Filter by our Side PicksThe Upper East Side, and 75th Street in particular, is one of the most child-friendly Manhattan spots I have come upon in my explorations. Not only does the neighborhood feel safe, warm, and friendly, but there are countless activities and stores that cater specifically to children of all ages.
For … read more
It is no surprise that School of Rock NYC chose to open a location on East 75th Street in 2012. The block is teeming with families and is home to a wealth of creative neighbors, including two dance schools. Founded by Paul Green in the 1990s, the school has inspired both a film and a musical. On a daily … read more
The magic of Mark Rosenthal’s instruction is that he knows exactly what children are capable of and how far he should push them with their art. He admitted, “I discovered the exact difficulty of each grade. That’s why this works.” As he showed me around the Art Center, I was continually surprised … read more
J.D. Merget, the owner of Oslo Coffee Roasters, a company that began in Williamsburg in 2003, noticed a dearth of independent coffee shops on the Upper East Side and decided to fix the problem. Fortunately, J.D. had a friend who owned a garden store that he was looking to sell. Thus, Oslo Coffee Roasters … read more
Rustem Gungor, who arrived in the US via Turkey several decades ago, goes by Rustie – and he is one of the last of his kind. When I entered Rustie’s Bookbinding, it felt like a museum exhibit, filled with rare tools for embossing, old guillotines, ancient presses, and piles of books with and without … read more
When I walked into Knitting 321, I learned that the owner, Valeria Kardos, had recently returned from a trip to Italy where she had taken a landscape painting class just outside the Pope’s Palace. The store was filled with her beautiful artwork. Valeria, who has a Masters in Art History, has been painting … read more
Remy, the Belgian gentleman behind the bar, described his time at B Cafe as a remarkable experience. He came to the States and was having a difficult time finding a job, but two days before his visa was to run out in 2006, he happened upon Shkel, who had recently opened a restaurant on East 75th Street. … read more
When we were walking by the firehouse of the Fighting Forty Four, founded in 1881, we were thrilled to find the door wide open. Children on their way home from school were gaping wide-mouthed at the fire engines while smiling firefighters looked on. We joined the ogling children and met the men, Wayne, … read more
The first thing that caught the Manhattan Sideways team’s eye when we walked into Eats was a waiter walking by with a burger full of melted gooey cheese and onions. The burger, it seems, is one of the three items that Eats is known for, along with oysters and martinis. I met Michael Gimelfarb, the manager, … read more
After visiting many century-old synagogues, it was a refreshing change of pace to tour the modern facilities of Temple Israel of the City of New York. Sun shone through the colorful stained glass throughout the 1960s building and a winding spiral staircase occupied the front hall.
The Manhattan Sideways … read more
