The Bowery Boys: New York City History
We’re privileged to have listeners in all over the country and in countries all over the globe. I imagine because of them, our packed podcast on the history of Rockefeller Center, a must-see stop for travelers, is our third most downloaded show. Find out the origins and secrets of JD Rockefeller’s risky midtown gambit, constructed… Read More
I’ve got something ambitious planned starting on Monday, March 8th, that will run all the way until March 19th, when we will launch our 100th Bowery Boys podcast. As I prepare for all that, I thought I’d re-present some of our most popular podcasts, culminating this Friday on our most popular podcast, in a fancy-schmancy,… Read More
FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER To get you in the mood for the weekend, on occasional Fridays we’ll be featuring an old New York nightlife haunt, from the dance halls of 19th Century Bowery, to the massive warehouse clubs of the mid-1990s. Past entries can be found here. LOCATION Reisenweber’s Cafe Columbus Circle, 58th Street and 8th… Read More
Above: An unemployment line in November 1933. The O’Brien administration offers no relief to the city. KNOW YOUR MAYORS Our modest little series about some of the greatest, notorious, most important, even most useless, mayors of New York City. Other entrants in our mayoral survey can be found here.Mayor John Patrick O’BrienIn office: 1933 There’s… Read More
We don’t have another trivia night lined up yet, but the Queens Museum is offering a fine alternative this Friday — with the glamorous Panorama of the City of New York as a backdrop. Using the miniature replica (designed for the 1964 World’s Fair), The Panorama Challenge is geographical trivia night, so polish up on… Read More
A packed house at MSGBowl on June 21, 1932, turning out for a prizefight between Max Schmeling and Jack Sharkey Picture courtesy Awesome Stories There was so much to speak about during the Madison Square Garden podcast that we didn’t have time to mention that, for a brief time, the borough of Queens once had… Read More
Augustus Saint-Gauden’s Diana twirling overhead on the second and arguably greatest version of Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden is certainly the recognizable name in arena entertaining, hosting Rangers and Knicks games, concerts, even political conventions. But it inherited that reputation from three other buildings which also called themselves ‘Madison Square Garden’. The first, inspired… Read More
STARS OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: Elton John and John Lennon LOCATION: MSG IV John Lennon’s last stage performance ever took place on 1974 at Madison Square Garden, and he only did it because he lost a bet. Elton John, an up and coming young star fresh from the successes of his album Goodbye Yellow… Read More
STARS OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: John W. DavisLOCATION: MSG II Both the Republicans and Democrats have held presidential nomination conventions here at Madison Square Garden, and with some success. The Republicans, in their only New York convention, re-nominated George W. Bush here in 2004. The Democrats propelled both Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton from MSG… Read More
STARS OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: Billy GrahamLOCATION: MSG III Sitting squarely where boxers and hockey stars frequently bloodied themselves, worshippers sit and listen to evangelist Billy Graham, during a run of 98 ‘Crusade’ sermons at the Garden in 1957, beginning on May 15. Events that summer would also continue onto Times Square and Yankee Stadium.… Read More
People were just wild about skating in the 1880s. STARS OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: Six-day skater William DonovanLOCATION: MSG I People were a touch insane in the 1880s and 90s. One of the most popular sports was the six-day bicycle race, a sport so popular, particularly in Madison Square Garden II (debuting there in 1891),… Read More
ABOVE: Fly fishing in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, August 1909. Meanwhile, downtown, people cast for greater prizes indoors. (Pic courtesy LOC) STARS OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: R.C. Leonard, fishermanLOCATION: MSG II Of all the curious events to ever happen at Madison Square Garden — from the first one to the latest — no… Read More
STARS OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: 1980 Russian Olympic TeamLOCATION: MSG IV Nope, that headline is not from an alternate timeline. Thirty years ago, the most memorable moment in US Winter Olympics history occurred on February 22, with the victory of the US men’s hockey team against its athletic and ideological rivals from the Soviet Union.… Read More
STARS OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: Warren RemedyLOCATION: MSG IIThe picture above is of the Katharine Hepburn of dogs, Warren Remedy, the only dog to ever win the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show three times in a row. Despite the name, this smooth-haired Fox Terrier canine superstar was female. She also kicked off the storied Best… Read More
Wealth and elegance mix with Egyptian relics at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1960 Fashion Ball. Photo by Walter Sanders (courtesy Life Google images) click for larger view It’s Fashion Week! Seventy years older and still looking good. Check out a brief history on the eve of its final performance in Bryant Park. [Slate] Did… Read More