Openings & Closings

Community

+12

Issue #16: A Title, a Tribute, and a Woman in a Brown Dress

Jun 19, 2026

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14 min read

Issue #16: A Title, a Tribute, and a Woman in a Brown Dress

Good evening, West Siders. We're the neighbor who likes a weekend with some weight to it: a little history, a lot of sun, and more free things to do than any reasonable person can get to. We already toured the new Aldi, have feelings about a $12 bike ride, and read every last comment on that Trader Joe's missed connection, so you don't have to. Plus a championship fifty-three years in the making, and the World Cup, three ways. Let's go. (Sunscreen first; the UV's been showing off all week.)

Michelle Holt

District-3

+14

Issue #15: The Buzzer, the Bracket, and the Branch

Jun 12, 2026

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14 min read

Issue #15: The Buzzer, the Bracket, and the Branch

Good morning, West Siders. We're the neighbor who found the World Cup playing under a blue whale, knows Sunday's parade is coming for your crosstown bus, and started hoarding pennies the day they killed them. Always Knicks! Let's go.

Michelle Holt

Date Night

Issue #14: The Clutch, the Current, and the Coin

Jun 5, 2026

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16 min read

Issue #14: The Clutch, the Current, and the Coin

Good morning, West Siders. We're the neighbor who still has every penny in the change jar, just in case, knows the difference between a London plane and a Callery pear, and reads every Appellate Division ruling so you don't have to. PS: Today is National Donut Day. Krispy Kreme hands out a free donut (the closest brick-and-mortar is in Times Square at Broadway & 48th, but the UWS delivery is fast). Dunkin' gives one with any drink purchase. 😬 Bonus: NYC named the donut. Washington Irving wrote "dough-nut" down first in 1809, in his History of New York: "balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog's fat." We kept the name. Lost the hog's fat.

Michelle Holt

District-3

+13

Issue #13: The Sun, the Sweep, and the Zingone Bros Cat

May 29, 2026

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13 min read

Issue #13: The Sun, the Sweep, and the Zingone Bros Cat

Good morning, West Siders. We're the neighbor who mapped every sports bar on the west side, got you a private Raphael viewing before the museum opens, and reminds you the World Cup lottery closes tomorrow. Manhattanhenge, tonight, 8:13 PM. After that, we've got ballerinas, bobbleheads, and a $10,000 lightbulb the city still hasn't screwed in. Let's go. (Westward.)

Michelle Holt

Community

Issue #12: Sunscreen, Stonehenge, and a Nine-Game Streak

May 22, 2026

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10 min read

Issue #12: Sunscreen, Stonehenge, and a Nine-Game Streak

Good morning, West Siders. We're the neighbor who knows when the sun lines up with the grid, why Princess Jasmine painted a piano and left it on Broadway, and what Hoda told the Class of 2026 that made everyone cry.Memorial Day weekend. Rain's coming Saturday, but tonight there's Top Gun on an aircraft carrier, Shakespeare in the park, and a Dutch airline handing out tiny gin-filled houses on Central Park West. And the Knicks [REDACTED].Grab your morning beverage and your sunscreen. Let's go.

Michelle Holt

The Met

Issue #10: Chopped Cheese and Ten Dollar Knicks Tix

May 8, 2026

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10 min read

Issue #10: Chopped Cheese and Ten Dollar Knicks Tix

Good morning, West Siders. We're the neighbor who knows Gale Brewer's favorite cooking show and where to find a balloon inside a Staples. It's May. The parks are programmed. The bodegas are ready. And this newsletter just turned ten 🥳. Let's go.

Michelle Holt

Events

Issue #9: Twelve Million Dollars and a Restraining Order

May 1, 2026

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10 min read

Issue #9: Twelve Million Dollars and a Restraining Order

Good morning, West Siders. We're the neighbor who read the zoning documents so you don't have to, tracked down the real nationality of Winnie the Pooh, and is still processing a Knicks win whose score looked like a typo. It's May. The parks are open. The Trader Joe's won't be for long.

Michelle Holt

Playgrounds

Issue #7: A Shoebox of Bees and a Real-Life Indiana Jones

Apr 17, 2026

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14 min read

Issue #7: A Shoebox of Bees and a Real-Life Indiana Jones

Good morning, West Siders. 🌧️ We're the neighbor who saw the forecast, grabbed your umbrella, and still thinks Saturday's the only day that matters this weekend. 👋 Welcome back to Issue #7. If you're new, someone sent you here because they like you. If you've been here since Issue #1, you're my BFF. P.S. Scroll for a real-life Indiana Jones, an epic 4 hour hike through Central Park, and 1996 called and it's holding your drink.

Michelle Holt

District-3

Apr 10, 2026

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12 min read

Issue #6: Tulips Are Here

Good morning, West Siders. ☀️ We're the neighbor who remembers your name at the coffee shop, tells you which block has the best blossoms, and already checked if you need an umbrella this weekend. ☂️ Welcome back to Issue #6. If you're new, someone sent you here because they like you. If you've been here since Issue #1, you're family. P.S. Your 6th grader might have more political power than you this week. Also, we mapped every outdoor dining spot on the UWS. All 101 of them. You're welcome.

Michelle Holt

Playgrounds

Mar 27, 2026

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20 min read

Issue #4: Snow in Spring, Lions on Fire

Good morning, West Siders. We're the neighbor who knows your playground is up for a national award, your basketball team is on a tear, and spring just showed up on 89th Street. Welcome back to Issue #4. If you're new here, someone forwarded this to you and they were right to. We've tripled in three weeks. No ads, no algorithm, just neighbors. Let's go. P.S. Scroll to Something to Chew On. Your playground needs your vote.🕯️ Next Wednesday evening is the first night of Passover. Chag Sameach to those who celebrate!

Michelle Holt

Openings & Closings

Issue #16: A Title, a Tribute, and a Woman in a Brown Dress

Issue #15: The Buzzer, the Bracket, and the Branch

Issue #14: The Clutch, the Current, and the Coin

Issue #13: The Sun, the Sweep, and the Zingone Bros Cat

Issue #12: Sunscreen, Stonehenge, and a Nine-Game Streak

Issue #10: Chopped Cheese and Ten Dollar Knicks Tix

Issue #9: Twelve Million Dollars and a Restraining Order

Issue #7: A Shoebox of Bees and a Real-Life Indiana Jones

Issue #6: Tulips Are Here

Issue #4: Snow in Spring, Lions on Fire

The West Sider

The West Sider