The Bowery Boys: New York City History
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
This month marks the 190th anniversary of one of the most devastating disasters in New York City history — The Great Fire of 1835. This massive fire, among the worst in American history in terms of its economic impact, devastated the city during one freezing December evening, destroying hundreds of shops and warehouses and changing the… Read More
What are we looking forward to here in New York City? Well, we’re not quite done with 2025, and a year of celebrating the city’s 400th anniversary will come to a fitting end with the Times Square Ball Drop in Manhattan on New Year’s Eve. In a tradition that goes back nearly 120 years, the… Read More
She stands in New York Harbor as America’s most recognizable symbol—but the story of the Statue of Liberty begins thousands of miles away, in the charming Alsatian city of Colmar, France. In this on-location episode, Tom ventures to the picturesque town where sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi was born in 1834. Walking through Colmar’s cobblestone streets… Read More
Did you hear Greg today on WNYC’s All of It with Alison Stewart? They talked about New York City’s greatest and most underappreciated bridges. And lots of history! We’ve covered many, many bridges on the podcast over the years. Take a dive into one of these: #424 Kosciuszko! The Man. The Bridge. The Legend. #410… Read More
What is Thanksgiving without the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? The annual march through Manhattan — terminating at Macy’s Department Store — has delighted New Yorkers for a century and been a part of the American tradition of Thanksgiving since it was first broadcast nationally on television in the 1950s. Macy’s began the parade in 1924… Read More
Thanks to its immigration history, Ellis Island is one of America’s great landmarks, to its immigration history, a place in New York harbor that represents the millions of people who arrived in this country during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Once processed here, a new arrival could head out to their new home… Read More
We’re making a list and checking it twice. Because there is SO much to do in New York City during the holiday season, that we wanted to be sure not to forgot anything. Below you’ll find some of the most iconic and beloved holiday events in New York, including festive performances, open-air markets and ice… Read More
A new Ken Burns mini-series is equivalent to the Super Bowl for history lovers. And the latest The American Revolution serves up all six parts this week on your local PBS Affiliate. Or, if you want to binge them all now, they’re all streaming now if you have a PBS app. But isn’t it more… 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
This month we’re celebrating New York City’s rich connections to the indigenous populations of North America, in particular the Lenape. Overall I think New York City could use more places which mark its indigenous roots. By which I mean, places for New Yorkers to actually visit, landmarks and public art which illustrate the connection between… Read More
The aviation hero Amelia Earhart, who became one of the world’s most famous women during the Great Depression, is one of those historic figures that people think they know quite well. But during her lifetime, much of her public image was the product of a New York book publisher. And even today, Earhart’s legacy is… Read More
Above: John Purroy Mitchel, the ‘boy mayor’, in 1910 PODCAST As New York City enters the final stages of this year’s mayoral election, let’s look back on a decidedly more unusual contest 110 years ago, pitting Tammany Hall and their estranged ally (Mayor William Jay Gaynor) up against a baby-faced newcomer, the (second) youngest man… Read More
The New York Comedy Festival is the largest comedy festival in the United States, bringing out the best of the comedy world since 2004. This year’s festival runs from November 7th to the 16th, 2025, and takes place at venues all around the city, from local comedy clubs like Q.E.D. in Astoria to historic venues… Read More
Tickets for this year’s Bowery Boys Ghost Stories of Old New York show at Joe’s Pub are now sale over at the Joe’s Pub website. Tom and Greg return to Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater with their SEVENTH annual Halloween ghost stories live show, conjuring the spooky folklore and mysterious urban legends that have famously… Read More