Broadway and Amsterdam run parallel through the Upper West Side, but diverge when it comes to retail development, financial straits, and student appeal.
Amid an economic crisis that has permeated every area of the country and every aspect of daily life, student patronage has remained a constant for stores along the Columbia-tread Broadway. For its convenience, perceived safety, and just plain habit, Broadway seems better equipped to weather the financial storm than stores along Amsterdam, which—with select exceptions like Hamilton Deli—rely predominantly on non-student customers.
“I usually go to Broadway because I never really think to go to Amsterdam—Broadway is just intuitive,” Liza Plafsky, CC ’12, said. “But when I want a change of pace, I’ll go to Amsterdam.”
Plafsky was one of many students for whom frequenting Broadway is a matter of convenience.
“I go to Broadway in large part because it’s right around the corner, but also because a lot of places accept dining dollars,” Rahul D’Sa, CC ’09 and a Watt resident, said.
“Broadway is the place for all things food. Westside Market is a daily ritual,” Sarah Baker, CC ’10, said.
“The Broadway stores are, generally speaking, closer to more undergraduate residence halls as they are generally south of 116th Street,” James McShane, Columbia’s vice president for public safety, wrote in an e-mail. “Most of the stores on Amsterdam Avenue are north of 116th street, a longer walk.”
Columbia Cottage is the first restaurant south of campus on Amsterdam, and requires a three-block walk. Broadway fare, on the other hand, is right across the street from the main campus.
For years, security marked a major difference between the two avenues—Broadway was the safer option, and Amsterdam less so. But McShane said this is less true today.
“I think both areas are safe,” McShane said. “I suspect that students simply prefer the restaurants and stores on Broadway.”
Kaetlin Pernam, a supervisor at Oren’s Daily Roast on Broadway, said that the coffee bar’s location plays a major role in its success.
“It’s good because we’re on the train line, so anyone who gets off at 110th walks by,” Pernam said. “Our waves are aligned with train schedules.”
Community Food & Juice manager Chas Carner echoed Pernam’s explanation: “We get a lot of the population coming up from the subway.” He speculated that his restaurant would not see as much business “if we were two blocks below the subway.”
Store owners on Amsterdam feel there is significantly less student traffic at their stores, but said it has been gradually increasing.
“In the past few years there has been more pedestrian traffic because there are more attractive housing options between 110th and 106th between Amsterdam and Manhattan,” said Wendy Binioris, the owner of P & W Sandwich Shop on Amsterdam between 110th and 111th. “There is more student traffic between that area and campus.”
“On a nice day we won’t do as well because there are more services on Broadway,” Charles Trimboli, the owner of Camille’s on Amsterdam between 115th and 116th, said. “The worse the weather, the better we do.”
For Trimboli’s customers, who come mostly from the Columbia business and law schools, Amsterdam is a more convenient commercial strip. But in nice weather, they might go out of their way to frequent Broadway businesses.