You are currently browsing the stories about the Upper East Side neighborhood
Do You Have My Socks?
by Kelly Kreth 04/15/2023Neighborhood: Upper East Side
I almost exclusively wear black no-show socks — mostly because I wear booties all winter or sneakers, neither of which warrant the obtrusive show of a sock. As such, I have ten pairs of basic black ones from Walmart, another four pairs of slightly different black ones from Duane Reade and one pair – my […]
The Church of the Heavenly Vegetables
by Ann Levin 11/05/2022Neighborhood: Upper East Side
I could never get over the thrill of walking into the Church of the Heavenly Rest through the side door on East 90th Street. The limestone turrets and stained-glass windows, reminiscent of Notre Dame, inspired a sense of awe It always took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the dim light and […]
Epiphany at the Metropolitan Museum
by Ann Levin 05/29/2022Neighborhood: Upper East Side
At the start of the third year of the pandemic, I stood in front of a small flat screen in a corner of a darkened gallery at the Metropolitan Museum with the strangest feeling: I was happy. I had relaxed completely, every part of me—muscles, sinews, organs, bones, if that’s possible. And even stranger, I […]
School Lunch Is Killing Me
by Thomas R. Pryor 04/10/2022Neighborhood: Upper East Side
“Lefty, what did you do with the hard boiled egg?” I worked the words out of the side of my mouth. I was Jimmy Cagney in “White Heat” and I wanted to take this place apart. “It’s in my pocket, and what’s with the Lefty crap?” John said. “Lefty, we’ll know more in a few […]
Blackout at Umberto’s Clam House
by Priscilla Whitley 12/19/2021Neighborhood: Little Italy, Upper East Side
On April 7, 1972, New York mobster, Joey Gallo, was murdered while having a celebratory late night dinner at Umberto’s Clam House in Little Italy. It was his birthday. On July 13, 1977, three friends and myself made the trek from the Upper East Side down to Umberto’s. We all craved what was widely known […]
The Shtetl Next Door
by Penina Warren 09/26/2021Neighborhood: Upper East Side
On the first of the month, I visit Benjamin Benowitz. Ben lives three blocks north and three avenues east from the apartment I rent. The lobby of Ben’s’s building reads like the lobbies I have seen in movies about New York old money; all ostentation with marble and central air. The walls in my own […]
Writing Classes
by Wendy B. 08/22/2021Neighborhood: Upper East Side, West Village
There are 1700 writers per square foot in New York City. I will be one of them. It’s going to be easy. First, I need to learn about the craft of writing. I peruse various catalogs and websites for classes. Nothing jumps out at me until I notice a class called “How To Write Funny.” […]
Reading at Trump Tower
by Jeff Loeb 05/09/2021Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Part I. Project Runway She sauntered by at noon, shopping bags swinging from both arms, striding toward the infamous golden escalators. She was attractive with a flowing mane and long gait. Mostly, I noticed the grey raincoat she was wearing; it was a bright, summer day outside. Then she got swallowed up in the atrium’s […]
Next Stop the Twilight Zone
by Kelly Kreth 02/28/2021Neighborhood: Subway, Upper East Side
One afternoon this summer I was on the subway. All was normal. Well, except that we are in a pandemic, which makes venturing down into NYC’s netherworld — one with poor ventilation and tons of non-mask wearers – feel like I am putting my life in my overly sanitized hands. It all seemed surreal. The […]
Dog Day Afternoons
by Cora Womble-Miesner 12/13/2020Neighborhood: Flatiron District, Gramercy Park, Manhattan, Upper East Side
Pablo’s father was a handsome, French pianist in his forties. His apartment was immaculate and minimalistic. He was usually absent when I came to retrieve Pablo for his 90-minute walk, but sometimes I would turn my key in the lock and hear him playing the grand piano in the living room. It sounded beautiful, but […]
Stalking Woody Allen at the Carlyle Hotel
by Elizabeth Schoettle 10/18/2020Neighborhood: Upper East Side
It’s silly really. It’s just this picture I took on the stairs outside my apartment building five years ago of a black Remington typewriter with a blazer and skirt below it, like a body. And coming out of the typewriter was a headshot of Woody Allen. Five o’clock. I was putting on my stockings. The […]
Dinner with Dad
by James Arnold Horowitz 05/31/2020Neighborhood: Upper East Side, West Village
“Hi Jim, it’s Dad, just touching base to see how everything is going and how you’re feeling and how everyone is today. Looks like the first day of spring, the weather is horrible, I’m sure you agree. Give me a ring, let me know how things are going?” My Dad, Bill, spoiled me for fine […]