Just got back from a Trader Joe’s run and… holy crap — it’s ridiculously amazing outside! The Apple Bank thermometer at 73rd Street read 75 degrees right around noon. This has to be the nicest day of 2013 so far, right? I hope you’re enjoying lunch outside somewhere…

Nice shot by MUW reader @aprildcash, snapped this morning at Verdi Square by the 72nd Street 1/2/3 subway station. Here’s another angle from reader @ManhattanMingle, with the Apple Bank thermometer in the background:

It’s becoming harder to get your sugar fix on the Upper West Side these days. Yesterday came word that Choco Bolo (temporarily) closed. Now it looks like the UWS Grom Gelato is no more (2165 Broadway, btw. 76th/77th). MUW reader Kimberly snapped the photo above, showing the popular store closed for good yesterday.

The Verdi Square Festival, a series of free outdoor concerts at the Upper West Side’s Verdi Square, kicks off it’s 7th season tomorrow (Sunday, 9/16). Free performances will take place over the next three Sundays — 9/16, 9/23, and 9/30.

The Village Voice recently put together a “10 Best Gelatos In New York” list and the UWS managed a single entry: Grom Gelato (2165 Broadway, btw. 76th/77th) came in at #9.

I’m not 100% sure why they chose the location, but a group protesting FreshDirect’s plan for a distribution center in the South Bronx will be holding a rally on the Upper West Side later this afternoon.

Upper West Side photorapher Michael Huitt (michaelhuittphoto.com) sent this in last week, but it sort of got lost in the shuffle over the holiday weekend.

Its seems like most people only interact with police when they need help or are being issued a ticket (or worse). Tomorrow night, you can get to meet the men and women in blue in a more casual environment (assuming you don’t commit any crimes while you’re there).

I’m not sure how it managed to last this long, but the lone porn/sex shop on the Upper West Side has finally closed.

Good news if you’re a gelato lover — DNAinfo reports that Screme Gelato will soon be opening a new cart in Verdi Square (Broadway & 72nd). Per DNA:

Facing south from Verdi Square at 72nd & Broadway. Photo by Matt (@Photography_bym and www.pdbym.com).

Glenn Close’s TV show Damages is filming in the lower 70s around Amsterdam and Broadway today. They’ve been out since this morning and production is supposed to continue through the end of the day. I took the picture to the right a little while ago, and it shows they’re filming at four different neighborhood locations: [...]