The Bowery Boys: New York City History
One final note on Union Square — and namely, its newest addition, the statue of Indian leader Mohandas Gandhi (‘Mahatma’ or great soul). Although his statuary companions in the park George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette and Abraham Lincoln all have symbolic ties to freedom and revolution, Gandhi is the only inclusion that links directly… Read More
This former English-garden style park became the heart of protest and the labor movement. Join the Bowery Boys as we dig into the history of Union Square, from Book Row to Klein’s. Listen to it for free on iTunes or other podcasting services. Or you can download or listen to it HERE An old view… Read More
Some architectural monstrosities just beg to be ripped upon. Topping this list is One Union Square South, a bland 33-story structure and pioneer in the mall-ification of Union Square. Although its storefronts feature a Circuit City and a dying Virgin Mega-store, One Union Square South is defined by a piece of public art that has… Read More
Say what you will about Barnes and Noble. They’ve destroyed the small bookstore. They’ve homogenized the reading experience. Kelly green makes you nauseous. But at least they have great taste in buildings. My favorite building around Union Square is 33 East 17th Street, the glorious landmarked Century Building, built in 1881 with rustic Queen Anne… Read More
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. And now we come to one of New York’s most notorious, absolutely in the top 10% of the most corrupt mayors ever in our fair… Read More
At the end of the 2008 season, the Yankees will pack up their things and move across the street to their new stadium. The bronze plaques and memorials of Monument Park will also make the move across. Yet there is one more unusual memorial at the stadium the fate is which is undetermined. It’s nowhere… Read More
Above: new Yankee Stadium We’d like to give a big thank you to Kevin Walsh for giving us a generous shout-out on his site Forgotten NY. Most of you I’m sure are familiar with this great site, the ultimate investigative New York history site that specializes in the unique and sometimes unknown corners of the… Read More
Get ready for nine innings (or 30 minutes) of the greatest sports team ever — the New York Yankees. Hear about their modest beginnings, their best players, and the fate of Yankee Stadium, their home for 85 years. (And I apologize in advance for this week’s echo-y sound…had some difficulty with one of my directional… Read More
Before they went by their better known name — and before they were any good — the team that would become ‘the Yankees’ were known as the Highlanders, from 1903-1913. The name played to a couple dated references. The team captain was named Joseph Gordon, and the name referenced a British military outfit named Gordon’s… Read More
Most small community colleges feature a statue or two honoring somebody specifically related to the campus. Even massive schools could invite their monuments over for a small dinner and have room for you and your friend from out of town. Bronx Community College would need a fairly large banquet hall. This school in University Heights,… Read More
Some New York neighborhoods are simply named for their location on a map (East Village, Midtown). Others are given prefabricated designations (SoHo, Dumbo). But a few retain names that link them intimately with their pasts. Other entries in this series can be found here. The Bronx is one of two boroughs with names derived from… Read More
Few events in New York can trace themselves as far back as the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, a tradition that has been celebrated in some form since 1766. The spirit of ‘everybody’s Irish for a day’ was not in effect; that first parade was a strictly military affair, featured only Irish soldiers in the… Read More
You’ll be surprised by Tiffany’s 170-year history as a vanguard in New York luxury. See how they went from selling horse whips to world class diamonds. Listen to it for free on iTunes or other podcasting services. Or you can download or listen to it HERE The original Tiffany & Young location on downtown Broadway… Read More
It’s funny that the decade in which New York is truly at its lowest — crime at its all time high, fiscal crisis, the city’s landmarks falling apart — also happens to be the best decade ever for films about New York. I’ve already listed Taxi Driver and Saturday Night Fever, but you could wax… Read More
My list of New York’s best movie scenes continues with two in Brooklyn — and one that almost gets there…. Tension7. Do The Right Thing (1989)Mookie throws a trash can Spike Lee is only one of a few directors who knows how to turn New York City into a character in his films. With ‘Do… Read More