The Bwog
Study A'Broadway

The winds of change (and frigid, seasonal air) are a'blowin' in Morningside. Beginning with Toast, everyone's favorite spot for a second or third date. Toast has relocated from its previous location on Broadway between LaSalle and Tiemann (right near 125th) and has taken up residence in Carne's old spot on Broadway and 105th. With Manhattanville's development in the works, this seems a bit counter-intuitive to Bwog, as property values in precisely Toast's old location are sure to skyrocket. Nonetheless, we look forward to schlepping just as far to Toast, this time in the other direction.

Farther up on Broadway, big news for Pinkberry devotees in the form of its latest flavor addition: coffee. Bwog picked the brain of Pinkberry cashier Shadenia who explained that many customers have been sampling coffee, but not many have been ordering it. "They have to get used to it." Those quickly-adapting coffee converts are enjoying the new flavor with chestnuts, a new seasonal topping. (To those following Pinkberry's seasonal ingredients, winter's chestnut is replacing fall's pomegranate seeds.) "I'm not really a coffee person," said Shadenia, quite seriously.

Bwog observed six customers in Pinkberry, none with coffee. Melanie and Angela ate original and green tea, respectively. They seem underwhelmed about the addition of the coffee flavor and had no plans to try it. "It's the same category as green tea," Angela explained. Bwog asked for clarification. "There's original. And then the other flavors are green tea and coffee." Brows furrowed, Bwog exited Pinkberry.

And no recapitulation of developments in Columbia and its environs would be complete without a salute to the new EC elevators. The vaguely space station-y silver elevators are just as sterile and ugly (metal mesh!) as the old EC elevators, the design of which Bwog can barely remember.

- JNW


Posted by didn't: #1 · reply · track
January 18, 2008 at 6:03 PM
they just install new elevators in ec like two years ago?
Posted by maybe: #2 · reply · track
January 18, 2008 at 6:13 PM
maybe toast decided to sell its original location because whoever bought it agreed to pay a shitload (on account of manhattanville).
Posted by jpm: #3 · reply · track
January 18, 2008 at 6:49 PM
Toast and Carne (and the Heights) are all owned by the same people.
Posted by resident: #4 · reply · track
January 18, 2008 at 7:06 PM
is there any food in morningside heights that is truly delicious? cheapish too? help! help! losing weight fast.
Posted by well,: #5 · reply · track
January 18, 2008 at 7:19 PM
mcbain needs some heavy duty elevator renovation, and they were doing something to them over the break, but no dice--still a piece of crap
Posted by haha: #6 (in reply to #5) · reply · track
January 18, 2008 at 7:52 PM
i love how EC elevators (which were fine to begin with) were higher on the priority list than mcbain elevators.

i mean elevator. singular. shit.
Posted by Nope: #7 (in reply to #4) · reply · track
January 18, 2008 at 7:54 PM
Delicious, cheap, not Koronet: pick two.
Posted by none: #8 · reply · track
January 18, 2008 at 8:30 PM
amir's falafel sandwich is like 4 bucks
Posted by The King of Spain : #9 · reply · track
January 18, 2008 at 8:37 PM
With massive construction beginning in 2009-ish?? and no delivery until 2012 and the opening of a ton of new spaces in the area, the *retail* rents in Manhattanville won't be going up for another couple years.
Posted by hmmm: #10 (in reply to #6) · reply · track
January 18, 2008 at 8:53 PM
You must not go to EC enough to know that each elevator has had different tricks to get them to close all semester.
Posted by what do you : #11 · reply · track
January 18, 2008 at 10:41 PM
call the proliferation of trendy bars in a once-industrial area?

Gin-trification!
Posted by i thought: #12 · reply · track
January 18, 2008 at 11:29 PM
that Toast was simply opening up a second branch downtown of its first one? I walked past the new Toast and it mentioned something along the lines of being "a second outpost of Toast".

--enthusiastic foodie
Posted by anon: #13 · reply · track
January 18, 2008 at 11:33 PM
Hartley also got new elevators, that look exactly like EC's!
Posted by pinkberry: #14 · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 12:20 AM
maybe no one is ordering the coffee because they read the small print-- that shit has 90 calories in an ounce. which means the 5 oz small... well, you do the math.
Posted by wallacher: #15 · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 1:19 AM
can't wait till the 23rd for the new furniture to be setup in wallach skylounge! (new sofa chairs with fold out desks, new sofas, etc)
Posted by another anon: #16 · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 1:45 AM
why did they only replace the Hartley elevators? what about Wallach? we're always forgotten.
Posted by math: #17 (in reply to #14) · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 1:49 AM
actually there are 90 calories in 1/2 cup of coffee. so a small container (1.3 servings) has 117 calories. not including toppings of course.
Posted by math is right!: #18 (in reply to #17) · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 2:59 AM
especially since the coffee is a nonfat flavor it makes sense to assume pinkberry's goal was to limit calories...
Posted by sorry: #19 · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 3:40 AM
to be so stupid about this... but are we talking a renovation of the elevator interiors, or are we talking about the kind of thing that will make them go faster?
Posted by nope...: #20 (in reply to #19) · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 9:09 AM
just the interiors. The Hartley elevators are as slow as ever...but now they're easier on the eyes.
Posted by !!!: #21 · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 12:48 PM
They need to renovate the Hamilton elevator! And by renovate I mean add another one.

I know Hamilton isn't a residence hall, but walking up to the 5th and 6th floors every day four semesters in a row is not pleasant. I'm not some kind of olympian.
Posted by FACT CHECK: #22 (in reply to #12) · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 12:53 PM
BWOG! Get your facts straight. I just called up Toast to verify what commenter #12 just pointed out -- Toast opened up a second location (replacing Carne). It DID NOT relocate. I repeat, there is still the same old Toast just shy of 125th St.

This leads to an interesting dilemma for those who live in the general vicinity of 115th St. (Schapiro, Furnald), but I think it's pretty unambiguous which way to go if you're in EC somewhere or, conversely, McBain, etc.
Posted by awesome: #23 · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 1:21 PM
Bwog picked the brain of Pinkberry cashier Shadenia who explained that many customers have been sampling coffee, but not many have been ordering it. "They have to get used to it."

in recession nation america, your asian overlords will select your frozen desert product flavoring and you will get used to it.
Posted by me me me: #24 (in reply to #22) · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 1:23 PM
Well no matter where I'm living, I have fond memories of the bathroom at the Toast that used to be Carne. Let's just say there was some involvement of mammaries and some white powder
Posted by whatevs: #25 · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 2:33 PM
as far as cheap, stylish desserts are concerned, rice to riches > pinkberry and it hasn't diluted its cachet by opening uptown.
Posted by that makes no sense: #26 (in reply to #24) · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 3:33 PM
where did you find an udder to lick sugar off of?
Posted by please!: #27 (in reply to #26) · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 6:13 PM
carne was big on steak...where do you think the steaks come from...duh, cows!
Posted by ooh lucky: #28 (in reply to #21) · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 8:20 PM
they did renovate the Hamilton elevator, yet in the same way as the EC elevators, ergo it might actually go slower but at least when you're packed in there with 24 other students and an arthum professor who thinks showers are overrated, you'll have something shiny to look at.
Posted by Joseph: #29 · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 8:53 PM
I don't think Toast moved. It's still at the old location. Is this maybe just a second location?
Posted by Alum: #30 (in reply to #21) · reply · track
January 19, 2008 at 10:57 PM
Columbia has tried several times to figure out a way to add another Hamilton elevator, but it just can't be done economically. Ripping out an entire new elevator shaft and installing the necessary hardware would be absurdly expensive, even compared to some of the high-budget work Columbia has done on various buildings (Hamilton included).

I think it's dumb to keep so many classrooms in Hamilton, especially on the upper floors. It makes no sense to create so much demand for elevator traffic when there is no way to increase the supply.
Posted by DHI: #31 (in reply to #30) · reply · track
January 20, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Where else they got class space, eh? I think it would be dumb to decrease the supply of class space when there's so much demand. Elevators whatever.
Posted by Really Guys?: #32 · reply · track
January 20, 2008 at 12:12 PM
Is walking up the stairs in Hamilton too much for you? Maybe it's time to find that "Dodge Fitness Center" everyone is talking about.

If you can't manage going from the 2nd to 6th floor in a building, I suggest leaving the higher EC Townhouses alone.
Posted by DHI: #33 (in reply to #32) · reply · track
January 20, 2008 at 1:14 PM
I am a lazy person and I still don't use the Hamilton elevators.
Posted by Anyone: #34 · reply · track
January 20, 2008 at 1:20 PM
That takes the Hamilton elevators to the 3rd, 4tn or 5th floor right before classes should be shot. 6th and 7th only. Unless you have a legitimate injury.
Posted by Julio: #35 · reply · track
January 20, 2008 at 1:37 PM
if anything, the EC elevators are slower. Now they take about 20 seconds to close, no matter how many times you press the door close button.
Posted by remember: #36 (in reply to #35) · reply · track
January 20, 2008 at 2:08 PM
When Columbia weighs options, it considers which will be the most expensive, have the least effect, and screw students the most. Then they pick an option that fits at least 2 of these 3 criteria. Some times they get lucky and hit all 3 (See: Lerner).

Also, when counting blocks: 125th street isn't 125th street. It's going diagonally northward, so at Amsterdam Ave it's really 126th street, and at Broadway it's really 128th street. Happy walking!
Name:
Email:
Reply to:

Describe this color in one lowercase word.

About Us

Bwog is compiled by the staff of The Blue and White, Columbia University's undergraduate magazine.

Contact Us

Please send tips to bwgossip@columbia.edu.

Questions or concerns? Email bweditors@columbia.edu.

Bwog is always looking for new writing talent. Email bwog@columbia.edu.

In Print

Search

Comment Policy

Our Favorite Comments

Clearly: [read]
"the freshmen yearn for a return to the womb."
What do you : [read]
"need if you're buying a musical instrument today? A Chopin Liszt!"

Bwogroll

Technical

Our headlines are syndicated through Atom.
This site is powered by the Publicate Content Management System, which is available for free.
Our interface icons are from the free Silk set.