s Lisa Sladkus steps down as director of the Upper West Side Streets Renaissance campaign, she leaves behind a transformed streetscape in the neighborhood. Since she started volunteering with UWSSR when it launched in 2007, Sladkus has become the face of the pro-bike and pro-pedestrian movement in the neighborhood. Her most prominent success has been the approval of a protected bike lane on Columbus Avenue that will span nearly the length of Central Park when it is completed later this yea ...

UPPER WEST SIDE — Locals are lauding a new streetscape on Columbus Avenue that has spruced up a stretch of the Upper West Side that had been neglected and had become an eyesore for years. The shiny new metal benches, plantings and trees on the avenue, between West 76th and West 77th streets, were sponsored by the Columbus Avenue BID, which funded the project with $100,000 from its annual Taste of the Upper West Side food event. The beautification process, which debuted earlier this mont ...

NEW YORK, NY—Former New York State Senator Tom Duane today endorsed Mel Wymore, Democratic candidate for New York City Council, District 6. “Mel has been an effective, courageous and inclusive leader as a community and neighborhood activist,” said Duane. “I am truly excited to see his passion and advocacy amplified for the Upper West Side and all New Yorkers as a member of the City Council. “Voters of the Upper West Side have a long and storied tradition of making wise and historic l ...

There is no greater gift than the power and freedom to live an authentic life without fear of reprisal or discrimination. But not everyone has access to that privilege—particularly those who don't conform to cultural conventions of gender. According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey conducted in 2011, 74% of transgender New Yorkers experienced harassment or mistreatment on the job, 75% of transgender youth reported being harassed at school and 17% of transgender and gender ...

The community facility received a $15 million makeover After decades of blood, sweat, tears and fundraisers, the 59th Street Rec Center will finally open to the public next month. The former Rec Center, after operating on a skeletal crew and budget for years, officially shuttered its doors two and a half years ago. But plans were already in the making to create a new and better facility for the Upper West Side community.     Community Board member Mel Wymore, who worked ...