My neighborHood: from scary to trendy

Graying New York

by MARCIA EPSTEIN

What’s happening to my Upper West Side? I always say I live on the Upper West Side, though it may be Bloomingdale or Manhattan Valley. I can’t keep up with what the various neighborhoods are called.

Of course, my neighborhood bears no resemblance to when I first moved here in the late 1960’s and rented a tiny one-bedroom on West End Avenue and 87th Street. I’ve been here ever since, and in my (oh, I am so lucky!) rent-stabilized unit since the late 1970’s. At the time, friends thought I lived in a scary neighborhood. Now it’s upscale and trendy.

But sad, too. The Metro Hardware on 96th and Broadway closed suddenly last week. Gone, poof! As did the Europan Bakery on 94th and Broadway, which also suddenly disappeared. And the “new” Chinese restaurant on 98th and Broadway was recently the new Vietnamese restaurant which, previously was another Chinese restaurant and before that, a different Chinese restaurant. Always a new “Grand Opening” sign above the window. The interior doesn’t change much, in any case.

Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues, from 90th up to 97th Street, are lined with empty storefronts. I was eagerly awaiting new stores, but only Party City on 92nd and Columbus has come to that area. There have been rumors for years that Trader Joe’s was coming, but so far no sign of it. The blocks on Columbus between 97th and 100th Streets and Columbus are pretty much occupied, and Amsterdam Avenue is seeing a bunch of new restaurants and cafes above 100th Street, which is heartening. Arco Cafe on Amsterdam and 103rd Street serves, during the week, a delicious two course lunch for $12. A nice new addition to the neighborhood. Still, the empty storefronts on Columbus and Amsterdam in the 90’s are disheartening.

East Side, West Side, all around the town. As I said, I am a long-time Upper West Sider, and when I travel East, I can’t help noticing the difference between older women on opposite sides of Central Park. Most women from Fifth Avenue eastward, including seniors, seem sleek and “done.” Their faces bear no lines. Their hair is perfect, their forms slim, and their clothes impeccable.

Is this a generalization? Of course. But to my eye, that’s how it looks. Even their dogs are perfectly groomed and usually carried in expensive bags. On the West Side, many older women are like me; Mom jeans and sneakers, utilitarian short hair or sometimes lovely disheveled gray curls held back by clips or just flowing freely. We seniors on the Upper West Side, for the most part, don’t seem Botoxed and surgically enhanced.

The idea of elective surgery makes me shudder. I’d rather have my lines and wrinkles. Again a generalization; yes, surely. But I’m speaking of my own observations and of the majority of women I come into contact with or just see on the streets. There’s also a somewhat bohemian vibe that some women seem to carry from the 60’s. But it’s all so much more informal and individualistic. I like to meet friends on the East Side on occasion, but I’d be out of place living there.

This is my village, my neighborhood, the place where I have set down roots. These are my people. Please, no offense, East Siders. Each to his or her own, right?

Well, we may be offered a very slight Social Security increase. Probably around 0.2%, based on some consumer price index that apparently doesn’t apply to New York City. It’s even possible to lose money if you make more than a certain amount because of the Medicare Part B deduction. The people who do these indexes haven’t shopped in New York for even basic everyday needs, such as food. Most of us don’t own cars, so the gas prices don’t affect us. It’s only when I’m eating in a restaurant outside of New York that I realize how ridiculous the prices are here. Due to the ever-rising rents, soon only banks and chain drug stores will be able to afford the leases. Of course, I’m one of the lucky ones who can eat in a restaurant. Many New York seniors are living on very limited incomes and a very low Social Security increase will do little to help them.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer’s office has a Manhattan Help Guide with all the phone numbers you’d ever need for any kind of help in the city. E-mail info@manhattanbp.nyc.gov for a pamphlet.