Categories
Neighborhoods

Remembering the General Slocum disaster, one of the greatest tragedies in NYC history

Listen to our podcast on the General Slocum Disaster: The General Slocum Memorial Fountain is one of the sole reminders of one of New York City’s darkest days, and it’s not a very awe-inspiring memorial. This is no dig at the custodians of Tompkins Square Park, where the memorial has been on display since 1906, nor at Bruno Louis… Read More

Categories
Neighborhoods Podcasts

Podcast Extra! Why Daniel D. Tompkins has a New York park

“The name of Daniel Tompkins deserves to be more kindly remembered than it has been.” —New York Herald-Tribune editorial, June 1932.  In our podcast on the history of Tompkins Square Park, we tell you a little about the park’s namesake — former U.S. Vice President and New York governor Daniel D. Tompkins. He was an… Read More

Categories
Parks and Recreation Podcasts

The ragged, rebellious history of Tompkins Square Park

A condescending illustration of Tompkins Square Park from the New York journal Hearth and Home, 1873. (NYPL)   Central Park has frequently been called ‘the people’s park,” but we think Tompkins Square Park may have a better claim to that title.  From its inception, this East Village recreational spot — named for Vice President Daniel… Read More

Categories
Mad Men

‘Mad Men’ notes: Hare Krishna blossoms in the East Village

Prabhupada in his early days in New York (Courtesy the Hare Krishna Movement blog) WARNING The article contains a couple spoilers about last night’s ‘Mad Men’ on AMC. If you’re a fan of the show, come back once you’re watched the episode. But these posts are about a specific element of New York history from the… Read More