The Bowery Boys: New York City History
Before there were Mermaids, there was Mardi Gras. Above: ghoulish revelers from the 1911 parade An even larger collection of freaks and aquatic oddities than Coney Island’s everyday normal assortment will come slithering down Surf Avenue this Saturday with the 26th annual Mermaid Parade. The parade is the heart of Coney’s modern freak-show aesthetic, Christmastime… Read More
Early engraving of some Bowery b’hoys lolling about a fire hydrant, up to no good Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of our very first podcast. We just want to say thank you to everybody who has subscribed on iTunes and other podcast services. Our first year has been a huge success and we have… Read More
Governors Island has been open for a few weeks now and greeting people as they wander this historic military base are dozens of sculptures and installations, certainly the most comprehensive display of public art in the city outside a museum. The Sculptors Guild takes to the grounds of Nolan Park on its 70th anniversary with… Read More
Above: Peaceful Lispenard Meadow, future home of a British prison brothel? In the days of Collect Pond, the surrounding area was equally diverse and almost impossible to mentally construct today. Southeast of the pond was a place known as Beekman’s Swamp, a wetland drained by British landowner Jacobus Roosevelt on what would much later become… Read More
Street art in Gowanus After checking out our podcast on Canal Street, stop by Forgotten New York for their beautifully photographed walking tour of the Manhattan Bridge area [Forgotten New York] Better hurry out to Coney Island; the pier and boardwalk may be closed as early as the end of the month. [Kinetic Carnival] It’s… Read More
Collect Pond (and what I assume to be Bunker Hill) as depicted in watercolors by artist Archibald Robertson in 1798 We celebrate a year of New York City history podcasting by re-visiting the topic of our very first show. Downtown Civic Center used to have a big ole pond in the middle of it which… Read More
Summertime at Rockefeller Center plaza has seen gigantic puppy dogs and monster spiders. This year, however, they take a more literal reach into the mind of a child. Sitting at the eastern edge is this year’s summer Public Art Fund spectacle, ‘What My Dad Gave Me” by Chris Burden, a 65-foot-tall replica of the Rock… Read More
One very important American airfield associated with the city was omitted from this week’s podcast. Roosevelt Field was actually just outside the city of New York in Nassau County. Today it’s a 50 year old shopping mall! However, the most famous solo flight in human history originated from here over 80 years ago. The Army-owned… Read More
We embark on the tale of the birth of New York City flight — featuring a Wright brother on Governor’s Island, the site of a glue factory turned Brooklyn air strip, Queens’ forgotten first airport, and finally to the baby of mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. PODCAST TAKEN DOWN TEMPORARILY, WILL BE REPOST SOON! Wilbur Wright on… Read More
The Empire State Building’s proposed airship dock, as depicted in the movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow Airships (or dirigibles or Zeppelins, take your pick) were frequent flyers at the start of the century, and naturally many found themselves near or over New York City. In fact this almost defunct form of air… Read More
A very different Puerto Rican Day parade, in 1966 Manhattan’s largest parade happens this Sunday, June 8th: the annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade, an event that yearly brings national pride, festivity, chaos and anxiety to most of the city. The first Puerto Rican Day parade occured all the way back in 1958, a replacement… Read More
The events of the Stonewall Riots so reverberate within the international gay community that the thousands-strong Pride Parade every June ends here every year, while over in Europe (specifically major cities in Germany), their annual celebration is actually called Christopher Street Day. But the Christopher of Christopher Street would most likely be scandalized to learn… Read More
Above: one of the few extant photographs of the actual riot PODCAST It’s the summer of 1969, and the police have raided the Stonewall, a popular gay bar in the West Village. Join us as we look at the raid, the riots, and their significance today. Listen to it for free on iTunes or other… Read More
Pic courtesy of Friends of St Nicolas Park The Hamilton Grange National Monument is finally on the move! The home of Alexander Hamilton, built in 1802 and inhabited by the Founding Father for all of two years before his fateful duel with Aaron Burr, is being slowly lifted from its cramped, ingracious little spot next… Read More
Above: the sun comes out for Sarah Jessica Parker New York City usually spends the summer movie season being destroyed by aliens or scarred by car chases. So despite what you may think of the upcoming Sex And The City movie, consider this — not only does the Big Apple make it out alive, it… Read More