Special event: “Dorothy Parker’s Upper West Side” on Saturday, Nov. 12. Meet at Riverside Park, West 72nd Street and Riverside Drive (at Eleanor Roosevelt) at 12 p.m. Walk is led by Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, author of A Journey into Dorothy Parker’s New York and president of the Dorothy Parker Society. See more than a dozen locations tied to Mrs. Parker’s life: her residences from childhood to adulthood, her haunts, school and landmarks. Take a stroll through the beautiful Upper West Side and see where Dorothy Parker spent her formative years. The walk is two hours in length, and covers approximately 25 blocks. Wear comfortable shoes. The walk is open to the public, tickets are $20 each (or free if you live in one of Mrs. Parker’s former apartments), no charge for kids or dogs. (Coupon: Take the Upper West Side walk on Saturday and Round Table Walk on Sunday for a special $30 combined ticket). Email your RSVP here.
This is perfect timing, because the threat of the wrecking ball hangs over young Dorothy’s childhood home at 214 West 72nd Street. As detailed today in the Upper West Side blog DNAinfo.com, the owners want to knock it down and put up a 12-story luxury high-rise apartment building.
Update 10/19: Because Mrs. Parker is a candidate for the New Jersey Hall of Fame, any Jersey residents can take the walk FREE. I’ll leave it up to you to prove how Jersey you are… also, because Mrs. Parker got into the New York Writers Hall of Fame earlier this year, any librarians can take it for free too. Just show me your library cards…