An awards show for New York City preservation, history and tourism

The Guides Association of New York (GANYC) represents the  legion of licensed New York tour guides who bring an interest in preservation and history to tens of thousands of visitors and residents each year.   Outside of maybe a cab driver, they’re the first New Yorkers with whom many first-time visitors will interact, and their principal job in many cases is to bring the city to life.  

And so what other organization is more perfectly poised to present New York’s very first preservation and tourism awards?  The GANYC Apple Awards will recognize a cross-section of individuals bringing awareness to the culture of the city — writers, artists, broadcasters, curators, historians, preservationists, even chefs and restaurateurs.

And we are honored and excited to find our podcast on the list of this year’s nominees!  If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll also recognize a few other names on this list from previous books and projects that I’ve written about.

The ceremony will take place on March 2 at Symphony Space (the Leonard Nemoy Thalia). More information on how to get tickets can be found here.

The 2015 GANYC Awards categories:

Outstanding Achievement in Book Writing (published 2013/14)
— Sam Roberts, author: A History of New York in 101 Objects
— William B. Helmreich, author: The New York Nobody Knows: Walking 6,000 Miles in the City
— Christopher Winn, author: I Never Knew That About New York
— Brandon Stanton, author/photographer: Humans of New York

Outstanding Achievement in Essay/Article/Series Writing (published 2013/14)
— Christopher Gray, architectural historian, former columnist: Streetscapes, The New York Times
— David W. Dunlap, columnist, Building Blocks, The New York Times
— Clyde Haberman, former columnist: Breaking Bread, The New York Times
— Ginia Bellafante, columnist: Big City, The New York Times

Outstanding Achievement in Radio Program/Podcasts (audio/spoken word)
— The Bowery Boys Podcast
— The Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC
— The Next Stop Is… Podcast, Second Ave. Sagas
— Radiolab Podcast (‘Poop Train’ Episode)

Outstanding NYC Website
— Forgotten New York
— Gothamist
— Jeremiah’s Vanishing NY
— Scouting New York

Outstanding Achievement in Support of NYC (preservation)
— Friends of the High Line
— Andrew Berman, Executive Director, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation
— Andrew Scott Dolkart, Professor of Historic Preservation & Director of the Historic Preservation Program at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
— Peg Breen, President, The New York Landmarks Conservancy

Outstanding Achievement in Support of NYC (tourism)
— Justin Ferate, Urban, Social & Architectural Historian, NYC Tour Guide, Preservation Activist
— Dan Biederman, Co-founder, Grand Central Partnership; Co-Founder & President, 34th Street Partnership; Co-Founder & President, Bryant Park Corporation
— Billy Mitchell, Tour Director, The Apollo Theater
— Emily K. Rafferty, President, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Chairwoman, NYC & Company

Outstanding Achievement in Support of NYC (culture)
— Kathleen O’Connor, Tourism and Community Relations, NY Historical Society
— Susan Henshaw Jones, Ronay Menschel Director, Museum of the City of New York
— Alan Gilbert, Music Director, New York Philharmonic; Conductor Laureate, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra; Principal Guest Conductor, NDR Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg; Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies, The Juilliard School
— Michael Miscione, Manhattan Borough Historian

Outstanding Achievement in NYC Museum Exhibitions (2013/14)
— Palaces for the People: Guastavino and the Art of Structural Tile, March26 – September 7th, 2014, Museum of the City of NY
— Permanent Exhibits, National September 11 Memorial & Museum
— Documenting Sandy, October 16th, 2013 – Spring 2014, Brooklyn Historical Society
— Daily Life at Sailor’s Snug Harbor, Permanent Exhibit, Noble Maritime Collection at historic Snug Harbor Cultural Collection

Outstanding Achievement in NYC Food (focusing on anniversaries and special accomplishments)
— Katz’s Delicatessen, celebrating over 125 years of service.
— Niki Russ Federman & Josh Russ Tupper, Russ & Daughters; 100 years owned and operated by one family
— Danny Meyer, CEO, Union Square Hospitality Group, controlling over 10 NYC restaurants and a catering company.
— Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich, Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group

Lifetime Achievement Award
— James Turrell, American Artist