24 Comments

I loved this so much!! This is the neighborhood I grew up in & was so excited to see it in your newsletter (I'm a big fan). My favorite piece of info is that it's where the black and white cookie was invented :) Specifically, people believe, at Glaser's bakery (which is now sadly closed, but had a 116 year run!). Thank you for this from Yorkville!

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Oh man, that is a good fact! RIP Glasers. Thanks Gina!

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There is a neighborhood called Yorkville in the Canadian city of Toronto (previously named York) as well. During the 1960s and 1970s, it was a well-known live music hub that played a role in launching the careers of Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot and Neil Young, among others.

I would love to know how and why "Tick Tock" and "Blue Jaw" got their sobriquets....

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Apparently, Magoon got the nickname Blue Jaw because he was always in need of a shave.

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I'm accused of having that look sometimes....not what I was expecting, I thought it was because of something more esoteric, like being to hold his breath for a long time...

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Definitely an anticlimactic origin story.

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The other Yorkville kept coming up in my searches. If Joni, Neil and Gordon all came out of there it must be a cool place! I know Tick Tock got his name because of a nervous tic. I'll have to look up Blue Jaw.

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Oct 3Liked by Rob Stephenson

Referring to 86th Street as “Sauerkraut Boulevard” from now on!

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The kind of name you can smell!

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Definitely a Café Anne feel to you trying to get some writing done in a local coffee shop; the coffee shop turning into a comedy club; laughter echoing off the concrete walls leading to the basement; a second trip--also during a volleyball clinic--only to be deterred by heavy rain

on another night, not a Tuesday, none of which deterred you...

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Lead-loaded life vests! Haha!

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More like death vests?

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Oct 3Liked by Rob Stephenson

Appreciate the total lack of comment or explanation on “This Pee Wee.” It speaks for itself.

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Oct 3Liked by Rob Stephenson

Q: How many photos do you typically shoot for each post and how many do you typically publish?

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author

Too many. I probably publish around 10% ?

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Oct 3Liked by Rob Stephenson

WOW! I LOVE THE MENTION OF YOUR AMAZING DAUGHTER and her awesome volleyball skills a little tip don’t go to bagel places in Yorkville they are very dirty and bad but your cool daughter isn’t 😁😎😎😎

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Fake news. My daughter is actually amazing, but there are plenty of good bagel places in the neighborhood.

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Oct 3Liked by Rob Stephenson

Excellent work !!! I really enjoyed reading this and admiring the photos. Thank you !

Have a good day.

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You too, thanks Louis!

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Great piece! Don't forget Ottomanelli Brothers! At one point I think they expanded to a few locations but still remain at 82nd and York, since 1900.

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Oct 4Liked by Rob Stephenson

Found you thanks to your Reddit post! I’m a relatively new Yorkville resident and have been surprised at how quickly I fell for this neighborhood. Thanks for helping me learn more about it! Love the photos too.

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Hi Leah, glad you found me! It's a great neighborhood with such an interesting history. If you are ever looking for a Tuesday night open mic comedy show, I'll give you the deets.

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This was so interesting. I had never heard of that astoundingly tragic shipping disaster before. What an awful accident, made all the worse by terrible cost-cutting. What sort of monster puts lead inside a lifejacket?

I should also add, I've never set foot in NYC in my life, but your posts are so rich with the history and evolution of its neighbourhoods. Fabulous stuff!!

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So glad you liked it Helen, thank you! And agreed about the lead. You think they could at least have found something a little more buoyant if they were too cheap for cork.

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