The Bowery Boys: New York City History
More views of the Singer Building, the tallest New York building in 1908 and my favorite pre-Woolworth skyscraper mentioned on this week’s podcast: The Singer Building was replaced on the New York skyline with the grim, black monolith known as One Liberty Plaza.
Just in case you’re sick of reading ’25 Random Things’ lists on Facebook, feel free to post this tally of 19th and early 20th century bar owners and criminals in retaliation. 1 Boiled Oysters Malloy (owner of the Ruins saloon)2 Dan the Dude (owner of Stag Cafe)3 Will Fox (piano player at Gombossy’s Crystal Palice,… Read More
Laura is disturbed “I’m completely out of control!” BOWERY BOYS RECOMMEND is an occasional feature where we find an unusual movie or TV show that — whether by accident or design — uniquely captures an era of New York City better than any reference or history book. Other entrants in this particular film festival can… Read More
Cue the dancing girls, lower the props, raise the curtain — we’re taking on Broadway’s most famous producer, Florenz Ziegfeld! We give you a brief overview of the first days of Broadway, then sweep into Ziegfeld’s life — from his early successes (both professional and personal) to his famous Follies. And find out how the… Read More
Yesterday, the media reported grim news that a woman committed suicide by leaping out a 39-story window of the Empire State Building. The woman was an employee in the building; unfortunately, New York’s most recognizable symbol and its 102 floors have been the final destination for over 30 people since it opened its doors in… Read More
Below is a list of all the podcasts we did for the year 2008. This year has been a tremendous, overwhelming time for us, and Tom and I want to thank all of you for listening or just checking out this website. I can’t promise we’ll be able to produce quite this many shows for… Read More
I hope these children from 1914 had a great Christmas, because personally I would be very scared of that tree. I’ll be offline until the weekend so have a great holiday and thanks for listening and coming back and reading the blog! Picture above is courtesy the always wonderful Shorpys
Frosty turns his back on the Rock Center skaters Something things in New York don’t change much at all: check out this snowy look back at the White Horse Tavern [Ephemeral New York] A road trip worth taking — the New York State Museum in Albany opens an exhibit on New Netherland and the first… Read More
If any of you have room in your apartments for the legendary Astroland rocket, please let them know. [Kinetic Carnival] Hotrodding down Bedford Avenue in the 1930s [Gowanus Lounge] An archaeological dig in Riverside Park reveals information about the great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton [New York Times] Did they really destroy Bob Dylan’s Chelsea Hotel room… Read More
Staten Island Historians Piece Together Genealogy Of Wu-Tang Clan “NEW YORK—In what many are calling the most comprehensive study of its kind, Staten Island historians Robert Wilburn and Charles Tinsley have successfully traced the lines of the infamous Wu-Tang Clan all the way back to 1993 A.D…..” [The Onion]
ABOVE: Under the FDR on the East River, late in the day (Click for larger view) What will the East Village do without Love Will Save The Day, the charming vintage store immortalized in Desperately Seeking Susan? [Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York] Did you celebrate Repeal Day yesterday? New York speakeasies finally go legit. [Patell and… Read More
Try out our two ghost story podcasts, listen to them here or download them from iTunes, Zune or other podcasting services: Ghost Stories of New York Spooky Stories of New York Pic courtesy flickr
In celebration of National Design Week, the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum has had free admission all week until Saturday. Why aren’t you there now? Even if exhibits like “Wall Stories: Children’s Wallpaper and Books” don’t sound interesting to you (but who doesn’t like fun wallpaper?), at very least go to check out the building, one of… Read More
Just a few gentlemen, enjoying healthy lungfuls of smoke (Picture courtesy National Cigar Museum) One of the key locales in the mystery of Mary Rogers was the cigar store in which she worked, Anderson’s Tobacco Emporium to the west of City Hall on Broadway. Anderson was known nationwide for the quality of his wares, but… Read More
Tonight’s the night! We’ll be hosting the New York City Trivia Night on behalf of the Municipal Art Society of New York. TIME: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. The Municipal Art Society and the Bowery Boys will play host to a evening of New York City trivia: history, architecture, culture, and more. Come test your knowledge… Read More