Articles

History, stories, and deep dives from the Bowery Boys.

Mayor Philip Hone, the party host who made Washington Square Park

October 14, 2021

We’re just a few weeks away from a new mayor in New York City so we think it is time that you Know Your Mayors! Become familiar with other men who’ve held the job, from the ultra-powerful to the political puppets, the most effective…

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Bowery Boys Movie Club

The French Connection: Bowery Boys Movie Club

The new episode of the Bowery Boys Movie Club explores the new film The French Connection, the gritty action classic employing an astonishing array of on-location…

Oct 2, 2021 Read →

Events

Greg Young’s PBS Debut: Watch ‘Citizen Hearst’ on American Experience (Sept. 27)

So remember last year when we did a two part show on Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst? Here are the shows to refresh your memory:…

Sep 27, 2021 Read →

Know Your Mayors

Mayor William Paulding, the very respectable brother

We’re just a couple months away from a new mayor in New York City so we think it is time that you Know Your Mayors! Become…

Sep 19, 2021 Read →

Film History

The World Trade Center in its greatest film roles

How do you feel when you see the World Trade Center pop up in a movie from the 1970s and 80s? Sadness? Nostalgia? Or, with so…

Sep 15, 2021 Read →

Health and Living

Mayor Stephen Allen: A tragic end for New York’s sail-making leader

We’re just a couple months away from a new mayor in New York City so we think it is time that you Know Your Mayors!…

Sep 7, 2021 Read →

Brooklyn History

The Brooklyn origin of Pfizer and the wild world of 19th century medicine

The origin of a true Brooklyn 'start up' -- Charles Pfizer and Co, who went from developing intestinal worm medication in 1849 to being a leader…

Aug 25, 2021 Read →

Landmarks

Making Music History at the Hotel Pennsylvania

The following article is an excerpt from a new Bowery Boys mini-podcast -- following up on this week's episode on the Hotel Pennsylvania -- which has…

Aug 20, 2021 Read →

Know Your Mayors

Mayor Cadwallader D. Colden: Leading the city over 200 years ago

We’re just months away from a new mayor in New York City so we think it is time that you Know Your Mayors! Become familiar with…

Aug 18, 2021 Read →

Those Were The Days

The New York Monkey Fad of 1907

In an absolutely inhumane and totally unwise moment in New York City history, wild and exotic animals were once considered pets, roaming around the city streets…

Jul 28, 2021 Read →

Neighborhoods

Greenwich Village, through the eyes of Jean Shepherd

Jean Shepherd was born 100 years ago today in Chicago, so I'm bumping up this older post in tribute to this wonderful New Yorker. Jean Shepherd,…

Jul 26, 2021 Read →

Bowery Boys Bookshelf

‘Republic of Detours’: Paying great writers to discover New Deal America

For the hundreds of thousands of people employed by New Deal programs during the Great Depression, it was always infrastructure week. Even for those employed by…