The Bowery Boys: New York City History
Why is the West Village both historically important and incredibly expensive? In the final part of our West Village mini-series, we look at the elements that define the modern neighborhood — from battles with Robert Moses to the protests that galvanized the gay-rights movement. The 19th-century charms of the old Village seem timeless, but they… Read More
NOTE: TICKETS GO ON SALE TODAY at 3pm at the City Winery website. Calling all history geeks, New Yorkers, and lovers of great storytelling! Greg Young of the Bowery Boys Podcast is bringing you another edition of BOWERY BOYS HISTORY LIVE on May 26, 2026 Bowery Boys History Live is a storytelling cabaret of true… Read More
In Part Two of our mini-series, The Streets of the West Village, we turn to the people who gave the neighborhood its character and vitality. From Irish longshoremen on the docks to actors on the off-Broadway stage, from street gangs to speakeasy proprietors. From Eugene O’Neill to Bea Arthur, their stories help define this corner… Read More
Why are the streets of Manhattan’s West Village so unusually charming and romantic? Why does it make such an excellent place for a night out in New York City? Why is the real estate so expensive? And when did it become a distinct place separate from Greenwich Village? We‘ll get to the bottom of these… Read More
PODCAST The story of the devastating snowstorm that changed New York City forever. Every winter, as forecasters gaze upon a gruesome impending storm, they always mention one of the worst storms to ever wreak havoc upon New York City, the now-legendary mix of wind and snow called the Great Blizzard of 1888. The battering snow-hurricane of 1888,… Read More
On the afternoon of December 22, 1984, shots rang out beneath the streets of New York, from the subway’s 2 Seventh Avenue express train. A Greenwich Village man named Bernhard Goetz shot four black teenagers who he believed were about to assault him. The incident made international news, amplified by the city’s shameless tabloid newspapers because it so… Read More
On August 6, 1930, Supreme Court Justice Joseph Force Crater stepped into a taxi on West 45th Street and vanished without a trace. For 27 days, nobody reported him missing—not his wife waiting in Maine, not his Tammany Hall cronies, not the courts. When the story finally broke, it became the most famous missing persons case in New York… Read More
For more information on New York City’s history with snow removal, listen to our 2019 show on the history of the city’s Department of Sanitation. For some of New York City’s history, snowstorms have been completely paralyzing, and most residents had to clear their own streets, an impossibility in areas of a more rural character.… Read More
“A Highway is Crumbling. New York Can’t Agree on How to Fix It.” That was a headline in the New York Times back in November about the highly problematic section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway located beneath the Brooklyn Promenade, the romantic walkway that offers sumptuous views of lower Manhattan. Everybody loves the Promenade. Nobody loves… Read More
On Lexington Avenue sits a special food store named Kalustyan’s with a second floor stocked with international spices, syrups and bitters. In 1881, this was the home of Chester A. Arthur, and it was here in the early morning hours of September 20, that he became the 21st President of the United States. He is… Read More
PODCAST The ultimate history of New Year’s celebrations in New York City. This is the story of the many ways in which New Yorkers have ushered in the coming year, a moment of rebirth, reconciliation, reverence and jubilation. In a mix of the old and new, we present a history of early New Year’s festivities, before… Read More
We would like to thank Founded by NYC for sponsoring the Bowery Boys Podcast in 2025 and giving us the opportunity to feature upcoming New York City events in our shows this year. To mark the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026, Founded By NYC continues to highlight how the City has helped shaped history… Read More
PODCAST The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has brought joy and sparkle to Midtown Manhattan since the early 1930s. The annual festivities may seem steady and timeless but this holiday icon actually has a surprisingly dramatic history. Millions tune in each year to watch the tree lighting in a music-filled ceremony on NBC, and tens of… Read More
A special presentation of the live show Bowery Boys History Live, recorded at City Winery on December 12, 2025, a holiday themed history-variety show with Bridgerton vibes. Bowery Boys History Live is a live-show series at City Winery hosted by Greg Young featuring a variety of historians and tour guide. The last installment this summer featured author Liz… Read More
New Yorkers have gotten around their cities by subways, buses, elevated trains, streetcars and ferries. And the ways in which they have paid for them have changed as well. And keeps changing! This month, the city is saying farewell to the MetroCard, the magnetic-stripe card that has gotten the town moving since the early 1990s.… Read More