Cursing parrot escapes UWS home; Popular UWS hotel receives $85 million loan; Former UWS CIA analyst arrested on espionage charges; ‘Booming’ Chinese local food corridor

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Article on the Upper West SideArticle on the Upper West Side Date: Monday, July 22, 2024 Weather: Cloudy, high 83 degrees Announcements: * Visit the local events calendar for upcoming events. News: Swearing Parrot Escapes and Returns Home A three-year-old Congo African grey parrot named Goo-Goo escaped its Upper West Side apartment and flew off a back porch. The bird, which has a knack for swearing, was missing for several days but was eventually found in a neighbor’s house. Arthouse Hotel Secures Major Investment The Arthouse Hotel on 222 West 77th Street has received an $85 million loan to refinance the property. The financing will be used over the next five years. Upper West Side Woman Arrested for Foreign Agent Activities Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA and White House employee, was arrested on suspicion of acting as a foreign agent for South Korea. She allegedly provided South Korean intelligence officers with privileged information in exchange for luxury goods and financing. Chinese Restaurant Corridor Thrives on Upper West Side The Upper West Side has become a popular destination for Chinese restaurants, particularly in the northern part of the neighborhood between 98th and 113th streets. The area features a variety of options, including Atlas Kitchen, 108 Food, and La Salle Dumpling Room.

A tree cutter at work on the Upper West Side. Photo: Isabelle Tietbohl.

Monday, July 22, 2024
Cloudy. High 83 degrees.

Announcements
Us calendar has many local events. Click on the link or on the lady in the top right corner to check it out.

News from the Upper West Side
By Gus Saltonstall

A parrot with a talent for spouting swear words escaped from his Upper West Side apartment earlier this month, the New York Post first reported.

Goo-Goo, a three-year-old Congo African grey parrot, flew off a back porch on West 76th Street in the second week of July.

Connie, the bird’s owner, quickly posted signs in the area promising a $500 reward and an explanation of one of the bird’s favorite words.

“Daba, you bastard.”

The owner told the Post that the bird had taken the word from her parents, as Baba means “father” in Chinese, and that her mother addressed her father using that expression.

Fortunately, Goo-Goo survived the unexpected journey. The parrot was found by a housekeeper in a neighbor’s house, the Post reported.

You can read the whole story HERE.

The popular Arthouse Hotel on the Upper West Side recently received a major investment, Commercial Observer was first to report.

The current owners of the Arthouse Hotel at 222 West 77th Street, Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, recently secured an $85 million loan to refinance the boutique hotel. The financing was provided by Citi Real Estate Funding and will be disbursed over the course of five years, Commercial Observer added.

Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation bought the Upper West Side hotel, then called the Nylo New York City Hotel, in 2016 for $140 million. The purchase price worked out to about $500,000 per room.

More information can be found here.

An Upper West Side woman was arrested last week on suspicion of acting as a foreign agent for South Korea, the United States Attorney General announced Wednesday.

Former CIA agent Sue Mi Terry provided South Korean intelligence officers with access and information in exchange for luxury goods and financing, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.

“As alleged, Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA and White House employee, circumvented foreign agent registration laws to provide South Korean intelligence officers with access, information, and advocacy,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams wrote in a press release. “Terry allegedly sold her positions and influence to the South Korean government in exchange for luxury handbags, lavish meals, and thousands of dollars in funding for her public policy programs.”

The New York Post attempted to speak with Terry outside her Upper West Side apartment Thursday morning, where she denied to the publication that she was a foreign agent. She is married to Max Boot, a national security columnist for the Washington Post.

The Upper West Side recently gained recognition for a number of Chinese restaurants in the northern part of the neighborhood.

Eater New York’s recent article — “The Booming Chinese Restaurant Corridor of the Upper West Side” — explains why the area “has become a landing spot for many next-generation Chinese restaurants.”

The striking block runs from 98th Street to 113th Street and contains 12 Chinese restaurants.

  • Atlas Kitchen: 258 West 109th Street
  • 108 Food: 2794 Broadway at 108th Street
  • Happy Hot Hunan: 969 Amsterdam Avenue, near 107th Street
  • Szechuan Garden: 239 105th Street
  • Moon Ke: 2642 Broadway, near 100th Street
  • Mala Town: 929 Amsterdam Avenue, near 106th Street
  • Ollie’s Noodle Shop: 2705 Broadway, near 103rd Street
  • La Salle Dumpling Room: 2897 Broadway at 113th Street
  • Nan Xiang Express: 2783 Broadway, near 107th Street
  • Dim Sum Bloom: 2596 Broadway at 98th Street
  • Tea Magic: 2878 Broadway, near 112th Street
  • Gong Cha: 2810 Broadway, near 109th Street

“The neighborhood’s proximity to Columbia University, with its diverse population, could be one reason it has so many restaurants, period,” Eater NY wrote. “However, the Upper West Side has always been known for its Chinese restaurants. Starting around 1970, it was home to some of the city’s earliest Sichuan restaurants, as well as Cuban-Chinese restaurants during the same period.”

More information about the specific restaurants can be found HERE.

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