at 2750 Broadway, between West 105th and 106th streets.
Pair of Dead Chickens Found in the Middle of the Road for 2nd Time in 3-Block UWS Stretch

1 week ago | westsiderag.com | Gus Saltonstall

By Gus SaltonstallFor the second time in less than a year, two dead chickens appeared on a street median within the same few-block stretch of the Upper West Side. On Saturday, multiple people reached out to West Side Rag to notify us about a pair of dead chickens on the median at 89th Street and Broadway. Strangely, a pair of dead chickens, were also sadly found at the end of this past June along a street median at West 92nd Street, West Side Rag reported at the time.
The Fight to Take Down a Controversial UWS Sidewalk Shed: ‘We’ve Got the Money and a Plan’

2 weeks ago | westsiderag.com | Carol Tannenhauser

By Carol TannenhauserFor nearly a quarter of a century, since 2001, a sidewalk shed has surrounded West Park Presbyterian Church on the northeast corner of West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, to protect pedestrians from falling pieces of its crumbling façade.
UWS Weekend: Great Things to Do in the Neighborhood

2 weeks ago | westsiderag.com | Tracy Zwick

By Tracy ZwickMay 23 to 25, 2025Preview Gustavo Dudamel conducting the NY Philharmonic: Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Lincoln Center, with additional performances next week and a free concert in Central Park on June 4th; more info and tickets on the Lincoln Center performances here and for the Central Park concert here.