Monday, May 10th, 2010

The Upper West Side has been making headlines since yesterday, bringing a wave of attention, at the national level in some cases, to our neighborhood.

First, the big headline of today is that Elena Kagan, the Solicitor General who previously served as the first ever female dean of Harvard Law School, was nominated to replace Justice John Paul Stevens on the Supreme Court.  President Obama made his nomination choice this morning, declaring Kagan “one of the nation’s foremost legal minds.”  If Kagan is confirmed by the Senate, she will be the youngest justice on the court, and will set history by helping the court become comprised of three female justices at the same time.  Kagan was born and raised on the Upper West Side, attending the prestigious Hunter College High School on the Upper East Side before going off to a slew of top-tiered colleges like Princeton and Oxford, and finally, Harvard Law School.

In other UWS news, the American Museum of Natural History (Central Park West at 79th) is open as usual after a bomb scare in a car parked outside yesterday morning.  The New York Post reports that a driver of a black-and-white-swirl-painted BMW covered his car with a tarp and left the engine running while heading to Central Park for a picnic with his girlfriend.  A concerned passer-by called police to report the vehicle, parked directly in front of the museum, prompting a full bomb investigation.  The car’s windows were smashed so that the bomb squad could search the interior, all while a crowd of spectators formed (even reportedly including actor Michael Douglas).  Fortunately, the prototype car was only left in that state by accident, and while there was a commotion (likely being caused by everyone feeling on edge after the May 1st Times Square attempted bombing), the scare was a false alarm. [Image source: The College Driver]

Filed under: News, Upper West Side, Upper West Side Blog 1 Comment »
Tags: Bomb, Bomb Scare, Elena Kagan, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Justice, Supreme Court Nominee