Columbia Women's Basketball: They're Going to Wichita.

Columbia senior guard Perri Page told reporters after the first round that the Lions were winning the WBIT. Three games later, she's backing it up. Columbia crushed St. John's 74-26, steamrolled North Dakota State 86-57 in Fargo, and beat Cal 74-68 last night in Berkeley. Page scored 24. Senior guard Riley Weiss, the Ivy League Player of the Year and an AP All-American, has been the engine all season. Columbia plays Wisconsin in the WBIT semifinals Monday in Wichita(ESPNU, time TBD). Championship is Wednesday at 7pm on ESPN2. Stream both on the ESPN app. Full disclosure: I had to Google what WBIT stood for three weeks ago. Page and Weiss turned me into a fan in three games. That's how good they are. Two more wins. One trophy. Tell your friends.

Doors Opening, Doors Closing

Thai Market (201 W 107th) won't be reopening after December's fire. No word yet on relocation. M.M. LaFleur (182A Columbus at 69th) closes tomorrow. The UPS Store at 119 W 72nd is shutting down April 6 after 30+ years because of rising rent. Packages will be forwarded to the UPS at 2218 Broadway (79th). And Pastrami Queen (138 W 72nd) is temporarily closed for emergency repairs. No reopening date yet, but the UES location is still delivering to the UWS.

On the bright side: Effy's Cafe (kosher Mediterranean, 100% meatless menu) just opened at 552 Columbus (86th-87th). Pho Broadway opened March 17 at 2058 Broadway (70th-71st). And Aves on 86th has rebranded as Dong Lai Pavilion, now serving Northern Chinese. Same owners, new menu, dim sum included.

Gale Brewer Had a Big Week

The Upper West Side might be the dog capital of New York City. You can't walk two blocks on Amsterdam without passing a dog in a sweater, a dog in a carrier, and a dog who is clearly walking its owner. Council Member Gale Brewer knows her constituency. At Monday's City Council meeting, she introduced three bills for the neighborhood's most devoted voters.

Intro 783 expands bite reporting to include dog-on-dog incidents and creates a centralized system.

Intro 785 puts trained animal cruelty liaisons in every NYPD precinct, inspired by the 24th Precinct's animal cruelty liaison who already does this work on the UWS.

Intro 784 tackles dog licensing, a law that's been on the books for 130 years and ignored for roughly 129 of them.

Then at a town hall Monday night, Brewer said she supports a protected bike lane on the 79th Street transverse. DOT said it's "very interested." A Central Park Conservancy study released in November 2024 recommended protected bike lanes on the transverses to give cyclists a safe way across the park. If you bike, walk the loop, or dodge delivery riders doing both, you have thoughts. Share them:

Friday, March 27 (today!)

Stroller Rating: 2/5 🚼 — Friday drops to 53°F with a chance of rain. Saturday is a rough 40°F with possible snow flurries (yes, snow, the week after the first day of spring). Sunday warms to 50°F. Monday rebounds to 63°F. Bundle up, push through, better days are coming.

Date night: Bill Frisell 75th Birthday: In My Dreams — Appel Room, Jazz at Lincoln Center. 7pm & 9pm tonight, 4:30pm & 7pm Saturday. The jazz guitar legend celebrates 75 with a weekend of collaborators old and new. Starting at $82.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo — Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th. 8pm. Five-time Grammy winners. If you know Paul Simon's Graceland, you know this group. $45-$85.

NY Philharmonic: Enigma Variations & Bruch's Violin Concerto — David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center. 7:30pm. Also Saturday 7:30pm & Sunday 2pm. Starting at $67.

Improvibes: Improv Jam — Center at West Park, 263 W 86th St. 7-9pm. Drop-in improv for anyone who wants to play. Free.

Juilliard: Spring Dances 2026 — Peter Jay Sharp Theater, Lincoln Center. 7:30pm tonight, 2pm & 7:30pm Saturday. Final performances of the season: works by Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, José Limón. Ticketed through Juilliard Box Office.

DIVA Jazz Orchestra — Dizzy's Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center. 7pm. All-women big band, through Sunday. Ticketed.

Saturday, March 28

London's West End: Othello — Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th. 7:30pm. A filmed production from London's West End, screened in the theater. Ticketed.

Sunday, March 29

Bloomingdale History Walking Tour — Meet at Straus Park, Broadway & 106th. 2pm. A guided walk through UWS history led by historian Jim Mackin. Free. No reservations needed, just show up.

🌸 Palm Sunday. Holy Week begins.

Tarr-Coyne Wild West Playground at W 93rd & CPW is a finalist in USA Today's 10Best Reader's Choice for best public playground in the country, up against playgrounds from coast to coast, including Central Park's own Ancient Playground on the East Side.

Wild West started as a 1930s Robert Moses-era playground. In 1988, architect Richard Dattner, who also designed the Ancient and Adventure playgrounds and has shaped several of Central Park's other 21 playgrounds, turned it into a western frontier town made of timber with a water channel designed to represent the Colorado River. The Conservancy rebuilt it in 2015. Most kids in this country have a backyard. Ours have playgrounds. UWS kids grow up doing the playground hop, ranking them and debating them before they can read. And if you've ever carried a drenched, screaming child out of Wild West at sunset, you already know your vote.

Today, we vote as a block. We can debate Ancient with our neighbors and tots later. Vote once a day through April 6 at noon. Winners announced April 15.

VOTE FOR WILD WEST NOW — takes 10 seconds. Do it now. Do it again tomorrow. Tell a neighbor.

🌸 Spring Bloom Report: West Side Community Garden

The West Side Community Garden (89th between Amsterdam & Columbus) doesn't officially open until April 12, but spring isn't waiting. Crocus, daffodils, and more are already pushing through. The garden's 13,000 tulip bulbs are still underground. Two weeks out. Can't wait.

🖍️ For the little ones: We made a Spring Bloom coloring page so your kids can search for early flowers at the garden. Download it here.

While you're in the park: The Sarah Yuster "Outside Voices" exhibit just opened at The Arsenal gallery in Central Park (830 Fifth Ave at 64th). Oil paintings of the people who actually take care of nature in this city: young scientists, park workers, activists, even Isabella Rossellini. Yuster has two portraits in the Smithsonian. Free. Through May 29. Twenty minutes and you'll see the park differently on the way out.

Sundays 9am: Urban Park Rangers birding walks in Central Park. Enter at W 100th & CPW. Free. Just show up. Spring migration is here.

Riverside Park fitness at the 102nd Street Field House: Fridays 6pm: Mat Pilates. Saturdays 9:30am: Yoga. Mondays 10am: Spring Bodyroll. Tuesdays 8am: Bodyweight Blast. All free. Bring your own mat. Registration may be required, check the link.

Friday, March 27 (today!)

St. Agnes Library: Family Storytime — 444 Amsterdam Ave at 81st. 10:30am. Songs, read-alouds, fun for the whole family. Ages 0-5. Free. Advance registration required. Space limited to 15 households. Sign up online or call 212-621-0619.

Bloomingdale Library: Open Playtime — 150 W 100th St. 11am. Play materials in a warm, joyful environment. Meet other caregivers. Ages 0-5. Free. Drop in.

NYHS: Crafts and Classics Club — New-York Historical Society, 170 CPW at 77th. 5-6pm. Sew your own applique quilt square while listening to a read-aloud of Little Women. All ages. Free with pay-as-you-wish admission.

Saturday, March 28

NY Phil: Philharmonic Families — Winds — David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center. 12pm & 3pm. Musicians from the orchestra play for kids up close and explain their instruments. A perfect first concert.

Bloomingdale Library: Puzzles & Play — 150 W 100th St. 10am-2pm. Free. Board puzzles, floor puzzles, LEGOs, costumes, puppets, building toys. No screens, just play. Drop in. Ages 3-12.

Children's Museum of Manhattan: Laughter is the Best Medicine! — 212 W 83rd St. April Fools' prep starts early. Jokes and improv with comedian Ray Munoz (2pm & 3pm, ages 5+, sign-up required), clown dress-up (11:15am & 2:45pm, ages 4 & under), and Joke in the Box making (10:30am, all ages). Museum admission required.

Sunday, March 29

NYHS: Sunday Story Time — Lumber Jills — New-York Historical Society, 170 CPW at 77th. 11:30am-12:30pm. Women's History Month read-aloud about the women who chopped trees for Britain during WWII, plus a craft. Ages 3-6. Free with museum admission.

Children's Museum of Manhattan: Clowns Abound with Mélissa Smith — 212 W 83rd St. 2pm & 3pm. Physical comedy, improv games, and character exploration with a professional clown and educator. Your kid will come home doing bits. Ages 5+. Sign-up required. Museum admission required.

Monday, March 30

Bloomingdale Library — 150 W 100th St. Two free drop-ins: Open Playtime at 11:15am (ages 0-5, same cozy setup as Friday) and NYPL After School at 3pm (homework help, reading, STEAM activities, and snacks, ages 6-12, runs Monday-Thursday).

Tuesday, March 31

Bloomingdale Library: Crafternoon — 150 W 100th St. 3:30pm. A simple craft to make and take home. Materials for 15 kids, tickets handed out at 3pm. Ages 3-12. Free.

NYHS: Little New-Yorkers — The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story — New-York Historical Society, 170 CPW at 77th. 3:30-4:30pm. A read-aloud about Korean women divers who harvest the sea, plus a craft. Ages 3-6. Free with museum admission.

St. Agnes Library: Family Movie Night — The Princess Bride — Community Program Room, 444 Amsterdam Ave at 81st. 4pm. Sword fights, pirates, Rodents of Unusual Size, and true love. Rated PG, 98 min. All ages. Free. No registration required. "As you wish."

Thursday, April 2 (Passover)

Bloomingdale Library: LEGO Builders — 150 W 100th St. 3pm. Building toys and manipulatives including LEGOs. Ages 2-12. Free. Drop in.

Children's Museum of Manhattan: Passover at CMOM — 212 W 83rd St. Grammy-winning children's musician Joanie Leeds and her daughter Joya share the Passover story through songs and storytelling (11am & 12pm, ages 5+). Then stick around for My Seder Plate, where kids make their own with collage materials (2-4:15pm, ages 5+, also Friday 4/3). Museum admission required.

Saturday, April 4 NYPL Performing Arts: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on 16mm Film — Bruno Walter Auditorium, Lincoln Center. 1pm. Free. Register in advance. The original Gene Wilder version, projected on actual film. Not a stream, not a DVD. The real thing.

Saturday–Sunday, April 4–5 (Easter) Children's Museum of Manhattan: Spring Break Easter — 212 W 83rd St. I-Spy Spring Scavenger Hunt (find the hidden eggs around the museum, all ages, 10am-4:45pm), Bloom Buddy Egg Sculptures (ages 5+, sign-up), Easter Parade Hat Making (ages 4 & under). Museum admission required.

Ongoing:

Sesame Street Sculptures at 590 Madison Ave — Cookie Monster, Elmo, Ernie & Bert, and Big Bird in bronze with endangered animals. Free. Outdoor. Interactive benches. Your toddler will try to hug Big Bird. Through March 2027.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Interactive Show — Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 W 60th St. 75 handcrafted puppets bring the Eric Carle classic to life. Best for ages 1-6. Thu-Sun through April 26. Ticketed.

Swedish Cottage: Little Red's Hood — Central Park at W 79th & West Drive. A marionette show inside a 19th-century Swedish schoolhouse in the middle of the park. Ages 3-8. $10 kids/$15 adults. Advance tickets only. Sells out fast. Through April 26.

Mystery and Wonder: Golden Age Magicians — NYPL for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center. Houdini's handcuffs, 300+ artifacts, rare posters, and the first magic book printed in America. Free. Through July 11. The NYT just wrote about it. Take the kids or go alone.

Monday, March 30

Columbia Women's Basketball — WBIT semifinals vs Wisconsin in Wichita. Time TBD. Watch on ESPNU or stream on the ESPN app.

Tuesday, March 31

Juilliard: Master Class with Lise Davidsen — 4pm. Free. Part of the Leontyne Price Master Class Series. Davidsen is one of the biggest opera voices in the world right now. You get to watch her teach. At Juilliard. For free.

Wednesday, April 1

Columbia Women's Basketball — If they win Monday, the WBIT Championship Game is Wednesday at 7pm on ESPN2.

Thursday, April 2

Passover begins at sundown. First seder night. Holy Thursday.

Friday, April 3 Good Friday. Second night of Passover.

Free at Lincoln Center: NYPL Performing Arts: New York Classical Players — Mozart to Modernity — Bruno Walter Auditorium. Friday 4/3 at 7pm. Free. Register in advance.

Sunday, April 5 Easter Sunday.

Registration now open: NCJW NY Council Lifetime Learning Spring Session — Classes on painting, drawing, crafts, dance, voice training, exercise, wellness, and book groups. All at 241 W 72nd St. Starts first week of April, runs through June. Contact Debbie Aronson at [email protected] or (212) 687-5030 ext. 0.

Volunteer at West Side Campaign Against Hunger

WSCAH on 86th Street feeds thousands of New Yorkers through a supermarket-style pantry where customers choose their own groceries. Volunteers unload trucks, pack bags, and distribute food. Shifts run Tuesday through Friday, 9am-1pm. You don't need experience, just hands and a willingness to lift things that aren't your phone. With Passover and Easter coming, the need goes up. Be the neighbor you think you are.

Normal ASP rules Monday through Wednesday. Then the holidays arrive and the city gives you a break: ASP is suspended Thursday 4/2 (Holy Thursday + Passover) and Friday 4/3 (Good Friday + Passover). The one time all year every faith agrees on the same thing: don't move the car.

Full calendar: nyc.gov/dot

Anjali V. shared her UWS favorites: Tacombi, Elliott's Gym, and My Gym 79th (now that she has a 13-month-old). Former favorites include Mermaid Inn and Bin 71. Anjali, that's a solid rotation.

Aaryn K. recommends Beer Run on Columbus. "Great variety, affordable, welcoming." Consider this your Friday evening tip.

Jenny S. said because of last week's issue she took her girls (ages 2 and 1) to Swedish Cottage last Saturday morning. "Nothing but great things to say about the quaint theater. It sells out fast, so book ahead!"

Your turn. Best restaurant, worst scaffolding, weirdest thing you saw on Amsterdam this week, or what you loved (or hated) about this issue. We can take it. Reply to this email or send it to [email protected]. We read everything. We publish the best. We appreciate the rest.

📣 SHARE THE WEST SIDER Forward responsibly. Or irresponsibly. We're not picky.

That's Issue #4. Three weeks, tripled subscribers, zero dollars spent. This newsletter grows the same way everything good on the UWS does: one neighbor tells another. Be that neighbor.

See you next week!

— The West Sider

P.S. Still need a summer camp? We built two free guides so you don't have to.

The West Sider Summer Camps 2026 Guide — 129 camps across Manhattan (43 on the UWS alone). Sports, arts, STEM, theater, climbing, chess, you name it.

Every Kid Deserves a Great Summer — 24 special needs and inclusive programs, 7 completely free, and over half offer financial aid.

No ads. No sponsors. No one paid to be listed. Just a parent who did the research.