Lounge Cher: Great moments in wacky NYC music history
Sonny and Cher in New York City (picture courtesy Getty Images)June 1, 1970: Sonny and Cher begin a two-week stint at the Empire Room at the…
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History, stories, and deep dives from the Bowery Boys.
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It's ShowtimeLady Day to Lady Gaga: where 20 stars got their starts
April 2, 2010
Here's a sampling of female entertainers from the last one hundred years, focusing on one particular venue that figures into shaping that person's professional career. Obviously, most of these women performed in dozens of places throughout the city. I'm just focusing on location pivotal…
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Sedated: Great moments in wacky NYC music history
March 30, 1974: The Ramones, the pride of Forest Hills, Queens, play their first public concert together at Performance Studio, a small space on East 20th…
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Triangle Factory Fire: 99 years later
Above: the mangled remains of a flimsy fire escape which sent many Triangle Factory workers to their deathA tragic marker in New York City history: the…
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A History of New York City in 100 Buildings (Nos. 51-100)
THE FINAL PART UPDATED BELOW - THE FUTURE CITYSee map below for all the locations mentioned in this storyI'm splitting the second half of this series…
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A History of New York City … in 100 Buildings (Nos. 1-50)
PART FIVE UPDATED BELOW - CONSOLIDATED CITYSee map below for all the locations mentioned in this storyOne of the truly great podcast pleasures of the past…
Friday Night Fever
Reisenweber’s Cafe: glamour, late nights and hot jazz
FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER To get you in the mood for the weekend, on occasional Fridays we'll be featuring an old New York nightlife haunt, from the…
Mayor John O’Brien: his heart is as black as yours!
Above: An unemployment line in November 1933. The O'Brien administration offers no relief to the city.KNOW YOUR MAYORS Our modest little series about some of the…
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Yes, there really was a FIFTH Madison Square Garden
A packed house at MSGBowl on June 21, 1932, turning out for a prizefight between Max Schmeling and Jack Sharkey Picture courtesy Awesome Stories There was…
It's Showtime
Stars of MSG: Two great Johns on a Thanksgiving night
STARS OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: Elton John and John Lennon LOCATION: MSG IV John Lennon's last stage performance ever took place on 1974 at Madison Square…
Stars of MSG: Fears of Ku Klux Klan and a political dud
STARS OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: John W. DavisLOCATION: MSG II Both the Republicans and Democrats have held presidential nomination conventions here at Madison Square Garden, and…
Stars of MSG: the Garden goes gospel – summer 1957
STARS OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: Billy GrahamLOCATION: MSG IIISitting squarely where boxers and hockey stars frequently bloodied themselves, worshippers sit and listen to evangelist Billy Graham,…
Stars of MSG: The deadliest roller skating event ever
People were just wild about skating in the 1880s.STARS OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: Six-day skater William DonovanLOCATION: MSG IPeople were a touch insane in the 1880s…