America Ferrara attends premiere

Celebrities came out by the many to attend the Our Family Wedding premiere last night at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square (Broadway at 68th).  Stars America Ferrara, Lance Gross, Forest Whitaker, Carlos Mencia, Regina King, Diana Maria Riva, and Charlie Murphy all walked the red carpet for the premiere.  In addition, well-known faces like Ferrara’s Ugly Betty costars Eric Mabius, Ana Ortiz, and Mark Indelicato; actors Steve Guttenberg, Eva Marcille, and Joumana Kidd; and personalities like Phillip Bloch and The Real Housewives’ Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley all made appearances.  Click through for more photos of the event, courtesy of Zimbio.

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Check out this photo taken by a Gothamist tipster… notice anything strange?  Frequent A/B/C/D line riders may quickly spot that this sign, located at the Columbus Circle subway station, mixed up the colors with a blue B and an orange C, an MTA error.  When Gothamist inquired about the sign, the MTA stated, “The signage folks are going to check this out.  The station complex is under rehabilitation and it very well may be that the contractor working on the project installed a sign in error, but that’s just an educated guest [sic].  If that is the case, our internal signage folks will walk station and make any fixes required.”  Well, this “educated guest” here at My Upper West hopes they can correct this snafu soon so as not to make this lines even more confusing to tourists and those unfamiliar with the A/B/C/D.

The American Museum of Natural History (Central Park West at 79th) has more great events scheduled in the next few days.  First, it’s not too late to buy tickets to attend an interesting poetry event taking place tonight.  Part poetry collection, part field guide, Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems About Birds combines more than 100 poems by Elizabeth Bishop, Charles Simic, Sylvia Plath, Wallace Stevens, and others, and tonight, reknowned poets involved in the collection will discuss and sign copies of the book.  Come early to enjoy wine, coffee, and snacks before the event.  Next, another One Step Beyond party will take place this Friday.  Launch your weekend with drinks and dancing at “the most explosive party this side of the Milky Way,” with a performance this month by The Very Best with Theophilus London.  Once the weekend is in full swing, you can come to the museum on Saturday to meet for a spring Central Park walk with Steve “Wildman” Brill.  He will educate with a focus on foraging as you enjoy the park’s fascinating and delicious wild shoots, greens, roots, herbs, and flowers.  Finally, the “Sundays Under the Whale” series continues this Sunday with “The Great Pacific Garbage Dump.”  The free informative event discusses the Great Pacific Garbage Dump with marine science experts, getting a close look at the impact of plastic bottles on marine life, including an in-person look at a heron, beaver, and other live animals threatened by plastic debris.  The AMNH has something for everyone in the coming days, so reserve your spot in your favorite event and enjoy your visit!

Upcoming events at the American Museum of Natural History

Bright Wings poetry discussion and signing: Wednesday, March 10th, 2010, 6:30 pm, $13.50-$15
One Step Beyond: Friday, March 12th, 2010, 9:00 pm - 1:00 am, $20-$25
Foraging in Central Park: Saturday, March 13th, 2010, 9:30 am - 11:30 am, $45
The Great Pacific Garbage Dump: Sunday, March 14th, 2010, 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm, FREE with museum admission

American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th

The FX hit show Damages starring Glenn Close is filming today in the vicinity of Broadway and the low 100’s.  Swing by and check it out if you are a fan.  Thanks to Twitter tipster @porcinea for the photo and information.

Did you see a filming scheduled to occur on the Upper West Side?  Let us know… send as much information to “alerts [at] myupperwest.com” and we might post it!

Check out this interesting event… Landmarc (Columbus Circle, 3rd floor of the Time Warner Center) is holding a “Fête de Campagne” this Friday night.  Join Chef Marc Murphy at the restaurant as he hosts his very own take on this classic French country feast and celebration, transporting guests to rural France through a midnight sampling of assorted house-made sausages and charcuterie, goose fat fries with aioli, a variety of French cheeses, mussels in white wine, smoky bacon tarte flambée, a selection of sweet crêpes, French desserts and much more.  Be ready to toast to the fête with ample amounts of wine and beer and make sure to sample the French Pearl, a special cocktail honoring this lively and festive occasion.  The feast begins at midnight on Friday, with a cost of $75 that includes food, beverages, taxes, and gratuity (buy your tickets here).  À votre santé!

Fête de Campagne at Landmarc

Friday, March 12th, 2010, 11:45 pm, $75

Landmarc, Time Warner Center, 3rd floor

Click through to see some events in the neighborhood for Wednesday, March 10th, 2010…

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Image source: dnainfo.com

After a disappointing debut of the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s share-a-cab program last week, many were left scratching their heads about the low turnout.  DNAinfo looked a little closer and now has one very good reason for the low number of taxi shares… the Upper West Side taxi share sign is on the wrong block!  While the pick-up location on the Upper West Side is officially at 72nd and Columbus, the street sign for the group ride pick-up spot is actually at 73rd, which has led to confusion on the part of riders and some anger on the part of Community Board 7 and other city agencies. After being questioned about the sign, the Taxi and Limousine Commission referred DNAinfo to the Department of Transportation, which installed the sign. The DOT did not return calls for comment. On top of this strange sign placement, CB7 is pulling an “I-told-you-so” about the location, saying that the location has high traffic congestion, is close to subway stops at both Broadway and Central Park West, and is a loading zone in which retail stores rely on curb space for deliveries (the sign was hidden behind a delivery truck attempting to unload when DNAinfo checked it out). The community board recommended stops at Riverside Boulevard and the Riverside South complex as an alternative.

The share-a-cab program is available on weekdays from 6:00 am to 10:00 am, with pick-up stands at the UWS location along with one at 72nd and 3rd Avenue and one at 57th and 8th. The final stop is at 42nd and Park Avenue, but riders can pay the flat fee ($4 each from the UWS) to be dropped off anywhere on Park Avenue before the final stop.

Last weekend, we got a taste of spring with sunny weather and temperatures touching the 60-degree-mark, bringing New Yorkers and tourists alike outside to get some fresh air.  It’s always enjoyable to head out to one of the city’s parks on the first nice-weather-weekend, not just to enjoy the outdoors, but also to people-watch, as everyone and their brother seem to be out.  We caught a father-son team walking Central Park’s jogging path with a slew of balloons (top) and a young fisherman at the lake in Central Park (bottom), some nice sights to see, giving us hope that spring is near!

Did you take a great photo on the Upper West Side or Central Park?  Tell us!  Send your photo and a description to “alerts [at] myupperwest.com” and we might post it!

The Jewish Community Center (Amsterdam at 76th) is hosting a special event tomorrow, “Rescuing the Economy: Two Expert Views.”  Get informed when two experts make an appearance to talk about the state of the economy and where it’s heading, hosted by Myron Kandel, founding financial editor of CNN.  The experts are Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, two-time candidate for the Republican nomination for President, and author of the recently published book, How Capitalism Will Save Us; and Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize-winning economist, chairman of President Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisors, former chief economist of the World Bank, and author of the new book, Freefall: America, Free Markets and the Sinking of the World Economy.

Rescuing the Economy: Two Expert Views

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm, $10-$15

Jewish Community Center, Amsterdam at 76th

The first New Yorker and African American ringmaster of Ringling Brothers Circus is an Upper West Sider, as told by the main man himself to the New York Daily News.  Johnathan Lee Iverson, 34, sang with the renowned Harlem Boys Choir for 11 years and attended La Guardia High School for the Performing Arts (Amsterdam at 65th) before getting a college degree in voice and later auditioning for the circus.  At only 22, Iverson became the youngest ringmaster in the history of the Ringling Brothers Circus.  While his life in a four-star apartment on the train (which will be parked at rail yards in Long Island City when the circus comes to Madison Square Garden on March 25th) is a huge change from his childhood home at 103rd and Central Park West, he now eats, sleeps, and breathes the circus life.  Read more about this fascinating Upper West Sider’s current circus life in his interview with the Daily News, or get tickets to the Ringling Brothers Circus when it comes to Madison Square Garden at Ticketmaster.