The Bowery Boys: New York City History
The world has turned its eyes to Flushing Meadows, Queens, for almost 30 years now thanks to the U.S Open, held as the sports complex called the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It’s named after the tennis icon who won four women’s Open singles titles, three mixed doubles titles, and two women’s doubles… Read More
Come see the Wonder Wheel, the king of hot dogs, the “Freaks” in the Dreamland Sideshow, a beached whale and Donald Trump’s dad — all in one place! Its Coney Island of the 20th Century. But will it be around much longer in the 21st? Listen to it for free on iTunes or other podcasting… Read More
While winding through the financial district in lower Manhattan on Sunday (Sept 2), I made my way down Stone Street (one of the city’s oldest paths) and found this scene outside of Ulysses bar: About 40 people, in various Colonial and period garments, were carousing in character and loudly carrying on like Revolutionary War heroes.… Read More
Heather Graham produces a movie about the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, a tragedy on Washington Square Park that killed 146 women [Gothamist] Save Coney Island! prepares to rally the troops to save their beloved old amusement land from developers.[Kinetic Carnival] What porn shops must resort to on 8th Avenue.[Forgotton NY] Hilly Kristal, the cantankerous but… Read More
To get you in the mood for the weekend, every Friday we’ll be celebrating ‘FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER’, featuring an old New York nightlife haunt, from the dance halls of 19th Century Bowery, to the massive warehouse spaces of the mid-90s. Past entries can be found here I was reading Vanishing New York’s piece yesterday on… Read More
So this past weekend I was in Philadelphia — yes, I know, what’s a Bowery Boy doing there? — and in my jaunt around the city came upon one of its most famous landmarks, the Robert Indiana LOVE sculpture in Love Park. And, like a typical New Yorker, I looked at this thing, elevated off… Read More
The Coney Island that greeted vacationers and city folk in the years 1904 to 1911 was one of infinite imagination manifested in fantastic but cheaply built extravaganza. A world of amusement starts here in New York — Coney Island, the world’s oldest and strangest collection of amusement parks, a mishmash of sideshows, concession stands, gambling… Read More
Sorry the blog’s been a little dormant. Its been a tad insane here in Bowery land. We’ll be back up and running on Wednesday morning, with an “in pictures” segment of this week’s podcast. Thanks for listening!
To get you in the mood for the weekend, every Friday we’ll be celebrating ‘FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER’, featuring an old New York nightlife haunt, from the dance halls of 19th Century Bowery, to the massive warehouse spaces of the mid-90s. Past entries can be found here No Chipotle burrito and taco restaurant has ever made… Read More
Another colorful New Yorker died earlier this week, the Cruella Deville of real estate, Leona Helmsley, the Queen of Mean. With her passes a dynasty of wealth and power derived from her husband Herman, whose properties included the Empire State Building, the Flatiron building and more than 30 hotels. Brooke Astor, elder survivor of the… Read More
Ah, the classic Chrysler Building! She’s got style, glamour and all that jazz. But what magical surprise did she spring on New York in October of 1929? Join us as we tell the story of New York’s most beautiful art deco treasure. The picture above is of famed photographer Margaret Bourke-White, who had an studio… Read More
Our tribute to an off-the-beaten-path museum or landmark that you may not know about. Instead of MoMa, why not try out one of these places? Past entries in this series can be found here. Okay, I know I’m stretching when I call the NYC Transit Museum ‘off the beaten path’. Its advertised in every available… Read More
Bowling Green is now a small, pleasant fountained park at the foot of the Alexander Hamilton Custom House (now the National Museum of the American Indian). Its blooming flowers and quiet charm completely mask its significance to American history. For in the Colonial era, this area, once the site of the public well, was the meeting… Read More
To get you in the mood for the weekend, every Friday we’ll be celebrating ‘FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER’, featuring an old New York nightlife haunt, from the dance halls of 19th Century Bowery, to the massive warehouse spaces of the mid-90s. Past entries can be found here We’re reaching way back for this week’s entry, to… Read More
From an odd assortment of abandoned creatures, to one of the most notorious zoos in the world, take a tour with us through Central Park’s storybook zoo. In the podcast I erroneously stated that a famous political cartoon using the Central Park Zoo as a political metaphor also featured Ulysses S Grant depicted as an… Read More