Neighborhoods
The Neon Beautiful: Images of New York at Night 1946
"In New York the first lights start to come on at night long before the last light has gone out of the sky." In 1939, a young…
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History, stories, and deep dives from the Bowery Boys.
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Wartime New YorkCharlie Chaplin on Wall Street: The tale behind the 1918 photo
April 16, 2014
The comedy legend Charlie Chaplin was born 125 years ago today in London, so I thought I'd use the opportunity to re-post one of my favorite photographs of Wall Street. In the 1918 photo above, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks draw tens of thousands to…
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Neighborhoods
The naming of Times Square — 110 years ago today!
Looking south towards the Times Building, 1904 and 2013: Top pic courtesy Library of Congress; Bottom pic courtesy nyclovesnycFrom the New York Times, April 9, 1904:"Mayor…
Wartime New York
Decorating the Flatiron Building with cannons and silver coins
At the very first-floor corner of the Flatiron Building once sat the trusty United Cigar Store. Being so striking a location in such an unusual building,…
Friday Night Fever
Recalling the opening of Roseland Ballroom at the start of Prohibition, the ‘phantasmal’ atmosphere, the private dancer
The Roseland Ballroom closes its doors next month on April 7th after a round of Lady Gaga concerts. The storied big band venue -- the 'world's…
Brooklyn History
The horror of moving to Brooklyn — from a 1905 comic strip
Above: Food can do strange things to you at night: an excerpt from McCay's January 7, 1905 strip, published two days after the one printed in…
Gangs of New York
The 1867 St Patrick’s Day riot: No peace in the Lower East Side
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper reported on a 'riot' which occurred on Saint Patrick's Day 1867 at the intersections of East Broadway, Grand and Pitt Streets, one block…
Bowery Boys Bookshelf
The Alienist by Caleb Carr, released 20 years ago this week: Retracing the steps of this Gilded Age murder mystery
NOTE: This article has a few plot spoilers but no major twists are revealed or discussed. I've tried to write the descriptions within the interactive map…
Health and Living
America’s first free animal hospital, at 350 Lafayette Street, with a roof garden for sick horses
The first official patient of the Free Hospital and Dispensary for Animals at 350 Lafayette Street, under the care of veterinarian Bruce Blair.The American Society for…
Pop Culture
Meryl Streep, New York City and theater of the 1970s
Meryl Streep is one of New Jersey's greatest natural resources. She was born in Summit, NJ, also the hometown of Ice-T, and grew up nearby in…
Mysterious Stories
Get Rich Magic: The astral adventures of Madame La Viesta and the Occult School of Science on Lexington Avenue
Above: Famed spiritualists gather in Chicago, 1906. The names weren't listed, but perhaps Mme. La Viesta is pictured here? (Courtesy Chicago Daily News/Library of Congress) The…
Pop Culture
On Nina Simone’s birthday, a look at her breakout Town Hall performance from September 1959
Nina Simone was born on this date in 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina. She came to New York as a student of the Julliard School, but her unique…
Brooklyn History
No sheep in Sheepshead Bay, but lots of fish with human teeth
The sheepshead is a common variety marine fish known for its distinctive black stripes and a very scary looking set of teeth. If you look too…